Mermaid II

Mermaid II is a 33-metre steel motor yacht, the second vessel of the Indonesian company Mermaid Liveaboards (the operating company is PT Indonesia Liveaboards, with an office on Sanur Beach, Bali). The fleet has two hulls, Mermaid I and Mermaid II, and on the water they are easy to confuse: both are dark blue with white superstructure. Mermaid II is told apart by the gold script on her hull and by her lower, two-level superstructure — Mermaid I’s is taller and longer.

There are ten cabins. Eight deluxe cabins sit on the main deck, in a single row down both sides, each with a large panoramic sea-view window, its own bathroom and individually controlled air conditioning. The bed in a deluxe can be made up as a double or as two singles — you choose at booking. The other two cabins are budget cabins on the lower deck: bunk beds, a vanity sink, air conditioning, and one bathroom shared between the two cabins through adjoining doors. The vessel carries 18 to 20 guests. Linens are at least 300 thread count.

The dive deck takes up the aft part of the main deck: a wide platform with two ladders, warm fresh-water showers, personal crates for gear, camera tables and rinse tanks. There are three Bauer 200 PE compressors and a nitrox membrane. Mermaid II carries twelve 15-litre tanks, free of charge, as are weights, weight belt, surface marker buoy and dive torch. Sidemount and twinsets are allowed, but you must bring your own rigging: no bands or manifolds on board.

The saloon on the upper deck is air conditioned, with a large TV for briefings and films, an extensive library and marine-life identification books. Next to it is the shaded party deck with cushioned seating running around the sides, and above it the sun platform in front of the wheelhouse. The dining area is forward on the main deck; meals are buffet style — Indonesian, Asian and Western — and a diving day runs to a light pre-dive breakfast, a full breakfast after the first dive, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner after the night dive. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, juices, soft drinks and drinking water are included. Starlink is on board: 3 GB of data comes free, further packages cost 25 to 80 euros.

Two payments sit outside the cruise price, and it is worth knowing about them in advance. The first is marine park and port fees: the operator states they are mandatory, itinerary-based and collected on board, but does not publish the amounts; the booking aggregator estimates them at 200–295 euros per trip. The second is a fuel surcharge of 20 euros a day — from 160 euros on a week-long trip to 320 euros on a sixteen-day one — introduced for Mermaid II departures from September 2026 and fixed for 2026. Everything bought on board carries Indonesia’s 11 % VAT. If you hold a valid Raja Ampat tag, the operator takes 60 euros off your park fees.

The entry bar is low: Open Water with four training dives is enough, and snorkellers and non-divers pay the same rate as divers. Two requirements are strict, though: dive insurance is mandatory under Indonesian law — without proof you will be made to buy it on board — and every diver must use a personal dive computer, again by local regulation. Freediving is not accepted at all: the crew is not trained to cover freedivers.

The guide ratio is one to four in the water. The number of dives depends on the route: 20 on the week-long Komodo trip, 25 on the eight-night Raja Ampat, 34 on the eleven-night Ring of Fire and 49 on the sixteen-day Biodiversity Super Special. Sole use of a twin or double cabin costs a 90 % premium. The operator reserves the right to cancel a trip sold below the equivalent of four deluxe cabins, offering a transfer to another vessel, an adjacent date or a full refund.

The vessel goes into port for maintenance for long stretches every year, and the operator publishes those windows in advance: 4–14 November 2026, 29 May – 3 July 2027, 30 October – 13 November 2027 and 30 April – 20 May 2028. There are no departures in those weeks.