Dive Review of Mermaid I in
Indonesia/Maumere to Sorong, Indonesia

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Mermaid I: "The best liveaboard I've ever experienced", Nov, 2017, by Carol Sommers, IL, US ( Sr. Reviewer 8 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 10072 has 2 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The other liveaboards I've been on pale in comparison to the Mermaid operation. I booked the only single room and discovered that my shipmates were from eleven other countries which made for an interesting trip. My room had air conditioning and shower water which I could adjust, a modern hairdryer, roomy closets, blackout window curtains and a robe. We travelled over 1,200 nautical miles and dived 49 times in 15 days, including several night dives. Briefings were a half hour before dives and included aerial photos, line drawings, photos of sealife and precise information. We were informed of any possible strong currents or difficult situations. The fifteen divers were divided into 4 groups and only two groups set up at one time to avoid congestion. The only negative comment I have is that at times, I felt rushed and once forgot to check my air (for the first time in over 500 dives) and back-rolled in without it being on. I used my SpareAir for a minute or two, regained the nearby zodiac, got out, rested a minute and then resumed the dive. From then on, the divemasters were sure to yell out check, check before we all backrolled in. We were very fortunate not to have rough seas, especially since at times we crossed 90 miles of open ocean. A hooded vest was needed while in cooler waters near Flores and Alor. The island stops were fascinating: we saw the original Spice Islands, forts, nutmeg plantations and a fishing village. The protected seas in Raja Ampat had schools of large fish which were absent elsewhere due to fishing. Once we heard dynamite fishing and saw long lines tangled in the coral, especially near the beginning of the trip. We ate five times per day, little breakfast, big breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. Fruit was available at all meals, breakfast included custom-made omelettes, soup was available at lunch and dinner and they also had several choices of main courses, including vegetarian. Every few days, the home-made desserts were replaced by ice cream. A wonderful trip!
Websites	Mermaid I
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Cozumel, Belize, Florida, North Carolina, Curacao, Lake Michigan, Philippines, Sea of Cortez, Palau, Yap, Bali, Komodo, Dominica, Hornby Island in British Columbia, Bonne Terre Mine, Red Sea, Roatan
Closest Airport	Fransiskus X Seda	Getting There	Take Garuda Airlines from Bali or Jakarta to Maumere
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	75-84°F / 24-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Daytime dives limited to 70 minutes, night-time to 60 minutes, backroll entry from zodiacs--usually negative entries, no solo diving, safety sausages required
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Dedicated camera rinse tank, roomy rubberized table for set-up and between dive storage, compressed air to dry off cameras, careful handling of cameras on zodiacs, many outlets in rooms for charging cameras and any other equipment

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Mermaid I in Indonesia/Maumere to Sorong, Indonesia

Mermaid I: "The best liveaboard I've ever experienced", Nov, 2017,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Mermaid I in
Indonesia/Maumere to Sorong, Indonesia