National Geographic Orion will
offer passengers the chance to
explore the undersea world –
with or without getting wet.
Cruise Weekly visited Lindblad Expeditions’
New York office to meet president Sven
Lindblad on the eve of the 2014 brochure
release and found a man enthusiastic about
showing Australians the wonders of their
undersea backyard.
“The ocean is the last frontier, it’s really not
very well explored, and I’m excited to expose
people to these undiscovered areas,” he said.
“With our new ROV [remote operated
vehicle] that descends up to 1,000 feet [300
metres] underwater, we’ll be bringing back
imagery of places you or I or any scuba diver
can’t go to.
“Most divers stay above 100 feet, so I
imagine we’ll find new species down there.”
The US$250,000 tool will be installed on
the company’s recently acquired National
Geographic Orion in time for its South Pacific
and Antarctic voyages next year, with the
collected data to be shared with the scientific
community.
Passengers can watch the images, broadcast
live on several screens in the ship’s lounge,
with commentary by a naturalist using a video
microscope.
Underwater microphones will also transmit
the sounds of marine mammals.
More active participants can dive and snorkel
on the cruises.
Lindblad said his favourite area in the Pacific
was Indonesia – beyond Bali.
“I’m fascinated by Australians’ relationship
with Indonesia, why so many think it’s a cheap
place not worth visiting,” he said.
“If I lived in Australia I’d go there every
weekend – it has some of the most interesting
landscape, culture and history of anywhere in
the world.”
The company’s new 64-page brochure,
released this week, details 25 expeditions
reaching more than 100 destinations.
The second and third departures of the newly
named ship are full, but cabins remain on the
inaugural sailing.
Destinations include the Great Barrier Reef,
Melanesia, Micronesia, Borneo, Papua New
Guinea, Spice Islands, Antarctica’s South
Georgia & Falkland Islands, and the Kimberley.
See www.orionexpeditions.com/brochure to
request a brochure or call 1300 361 012.
