Starting a voyage with MV Mermaid promises an amazing dive trip and will fully envelop you in the breathtaking underwater world of Indonesia. Starting from the gorgeous Flores and traveling into the fabled Komodo National Park, the painstakingly created itinerary transports you through a marine paradise.
Starting the journey in Maumere, Flores, your check-in marks you into the world of comfort on MV Mermaid. Day two starts with a trio of dives over the Lintah Strait as we head for Komodo National Park. From magnificent sharks and ray to the hypnotic ballet of turtles, schooling fish, and vivid nudibranchs, crystal-clear waters expose a symphony of marine life.
Explore the underwater riches of northern Komodo, ending in nighttime dives at Gili Banta Bay or Stargazer beach. Turning now to Sangeang Island, find the unusual marine life flourishing in underwater hot springs as well as uncommon nudibranchs and pygmy seahorses.
The journey crescendos with dives next to amazing whale sharks in Saleh Bay, Sumbawa. Memories of this unmatched dive odyssey linger as MV Mermaid sets route back to Bali.
More About Mermaid IIDives: Approximately 25 dives in total
Experience: Open Water – No minimum logged dives required.
Day 1: Maumere, Flores
Check-in on board between 13:00-15:00 hours at Maumere Harbour in Flores. After the boat and safety briefing, you’ll set up the equipment and you can settle into your cabin. Dinner will be served at 19:00 hours as the vessel cruises into the sunset on her overnight journey to Komodo National Park.
Day 2: 3 Dives
Three dives around the Lintah Strait, the strait between Komodo Island on the west and Rinca and Flores on the east. Here, you can expect crystal clear waters and a vast diversity of marine life from sharks and rays, including mantas, to turtles galore, schooling fish, and nudibranchs if you can take your eyes off the rest of the action going on around you! There is a choice of dive sites including Batu Bolong, Takat Makassar, Tatawa Besar, Tatawa Kecil, Batu Tengah, and Siaba Kecil. Your night dive can be either a critter dive at Wainiloo or a reef dive in northern Komodo. Cruise overnight to Maumere.
Day 3: 4 Dives
The boat will cruise south to Manta Alley, home to a large school of reef mantas. After exhilarating manta dives, the crew will take you to Horseshoe Bay for your night dive at Torpedo Alley. This site offers some of the weirdest and most wonderful critters and macro diving you will ever see!
Day 4: 4 Dives
Spectacular diving awaits you today at the world-famous dive site Cannibal Rock – rare nudibranchs, frogfish, spectacular corals, sponges, ascidians, huge black coral bushes, turtles, cuttlefish, loads of reef fish, and more. Watch dragons on the beach, spot monkeys, deer, and wild pigs along the shore, and go beach combing. There might even be a chance to follow whales and dolphins feeding in the calm bay.
Day 5: 3 Dives
Start your day with an exciting visit to Komodo National Park to walk with the dragons! Then relax for around 1.5 hours as the vessel cruises north to the Lintah Strait for one or two dives and then on to Gili Lawalut or Gili Drat in north Komodo for a night dive to finish the day.
Day 6: 4 Dives
Gili Lawa Laut has several great dives – if the tide is right, you will have a chance to spot grey reef sharks and dolphins at Taka Toko. Lighthouse Reef and The Old Passage offer fast drifts with pelagics, perhaps a manta if you are lucky! Crystal Rock offers awesome soft corals in gold and orange hues plus the chance for sharks, turtles, Napoleon wrasse, and fishes galore.
Day 7: 4 Dives
Today we will do two more dives around northern Komodo before leaving for Gili Banta for the third and night dive. Night dives at Gili Banta Bay or Stargazer beach which will deliver many unusual species and hunters in action.
Day 8: 2 Dives
Two dives at Sangeang Island for rare nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, and underwater hot springs that support this very unique marine life. Then cruise all afternoon and night to Saleh Bay in Sumbawa in order to dive with whale sharks.
Day 9: 2 Dives
Dive all morning with whale sharks in Slah Bay, Sumbawa, next to the fishing bagangs. After diving or snorkeling for several hours, the boat will start heading back to Bali.
Day 10: Benoa, Bali
Disembark after breakfast, and transfer at 8 am to the airport or your local hotel.
