Raja Ampat a majestic underwater world where every marine life comes together.The morning lights shining over stunning soft corals, Sea fans moving back and forth with the surge, Out in the blue drifting into big swarms of fish being hunted by large fish. The bliss of Oceanic Manta rays flying over our heads and sharks […]
Incredible Way To Start 2017 Read More »
You never know what you’re going to see in Raja Ampat, either on the surface or below. I’m entering my fourth year year now and still astounded at what I encounter. Certain things are commonplace like schooling fish, mantas, wobbegong sharks, the world’ smallest and cutest seashorses, and of course the most breathtaking underwater scenery.
Where to start, where to start, where to start. It’s difficult to write a concise summation of a sixteen day diving trip through the worlds richest oceans where every location holds unbelievable encounters. Do I start with the rich marine life and expansive un touched reefs of the Banda Sea, the close encounters with giant
It’s the end of the Komodo season, and quite possibly my best season with Mermaid II in Komodo. As I scroll through my computer’s hard disk which is absolutely packed with all of my most memorable Komodo moments from 2016. Here are just a few of this year\'s highlights from Mermaid II during the 2016
From East Flores to West Papua, 16 days diving walls, reefs, slopes, pinnacles and crossing four different seas – that’s what the crossing trip is all about. From the tiniest Pygmy Seahorses to giant majestic Oceanic Manta Rays, Chinese Sea Snakes, Dolphins, Frogfishes, Sharks and schooling fish life – “biodiversity” topside and underwater is what
Surprises In the Sea Read More »
Eastern Indonesia and the area between Bali to Papua is also know as “The Ring of Fire”. Famous for lots of volcanic activities which have created some unique underwater seascapes and inhabiting marine life. The Banda Sea is famous for steep walls covered in soft corals, sponges and sea fans. Warm, clear blue waters full
Diving At The Ring Of Fire Read More »
It’s heartbreaking to see such as small beautiful animal like this juvenile hawksbill sea turtle entangled in a discarded piece of fishing net. Luckily there was still time to turn this situation around. While on a surface interval at Castle Rock Ketut noticed a piece of fishing net drifting past the boat and inside was
Ketut Saves the Day Read More »
From Raja Ampat in West Papua to Maumere in East Flores: over 14 days of diving, over 1,000 nautical miles, 5 different seas. Those are just technicalities about our “Biodiversity Special” or “Crossing Trip” but what does the reality behind that look like? After a few days diving in the Misool Area, it is eventually
From Sea Snakes And Scorpionfish Read More »
While on our most epic crossing trip, where Mermaid II sails from the notorious Raja Ampat though the Banda Sea and into Flores’s east coast port Maumere, we had some truly awesome encounters. From a small group of very shy scalloped hammerhead sharks, schooling sea snakes (no joke), to a riot of Indonesia’s best critters.
Delectable Anemones Read More »
What I like most about our “special trips” is the diversity of dive sites, marine life and land excursions – it’s just a perfect mix. Ten days of diving and over 500 nautical miles later, we can look back to diving sandy slopes hunting for critters and creatures, an old ship wreck which sank in
