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5 luxury experiences to celebrate World Oceans Day
Adventure awaits the outgoing traveller on these 5 luxury holiday ideas that showcase the best of ocean exploration
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June 8 is World Oceans Day, an observance designed to raise awareness of the vital role our water bodies play in supporting life on Earth, through biodiversity and their ability to regulate the climate, and the urgent need to protect them.
Today, a variety of events and exhibitions to highlight the cause are being staged around the world by governments, aquariums and schools, but spare a thought for Ross Edgley. The British ultra-endurance athlete entered the water on May 16 in an attempt to become the first person to swim completely around Iceland, more than 1,600km through sub-zero waters, volcanic currents and Arctic storms. All being well, he could complete the feat this month.
“The ocean’s wonder is what draws us in and often drives our desire to protect it,” states the United Nations, on its webpage dedicated to World Oceans Day. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at whereabouts holidaymakers may best appreciate the wonder of our five oceans, from above or below the surface.
Sailing in Raja Ampat, the Pacific
At 165.25 million sq km (more than the planet’s total land mass), the Pacific is the world’s largest ocean, and offers a wide variety of playgrounds for tourists, not least on and around its countless pinpricks of rock, from the volcanic peaks of Hawaii to the low-lying atolls of Kiribati and the remote beauty of French Polynesia, each with unique ecosystems, cultures and relationships with the sea.
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However, if you’re a diver, knowing is submersing, and there are few underwater worlds more wondrous than that found across Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago. The heart of what’s known as the Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat is home to the greatest marine biodiversity on Earth: 75 per cent of the world’s coral species and more than 1,500 species of fish.
The only way to properly appreciate Raja Ampat is to charter, or book a cabin on, a renovated phinisi – a traditional Indonesian two-masted sailing ship – such as the Nataraja, or another vessel offered by The Yacht Club, for a multiday exploration.
Boats chartered through The Yacht Club cost from US$9,900 per night (15 guests in seven cabins); a place on a shared boat, from US$690 per night. Visit The Yacht Club Indonesia
Diving in Bonaire, the Atlantic
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