Prince Albert joins scientific trip on the Seven Seas

In September 2007, an innovative new approach to raise funds to support marine conservation in the biodiverse Bird's Head Seascape of Indonesia's West Papua when Conservation International (CI) and the Monaco-Asia Society joined together to sponsor an auction at the Oceanographic Museum in Monte Carlo raised over US$2 million dollars.

Lot 4 in the auction was a 10-day dive expedition to the Bird's Head Peninsula on The Seven Seas with CI scientists to search for more new species.

That scientific voyage finally got underway in December 2010. The participating scientists included

• Dr. Gerry Allen, eminent coral reef fish specialist and former curator of Fishes at Western Australia Museum;
• Dr. Mark Erdmann, Senior Advisor, Conservation International;
• Dr. Terence Gosliner, Senior Curator at the Department of Invertegrate Zoology and Geology of the California Academy of Sciences;
• Dr. Roderick Mast, Vice President, Conservation International, and head of CI's Sea Turtle Flagship Program

Among the other participants was Albert Grimaldi, the ruler of the Principality of Monaco and a lifelong supporter of marine conservation. After the conclusion of the trip, Prince Albert wrote in the ship's comment log:

More than 500 testimonials

The Seven Seas passed another milestone in January when the number of testimonials in our Comments Log passed 500. Here are the two from our last batch:

» Check out this link to our testimonials page to see what other guests have been saying about their trips on the Seven Seas!

Komodo family cruise 2012

The Pets will be taking their annual Komodo family cruise for 2012 over July 16-28. Jos, Lida, Eva and Laura will be taking two cabins. There are still six cabins available for 12 persons. First booked, first confirmed!

The Komodo family cruises are wonderful opportunity for diving families to bring well-behaved, safety-aware children along on a liveaboard trip to one of the world's most exciting destinations. There are always opportunities for snorkeling and beach play.

Raja Ampat and Banda Sea cruise available in April 2011

Due to an emergency charter cancellation, our Raja Ampat and Banda Sea cruise (Sorong to Ambon) over April 15-27 2011 is suddenly available. In addition to the spectacular cites in southern and central Raja Ampat, including southeast Misool, this exciting itinerary also includes exciting dives in the historic Banda Islands, at Pulau Koon, a remote, biodiverse site on the border between two distinct ecological seascapes, as well as the rich diving at Nusa Laut and Ambon Bay.

We would be very interested in hearing from anyone interested in doing a full or half charter, and we may also be able to accommodate individuals and/or couples too!

Seven Seas Banda Education Program

Over the years, many Seven Seas guests have contributed to the Seven Seas Banda Education Program, which includes sponsorship of a shuttle boat to make it possible for children from disadvantaged families living on Gunung Api to commute daily to Banda Neira to attend school. (See May 2010 Newsletter)

As some children who have been helped by this program have graduated or are approaching graduation from the local school, we have begun exploring options to provide scholarship support for talented but under-privileged local school children to attend university in Makassar or elsewhere in Indonesia. Our hope is that the scholarship recipients will be able to study ecology, fisheries or other marine-based programs and return to the Banda Islands to help protect and manage the rich natural resources of this unique mini-archipelago.

At present, we have about half the money needed to cover the full costs including food and lodging (estimated at US$13,700) to support one student through the full program at an Indonesian university. We would like to find commitments to cover the remainder of this total and, if possible, sufficient additional funding to expand the program to cover two or even three students.

If you would like more information and are interested in helping support the Seven Seas Banda Education Program, please contact Ayu Herawati at info@thesevenseas.net.