Start your cruise on Lembeh Strait the capital of muck diving!

The Togian (or Togean) Islands are an archipelago of 56 islands and islets, in the Gulf of Tomini, off the coast of Central Sulawesi, in Indonesia. Some people claimed that Tomimi Bay is one of the calmest bays in the world. The three largest islands are Batudaka, Togian, and Talakatoh. All of the Togian Islands have amazing white sandy beaches that are as of today unspoiled by masses of tourism. There are 37 villages on the islands settled by the Bajau people (Sea Gypsies).

Due to the position of the Gulf of Tomini, with the entrance of the bay facing east, the sea is not affected by the northeast monsoon (November to March). The seas are very calm throughout these months. The depth in Gulf of Tomini, except around the islands, goes from 1.000 mtrs to 4.000 mtrs.
The Togian Islands are located in the middle of the coral triangle, therefore offering some of the best diving in the world, containing up to 37% of the identified reef fishes and up to 76% of all known corals.

A Rare Route Awaits: Lembeh – Gorontalo – Togian

Begins in the legendary Lembeh Strait, the world’s muck diving capital, where volcanic black sands hide rare and fascinating critters such as pygmy seahorses, frogfish, and countless other tiny marvels.

From there, we sail to Gorontalo, home to the dramatic walls of Olele Marine Park, adorned with vibrant corals and the famous “Salvador Dali” sponge, found only in Tomini Bay. At Botubarani, you’ll have the unforgettable experience of diving and snorkelling with majestic whale sharks.

The adventure continues in the Togian Islands, When it comes to diving, the Togians have it all!!! Pinnacles, atolls, fringing reefs, barrier reefs, walls, steep slopes, coral gardens, muck diving and even a WWII wreck, Bomber B-24. As for marine life, you will be amazed by the variety and diversity of reef fish (over 1.000 species of reef fish), corals and sponges. There are massive schools of blacktail barracudas, bigeye trevallies and snappers, as well as huge napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, tunas, and groupers. And plenty of small critters for those macro lovers.

As part of a cultural visit during a break between dives, we stopped by a small village on Pulau Papan, home to the Bajau people. It was a unique opportunity to experience their fascinating way of life firsthand and gain insight into the traditions and daily rhythms of this legendary seafaring community.

Finally, our journey returns to North Sulawesi’s Tanjung Flesko, where endless hard coral gardens stretch as far as the eye can see—an awe-inspiring finale before we conclude back in Lembeh.

This exceptional itinerary combines world-class muck diving, rare marine encounters, vibrant reefs, and cultural discovery—crafted for divers and snorkelers seeking something truly different.

Day 1

Check-in on board Mermaid I. Once all guests are on board a safety briefing will be given. If all the guests are on board by 12,00 hours, you have the chance to do 1 or 2 extra dives at Lembeh Strait in some fabulous muck dives with critters galore. Cruise overnight to Tanjung Flesko, 70 nautical miles.

Day 2

Today we will spend the day at Tanjung Flesko, which is the northeastern cape of the Tomimi Bay. Drifting with some strong currents next to walls and steep slopes covered in an amazing variety of soft corals. Just let yourself go with the current and enjoy the reef scenery. From Tanjung Flesko we will call the whale shark center at Gorontalo, to arrange diving or snorkeling with the whale sharks in 2 days’ time. Cruise overnight to Gorontalo, 95 nautical miles.

Day 3

Today Mermaid will spend the morning and afternoon diving at the small village of Olele. The dives sites in Olele consist mainly of walls and steep slopes with ridges, covered mainly in sponges and soft corals and beautiful hard coral gardens in the shallows. This area is famous due to the Dali sponges that can be found sprouting from the walls. After the 3rd dive, Mermaid will cruise to Gorontalo in order to due the night dive, and sleep in a protected bay.

Day 4

Gorontalo is one of several places in Indonesia where there are regular encounters with whale sharks. The whale shark center at Gorontalo does research and keeps track of the whale sharks that frequent the area. They are also the ones that organize the diving and snorkeling with these magical creatures. Usually, we do 1 or 2 dives with the whale sharks and then an afternoon dive in one of the many walls and reefs around Gorontalo. After the 3rd dive Mermaid will start cruising towards the volcano of Una Una, the most eastern island of the Togian archipelago. Cruise overnight to Gorontalo – 95 nautical miles.

Day 5

The 5th day of the trip will be spent at the Volcano of Una Una. Unlike the rest of the Togian Islands, Una Una does not have any white sandy beaches, all the sand around the island is either black or gray. The volcano is short, rising 500 meters above sea level with a 2 km wide caldera, and the last time it erupted was in 1.983. Una Una is one of the great diving spots in the Togians. It has over 35 different dive sites, enough to spend several days diving. It is also one of the best dive sites to see massive schools of blacktail barracudas, schooling bigeye trevallies, and passing pelagic such as tunas. Cruise overnight to Batudaka Island or Togian Island – 58 nautical miles

Day 6-7

The next 2 days will be spent in the north of the islands Batudaka, Togian and Malingi and Kadidiri where there is a reef system that is about 165 km long with plenty of dive sites such as Nursery Rock, Kota Wall, Gap, Crack, Shark Rock, Dominic Rock, Labyrinth, Taipi, Batu Gila, Lost Reef, Kadidiri House Reef and Malingi. We will also visit several atolls that are north of Batudaka where you can dive both in the inside of the atoll as well as on the outside next to walls full of overhangs and swim-throughs. Or dive at the volcanic island of Tapuan which is a volcanic island surrounded by a reef and deep drop off walls.

Day 8-9

The next several days we will be diving on the south and west cost of Togian, where there are deep pinnacles surrounded by schooling fish, and also where we can find a WWII wreck, a B-24 bomber. The “Consolidated B-24 Bomber Liberator” lies between 16 and 22 meters over a sandy bottom. The plane is in a fairly good condition. You can still see the two barrels of the turret gun as well as the instruments in the cockpit. We will also spend some time diving around the islands of Walea, Puah and Dondola. These islands are surrounded by reef barriers where you can find plenty of schooling fish as well as good macro life. After the 2nd dive on day 9, Mermaid will cruise back to Tanjung Flesko, in order to keep on exploring some of the most amazing reefs in Sulawesi. Cruise overnight to Tanjung Flesko – 125 nautical miles

Day 10

Mermaid is now back in the beautiful area of Tanjung Flesko, where there are plenty of options for diving besides the reefs. There are also pinnacles and rocks that break the surface that can have tricky currents and surge, but where pelagics and schooling fish can be seen passing by. After the 3rd dive Mermaid will start heading back to Lembeh for the last day of diving. Cruise overnight to Lembeh – 75 nautical miles

Day 11

The last day of diving will be in Lembeh, muck diving capital of the world. Lembeh Strait – some of the best muck diving in Indonesia! There is no better place in the world to do muck diving than in Lembeh. Black sand, white sand, gray sand environments full of the strangers critters you can imagine. Frogfish, all kinds of octopi, spiny devilfish, nudibranchs galore and so much more.

Day 12

Disembark at 8 am after breakfast, Mermaid I staff will transfer you to the airport or yor hotel in Lembeh.
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to changes beyond the operator’s control. The exact itinerary, route and amount of dives for your cruise may be adapted to best suit the weather conditions, tides and currents, season and other prevailing events.

Deluxe Main Deck

2 cabins (4 spots) available

$5,213

Budget Cabin Lower Deck

1 cabin (2 spots) available

$4,455

About your trip