Epic Trip 2020: Komodo to Spice Islands on Liveaboard The Seven Seas

"With the Raja Ampat season approaching and the Seven Seas anchored in Labuan Bajo during the Covid lockdown, Captain Mark needed to move the boat to the eastern islands to be ready for guests joining the Raja Expeditions in December. As he plotted the course of more than 1,300 nautical miles through some of the most epic (and unexplored) islands of the Indonesian archipelago, he realized that in the midst of the challenges brought by the global pandemic, an opportunity had presented itself: ‘The thought of steaming back empty across the Banda Sea, with no guests onboard, and only to wait in Papua for Covid to end, was not particularly appealing. As I was locked down far away in Australia, I could visualize all the tiny islands and reefs scattered across the Banda Sea like gem stones surrounded by the crystal-clear water we call Banda Blue.’ Captain Mark then resolved to make some good out of a bad situation and put together an expedition of fisheries scientists, marine conservationists, and professional photographers / videographers to join a once-in-a-lifetime mission of discovery and appreciation for the beauty of the Indonesian archipelago. Thus, the Epic Trip was born. With borders closed to international flights, Captain Mark assembled our team from a lucky few who were already in Indonesia and had been tested for Covid. Having endured nearly 8 months of isolation, the idea of getting out of the house and joining a small team of committed conservationists on a trip of a lifetime on the Seven Seas didn’t require a second thought. I signed on as quick as I could hit ‘reply all’." Read on: https://www.thesevenseas.net/epic-trip-komodo-spice-islands/ By Tommy Schultz, https://www.tommyschultz.com/