This last month, we were diving in the Forgotten Islands. A remote and isolated chain of volcanic islands surrounded by deep crystal waters, going from East Timor to Papua, in one of the deepest oceans on this planet.
The Seven Seas has been my live-aboard vessel of choice for many many years. I suspected that our private charter for the Forgotten Islands would be the crème de la crème of dive itineraries and it was, indeed, beyond everyone’s expectations.
I was very excited to start my first trip as a Cruise Director on the Seven Seas. I was already on board two times as a guest, then for two months supported Karl, and then cruised 15 days with Mark, learning from them all the time.
Over the last twenty years I have been on holidays all over the world, been on liveaboards, and dived in many locations. However none of those experiences compare with the Seven Seas Forgotten Islands cruise that I have just been on. Every single aspect of the trip was simply exceptional.
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.
The magic of the Indonesian archipelago has whispered to me since I was a little girl, the call to explore her 17,000 islands sometimes a murmur, at other times a siren song. I can’t quite recall when I first heard mention of the Forgotten Islands, but I know I was instantly smitten, drunk with longing for these lost and lonely isles.