Join Mermaid Liveaboards for an exciting adventure across the Banda Sea. Begin your cruise in Maumere on Flores Island and then on to Alor. After this you will head through the Forgotten Islands for fantastic wall dives and the chance for schooling hammerhead sharks. Finish in the brilliant Ambon Bay to hunt for weird and wonderful critters.
Day 1
Check-in on board Mermaid I. We recommend all guests to arrive the day before the cruise departure. After all the guests have settle into the cabins and set up the diving equipment, we will start crossing overnight to our first destination at Kawula Island, 90 nautical miles.
Dives
-
Day 2
Dive Cape Bacatan and Lewaling Bay at the island of Kawula. Three dives along walls and ledges covered in sea fans and soft corals – chance for pygmy seahorse and critters here as well.
Cape Bacatan is a good place to spot whitetips, blacktips and occasionally, grey reef sharks. Also a popular spot for eagle rays and Napoleon wrasse with loads of schooling fish. A great muck night dive will be done in front of a traditional fishing village. Cruise overnight to Alor, 70 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 3
Alor is a favourite dive spot for divers coming to dive Indonesia year after year due to its variety of dive sites. Healthy reefs, pinnacles, walls, great muck dives, cold water, warm water, strong currents and protected areas. Alor has it all. Cruise overnight to Wetar, 95 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 4
In Wetar you will dive at the small island of Reong and at Cape Nunukae.
Pulau Reong is a small island on the northwest coast of Wetar and separated by a small channel only 700 metres wide. More walls, like many of the dive sites in the Banda Sea, covered in small soft corals but of a great variety of colours, with zillions of triggerfish of every species.
Cape Nunukae, about 6 nautical miles southwest of Pulau Reong, is a large ridge with slopes on both sides, covered with a hard coral reef on the shallow area of the ridge, with soft corals on the slopes in the deeper areas. There can be strong currents at the end of the ridge, where large aggregations of schooling fish can be found. Cruise overnight to the Damar Islands, 150 nautical miles.
Dives
3
Day 5
Today you will dive several small islands – Neus Leur, Terbang Seletan and Terbang Utara. The island of Damar and its three surrounding small islands have spectacular diving. Like many dives in the Banda Sea, there is crystal clear water and beautiful walls covered in massive sponges and beautiful soft corals. Cruise a few hours to Nila, 90 nautical miles.
Dives
3
Day 6
Surrounding Nila Island there are two atolls, Dusborgh and Nil Desperandum. It’s at these two atolls that there is a good chance of seeing hammerhead sharks. Even without the hammerheads, the reefs are fabulous, with healthy walls and big schools of fish. Cruise to Serua Island, 20 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 7
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 Manuk, 55 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 8
Manuk, also known as the Snake Volcano. Don't need to be afraid! The site also offers a black sand reef dive with loads of fish and pretty hard and soft corals. We will spend the whole day her doing four day dives, then travelling to the Banda Islands, 60 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 9-10
Banda Islands for the next 2 days! Walls, swim throughs, sponges and sea fans – good diving and great for wide angle. Several sites have swim throughs large enough for several people to go through at the same time and is especially nice for wide angle shots, as they are covered in soft corals and sponges.
Dive sites in the Banda Islands drop down thousands of metres, offering spectacular walls and stunning reef tops, with visibility usually in the 40-50 metre range.
The sunset dive is at the pier in front of an old colonial hotel! Black sand and volcanic rock with an unusual amount of large and not shy mandarin fish – also great for critters.
For the second day here, in addition to great diving, you will go on land for an excursion on the island of Banda Neira visiting the local museum, Dutch fort, nutmeg plantation and local market. You will even get to have breakfast at the nutmeg plantation! Cruise overnight to Nusa Laut, 75 nautical miles or Ambon, 110 nautical miles.
Dives
6
Day 11
Today you will either do two dives at Nusa Laut – healthy reefs, chance for dugong…or onto Ambon for some fabulous muck dives with critters galore. This area is known for many rare and unusual species including the psychedelic frogfish and Ambon scorpion fish.
Dives
2
Day 12
Disembark at 8 am. Mermaid I staff will transfer you to the airport or hotel.
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to changes beyond the operator’s control. The exact itinerary, route and amount of dives for your cruise may be adapted to best suit the weather conditions, tides and currents, season and other prevailing events.
Dives
-
Day 1
Check-in on board Mermaid II. We recommend all guests to arrive the day before the cruise departure. After all the guests have settle into the cabins and set up the diving equipment, we will start crossing overnight to our first destination at Kawula Island, 90 nautical miles.
Dives
-
Day 2
Dive Cape Bacatan and Lewaling Bay at the island of Kawula. Three dives along walls and ledges covered in sea fans and soft corals – chance for pygmy seahorse and critters here as well.
Cape Bacatan is a good place to spot whitetips, blacktips and occasionally, grey reef sharks. Also a popular spot for eagle rays and Napoleon wrasse with loads of schooling fish. A great muck night dive will be done in front of a traditional fishing village. Cruise overnight to Alor, 70 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 3
Alor is a favourite dive spot for divers coming to dive Indonesia year after year due to its variety of dive sites. Healthy reefs, pinnacles, walls, great muck dives, cold water, warm water, strong currents and protected areas. Alor has it all. Cruise overnight to Wetar, 95 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 4
In Wetar you will dive at the small island of Reong and at Cape Nunukae.
Pulau Reong is a small island on the northwest coast of Wetar and separated by a small channel only 700 metres wide. More walls, like many of the dive sites in the Banda Sea, covered in small soft corals but of a great variety of colours, with zillions of triggerfish of every species.
