Biodiversity Special Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Forgotten Islands-Ambon (16 days)

Biodiversity Special Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Forgotten Islands-Ambon (16 days) with

MV Mermaid I

16 days / 15 nights48 Dives

Day

Itinerary with MV Mermaid I Biodiversity Special Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Forgotten Islands-Ambon (16 days)

Dives

Day 1

Check-in on board MV Mermaid I. As our guest arrivals take place all through the day depending on flights, you are welcome to board when you arrive and spend some time unpacking and setting up your equipment, etc. Once all guests are on board we will proceed with boat and safety briefing. Mermaid I will cruise for 5 to 6 hours to the Dampier Strait, 40 nautical miles.

Dives

Day 2-4

The next three days will be spent around the Dampier Strait, the strait between the island of Waigeo, the Bird’s Head Peninsula and the northern side of Batanta Island.
The Dampier Strait is known for a huge variety of diving, from giant mantas to mangroves, beautiful reefs, many pinnacles and sea mounts covered in schooling fish, aggregations of sweetlips, schooling barracudas, bumphead parrotfish, fusiliers and lots of wobbegong sharks. It is also a great location for critters and macro subjects, with several species of pygmy seahorses and a large variety of nudibranchs.
There will be an excursion to Pyanemu Viewpoint. Cruise overnight to Misool, 90 nautical miles.

Dives

Day 5-7

The next three days will be spent around the island of Misool, where there are literally hundreds of dive sites. Misool is heaven for wide angle photographers. The prettiest soft coral reefs in the world are located in Misool. In addition, there are multiple pinnacles surrounded by masses of schooling fish, barracudas, jacks and snappers.
There will be some excursions with the tenders through some amazing inner lagoons, with fantastic scenery and wildlife sightings.
There are also some great night dives, where you can see Raja epaulette sharks, frogfish and crocodile fish. Cruise overnight to Pulau Koon, 100 nautical miles.

Dives

Day 8

Pulau Koon is a small island on the southeast of Ceram.
Here you will find walls covered in soft corals and sandy slopes with hard coral bommies. But the most interesting feature of this island is the amount of schooling fish including barracudas, bigeye trevallies, red snappers, pompanos, batfish and pelagics giant groupers, mobula rays and sharks. Cruise overnight to Manuk, 108 nautical miles.

Dives

Day 9

Manuk, is one of two places in Indonesia where there are huge aggregations of sea snakes: Chinese sea snakes and banded sea kraits. It is an incredible experience to dive surrounded on all sides by sea snakes. The island is surrounded by black sandy slopes with hard coral reefs and volcanic ridges covered in gorgonians with zillions of fusiliers and pelagic fishes such as Spanish mackerels, dogtooth tunas and hammerhead sharks passing through. Cruise overnight to Nil Desperandum, 85 nautical miles.

Dives

Day 10

Today we will spend all day diving at a reef called Nil Desperandum, which is 20 nm north of Nila Island and 25nm south of Serua Island. This reef in the middle of nowhere, and together with Serua Island, is probably one the best spots in the Banda Sea to see schooling hammerheads. Besides searching for hammerheads, it is also a great place to look for schooling barracudas, trevallies, snappers, and also pelagic such as dogtooth tunas and giant trevallies. Cruise overnight to Serua, 25 nautical miles.

Dives

Day 11

Serua Island is probably one of the most emblematic spots in the Banda Sea to see schooling hammerhead sharks. Also, an amazing side to see schooling fish such as big eye trevallies, pinjalo snappers and others. Cruise to Banda Islands, 97 nautical miles.

Dives

Days 12-14

The next three days will be spent in the Banda Islands, formerly known as the Spice Islands. Many of the dive sites around the Banda islands are wall dives. The walls are covered in massive gorgonians, soft corals, barrel sponges and have some very interesting swim throughs. But there are other attractive dive sites such as pinnacles with enormous groups of schooling pyramid butterflyfish, triggerfish and pelagic fishes such as hammerhead sharks, tunas and mackerels passing through, spectacular hard coral reefs next to the volcano, and great muck dives with lots of mandarin fish at the local jetty.
The Banda Islands are much more than diving. It is also a cultural and historical experience. You will spend one morning walking around the village of Banda Neira the main island, with a local guide, visiting the local museum, the old Dutch fort, the old colonial governor’s house, the local fish market and a nutmeg plantation, where you will have breakfast. Cruise overnight to Nusa Laut (77 nautical miles) or to Ambon (110 nautical miles).

Dives

Day 15

The last diving day of the trip will in Ambon Bay where there are several options such as a wreck, or some really interesting muck dives looking for many critters such as Rhinopias, frogfish and nudibranchs, sea horses, harlequin shrimps, etc…..

Dives

Day 16

Disembark at 8 am. Mermaid I staff will transfer you to Ambon airport or city hotel.

Dives

Total Dives: 48

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Date	Trip Code	Itinerary	Master	Single	Deluxe	Lower Deck	Status
08 Nov 2025	MMI 29/25SP	Biodiversity Special Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Forgotten Islands-Ambon (16 days) Duration: 16D 15N Return: 23 Nov 2025 Mermaid I Trip Details	€ 8,000	€ 8,500	€ 7,500	€ 6,300	Book Now
31 Oct 2026	MMI 27/26SP	Biodiversity Special Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Forgotten Islands-Ambon (16 days) Duration: 16D 15N Return: 15 Nov 2026 Mermaid I Trip Details	€ 8,000	€ 8,500	€ 7,500	€ 6,300	Book Now
05 Nov 2027	MMI 28/27SP	Biodiversity Special Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Forgotten Islands-Ambon (16 days) Duration: 16D 15N Return: 20 Nov 2027 Mermaid I Trip Details	€ 8,500	€ 9,000	€ 8,000	€ 6,500	Book Now

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Biodiversity Special Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Forgotten Islands-Ambon (16 days)