Day 1: Check-in on board MV Mermaid anytime from early morning through to our departure time around 16:00 hours. After the boat and safety briefing, we’ll set up equipment and you can settle into your cabin. Dinner will be served at 19:00 hours as we cruise east to Paular Mas (Serbete).
Day 2: The Nusa Tenggara region has some extremely interesting and unique marine life. Today, we spend the day diving around Sangeang Volcano – 2-3 dives for rare nudibranchs, pygmy seahorse, leaf scorpionfish, blue-ribbon eels, black sand diving with all its treasures, and underwater hot springs that support this very unique marine environment. Night dive here too or head on over to Gili Banta for the chance for Star Gazers and coral catshark.
Day 3: Current depending, we start the day at GPS Point Gili Banta famous for its sharks and pelagic fishes. Then, we enter the Komodo National Park and for more exhilarating blue water/fish soup diving! Gili Lawalaut has several great dives – if the tide is right we hunt grey reef sharks and dolphins at Taka Toko Gili Lawalaut. Lighthouse Reef and The Old Passage offer fast drifts with pelagics, maybe manta! Crystal Rock offers awesome soft corals in gold and orange hues plus the chance for sharks, turtles, Giant Maori wrasse, a ‘fish soup” dive. Tonight, we dive the famous Pink Beach – spectacular colours and Frogfish, slipper lobster, basket stars, robust sea cucumbers unique to the area plus more!
Day 4 & 5: Start your day with an exciting visit to Loh Liang Komodo National Park to walk with the dragons! And as we quietly walk through the bush setting look out for Komodo dragons, deer, wild boar and birds. Then relax as we cruise south to dive the Three Sisters or Pillarsteen at Padar Island. The next stop is a diver’s paradise – Horseshoe Bay Rinja Island – home of one of the top 10 dives in the world- Cannibal Rock – an abundance of corals, sponges, ascidians, sea apples, black corals, turtle, cuttlefish, loads of reef fishes too! Here, we can also watch dragons scavenging on the beach, monkeys, deer, wild pigs along the shore, go beachcombing. Maybe, even a chance to follow whales and dolphins feeding in the calm bay. We overnight at this peaceful place, diving at one of the many fabulous spots.
Day 6: More world-class dives today as we relax in Horseshoe Bay Rinja Island – the Yellow Wall of Texas is absolutely stunning covered with enormous yellow soft corals. Go slowly along the wall looking for unique creatures but don’t forget to look out into the blue to see what’s coming by. Maybe make a deep dive to check if the tiny yellow pygmy seahorses are on the giant gorgonians at depth. Nusa Kode offers more walls and critter chances coupled with white tip reef sharks etc! Torpedo Alley is famous for its “electric” rays and perhaps one of the best night dives of your life for critter fanciers
Day 7: Today we’ll head on over to Manta Alley to watch in awe as these magnificent creatures feed, play and get cleaned at the many cleaning stations. In the afternoon we can check out more big fish dives maybe at Loh Serah, Tatawa Kecil, or the infamous “Current City” Batu Bolong – come face to face with reef sharks, turtles, and giant Wrasse. Many good night dives around here – Gili Darat is great for sleeping turtles, colorful reef stonefish, Spanish dancers – calm sea – a good place to sleep.
Day 8: The diving around Gili Lawalaut, Tatawa Kecil, Gili Darat is so awesome. You will all want more, so today, we make 2-3 dives in clear arm blue waters – loads of fish both big and small. Then, we’ll head off for a night dive at either Gili Banta or maybe Batu Putih in Sumbawa – both interesting sites. Overnight, we cruise back to Satonda and Sumbawa – solar-powered nudibranchs, ghost pipefish anyone.
Day 9: Dive in the calm, clear waters of Angel Reef at Moyo Island. Massive elephant ear and barrel sponges, schools of longfin bannerfish, and red tooth trigger In their hundreds, frogfish, nudibranchs, eels, surgeonfish, snapper, dogtooth tuna checking out what is for lunch! Visit the local village, then it’s lunch for us! Then, we cruise to Satonda Island for a macro dive followed by a world-class night dive after watching a million bats fly at sunset. After a great dive and dinner, we cruise overnight to Sangeang Volcano off the north coast of Sumbawa.
Day 10: After breakfast, we transfer you ashore to continue your vacation, or it’s time to head home to start planning your next Mermaid cruise!
Marine Life: Soft corals, gorgonians, pygmy seahorses, turtles, Manta Rays, amazing muck diving, wobbegongs, crocodile-fish, toadfish, frogfish and so much more!
