The Seven Seas News - November 2015

East of Flores - Sabine's Story

Trip Report by Sabine Stief. Photos by Robert Wilpernig.

The East of Flores trip was a hit, both over the water and under the water. Moreover, the crew of Seven Seas really took care of everything: the personal diving equipment was always on the right dinghy�, the only thing you still had to put on yourself was the diving suit ;-). Quickly buckling up the air bottle and then dive in� dive into in a gorgeously colorful and intact coral world. Never before have I seen so many different types of hard and soft corals in this color variety and intensity! The sheer size of the gorgonians was indescribable by itself. And then, there is literally a Denise dwarf seahorse sitting in the branches that is not at all visible to the naked eye. Fortunately, the diving guides had magnifiers, so that we could locate the little critters to some extent. It is simply ingenious, what kind of creatures nature has produced.

Large fish such as black and white tip reef sharks or big tunas showed their faces now and then as well but the island world "East of Flores" also have other things to offer. Such as the dive site "Anemone City" close to Pura, for example. You dive into the water, and all you can see are anemones only. And that over hundreds of meters, as far as the eye can see�only anemones and their inhabitants, the anemonefishes in the largest variety of colors and sizes�just incredible.

Also, the night dives were a hit: At first you think "Huh, just sand, what do I want here?". But on closer inspection there was so much to discover. From anglerfishes over ghostpipe fishes and small scorpionfishes, there is something to see under each "grain of sand." Ingenious dives. And after the night dive yet another highlight: back on the Seven Seas, the crew served a warm blanket and a hot cocoa�Not that it was particularly cold, but the cocoa and the moment by itself was awesome.

The crew was truly amazing, too: Starting with Karl our cruise director and the dive guides all the way to Little John, the waiter; everyone cared lovingly about the well-being of every guest. The Seven Seas is a very impressive ship, which offers all the amenities for divers: a large platform for taking off and putting on gear without pushing and shoving, storage places for the photographic equipment and fresh water showers on deck. Also, the cabins were of a comfortable size and the food on board was incredibly delicious and rich in variety.

This was certainly not my last trip with the Seven Seas, and, fortunately, there are still some more regions where she will go.

Sabine Stief
East of Flores, October 2015

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