This past trip to the best dive sites west and east of Flores met all expectations and exceeded others. Corals apart, the snorkeling with six mantas was unforgettable. While we worked hard to keep position in the current, they glided effortlessly right up to and past us, including a newborn with the fold marks on its back still visible.
Floating weightlessly above a coral reef in the Banda Sea may be one of the best ways to be reminded of the miracles of life. A trip to Banda and other islands in April 2018 comprised fifteen open minded explorers looking for the exceptional moment. And we found it.
My wife and I were among 12 very fortunate divers on board the Seven Seas, a one hundred foot Iron wood trading Pinisi built in Makassar and tricked out for anything a diver could wish for. On our first dive an immense Ocean Manta appeared, at first like a ghost ship then floated above us, blocking out the sun.