Welcome to Mermaid Liveaboards
Asia’s Premier Liveaboard Fleet for Raja Ampat & Komodo Scuba Diving
Mermaid Liveaboards has been operating in and exploring Indonesia since 2000. Awards winner liveaboards operate in Komodo, Raja Ampat, Alor, Ambon, Banda Sea, Halmahera and Lembeh.
It is no secret that Indonesia has some of the best diving in the world. The professional international and local crew has been trained to the highest standards of service and safety to ensure you a trip of a lifetime.
We have two vessels for you to choose from Mermaid I and Mermaid II, both liveaboards explore Komodo, Raja Ampat and other remoste areas with amazing standards and knowledge in all the destinations of Indonesia
The luxurious MV Mermaid I is a 28 metre, twin-engine steel motor yacht. She comfortably holds 15 guests and offers all amenities you can dream of for your next adventure. MV Mermaid I has 8 cabins: 1 master cabin, 1 single cabin, 4 deluxe cabins that can be twin or double bed and 2 lower deck cabins that can be double bed or twin. All the cabins in MV Mermaid I are fully air-conditioned and are equipped with entertainment. All cabins have a large wardrobe, plenty of storage room and an en suite bathroom with hot water shower, toilet and sink. Also provided are fresh bath towels daily, beach towels, bathrobes, hair-dryers, soap and shampoo for your comfort.
Mermaid I offer all guests the opportunity to dive Indonesia’s best sites including Komodo, Raja Ampat, The Ring of Fire in the Banda Sea, Alor and Ambon in style and comfort. MV Mermaid I has a huge comfortable dive deck, and a dive platform that provides divers with easy exits and entries to the dive boats to ensure a relaxing dive experience. The professional and friendly crew on board MV Mermaid I is always available to assist you as needed. MV Mermaid I schedules year-round cruises to Indonesia’s most diverse dive sites.
Mermaid I Cabins Amenities
Mermaid I Master Cabin
Mermaid I Single Cabin
The single cabin has a single bed and panoramic sea view windows and a door opening on to the gangway. The cabin is air-conditioned and has an en suite bathroom, mini bar, iPad for entertainment, a bathrobe, toiletries and fluffy towels. You can be assured of a fantastic night’s rest on a quality bed fitted with minimum 300 thread count bed linens.
Mermaid I Deluxe Cabin
Mermaid I Lower Deck Cabin
Mermaid I Relaxing Areas
Between and after dives, guests can relax in the air-conditioned saloon, equipped with a TV, DVD player and music centre. There is also an extensive library and full range of marine life identification books. There are two outdoor decks – a shaded one with comfortable seating and the fabulous sundeck with cushioned sunbeds. They are great for enjoying the spectacular scenery, chatting with your fellow divers or taking a nap.
Mermaid I Food & Drinks
The chefs use local spices and ingredients in every dish to ensure you delicious meals throughout the cruise. The buffets are a mix of Asian and Western food. Enjoy the complimentary beverage selection of tea, coffee, soft drinks, milk and juices. MV Mermaid I has a selection of Australian, Chilean and New Zealand wine to accompany the delicious food or you can enjoy the local beer. All alcoholic beverages on board are subject to an extra charge.
Dive Deck
There is a wide diving platform with two exit ladders and freshwater showers. Four camera rinse tanks and a large camera table are also on the dive deck. Divers enter the water from the main boat or from one of the two ribs, and dives are usually ‘go with the flow’ with an easy climb up one of the ladders on return. Everyone has their own dive station and box to place equipment. The crew is fully trained to look after your gear either as much or as little as you wish. They will assist you to remove your wetsuit and rinse it for you after every dive, if you wish, and will wash and dry your gear at the end of the cruise. Nitrox is available.
Destination
Togian Islands
The Togian (or Togean) Islands are an archipelago of 56 islands and islets, in the Gulf of Tomini, off the coast of Central Sulawesi, in Indonesia. Some people claimed that Tomimi Bay is one of the calmest bay in the world. The three largest islands are Batudaka, Togean and Talakatoh. All of the Togian Islands have amazing white sandy beaches that are as of today unspoiled by masses of tourism. There are 37 villages on the islands settled by the Bajau people (Sea Gypsies).
Due to the position of the Gulf of Tomini, with the entrance of the bay facing east, the sea is not affected by the northeast monsoon (November to March). The seas are very calm throughout these months. The depth in Gulf of Tomini, except around the islands, goes from 1.000 meters to 4.000 meters.
