Mermaid Liveaboards: Schedule, Deals, Reviews

This was my first time on a liveaboard cruise. I was a little nervous before boarding, but once on board, all my worries were gone. The kind and friendly boat crew and dive staff took away all my stress. Furthermore, the itinerary and meals were well thought out, so the 10-day cruise was never boring. If you're considering your first liveaboard cruise, this is one to consider.

The trip on Mermaid I was nice, but there were slight deficiencies all around: Cabins - a bit dated Service - a bit lacking attentiveness Guides - sometimes not able to read currents correctly Safety - annoying Nitrox policy where guests cannot analyze tanks on their own, and hence the majority of divers just trusted their guides to do that (which is a safety concern) Food - pretty boring with not enough emphasis on local (Indonesian) cuisine All of this would be totally OK on a cheap liveaboard, but since Mermaid I is supposed to be on a more luxurious side, it didn't quite meet my expectations.

Went on the Biodiversity Super Special crossing from Sorong to Maumere. Great trip visiting some amazing dive sites with a fantastic crew! Our cabin on the main deck was comfortable. We had bunk beds but it wasn't as cramped as bunked rooms on other liveaboards. Having a big window that we could open for fresh air was nice. The bathroom was pretty compact in that the toilet is pretty much in the shower area, but it wasn't too bad. And anyway there is plenty of space to spread out on the ship, so you don't have to spend much time in the room. The dive deck was on the smaller side for the number of divers, but they use the space well. They also handle a lot of practicalities that other liveaboards don't like putting each person's wetsuit at their station before each dive and rinsing/hanging them after, so everyone isn't mobbing the wetsuit rack at the same time. Only complaint was that communication with our dive guide was a bit difficult. He had a tendency to swim off, often against the current, without paying much attention to whether anyone was following. Fortunately everyone in our group was fairly experienced, so we managed. Mermaid keeps each dive group with the same DM throughout the trip, so if you get one who isn't a good fit as we did there are limited options.