Briefings
This map traces the Mermaid's 14 day, 1500 mile course from Sorong to Maumere, showing the dive site area names. The route starts at Raja Ampat and crosses Indonesia's Ceram and Banda Seas. It passes roughly along the center of the Coral Triangle.
The trip leader, Harry, set each day's dive schedule and previewed each dive using briefing charts reproduced below. This was useful in establishing the site's topography in divers' minds. Harry discussed how the currents were expected to run and whether they were likely to be chaotic. In keeping with the biodiversity focus of the cruise, Harry took each briefing as an opportunity to identify the kinds of fish and critters likely to be spotted at the corresponding site, and he included spectacular pictures that he himself had taken of them over the years, to assist in identification. Reading the "Look for" lists on the briefing charts gives an excellent overview of some of the marine life that can be seen in Raja Ampat and the Banda Sea. Each briefing included a maximum depth for the dive, a maximum dive time, and a reminder of the five-minute safety stop rule.
The images below are the briefing charts that were reviewed by Harry during the briefings. They are arranged in chronological order, for coordinating with divers' log books. For some sites, the same briefing chart was used for two or more dives.
The trip leader, Harry, set each day's dive schedule and previewed each dive using briefing charts reproduced below. This was useful in establishing the site's topography in divers' minds. Harry discussed how the currents were expected to run and whether they were likely to be chaotic. In keeping with the biodiversity focus of the cruise, Harry took each briefing as an opportunity to identify the kinds of fish and critters likely to be spotted at the corresponding site, and he included spectacular pictures that he himself had taken of them over the years, to assist in identification. Reading the "Look for" lists on the briefing charts gives an excellent overview of some of the marine life that can be seen in Raja Ampat and the Banda Sea. Each briefing included a maximum depth for the dive, a maximum dive time, and a reminder of the five-minute safety stop rule.
The images below are the briefing charts that were reviewed by Harry during the briefings. They are arranged in chronological order, for coordinating with divers' log books. For some sites, the same briefing chart was used for two or more dives.
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