Mermaid Biodiversity Cruise
April 29-May 14, 2015
Fourteen days of diving in Indonesia from the Mermaid I, a scuba diving liveaboard
Harvey and I went to Indonesia for diving on the Mermaid Biodiversity cruise from April 29 to May 14, 2015. The cruise gave us and 11 other divers an opportunity to dive in the biologically richest waters on earth. We flew around the world from New York to Singapore, where we spent a day on each end of our trip. We used (mostly) national airlines to connect at Singapore to and from the trip’s end points.
If there is one creature that might be said to emblemize our trip, it is the extraordinary manta ray, shown in the splash photo on this page. My thanks to Sonja, the ship's videographer, from whose video I "snipped" the image.
We began our 14-day cruise at the island group called Raja Ampat, or “four kings,” in eastern Indonesia. These islands are the incubator of marine riches that extend throughout the Coral Triangle, the vast area depicted below that includes Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, and the eastern half of Indonesia. The Coral Triangle is regarded as the center of our planet’s marine diversity, with at least 500 species of coral and 3000 species of fish.
If there is one creature that might be said to emblemize our trip, it is the extraordinary manta ray, shown in the splash photo on this page. My thanks to Sonja, the ship's videographer, from whose video I "snipped" the image.
We began our 14-day cruise at the island group called Raja Ampat, or “four kings,” in eastern Indonesia. These islands are the incubator of marine riches that extend throughout the Coral Triangle, the vast area depicted below that includes Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, and the eastern half of Indonesia. The Coral Triangle is regarded as the center of our planet’s marine diversity, with at least 500 species of coral and 3000 species of fish.
We started at Sorong, Raja Ampat’s main acces point, and ended at the port of Maumere. For 1500 miles we hop-scotched along the Indonesian archipelago, anchoring among volcanic islands and ocean reefs and making as many as four dives a day, some of them night dives. Of the 45 dives offered, Harvey made 44 and I made 27.
Days on the Mermaid consisted of sleep, eat, dive, and repeat again and again. Here is a typical entry from my journal, to illustrate the joy of diving here. It is for the dive site at Koon.
Days on the Mermaid consisted of sleep, eat, dive, and repeat again and again. Here is a typical entry from my journal, to illustrate the joy of diving here. It is for the dive site at Koon.
The site is a beautiful low island with a sandy beach that glows in the day's early light. Colliding currents roil the waters on the down-current end of the current-splitting island. The confusion of the currents is amplified by the wind blowing over the mess.
We saw a turtle, a leopard shark, a black leaf fish, and a scorpion fish (which I spotted, but only because he shuttered before freezing when I came near). There were endless schools of fishes of all sizes cruising in all directions at all depths. In the dim distance I picked out some bumphead wrasses. Closer to the corals that completely covered the wall were smaller fishes doing their own version of schooling. In a section of plate corals, brown fishes darted under and out from the plates, as if entering and exiting their tenament. All the lovely small fish were present in a rainbow of colors. Shapes and species were familiar for the most part, but colors and patterns were sometimes new. Occasionally I'd see something completely different, the surprise being like seeing a man in a tux at a shopping center. |
Each guest was assigned to a team led by one of the four extremely capable dive guides. Our guide was a singer called Dolphin, for his ability to signal others underwater with a loud, dolphin-like call. Each dive was preceded by a careful dive briefing that included charts of the dive sites and descriptions and photographs of the unique creatures likely to be seen. The guides' experienced eyes helped enormously in spotting them in the water. This was the key to delivering on the “biodiversity” nature of the cruise.
We experienced an odd combination of adventure and catered vacationing. The cruise took us into remote waters, so we had to be careful and self-sufficient as divers. Yet our accommodations on the Mermaid were hotel-quality, with comfortable sleeping arrangements, outstanding cuisine, and personable, attentive, knowledgeable staff who assisted in every way.