The Togian Islands are located in the middle of the coral triangle, therefore offering some of the best diving in the world, containing up to 37% of the identified reef fishes and up to 76% of all known corals.
When it comes to diving, the Togians have it all!!! Pinnacles, atolls, fringing reefs, barrier reefs, walls, steep slopes, coral gardens, muck diving and even a WWII wreck, Bomber B-24. As for marine life, you will be amazed by the variety and diversity of reef fish (over 1.000 species of reef fish), corals and sponges. There are massive schools of blacktail barracudas, bigeye trevallies and snappers, as well as huge napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, tunas, and groupers. And plenty of small critters for those macro lovers.
Komodo
Explore Komodo and beyond with Mermaid Liveaboards. Komodo has it all! Beautiful reefs, schooling fish, exciting drift dives, big marine life and amazing critters. Excellent dive sites are plentiful in this great dive destination.
Komodo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also recently declared as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. A liveaboard cruise is the perfect way to experience the fascinating and unique dive area of Komodo.
These volcanic islands are home to the world’s most famous giant lizard – the Komodo Dragon. These large lizards do not exist anywhere else in the world. Liveaboards offer land excursions to one of the ranger stations in the National Park to see these living dinosaurs.
Raja Ampat
Discover Raja Ampat with Mermaid Liveaboards. Raja Ampat Marine Park covers a large area so a liveaboard is the ideal way to explore this amazing destination. Here you will explore one of the last frontiers of unspoilt diving. The archipelago’s pristine reefs are not only rich but the region also proves to have the greatest coral reef biodiversity for its size in the world. Raja Ampat holds: 600 islands and reefs, 1,320 fish species, 550 coral species and all that is yet to be discovered.
Raja Ampat is the epicentre of global marine biodiversity and is considered to have the best coral reef diving on the planet. From unusual wobbegong sharks to majestic giant mantas to tiny pygmy seahorses, Raja Ampat has it all! There are plenty of excellent dive sites in this fabulous dive destination, with many more to be discovered.
This area is also famous for its stunning above water scenery. The most famous image of Raja Ampat is of the mushroom-shaped limestone formations covered in dense vegetation rising out of the turquoise seas. Almost all liveaboard trips will include a visit to a viewpoint for extraordinary views and photo opportunities of these iconic natural wonders.
Banda Sea – Ring of Fire
The Ring of Fire – Banda Sea Liveaboard trip with Mermaid I or II is the ultimate scuba diving adventure. Ring of Fire is a remote arc of islands in the Banda Sea, they are isolated even by Indonesian standards. This archipelago chain in the east of Indonesia, stretches from Timor in the southwest to West Papua in the northeast.
Volcanic islands rise out of the deep blue waters and vast seamounts are home to schooling hammerhead sharks. Uninhabited islands are fringed by untouched reefs. Underwater pinnacles are so isolated that the reefs are immaculate. All dive sites are packed full of fish life. And some are visited by large pelagics.
Giant barrel sponges and gigantic sea fans line the deep walls. Visibility is almost always crystal clear, with warm water. The diving offers large schools of fish and beautiful corals. The Ring of Fire can only be reached by liveaboard.
Alor Archipelago
Dive Alor with Mermaid Liveaboards, the ultimate liveaboard adventure. Alor is the largest island of an archipelago of over 90 islands in the south east of Indonesia. Discover a hidden paradise and dive in the last frontier of East Indonesia.
Visit ancient tribes and dive unspoiled reefs. Drift over reefs covered in anemones. Be part of the critter hunts in Kalabahi Bay. Watch the lost tribe of the Abui people perform ancient dances.
We are excited to announce that Mermaid I has added exclusive Alor cruises to her itineraries! Mermaid II visits Alor as part of an extended liveaboard cruise. This fantastic destination can be combined with a cruise to Komodo, or as part of a Banda Sea or Forgotten Islands tour
Halmahera
Mermaid I offers exciting cruises to Halmahera. This very remote group of islands lies in-between the fantastic diving destinations of Raja Ampat and Lembeh. Join a cruise with Mermaid I and visit these three amazing areas.
Halmahera is right in the middle of the coral triangle and so you can expect astounding biodiversity. The reefs are pristine and untouched, with a scientific survey suggesting that this area is comparable only to Raja Ampat. Mermaid Liveaboards visits the dive sites around Tifore, Ternate, Bacan and Moti Islands.
FACES OF THE SEA SCUBA HOLIDAYS 