Cape Nunukae, about 6 nautical miles southwest of Pulau Reong, is a large ridge with slopes on both sides, covered with a hard coral reef on the shallow area of the ridge, with soft corals on the slopes in the deeper areas. There can be strong currents at the end of the ridge, where large aggregations of schooling fish can be found. Cruise overnight to the Damar Islands, 150 nautical miles.
Dives
3
Day 5
Today you will dive several small islands – Neus Leur, Terbang Seletan and Terbang Utara. The island of Damar and its three surrounding small islands have spectacular diving. Like many dives in the Banda Sea, there is crystal clear water and beautiful walls covered in massive sponges and beautiful soft corals. Cruise a few hours to Nila, 90 nautical miles.
Dives
3
Day 6
Surrounding Nila Island there are two atolls, Dusborgh and Nil Desperandum. It’s at these two atolls that there is a good chance of seeing hammerhead sharks. Even without the hammerheads, the reefs are fabulous, with healthy walls and big schools of fish. Cruise to Serua Island, 20 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 7
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 Manuk, 55 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 8
Manuk, also known as the Snake Volcano. Don't need to be afraid! The site also offers a black sand reef dive with loads of fish and pretty hard and soft corals. We will spend the whole day her doing four day dives, then travelling to the Banda Islands, 60 nautical miles.
Dives
4
Day 9-10
Banda Islands for the next 2 days! Walls, swim throughs, sponges and sea fans – good diving and great for wide angle. Several sites have swim throughs large enough for several people to go through at the same time and is especially nice for wide angle shots, as they are covered in soft corals and sponges.
Dive sites in the Banda Islands drop down thousands of metres, offering spectacular walls and stunning reef tops, with visibility usually in the 40-50 metre range.
The sunset dive is at the pier in front of an old colonial hotel! Black sand and volcanic rock with an unusual amount of large and not shy mandarin fish – also great for critters.
For the second day here, in addition to great diving, you will go on land for an excursion on the island of Banda Neira visiting the local museum, Dutch fort, nutmeg plantation and local market. You will even get to have breakfast at the nutmeg plantation! Cruise overnight to Nusa Laut, 75 nautical miles or Ambon, 110 nautical miles.
Dives
6
Day 11
Today you will either do two dives at Nusa Laut – healthy reefs, chance for dugong…or onto Ambon for some fabulous muck dives with critters galore. This area is known for many rare and unusual species including the psychedelic frogfish and Ambon scorpion fish.
Dives
2
Day 12
Disembark at 8 am. Mermaid II staff will transfer you to the airport or hotel.
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to changes beyond the operator’s control. The exact itinerary, route and amount of dives for your cruise may be adapted to best suit the weather conditions, tides and currents, season and other prevailing events.
Dives
-
Below are the airlines that fly to this destination. Should you wish to have a streamlined travel experience for your trip, we will be happy to arrange your flight, please inform us when making an inquiry through our inquiry form.
Garuda Indonesia is the national airline of Indonesia. Named after the holy bird Garuda of Hinduism from the national emblem of Indonesia. Garuda flies to most of our ports of embarkation and disembarkation. At the time of writing they offer an extra 23kg baggage allowance for sports gear, including scuba diving equipment.
Batik Air is a full-service airline which began operations in May 2013. This airline is part of the Lion Air group. Batik Air flies to many of Mermaid’s destinations. They offer some convenient options such as direct flights from Jakarta to Sorong, for our Raja Ampat cruises, or to Ambon to join some of our most exciting cruises.
Lion Air is an Indonesian low-cost airline and is the second largest low-cost airline in Southeast Asia after AirAsia and the largest airline of Indonesia. The airline operates domestic as well as international routes, which connects different destinations of Indonesia. Wings Air is part of Lion Air and flies to the more remote destinations. Batik Air is also part of the Lion Air group. Between all these airlines, Lion, Wings and Batik can fly you to any of the area where we operate.
Sriwijaya Air is an Indonesian airline based in Jakarta. Garuda Indonesia group recently took over the operation of Sriwijaya Air. This airline is the country’s third largest carrier and offers flights to various Indonesian destinations and a few international destinations. Sriwijaya also offer convenient direct flights from Jakarta to Sorong for our Raja Ampat cruises.
Our base currency is in Euro, we can accept payment in Euro and USD only
*Prices are per person
Date | Trip Code | Itinerary | Master | Single | Deluxe | Lower Deck | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24Sep2023 | MMII 33/23MA | Biodiversity Special Ring of Fire – Maumere – Alor – Banda Sea – AmbonDuration: 12D 11NReturn: 05 Oct 2023Mermaid IITrip Details | - | - | Book Now | ||
01Oct2023 | MMI 26/23MA | Biodiversity Special Ring of Fire – Maumere – Alor – Banda Sea – AmbonDuration: 12D 11NReturn: 12 Oct 2023Mermaid ITrip Details | Book Now | ||||
22Sep2024 | MMII 33/24MA | Biodiversity Special Ring of Fire – Maumere – Alor – Banda Sea – AmbonDuration: 12D 11NReturn: 03 Oct 2024Mermaid IITrip Details | - | - | Book Now | ||
30Sep2024 | MMI 26/24MA | Biodiversity Special Ring of Fire – Maumere – Alor – Banda Sea – AmbonDuration: 12D 11NReturn: 11 Oct 2024Mermaid ITrip Details | Book Now | ||||
21Sep2025 | MMII 32/25MA | Biodiversity Special Ring of Fire – Maumere – Alor – Banda Sea – AmbonDuration: 12D 11NReturn: 02 Oct 2025Biodiversity Special Ring of Fire – Maumere – Alor – Banda Sea – AmbonTrip Details | - | - | Book Now |
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*Prices are per person
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to changes beyond the operator’s control. The exact itinerary, route and amo...
Learn MoreThis is a sample itinerary and is subject to changes beyond the operator’s control. The exact itinerary, route and amo...
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