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Take a step back from life’s monotony, and daydream of drifting weightlessly through crystal clear waters, surrounded by an explosion of marine life so diverse, so abundant, it feels otherworldly. A shimmering silver wall of sardines swims in unison, as marlins, sea lions, and countless species of whale dart through the massive bait ball in a dazzling hunt! 

For experienced divers yearning for unforgettable underwater adventures, a seemingly cinematic explosion of marine life awaits under Mexico’s crystal-clear waters on this 15-day expedition through Magdalena Bay and the Socorro Islands.

This exclusive 2025 voyage departs on 16 October and returns 30 October, combining four adrenaline-spiked days during Magdalena Bay’s renowned Sardine Run with seven days of world-class diving in the Socorro Islands

With only one opportunity to embark on this adventure, spots are limited—so read on to discover why this trip is a must for every serious diver and marine life enthusiast.

Only One Combo Trip in 2025..! Book Now..!

Contact us: email to: res@liquiddivingadventures.com

Pricing & Booking Details

This exclusive 14-night adventure is a rare opportunity, with pricing as follows:

• Single Cabin: $6,843 USD per person (after a $500 discount), based on single occupancy.
• Standard Cabin: $6,378 per person (after a $500 discount), based on double occupancy.
• Superior Cabin: $6,111 per person (after a $500 discount), based on double occupancy.

Included in the package are three gourmet meals per day, snacks, beverages (including beer and wine with dinner), dive tanks, weights, unlimited Nitrox, and transportation from Hotel El Tesoro to the vessel.

Socorro Islands Park Fees: $192 per guest per night spent in the park (totaling $1,344 for seven nights). The Socorro Park Fee is waived for retired persons. There is also a 75% discount for students and teachers with ID. Ask us for details.

For over 25 years, the Solmar V has been setting the standard for liveaboard diving, offering comfort and unparalleled access to some of the most remote dive sites in the Pacific. This 112-foot, steel-hulled vessel is designed for serious divers who appreciate both adventure and effortless escape. Accommodating up to 22 guests, the ship features well appointed cabins, a spacious lounge area, bar, and sundeck. 

Cabin Options

Single Cabin - A private retreat designed for solo travelers, with air conditioning, ensuite bathroom and ample storage space. 

Standard Cabin - Equipped with two twin beds, these cabins enjoy the same amenities as single cabins, and are located toward the bow of the ship, experiencing more movement while at sea. 

Superior Cabin - Enjoying the same comfort as Standard Cabins, these rooms are located mid-ship and experience the least amount of movement while at sea.

Witness the Spectacle of Magdalena Bay’s Mexican Sardine Run

The journey begins with four exhilarating days in Magdalena Bay, a locale teeming with life and action. The Sardine Run is one of nature’s greatest shows—a mass congregation of sardines that draws an array of apex predators, leading to breathtaking displays of marine hunting behavior. Snorkeling alongside these bait balls, you’ll witness striped marlins slicing through the water with precision, sea lions darting like torpedoes, and the occasional whale joining the frenzy.

This segment of the trip is conducted aboard small pangas, operated by local guides who know these waters intimately. While unforgettably thrilling, these excursions are a sustainable way to experience this natural phenomenon while supporting the local fishing communities. Magdalena Bay is also home to gray and humpback whales, massive schools of mobula rays, and a rich coastal ecosystem teeming with seabirds and marine life.

Dive with Ocean Giants in the Socorro Islands

After leaving Magdalena Bay, the Solmar V sets course for the Socorro Islands–a remote archipelago born from volcanoes, offering some of the best big animal diving on the planet. Famous for its year-round encounters with giant manta rays, the islands are also home to playful dolphins and an astonishing variety of shark species, including hammerheads, silkies, Galápagos sharks, and whale sharks.

The volcanic topography of these islands provides a breathtaking backdrop for divers, with dramatic drop offs, submerged pinnacles, and lush coral formations. Mantas here are known to be especially interactive, often swimming close to divers and maintaining eye contact in an almost mystical way. With four dives per day over seven days, this portion of the expedition promises non-stop thrills and extraordinary wildlife encounters.

