- Fremantle and Perth, Western Australia
- On the road to Margaret River, Western Australia
- Rottnest Island, Western Australia
- Back to Broome, Western Australia
- Lacepede Island, Western Australia
- Talbot Bay, Western Australia
- Montgomery Reef and Freshwater Cove, Western Australia
- Hunter River and Mitchell Falls, Western Australia
- Ashmore Reef, Australia
- Vansittart Bay, Western Australia
- King George River, Western Australia
- Darwin, Northern Territory
- Agats, West Papua, Indonesia
- Kokas, West Papua, Indonesia
- Misool, Yapap Lagoon, Indonesia
- Yenwaupnor, Gam Island, Indonesia
- Mansinam Island, West Papua, Indonesia
- Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
- Cenderwasih Bay, Indonesia Supplemental
- Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
- Garove Island, Papua New Guinea
- Duke of York Island and Rabaul, Papua New Guinea — and the trip takes a turn for the worse
- Ghizo Island, Solomon Islands and my health situation is still uncertain
- Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; a 72-hour pause in our trip; and a triumphant return!
- Dravuni Island, Kadavu, Fiji
- Vulaga, Fiji
- Pangai and Nukupule Island, Ha’Apai Group, Tonga
- Vavau, Tonga
- Apia, Upolo, Samoa
- Aitutaki, Cook Islands
- Raiatea, Society Islands, French Polynesia
- Maroe Bay, Huahine Iti, French Polynesia
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia and end of trip
Today we arrived at the Vulaga Atoll in Fiji. I could have chosen to visit the small village there or gone snorkeling on the reef as the waters were crystal clear. Instead I got to do something I have been waiting literally years to do — go down in one of the ship’s submersibles. While these craft can dive down to 1000 feet, that is only true when both submersibles are operational in case a rescue ever had to be mounted. Sadly, our second submersible was inoperable. That meant that our dive could only be as deep as rescue divers could go (no more than around 140 feet). While this make going down sound risky, it’s really all about maximizing safety. As a result, goal for the dives here was the edge of the coral reef with a vertical wall dropping down to 120 feet. Getting in the submersible, especially in the swells, was definitely exciting and, while on the surface, we bobbed around like corks. Ultimately two of the six passengers hurled (one both before and after the dive and one after). The design of the submersible is such that you have to force it to stay down using the electric motors. The “glass” is actually 3 inches thick and curved. The only downside of that design is that everything looks a third of the size that it actually is. Anyway, the reef was gorgeous and teeming with life. This was another of those lifetime experiences and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to do it.
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
