M/V Mermaid 1 and other Indo trip advice

[KimberlyP]

Hello,

I've searched on the forums here and then elsewhere on the internet before posting. My husband and I are considering booking on the M/V Mermaid, and were wondering if anyone here has any experience with them? This boat has a shorter itinerary, which means it fits our budget and the dates we are looking for. My liveaboard experiences so far has been on the Aggressor Fleet, so that is what I'd be comparing it to.

The other two options I'm considering are staying at a land based operation on Pulau Pef - Raja4divers, and the other is to go on the Pelagian liveaboard in Wakitobi. These other two options are much more expensive on a per day basis. For about the same money spent we will have 4 days on the Pelagian, 5 days at Raja4divers, and 7-1/2 on the Mermaid. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

 

[diversusan]

I have been on both Mermaid boats, but in other locations. In August 2003 my husband and I did one of their first Bali-Komodo trips. That was on the Mermaid I. Lovely boat, especially the master suite. The indoor lounge and outdoor deck were very nice as well. We enjoyed the diving, but the boat skipped what we now know are some of the most iconic sites on this itinerary. I'm sure they are much, much more experienced now!

We were on the Mermaid II three years ago, in April 2010. It wasn't quite as nice as the Mermaid I, but I appreciated the fact that the cabins were all above-deck and had proper windows. It also has a lovely outdoor deck. (I don't mean the decks with sun loungers - although they both have those - I mean the shaded one with sofas and tables). The crew were experienced in the Similans, hit all the sites, and guided them well. I know our guide from that trip is still with Mermaid, but not sure on which boat. His name is Ramon and he's a great guy.

I've only been on one Aggressor boat; it was the North Sulawesi trip which no longer exists. That was a great crew and operation. The diving wasn't our favorite but that's just personal preference. The boat was not as nice as the Mermaid boats; I particularly didn't like the below-deck windowless bunkbed cabins. But I'd go back on that boat in a heartbeat vs. our recent bad experience on a much nicer boat in Raja Ampat.

So back to the Mermaid...the boats are nice, and we've had good experiences with the crew both times, but on the Komodo trip they were very inexperienced and missed the manta sites, etc. So I hope someone can answer you who has been on their Raja Ampat trips, to say how they're doing there. As long as they're guiding the RA sites well, I'd definitely recommend this operation.

Good luck!

 

[highdesert]

No Mermaid experience, but a couple of comments:

In Raja Ampat, it's all about the guides. Makes no difference what boat ... if they don't know how to dive the site (which is more than just finding the site), US $600 a day won't get you a good experience.

Regarding the Pelagian, no experience with it either, though I have heard firsthand those who have been on board say that the diving experience was not superior to staying at the resort. And the resort diving is a great experience, IMHO.

 

[weeksd]

Hi.
I have been on mermaid liveaboards six times and will do the seventh this fall. In komodo mermaid 1 does 9 night trips compared to mermaid 2 does 7 night trips. The extra 2 nights are in the komodo park. Both boats are very nice. Mermaid 1 does have a bit more room in the dining room and the dive deck area but no problems with either boat. I enjoy both boats. Crews are excellent with guides in water who find critters. The mermaid liveaboard boat are a step up from the aggressor fleet boats as the crew has years on the boat and know dive sites like the back of there hand. The last aggressor fleet boat i was on most of the crew were brand new and did not know dive sites. Mermaid liveaboard trips also when they do komodo park you depart from bali so no extra expense and time with inter indonesia flights. Crew picks you up at hotel and drops you off at hotel so no searching for the dock. Both boat do 4 dives a day so a relaxed pace. In komodo park you will find much more large animals like mantas which is very hard to find in wakatobi. Been to wakatobi a couple of time. Enjoyed it but komodo is far better. The thing i like the best with komodo is variety. Blue water in java sea and greenish water in horseshoe bay rinca island. Divesites also is alot of variety. For wetsuits i use a 3mm suit with a hood. Some people use 5mm suits. Cannibal rock in rinca island can have water 74 degree so be prepared. If you need an extra suit mermaid does have them if you need it. For food on boat there is usually a soup and four or five dishes as well as a table for veggie dishes. Lots of variety. For komodo pics as well as raja ampat pics which were done while on mermaids trips my website is reefscenics.smugmug.com It will give you an idea on some of the diving in komodo park.

 

[Tippytoes12]

Hi ththereby husband and I did a Komodobtrip at the end of 2011 on Mermaid 2 and were extremely happy with the boat , the trip , the food , the guides and crew . The diving was of course incredible.

We docked beside mermaid 1 in Bali and as previous posters have said it looked a bit bigger than Mermaid 2. We chatted to a few other passengers on MM1 and shared a car to Padang Bai with another. All reported having had had a wonderful time.

We have just booked to Raja Ampat with Black Manta though , one reason is that he dining area in BM is outside and we just prefer eating outside in the tropics.

i am certain you will be very happy with Mermaid.

 

[scorpiofish]

I would skip the Pelagian. It's not worth the trouble. It was the worst diving of my 11 trips to Indonesia. The resort was better. I'll spare the details.

 

[KimberlyP]

Many thanks to each of you for the thoughtful replies. I'm happy to have found such a nice community of divers.

We ended up deciding against the Pelagian, it was the most expensive, shortest trip and we'd rather be in Raja Ampat. With all of the advice we felt completely comfortable in booking the Mermaid. Unfortunately, although they showed availability it was only for 1 spot. I guess I should have checked that first. Happily though, I'm in the process of booking us with the Black Manta. I've read some good reviews and Tippytoes12 is booking with them after nice compliments about the Mermaid.

Raja4divers - Pulau Pef looks amazing, maybe we'll get to go there sometime too. I just love the deep relaxation that I feel on a live aboard. And it seemed like since this will be our first trip to RA that we should see the biggest possible area.

Again thank you...

 

[puncho]

You guys should enjoy the black manta. I was just on it a few weeks ago in RA. Great crew, dive masters and our group was fun! Wishing to go back to do Komodo in the future

I heard good things about mermaid from the other divers aboard