Contact us: email to: res@liquiddivingadventures.com

Itinerary Overview

• Day 1: Board the Solmar V in Cabo San Lucas, meet your fellow adventurers, and settle into your cabin.
• Day 2: Check-out dive and a fascinating wreck dive to kick off the adventure.
• Days 3-5: Dive into the heart of Magdalena Bay’s Sardine Run, snorkeling from pangas and witnessing marine predators in action.
• Day 6: Full day at sea, navigating toward the Socorro Islands.
• Days 7-13: Seven epic days of diving at the Socorro Islands, with up to four dives per day featuring mantas, sharks, dolphins, and more.
• Day 14: A relaxing day crossing back to Cabo San Lucas, reminiscing about the adventure over drinks and a final gourmet meal.
• Day 15: Disembark in Cabo San Lucas, carrying unforgettable memories and stunning underwater footage.

The Blue Manta Experience

More than just a dive vessel, the Blue Manta is a floating boutique hotel, catering to divers on the hunt for world-class exploration with the comfort of a luxury bed and breakfast. Each cabin is elegantly designed with en suite bathrooms, air conditioning, and ample storage space to provide peaceful rest and retreat after a full day of diving adventures. 

The onboard facilities include a spacious sun deck, a comfortable lounge area, and a dining room serving a delicious mix of Western and Indonesian cuisine. With a dedicated dive deck and top-tier dive equipment, every detail has been carefully curated for an unparalleled experience.

A Journey Across the Banda Sea

This exclusive dive charter embarks from Ambon and crosses the Banda Sea, tracing the perimeter of remote islands that are teeming with marine life. The itinerary is curated to allow exploration of some of the most pristine and untouched diving locations. The Blue Manta experience offers everything from muck diving to stunning reef walls and encounters with large pelagic species.

Itinerary Highlights & Dive Sites

Day 1: Upon arrival at Pattimura Airport or a local hotel, you’ll be greeted by the crew and transferred to the Blue Manta. Depending on arrival time, you may enjoy an introductory dive in Ambon Bay before setting sail.

Day 2: Dives at Saparua and Nusa Laut, known for their vibrant coral gardens and abundant marine life. (3 dives)

Days 3-4: You’ll explore the Banda Islands, famous for crystal clear waters, flourishing reefs, and the chance to spot hammerhead sharks. (3 dives each day)

Days 5-7: Venture into the Ring of Fire, where volcanic seamounts attract schooling fish, sea snakes, reef sharks, and manta rays. (3 dives each day)

Day 8: Final dives at Hukurila Cave & Molana before sailing back to Ambon for an evening of relaxation. (2 dives)

Day 9: Disembark after a light breakfast & farewells, with transfers provided to the airport or local hotels. 

An Unparalleled Diving Experience

With up to 22 dives across the eight-day adventure, this expedition is ideal for both intermediate as well as seasoned, advanced-level divers. During this once-in-a-lifetime journey, you can expect to encounter everything from macro critters in Ambon’s famous muck diving sites to larger species such as tunas and hammerhead sharks in the Banda Sea. The volcanic landscapes beneath the water create dramatic drop-offs, stunning coral reefs, and a thriving ecosystem that attracts an array of marine life.

Essential Trip Details

Departure & Return: Ambon (AMQ)

Water Temperature: 25-28°C, with occasional thermoclines

Air Temperature: 22-31°C

Visibility: 15-30 meters

Diver Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Inclusions: Round-trip transfers, accommodation, all meals, snacks, soft drinks, dive guides, and equipment replacement in case of breakdown.

Exclusions: Flights, hotels, marine park fees, dive insurance (mandatory), fuel surcharge, and optional extras such as Nitrox, Wi-Fi, and alcoholic beverages.

Book Your Spot Today

Main Deck $4410 ppdo   Lower Deck $4050 ppdo

Port & Park fees: $250  / Fuel Surcharge $200  / Nitrox $160

This incredible dive adventure aboard the Blue Manta is an opportunity to explore some of the most remote and stunning dive sites in the world. Spaces are limited, so reserve your spot today for an experience that promises adventure, luxury, and unparalleled underwater encounters! Email to: res@liquiddivingadventures.com

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.

Taking good underwater pictures is an art! To make this great hobby fun and accessible to everyone, Buddy Dive Resort is launching a brand new event in cooperation with SeaLife. Join Guillermo Alcorta Heyes, digital photo pro, for some great seminars.

