Mermaid I 10D9N

Check-in on board MV Mermaid vessel. 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. Following the boat and safety briefing, the Mermaid vessel will start cruising to the area of Misool. The first cruising will be done overnight, 90 nautical miles. It is almost impossible to put together a daily itinerary due to the magnificent diving everywhere Mermaid vessel goes. No trip is the same, with so many different sites to visit and explore. If there is somewhere, in particular, you really have your heart set on, please discuss it with the Cruise Director who will do their utmost to get you there – conditions, ship, and your safety allowing!

Misool area with literally hundreds of dive sites around this magnificent area, you will be in divers’ paradise for a few days. Soft corals and gorgeous gorgonians, home to the much sought-after pygmy seahorse! Pinnacles with masses of fish. Islands you will thoroughly enjoy in the Misool area include the Balbulol, Sagof, Wagmab, Farondi, Wayilbatan, Warakaraket, Fiabacet, Yillet, Kalig and Pele Islands.

Dive around Penemu Island and visit the viewpoint. Or dive around the island of Kawe, a great place for schooling fish with beautiful reefs covered in black coral bushes and a very good chance to have encounters with Manta Rays. Heading to the central part of Raja Ampat dive around the island of Yanggefo, with beautiful mangrove areas, stunning reefs covered in orange and purple soft corals, and submerged reefs with lots of schooling fish. Arborek and Sawanderek Villages are some of the most beautiful islands to visit and great to dive under their jetty! The jetty pillars are covered in soft corals – a photographer’s delight and also good for macros such as signal gobies, nudibranchs, pipefish, blue-ringed octopus, and more. The Mantas are then calling us to visit the famous Dampier Strait in the central part of Raja Ampat. Here Mantas hang out at their cleaning stations along with all the schooling fish that the sites have to offer. At some of the sites in the Dampier Strait, the macro marine life is amazing with critters such as the sea moth, Pontohi pygmy seahorse, pipefish, and more. The Dampier Strait is also well known for its incredible amount of schooling fish. There are several pinnacles with zillions of fish. The tips (capes) of several islands are also home to lots of schooling fish – barracudas, bigeye jacks, snappers, zillions of fusiliers and surgeonfish, and much more. As if that weren’t enough, here you can find lots of wobbegong sharks.

The last two dives of your cruise will be done in the Dampier Strait area, where big schools of fish and glorious corals are simply amazing! After the second dive MV Mermaid vessel must go back to Sorong. The crew will take care of rinsing your equipment and there’s time to pack during this 5 – 6 hour run.