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Dive Review of Mermaid in
Indonesia/Raja Ampat

Mermaid: "Great Diving, Great Boat, Great Crew, Great Sea Life", Mar, 2017,

by Eric Weiss, VA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 5 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 9730 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments The Mermaid II is a nice liveaboard with typical small rooms. Good food. Wine was available for 25 Euros so the five of us would split a bottle most nights.

This was my first trip to Indonesia and my first South Pacific dive trip. There are some really ripping currents, so stiff fins are a must. I was glad I left my split fins at home. Bring a reef hook that you can hook to your BCD. It will be necessary. Our last dive of the trip we hooked on the reef as soon as we got down to it and spent an hour in one place getting checked out by seven giant mantas.

We started out south in Misool and then headed north. Just wonderful diving everywhere. Healthy corals, sponges, tunecates, gorgonians, fish and reef creatures.

After the diving, we spent four days in Bali seeing the land-based sights such as the monkey jungle and rice paddies.

Getting there was a chore. Left Dulles nonstop to Doha to Jakarta with a 12 hour layover (arrranged a tour of the city), then a one-stop to Sorong. Took a tour of it, but there wasn't much to see. We spent the night in a hotel and then got on the Mermaid. The return trip was to Makassar to Bali, then Bali to Doha to Dulles. A couple of months before we left they changed the departure time for the Sorong to Makassar leg, but we caught it and avoided a 20-hour layover in Makassar.

We're talking about going back to Indonesia for more diving. It's a long trip, expensive compared to Cozumel, but the reefs and life on them is pristine.
Websites Mermaid   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Cozumel, Belize, Turks and Caicos, St. Vincent, West Palm Beach, Keys, San Diego, Puerto Rico
Closest Airport Sorong Getting There 36 hours including 12 hour layover in Jakarta

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, surge
Water Temp 80-°F / 27-°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 100-150 Ft/ 30-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions We dove in groups of 4-6 people and kept pretty close together.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Lots of camera tables and separate rinse tanks for cameras. Just about everyone had a camera.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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