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DAY 1

Check-in on board Mermaid I. Once all guests are on board a safety briefing will be given. If all the guests are on board by 12.00 hours, you have the chance to do two extra dives at Ambon Bay in some fabulous muck dives with critters galore. This area is known for many rare and unusual species including the psychedelic frogfish and Rhinopias.

DAY 2

We will spend the day around Ambon, where there are several options such as a wreck, or doing some really interesting muck dives looking for rhynophias, frogfish (including the psychedelic frogfish), harlequin shrimps, and many other critters. Cruise overnight to the Banda Islands, 110 nautical miles.

DAY 3-4

The next two days will be spent in the Banda Islands, also known in the old days as the Spice Islands. Many of the dive sites around the Bandas are wall dives. Walls covered in massive gorgonians, soft corals, barrel sponges and some very interesting swim throughs. But there are other attractive dive sites such as pinnacles with enormous groups of schooling pyramid butterflyfish, triggerfish and pelagic fishes such as tunas passing through, spectacular hard coral reefs next to the volcano, and great muck dives with lots of mandarin fish in the local jetty. The Banda Islands are much more than diving.  It is also a cultural and historical experience.  We will spend one morning walking around the village of Banda Naira with a local guide, and visit the local museum, the Old Dutch fort, the old colonial governor’s house, the local fish market, and we will have breakfast at a nutmeg plantation. Cruise overnight to Manuk, 55 nautical miles

DAY 5

Manuk, an active volcano about 55 nm south of the Banda Islands, is one of 2 places in Indonesia where there are huge aggregations of sea snakes, Chinese sea snakes and banded sea kraits. It is an incredible experience to dive surrounded on all sides by sea snakes.  The island is surrounded by black sandy slopes with hard coral reefs, volcanic ridges covered in gorgonians with zillions of fusiliers and pelagic fishes such as spanish mackerels and dogtooth tunas passing through. Cruise overnight to the Pulau Koon, 108 nautical miles.

DAY 6

Pulau Koon is a small island on the southeast of Ceram, half way between Raja Ampat and the Banda Islands. Walls covered in soft corals, and sandy slopes with hard coral bommies. But the most interesting feature of this island is the amount of schooling fish and pelagic, barracudas, bigeye trevallies, aggregation of red snappers, pompanos, batfish, and giant groupers. Cruise overnight to Misool, 100 nautical miles

DAY 7-9

The next 3 days will be around the island of Misool, where there literally hundreds of dive sites. Misool is a heaven for wide angle photographers. The prettiest soft corals reefs in the world are located in Misool, as well as having multiple pinnacles surrounded by masses of schooling fish, barracudas, jacks and snappers. There will be some excursions with the tenders through some amazing inner lagoons, fantastic scenery and wild life sightings. Cruise overnight to the Dampier Strait, 90 nautical miles

DAY 10-11

Dampier Strait is located between Waigeo and the Bird’s Head Peninsula. Along with Misool, it is the most famous area for diving in Raja Ampat. All of the dive sites around the Dampier Strait are known for a huge amount of schooling fish - barracudas, schools of bigeye trevallies, oceanic triggerfish, spadefish, surgeonfish and snappers. Besides the schooling fish, it is also an area where you get to see black and whitetip reef sharks and wobbegong sharks. Some of the best manta dives are also located in the Dampier Strait. Blue Magic is a small pinnacle where the giant mantas congregate and get cleaned as well. Some of the best mangrove dives are also located in the Dampier Strait, around the islands of Yanggefo and Gam. And of course, one cannot forget the dive sites at some of the jetties in front of local villages, where the pillars are covered in soft corals and are home to a plethora of small critters. Other fantastic dive sites in this area include Cape Kri, Sardine Reef, Chicken Reef, Mioskon, Mike’s Point, Mangrove Ridge and Citrus Ridge. Cruise to Sorong, 40 nautical miles

DAY 12

Disembark at 8 am after breakfast. Mermaid I staff will transfer you to the airport or local hotel.

Book a 2021 vacation and take 35% Off the normal rate for deluxe accommodations, delicious meals and up to five world class dives per day! Book Worry Free with the ability to reschedule your vacation for up to 18 months at the same rate.

Deposit 50% within 7 days of your booking, the remaining 50% is due 60 days prior to arrival if the country is open to tourism
Or
If the country is not open to tourism 60 days prior to arrival, you can reschedule the same vacation during the next 18 months at no additional charge for accommodations, meals and diving, subject to availability.

Guests may cancel up to 1 week before their arrival date with no penalties.
Cancel 2-7 days prior to arrival - 20% Cancellation Charge
Cancel 24-48 hours - 80 % Cancellation Charge
Cancel less than 24 hours - 100% Cancellation Charge
Cancellations will be given a credit, net of the cancellation charge, toward a future booking at either of our land based resorts or liveaboard to be utilized within 12 months. Offer expires March 31, 2021

Or
If the country is not open to tourism 60 days prior to arrival, you can reschedule the same vacation during the next 18 months at no additional charge for accommodations, meals and diving, subject to availability.

Guests may cancel up to 1 week before their arrival date with no penalties.
Cancel 2-7 days prior to arrival - 20% Cancellation Charge
Cancel 24-48 hours - 80 % Cancellation Charge
Cancel less than 24 hours - 100% Cancellation Charge
Cancellations will be given a credit, net of the cancellation charge, toward a future booking at either of our land based resorts or liveaboard to be utilized within 12 months. Offer expires March 31, 2021.

The Bilikiki has 10 deluxe cabins, eight with a double bed and single bunk and two with twin single beds and no bunk. All cabins are air-conditioned and have their own ensuite bathroom. The ship has a large sundeck, comfortable lounge, camera area, and spacious dive deck. Her large size and a steel hull that was built for South Pacific seas are two main reasons why you will find this ship one of the most spacious and comfortable vessels that you have experienced.

Our unique package offers 11-nights deluxe cabin accommodation on the fabulous Bilikiki liveaboard where we will visit the Russell Islands, Mary Island, and the Florida Islands to dive the stunning reefs of these areas, and we also visit the Marovo Lagoon area of the Western Province. On this unique adventure, we will stop at villages to experience native singing and dancing and get a taste of the traditional customs and life. We will also see the famous wood carvings of the area, and have an opportunity to buy hand-made carvings and other traditionally made items. 

This adventure includes deluxe cabin accommodation, 3 meals a day (plus snacks, water, coffee, espresso, tea), nitrox for certified divers, and unlimited diving with the dive day built around five daily dives.

Cost: $6,930 per person double occupancy includes standard package, nitrox, and taxes. Ask for our agent special offer...!