Advice on liveaboard in Indo - Mermaid 2?

[travelsizehailz]

Hi! My friend and I are looking to book a liveaboard (10 days max) in Indonesia. We are able to go October - December.

I have read that Raja Ampat & Komodo are generally amazing. I also have heard that the Mermaid liveaboards are a great value. I am torn between the 10/26 - 11/2 trip from Bali- Komodo- Bali OR the 10/16 - 10/25 Maumare - Komodo - Bali trip (with whale sharks in Saleh bay!). I am dying to see whale sharks & manta rays! Has anyone been on one of these, and if so, which do you think is better?? If you have any liveaboard suggestions other than these 2, let me know, thanks!!

 

[Cali_diver]

Well looking at the itinerary I would say the second trip because it has more days in Komodo. The first only has 4 diving days in Komodo and Komodo deserves way more than that. Damai is my first pic but it can be pricey, the Pindito is really good as well. There are a bunch of nice boats in Komodo so it depends on your budget so you just need to look around at schedules and reviews.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Komodo really deserves a full 7 days within Komodo itself and nowhere else to/from. (I’ve been on 3 liveaboards in Komodo and have done it land based 2-3 times.) Mermaid fleet is one of my favorites but I think this itinerary is a bad choice, IMO. A friend once did the Bali to Komodo trip after having done Komodo a couple times and he said it was a mistake. The diving between Bali and Komodo was very underwhelming. However, service and crew, safety, food was great. I have taken Mermaid 1 between Ambon to Maumere over 12 days in Banda Sea before so am familiar with them.

 

[jetsettingbarista]

Komodo really deserves a full 7 days within Komodo itself and nowhere else to/from. (I’ve been on 3 liveaboards in Komodo and have done it land based 2-3 times.) Mermaid fleet is one of my favorites but I think this itinerary is a bad choice, IMO. A friend once did the Bali to Komodo trip after having done Komodo a couple times and he said it was a mistake. The diving between Bali and Komodo was very underwhelming. However, service and crew, safety, food was great. I have taken Mermaid 1 between Ambon to Maumere over 12 days in Banda Sea before so am familiar with them.

Can you share which liveaboards you've done in Komodo? any suggestions on ideal route with majority in komodo?

 

[matts1w]

Can you share which liveaboards you've done in Komodo? any suggestions on ideal route with majority in komodo?

There are so many boats in Komodo...and many good boats too. If you give us an idea of what you are looking for you can get some better advice- backpacker? Mid Range? Luxury? How long? Most of the route will be determined by the time of year you are coming.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Can you share which liveaboards you've done in Komodo? any suggestions on ideal route with majority in komodo?

one that I have been on that I would return to is the Blue Manta. I usually go in May or September and I like going down to southern Komodo to Manta Alley and going to all the central and northern sites too. however, bring a thick wetsuit and a hood. I’ve had it hit mid to high 60’s Fahrenheit in water temperatures there before and of course it is sometimes overcast and windy too which doesn’t help.

 

[also_anon_dc]

I can't speak to either of those itineraries but I was on Mermaid 2 and it's a fantastic boat. Like others say I would do a dedicated Komodo trip or a dedicated Raja Ampat trip. I've heard the Bali-Komodo-Bali itinerary loses a few days in transit. There is a trip report on here from another poster somewhere.

 

[jetsettingbarista]

Great, thanks for the insight!

 

[jjmochi]

I was on the Mermaid 1 on the Bali-Komodo-Bali route 2 years ago (wrote a detailed review on here). The diving from Bali to Komodo was actually pretty great, I thought it was on par with Komodo especially if you like macro, but due to weather we lost 1 full day of diving on the crossing over, so I’m a bit hesitant to do it again. Your other itinerary also has long crossings so that’s always a risk. I’m doing Komodo and Raja on Blue Manta this year. That said thus far out of all the Liveaboards I’ve been on Mermaid remains my favorite. 75 min dives, free 15L tanks, excellent eagle eyed guides, healthy and tasty food, comfy cabins, what’s not to like! I would’ve booked with them again but had credit left from pre-Covid with Blue Manta.