DAY 1: 0 Dives
Check-in on board between 13:00-15:00 hours at Benoa Harbour in Bali. After the boat and safety briefing, you’ll set up equipment and you can settle into your cabin. Dinner will be served at 19:00 hours as the vessel cruises into the sunset on her overnight journey to Moyo Island, northwest Sumbawa.
DAY 2: 3 Dives
Start your adventure with a great dive in the calm, clear waters of Angel Reef at Moyo Island. Massive elephant ear and barrel sponges, schools of longfin bannerfish and red tooth triggerfish, frogfish, nudibranchs, eels, surgeonfish, snappers, and dogtooth tuna.
Afterward, the vessel will cruise for two hours to Satonda Island for a world-class night dive. After a great dive and dinner, she will cruise overnight to Saleh Bay in order to dive with the whale sharks the next day.
DAY 3: 2 or 3 Dives
Dive all morning with whale sharks!!! After diving with the whale sharks, the vessel will start heading toward Sangeang Volcano. If there is enough time, we might be able to do a dive around Satonda. But that will depend on how long the whale sharks stay around the Bagang.
DAY 4: 4 Dives
Three dives at Sangeang Island for rare nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, and underwater hot springs that support this very unique marine life. Then cruise to Gili Banta for the night dive at Gili Banta Bay or Stargazer Beach which will deliver many unusual species and hunters in action.
DAY 5: 4 Dives
Two dives around the Gili Lawa Laut area and then into the Lintah Strait, which has beautiful coral reefs, sea mounts, and crystal clear waters. The famous Pink Beach at Komodo Island offers a fabulous night dive with fire urchins, zebra crabs, frogfish, nudibranchs, amazing basket stars, and more.
DAY 6: 3 Dives
Start your day with an exciting visit to Komodo National Park to walk with the dragons! Then relax for around 1.5 hours as the vessel cruises south to Manta Alley, home to a large school of reef mantas. After exhilarating manta dives, she will cruise to Horseshoe Bay for your night dive at Torpedo Alley. This site offers some of the weirdest and most wonderful critters and macro diving you will ever see!
DAY 7: 4 Dives
Spectacular diving awaits you today at the world-famous dive site Cannibal Rock – rare nudibranchs, frogfish, spectacular corals, sponges, ascidians, huge black coral bushes, turtles, cuttlefish, loads of reef fish, and more. Watch dragons on the beach, spot monkeys, deer, and wild pigs along the shore, and go beach combing. There might even be a chance to follow whales and dolphins feeding in the calm bay.
DAY 8: 3 Dives
Three dives around the Lintah Strait, the strait between Komodo Island on the west and Rinca and Flores on the east. Here, you can expect crystal clear waters and a vast diversity of marine life from sharks and rays, including mantas, to turtles galore, schooling fish, and nudibranchs if you can take your eyes off the rest of the action going on around you! There is a choice of dive sites including Batu Bolong, Takat Makassar, Tatawa Besar, Tatawa Kecil, Batu Tengah, and Siaba Kecil. Cruise overnight to Maumere.
DAY 9: 2 Dives
The last two dives will be done in Maumere Area, in Pomana Kecil Island or Raja Island, or Pulau Besar.
DAY 10:
Disembark after breakfast, and transfer at 8 am to the airport or your local hotel.
Included: VAT, Airport Transfer, Hotel Transfer, Drinking Water, Soft drinks, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Cabin Towels, Deck Towels, WiFi internet.
Required Extras: Fuel Surcharge (160-320 EUR per trip), National Park Fees (200-275 EUR per trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities, Alcoholic Beverages, Nitrox, Nitrox Course (175 EUR), Private Dive Guide, Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses (75-250 EUR).
Maumere, Komodo Island, Bali
25 Dives
Certificate: Open Water
No minimum logged dives
Bali, Sumbawa, Komodo Island, Maumere
20 Dives
Certificate: Open Water
No minimum logged dives
Raja Ampat, Halmahera, Lembeh
32 Dives
Certificate: Open Water
No minimum logged dives
Raja Ampat
29 Dives
Certificate: Open Water
No minimum logged dives
Raja Ampat
30 dives
Certificate: Advanced Open Water
50 minimum logged dives required
Raja Ampat, Ambon, Banda Island
30 dives
Certificate: Advanced Open Water
50 minimum logged dives required
