Two Weeks in Komodo - Bringing out the Best

By Joseph La Magna.

I heard about the Seven Seas by "word of email." I received this email "out of the blue" from Jos early one morning back in 2015. Somehow he had heard about a marine science program I had started at the small high school where I teach. The program involves a semester of academics, and then the students and I travel to the Caribbean during spring break to do some diving. Jos was curious about the program, and he mentioned his boat, the Seven Seas. I took a look at her on the web site and decided quickly I would try to take my own trip. I didn’t bother checking travel sites for reviews. I reasoned that any guy who owns a luxury liveaboard in Indonesia and is interested in a science teacher at a small school in southwestern Virginia must run a remarkable operation. I finally had the chance to observe this remarkable dive operation during the first two weeks of June, 2018.

Due to my work schedule, my wife and I could not get to the boat until the afternoon of the first day of the trip. One of the skiffs took us from the harbor at Labuan Bajo to where the ship was anchored. As I boarded, the rest of the guests were departing for the first dive. My heart ached at missing the dive, and I think cruise director Karl noticed it. He helped us get settled aboard quickly and got us ready for day two.

Day two proved to be like all the other days of the trip: eat, dive, eat, relax, dive. Repeat. The staff was always attentive, but they never hovered. "Check, check, double-check," they would remind us, and we would head to the dive site.

» CLICK HERE FOR JOSEPH'S FULL TRIP REPORT AND MORE PHOTOS

Testimonial

Forgotten Islands Opportunity This Year!

Two cabins are available with an adventurous group of American friends on a rare Seven Seas Forgotten Islands itinerary, this October 21-November 2, 2018 (12 days total). This private charter visits remote islands with exotic cultures and only happens in a very narrow time window every autumn. The orientation of our group is health-conscious (generally non-smokers and light drinkers), healthy and fresh cuisine, and lots of stimulating conversation. Morning yoga and meditation on the upper deck, a "murder mystery" dinner party, dance party, and costume party on three evenings will be some of the extras on this trip. Cost = $5,940 pp, includes 3-4 dives per day, food, and shared double cabin. Arrangements can be made for two singles sharing. Please contact Carolyn Tyler [email protected] for more information.

Reef Life Survey expedition to Raja Ampat, 2018

By Graham Edgar.

As part of a broader investigation into how marine parks are faring across the tropics, Reef Life Survey volunteers Mez Larkin and Andrew Green joined me for underwater surveys in the Raja Ampat islands of western Indonesia. These islands are famous as the 'epicentre' of coral reef diversity, with record numbers of fish, mollusc and coral species recorded by scientists compared to other regions of similar size worldwide.

Our RLS transect counts were almost overwhelming, with a total of 716 fish and invertebrate species recorded in 11 days spent surveying 32 sites across the archipelago. This number was far greater than on survey trips elsewhere. We were certainly kept busy recording an average of 113 (and up to 164) fish species on the four 50-m long by 5-m wide transect blocks at each site.

While the larger fishes were not much different to those seen elsewhere on reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, an exceptional element of reef diversity was the number of small fishes. During RLS cryptic fish surveys, a large array of colourful gobies and blennies were sighted. Through careful scans of the seabed on the 1-m wide survey blocks, Mez and Andrew recorded up to 73 (and an average of 51) cryptic fishes and invertebrates at the different sites.

» CLICK HERE FOR GRAHAM'S FULL REPORT

A Message from Karl & Linda

Thank you from us both to all our friends for your encouraging comments, best wishes and invitations. It means a lot to us knowing that we have helped create special memories for you and we hope to catch up with you along the way and make some new ones ;)

We would also like to say thank you to everyone on The Seven Seas team, firstly the owners for giving us the opportunity to work there, the office staff for all their help in the logistical issues and last but NOT least the incredible crew on board The Seven Seas.

We wish you all the best,

Karl & Linda