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Newsletter September/October 2007
Our latest cruisesDear all,Well it's been busy, we have lots of bookings and as a result we find the newsletter work slipping a bit. Apologies, we will aim to have a newsletter once every 2 months from now on. The word of mouth machine works well, thanks to all of you who promote Seven Seas to their friends, and we are now promoting some 4 remaining available cruises in Komodo for the 2008 season, and 4 cruises for the Raja Ampat Season end 2008/early 2009. Please consider and contact us quickly! AVAILABILITY KOMODO SEASON 2008:
AVAILABILITY RAJA AMPAT SEASON 2008-2009:
AFTER THIS WE ARE AVAILABLE AGAIN IN APRIL 2009.
Promoting KomodoPutri Naga Komodo (PNK) promoted Komodo and operators who offer Komodo expeditions during the recent PATA Travel mart in Bali. The great booth and the information handed out to industry buyers were very clear: Komodo sure is a world class dive and tourism destination. We vouch for that as our dive cruises in August and September were again spectacular, or as one of the guests said, the physical activity on the reefs especially the pinnacles is most exciting in Komodo. On Castle Rock, the small group of dolphins showed up again, hunting amongst the coral heads and bommies for fish, and things became even more exciting when they were joined by a pack of white tip reef sharks AND some of the grey reef sharks coming up shallow, AND a small group of giant trevallies all joining the frenzy! Now if THAT combination of large animals in action has been described or filmed before elsewhere, I would like to know!Again, we cannot repeat it often enough, if you think you have seen and done Komodo's reefs: think again! Seven Seas Cruise Auctioned by Christie's in Monaco!The Blue Auction was an historical and innovative event aimed at raising funds to protect the oceans and the marine life they contain. The Blue Auction offered individuals, companies and organizations the opportunity to bid for the privilege of having their name (or a name of their choice) forever attributed to new marine life species recently discovered off the coasts of the Bird's Head Seascape in Indonesia by Conservation International. A total of 12 lots were auctioned by Christie's, and the proceeds will benefit marine conservation programs associated with the long-term preservation of such species as well as other environment and biodiversity-related programs.One of the auction lots (no. 4) was an expedition to the Bird's Head to search for new marine species. The expedition will be named after the buyer, and Conservation International will arrange a 10-day expedition with six CI marine scientists (including Dr. Gerry Allen) to seek additional new species onboard the Seven Seas. The conservation fundraiser was a great success which will support CI in their important work in Raja Ampat and larger Papua. For PhotographersA successful photography cruise with Brandon Cole was completed recently in Komodo and another one is underway in Banda and Papua. Despite our efforts, unfortunately not all the luggage made it to The Seven Seas with the guests for the first cruise, and due to further cancellation of a flight it took another day before everything had arrived. We strongly recommend our guests to specify in detail when they have more luggage than normally allowed (10 kg for small plane flights and 20kg for normal plane flights) and discuss with us what other options exist to get equipment to the destination prior to the start of the trip.Seven Seas has made some adjustments that allow for more camera storage and working space. First comments from the photographers were good and we will hear more from Drew Wong and his group upon returning soon for some additional adjustments. ConservationIn this newsletter we like to draw your attention to a point not relevant for Indonesia so much but nevertheless compelling for ocean animal admirers:Hector's and Maui's dolphins, which live around the shores of Aotearoa/New Zealand, are amongst the rarest marine dolphins in the world. But unless urgent action is taken these amazing creatures could become extinct within a generation. Scientists estimate over 26,000 Hector's dolphins inhabited the coastal waters of New Zealand's South Island in the 1970s. But today, there is a struggling population of a little over 7,000. Maui's dolphins, the North Island cousin of Hector's dolphin, fare even worse and now number just 110 - making them critically endangered. WWF New Zealand is working to get 40,000 petitions signed before October 22 to help save these animals from extinction. So far some 22,000 have signed. WWF wants the New Zealand government to strengthen their proposed action plan for the dolphins. Please visit www.stoptheirextinction.org.nz today and support this call. New Zealand is the only place on the planet that Hector's and Maui's dolphins are found. Thank you for helping ensure they survive and recover. 
The Seven Seas - Kuta Poleng D7 - Jl. Setiabudi Simpang Siur - Kuta 80361 - Bali - Indonesia
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