Schools, Sharks & Blue Lagoons: Aboard Mermaid II Through Raja Ampat

This week onboard the Mermaid II, we welcomed a friendly group from Taiwan and set sail for the magnificent reefs around Raja Ampat.

Starting our trip and breaking the surface in Misool at the southern tip of Raja Ampat, we were immediately greeted by schooling fish of all kinds. From Fusiliers getting chased around by Bluefin and Giant Trevallies all over the vibrant reefs. A large school Batfish suddenly appeared out of the blue and circled around us. Meanwhile, a large school of Yellowmask Surgeonfish unbothered by all the commotion around us.

On the smaller side, the ever so tiny Pygmy Seahorses quietly watch the actions from their colorful Sea Fans. Colorful crustaceans such as Candy Crabs were found crawling around their colorful soft corals, matching its colors to the coral polyps. While Bigfin Reef Squid lurked in the dark, stalking potential prey.

As we made our way north towards Penemu and the Dampier Strait, we put our two dinghies down and explored the picturesque blue lagoons and climbed our way up to the most famous viewpoint. A nice little break from diving!

The Dampier Strait this time delivers plenty of schooling fish actions. From the smaller “confetti fish” like Chromis and Anthias dancing in the current above spectacular hard coral gardens of Melissa’s Garden. To the larger Barracudas patrolling the blue. We also encountered many Wobbegong Sharks and some lucky guests even saw free swimming ones.

Some other highlights include, one fine morning around the magical Bluewater Mangroves of Yanggefo, looking for the special Archerfish among the mangrove roots, but instead we encountered a massive school of Scads swirling around us for the whole dive! And of course the quintessential Raja Ampat Jetty dives with plenty of fish actions swirling around the pillars. Perfect to close this amazing trip!
Starting our trip and breaking the surface in Misool at the southern tip of Raja Ampat, we were immediately greeted by schooling fish of all kinds. From Fusiliers getting chased around by Bluefin and Giant Trevallies all over the vibrant reefs. A large school Batfish suddenly appeared out of the blue and circled around us. Meanwhile, a large school of Yellowmask Surgeonfish unbothered by all the commotion around us.

– Christopher Pen

Mermaid II
Sorong – Raja Ampat – Sorong
March 14-22, 2026