With the Mermaid II liveaboard 12D11N Lembeh, Togian Island, a top excursion made for divers who require a thorough, patient, and deep adventure, set off on the ultimate discovery of North Sulawesi’s marine treasures. This 12-day journey on board the expedition-ready Mermaid II spends unmatched time in two of Indonesia’s most renowned yet disparate locations: the isolated, pristine coral atolls of the Togian Islands and the fabled critter capital of Lembeh Strait. Before sailing into the Tomini Gulf for a comprehensive exploration of the Togian Islands’ magnificent walls, colorful reefs, and distinctive jellyfish lakes, you will start with an extended immersion in Lembeh’s world-class muck diving, which offers numerous opportunities to seek out rare creatures like the mimic octopus and hairy frogfish. For dedicated underwater photographers and macro fans who value time to properly understand each site and take in the biodiversity of these renowned places, this extended Lembeh and Togian Islands liveaboard is the best option.
With its 12-day duration, the Mermaid II Liveaboard Lembeh, Togian Island itinerary is a masterclass in deliberate, leisurely exploration that turns a visit into a profound immersion. The longer duration enables thorough investigation of Lembeh’s varied muck sites and several days devoted to the isolated Togian archipelago, where you can dive isolated atolls, come across reef sharks and enormous schools of fish, and find hidden coves that few divers ever see. You will traverse these waters with the luxury of time on board the Mermaid II, which is renowned for her stability and crew with in-depth local expertise, guaranteeing ideal conditions and animal encounters. This 12-day expedition is the ultimate in focused liveaboard travel for the committed diver looking for the most extensive Indonesia liveaboard package devoted to North Sulawesi’s dual crown jewels. It offers a profoundly fulfilling and life-changing encounter with the Celebes Sea’s soul.
More About Mermaid IIDives: Approximately 34 dives in total
Experience: Open Water – No minimum logged dives required.
Check-in on board. Once all guests are onboard a safety briefing will be given. If all the guests are on board by 12,00 hours, you have the chance to do 2 extra dives at Lembeh Strait in some fabulous muck dives with critters galore.
Lembeh Strait – some of the best muck diving in Indonesia! Black sand, white sand, gray sand environments full of critters. Frogfish, all kinds of octopi, spiny devilfish, nudibranchs galore and so much more. Cruise overnight to Tanjung Flesko, 70 nautical miles.
4 Dives
Today, we will spend the day at Tanjung Flesko, which is the northern cape of Tomimi Bay. Drifting with some strong currents next to walls and slopes covered in an amazing variety of soft corals. Just let yourself go with the current and enjoy the reef scenery. From Lembeh we will call the whale shark center at Gorontalo, and if the center tells us that there are whale sharks in the area, we will cruise overnight to Gorontalo. But if there are no whale sharks, then we can either spend a day diving in Gorontalo or head straight to the Togians. Cruise overnight to Gorontalo, 85 nautical miles.
3 Dives
Snorkeling in Gorontalo with whale sharks. If we are unlucky because there are no whale sharks around, then we will do 2 dives at Gorontalo. Then we will cruise overnight to the volcano of Una Una, the most eastern island of the Togians. Cruise overnight to Gorontalo – 95 nautical miles. Dives – 2 or snorkeling with the whale sharks.
2 Dives
The 5th day of the trip will be spent at the Volcano of Una Una. Unlike the rest of the Togian Islands, Una Una does not have any white sandy beaches, all the sand around the island is either black or gray. The volcano is short, rising 500 meters above sea level with a 2 km wide caldera, and the last time it erupted was in 1.983. Una Una is one of the great diving spots in the Togians. It has over 35 different dive sites, enough to spend several days diving. It is also one of the best dive sites to see massive schools of blacktail barracudas, schooling bigeye trevallies, and passing pelagic such as tunas. Cruise overnight to Batudaka Island or Togian Island – 58 nautical miles
4 Dives
The next 2 days will be spent in the north of the islands Batudaka, Togian, and Malingi, and Kadidiri where there is a reef system that is about 165 km long with plenty of dive sites such as Nursery Rock, Kota Wall, Gap, Crack, Shark Rock, Dominic Rock, Labyrinth, Taipi, Batu Gila, Lost Reef, Kadidiri House Reef, and Malini. We will also visit several atolls that are north of Batudaka where you can dive both inside of the atoll as well as on the outside next to walls full of overhangs and swim-throughs. Or dive at the volcanic island of Tapuan which is a volcanic island surrounded by a reef and deep drop-off walls.
8 Dives
The next several days we will be diving on the south coast of Togian, where there are deep pinnacles surrounded by schooling fish, and also where we can find a WWII wreck, a B-24 bomber. The “Consolidated B-24 Bomber Liberator” lies between 16 and 22 meters over a sandy bottom. The plane is in fairly good condition. You can still see the two barrels of the turret gun as well as the instruments in the cockpit. We will also spend some time diving around the islands of Walea, Puah, and Dondola. These islands are surrounded by reef barriers where you can find plenty of schooling fish as well as good macro life. Then we will cruise from Dondola Island to Pulau Dua, which is the southern cape of the Gulf of Tomimi, 60 nautical miles
8 Dives
Around Pulau Dua there are several pinnacles, some that break the surface, and some that the top is 16-18 meters deep. These pinnacles are completely covered in soft corals and huge amounts of schooling fish. Cruise overnight to Tanjung Ratatotok – 100 nautical miles
3 Dives
The final day of diving will be spent around Ratatotok where we can find some really amazing hard coral gardens before heading back to Bitung. Cruise back to Bitung, 70 nautical miles.
2 Dives
Disembark at 8 am after breakfast, staff will transfer you to the airport or your hotel in Lembeh.
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
Maumere, Alor, Banda Island, Ambon
35 Dives
Certificate: Open Water
4 minimum logged dives
Raja Ampat, Halmahera, Lembeh, Togian
32 Dives
Certificate: Open Water
4 minimum logged dives
Bali, Sumbawa, Komodo Island
20 Dives
Certificate: Open Water
No minimum logged dives
Ambon, Banda Sea
24 Dives
Certificate: Advanced Open Water
50 minimum logged dives
Triton Bay, Raja Ampat
33 Dives
Certificate: Open Water
30 minimum logged dives
During the week aboard the Mermaid II, we were made to feel quite welcome and at home. The atmosphere on the ship was excellent (the staff’s live music in the afternoon was fantastic), the crew was very kind and helpful, and we learned a lot from our guide underwater, particularly about macro discovery and photography. What more could you want for? Delicious meals, humorous chats, and wonderful, kind people. The equipment was well-prepared and constantly maintained, and the ship was kept immaculate. Overall, the trip was successful. I’m grateful for that.