Safety is an uppermost consideration for remote diving. Technical provisions included availability of enriched air (which nearly everyone used) to reduce nitrogen loading. There was a requirement of a five minute safety stop on ascent (usually it’s three minutes) and 2-1/2 to 3 hours between dives, to assure an adequate level nitrogen off-gassing. Each dive guide carried a submersible GPS/VHF radio device that could be used in an emergency, and divers carried submersible marker buoys that could be used to make it easier to spot them when they were ready to be picked up.
Dives were made from Zodiac inflatable boats operated by master drivers. From the moment divers rolled back off the Zodiac into the water, the drivers followed the divers’ bubble trails, and the captain, on the bridge, was on the lookout for marker buoys. In the water, we followed the lead of the dive guides, who knew the site and were experienced in the vagaries of the site’s currents. On completion of diving at a site, each spot on the dive benches was checked to make sure the corresponding diver had returned to the boat.
We were thirteen compatible guests (there would usually be fifteen): Harvey and I, two Americans from California, another American who lives in the Philippines, four British from England, two more Brits from Cyprus, and two Germans. All were very good divers and friendly, interesting people.
We were supported by eighteen expert crew members: tour leader/dive guide, three more dive guides, videographer, captain, first and second officers, first and second engineers, two dinghy drivers, first and second chefs, gas blender, boat coordinator/blender, saloon manager, and stewardess/masseuse.
Harvey took our underwater pictures and videos; I've included some of his pictures and his videos in this site. I took the "surface" pictures, including the ones from Bali, Singapore's Changi Airport, and the Crown Plaza Hotel at the airport. The various pictures are organized in the site's galleries, and the videos are grouped in the movies tab.
I designed this web site to reflect our experiences and refresh our memories of our adventure. I hope it serves our fellow divers as well. If you are a friend or family member, the underwater photos and videos will you a good taste of why we went and what we saw.
We experienced an odd combination of adventure and catered vacationing. The cruise took us into remote waters, so we had to be careful and self-sufficient as divers. Yet our accommodations on the Mermaid were hotel-quality, with comfortable sleeping arrangements, outstanding cuisine, and personable, attentive, knowledgeable staff who assisted in every way.
Safety is an uppermost consideration for remote diving. Technical provisions included availability of enriched air (which nearly everyone used) to reduce nitrogen loading. There was a requirement of a five minute safety stop on ascent (usually it’s three minutes) and 2-1/2 to 3 hours between dives, to assure an adequate level nitrogen off-gassing. Each dive guide carried a submersible GPS/VHF radio device that could be used in an emergency, and divers carried submersible marker buoys that could be used to make it easier to spot them when they were ready to be picked up.
Dives were made from Zodiac inflatable boats operated by master drivers. From the moment divers rolled back off the Zodiac into the water, the drivers followed the divers’ bubble trails, and the captain, on the bridge, was on the lookout for marker buoys. In the water, we followed the lead of the dive guides, who knew the site and were experienced in the vagaries of the site’s currents. On completion of diving at a site, each spot on the dive benches was checked to make sure the corresponding diver had returned to the boat.
We were thirteen compatible guests (there would usually be fifteen): Harvey and I, two Americans from California, another American who lives in the Philippines, four British from England, two more Brits from Cyprus, and two Germans. All were very good divers and friendly, interesting people.
We were supported by eighteen expert crew members: tour leader/dive guide, three more dive guides, videographer, captain, first and second officers, first and second engineers, two dinghy drivers, first and second chefs, gas blender, boat coordinator/blender, saloon manager, and stewardess/masseuse.
Harvey took our underwater pictures and videos; I've included some of his pictures and his videos in this site. I took the "surface" pictures, including the ones from Bali, Singapore's Changi Airport, and the Crown Plaza Hotel at the airport. The various pictures are organized in the site's galleries, and the videos are grouped in the movies tab.
I designed this web site to reflect our experiences and refresh our memories of our adventure. I hope it serves our fellow divers as well. If you are a friend or family member, the underwater photos and videos will you a good taste of why we went and what we saw.
Sterling