Buddy Dive Thru the Lens is all about underwater photography! It offers a fantastic opportunity if you are new to underwater photography or if you want to develop yourself and learn new skills. A wide offer of SeaLife demos, clinics, presentations, and photography dedicated boat dives will make this week one you will remember forever!

Bonaire has been chosen as the Caribbean’s best underwater photography destination in PADI's Scuba Diving Readers Choice Awards. With an average of 30 m / 100 ft visibility, beautiful reefs, abundant marine life, and fantastic diving conditions, you couldn’t ask for a better place to improve your skills. In addition, Buddy Dive offers all facilities you could wish for as a diver and photographer. Do we need to give you any more reasons to book your Drive & Dive package to enjoy Buddy Dive Thru the Lens?

Our Drive & Dive (6-boat dive) package includes:
* 7 nights in selected accommodation
* 7 days rental vehicle
* 6 days of unlimited shore diving (+ optional 6 boat dives)
* Free Nitrox Upgrade
* American style breakfast daily
* Free Wifi
* Airport transfers
* All government taxes

Not included: Equipment rental (including camera), boat dives, when not prepaid, PADI Underwater Photography specialty, any other meals/ items that are not prepaid.

Info on SeaLife Cameras --> CLICK HERE

Book a trip to Atlantis Resort Dumaguete and participate in a coral reef restoration project..!

In partnership with the Keys’ Coral Restoration Foundation, along with the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Utah and The Mead Foundation for sustainable development in the Philippines, this highly regarded 44-room tropical resort is busy building a large coral nursery in Dauin — and inviting visiting divers to help out for a week in September 2022. Restoration dives will involve collecting broken coral fragments from the reef and placing them on the nursery trees; at the same time, there’ll be educational sessions about coral ecology and conservation techniques.

Known for its frogfish and black volcanic sands, Dauin has long been a bastion of marine preservation in a country where 98% of the reefs are currently classified as threatened. The Atlantis Dumaguete Resort is situated just minutes from more than 20 dive spots, most are marine protected areas with reefs marked by buoys, where all activity is regulated and no fishing is permitted. Day trips from the resort include nearby Apo Island, Siquijor, and Oslob for snorkelling with whale sharks.

• Round trip airport transfers to/from Matei Airport​
• Oceanview Suite accommodations​
• Meal Plan with Breakfast, 2-course Lunch, 3-course Dinner​
• 2-Tank boat dives, unlimited shore dives during shop hours​
• Add Nitrox - $168 for 10 tanks​
• Non-diver discount - $500 off 7 night package, $650 off 10 night package​
• Free room upgrade to Oceanfront Suite if available​

• KOMODO-ALOR | 05-Jul-22 ~ 16-Jul-22 | 11 nights | 1 single bed available (female) $7370 USD
• ALOR-KOMODO | 04-May-23 ~ 15-May-23 | 11 nights | 2 single beds available ( female and male)
• ALOR | 26-Jul-23 ~ 02-Aug-23 | 7 nights | 6 cabins available
• KOMODO-ALOR | 03-Sep-23 ~ 14-Sep-23 | 11 nights | 2 cabins available
• ALOR-KOMODO | 02-May-24 ~ 13-May-24 | 11 nights | 6 cabins available
• KOMODO-ALOR | 22-Jul-24 ~ 02-Aug-24 | 11 nights | 6 cabins available
• ALOR | 04-Aug-24 ~ 13-Aug-24 | 9 nights | 7 cabins available $6160 USD
• ALOR | 15-Aug-24 ~ 24-Aug-24 | 9 nights | 7 cabins available $6160 USD

• KOMODO-ALOR | 05-Jul-22 ~ 16-Jul-22 | 11 nights | 1 single bed available (female) $7370 USD
• ALOR-KOMODO | 04-May-23 ~ 15-May-23 | 11 nights | 2 single beds available ( female and male)
• KOMODO-ALOR | 03-Sep-23 ~ 14-Sep-23 | 11 nights | 2 cabins available
• ALOR-KOMODO | 02-May-24 ~ 13-May-24 | 11 nights | 6 cabins available
• KOMODO FOCUS | 15-May-24 ~ 23-May-24 | 8 nights | 7 cabins available
• KOMODO-SUMBAWA | 25-May-24 ~ 02-Jun-24 | 8 nights | 6 cabins available
• KOMODO-ALOR | 22-Jul-24 ~ 02-Aug-24 | 11 nights | 6 cabins available