Around the Boat | "That was my favorite dive ever!"

Some of you may like to learn a bit more about what happens around Indonesia's vast marine areas. Lida will share some short info stories each newsletter, we hope you like them. This one is about Indonesian fishing boats.

Indonesia's oceans and coastal ecosystems are world renowned for their diversity and productivity. Since the 1980s, scientists have described how Indonesia's myriad of large and small land masses, connected by sea straits and encircled with large areas of coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds connect the large water masses between the Pacific and Indian oceans, affect upwellings of primary production and movement and exchange marine organisms, resulting in very high levels of speciation - the awesome diversity we see underwater on our Seven Seas dives and snorkel trips - and fish production.

Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world and the second-largest fish producer after China. Indonesia's fisheries are vital to the country's economy, accounting for close to 5% of Gross Domestic Product. The total value of wild capture in 2015 was around USD 9 billion. In 2014, the United States ranked as the world's largest importer of Indonesian fishery products, accounting for just over 40% of total Indonesian fishery exports.

The fisheries sector also plays an important role in contributing to national food security and employment in Indonesia. A recent study ranked Indonesia as the eighth most fish-dependent nation in the world, measured by dependence on fish-derived animal protein. Indonesia had an estimated per capita fish protein consumption rate of 46.49 kg/year in 2017 and a target of increasing that to about 54 kg in 2019. That means more than 1 kg of fish per person a week, and with more than 266 million people in Indonesia, that is a lot of fish!

Seven Seas Sailing Adventure from Kaimana to Sorong

I'm Tom Roberts, my dad brought me on the Seven Seas for the first time. It was my first time on a sailing boat and it was really special boat because it wasn't any ordinary boat it was an Buginese pirate boat. Even better I had to miss two weeks of school other though dad made me do homework every day.

On our trip we started at Kaimana then sailed to Sorong stopping at Namatote, Triton Bay, Aiduma, Momon, Karas, Fak fak, Daram, Boo windows, Tank rock and Whale rock, Wayhil and Farondi and best of all THE CAVE although we couldn't go to all the places that we were going to because of the storm so we went to different places instead. Even though it wasn't our original plan it was still terrific.

On the boat was captain Mark, Alex our cruise director, Doctor Lawrence Blair and his wife Ali and Carolyn the photographer, Scott, Dave his father and their friends Pete and Terence, then it was my family was I and my dad my brother Simon his girlfriend Christina Uncle Mike my cousin Jazz and Nicky and Arndt, and then there was Veronica and she was friends with everybody and everybody got on really well and it made a very happy trip.

Testimonial

"As an octogenarian and first time in passenger on a schooner, I was more than a bit concerned about my decision to accompany my partner and a group of friends all the way to Indonesia. Our group were experienced divers and I did not dive. To my surprise, our cabin was air-conditioned and had a comfortable bed and on-suite bath. Outside our own room were comfortable lounges to read, talk, share dive stories and naps. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. On my first experience of snorkeling, Alex, the Cruise Director, accompanied me. As my body is that of an 80 years old, Alex and a few of the young men put my flippers on my feet, the snorkel and mask on my head and helped me into the motor boat. Once in the water, Alex held my hand until I felt safe enough to let it go. He remained with me for all the full 50 minute experience. There was never a moment I did not feel safe and comfortable as there was always a helpful hand or arm available to assist me. Long sun-filled days, excellent meals and experiencing the underwater beauty made this trip a once in a long life-time experience. I fully recommend this shooter, its staff and Alex to anyone of any age. Thank you!"

Frances Leili (Raja Ampat & Banda Sea, April 2019)

» Click here for more testimonials.

"That was my favorite dive ever!"

"That was my favorite dive ever!" Our friend Kari's excited proclamation upon surfacing, and her accompanying smile, says it all. From the first dive at Andiamo in the Daram Islands southeast of Misool, to the last dive at Blue Magic in Dampier Strait, our most recent cruise on our favorite dive boat in the world will be hard to top anytime soon.

This trip actually began some three years ago, while we were exploring South Komodo and East of Flores. While still onboard Seven Seas, plans were laid to reunite with our dive buddies in West Papua. And here we are, deep in the heart of the Coral Triangle, enjoying 12 nights of fish and invertebrate soup in Raja Ampat, the cauldron of creation for marine life large and small. Curious mantas majestically soar above us, wobbiegong sharks hide in plain sight beneath us, turtles munch contentedly on soft coral, sea fans and soft corals in full bloom sway in the currents, and hundreds upon hundreds of species of fish swirl about in a kaleidoscope of colors. Rivers of anchovies flow over reefs and along walls. Tornados of jacks hypnotize. Octopus hunt amidst the rubble while muscular menacing dogtooth tuna patrol the blue. Tiny crabs and shrimps and nudibranchs gain gravitas when our cameras focus on them, bringing the Lilliputians to life. When we're not breathing compressed air, we scale steep limestone cliffs to explore a secret jellyfish lake, poke our masks into the shadowy submerged world of mangrove forests, and snorkel with baby blacktip reefs sharks in their shallow, sandy nursery. Our drones capture the surreal beauty of Misool's maze of jungle covered karst islets from high in the sky, and our LED torches light up the night beneath the jetties at Arborek and Aljui to reveal weird and wonderful creatures.

Fishing boats in Indonesia

Seven Seas Sailing Adventure from Kaimana to Sorong

Testimonial

"That was my favorite dive ever!"