The Spratly Islands are a disputed group of approximately 100 reefs and islets in the South China Sea, surrounded by rich fishing grounds and gas and oil deposits, whose true extent is unknown and disputed. The People's Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam each claim sovereignty over the entire group of islands, while Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines each claim certain parts. Most of the nations involved have soldiers stationed on different islands and reefs.

Our trip started from Kota Kinabalu in northwestern Sabah (Borneo) and went through the channel between Banggi Island just south of Palawan, then across the open ocean westward to Investigator Shoal, across Erica, Royal Charlotte and Louisa Reef, via the extensive Luconia Shoals back to the beautiful town of Kuching. On our way through all those tiny atolls we got stopped by the Philippine and Malaysian Marines several times, and those were always friendly encounters: fierce looking soldiers with machine guns would pull up to the boat. They told us that we needed special permits and were not allowed to be here at all, but since we had come this far they'd let us stay for a day or two. Personally I doubt that the area we visited will become a touristic spot, and collector's shells are most unlikely to ever make their way onto the market: shells were scarce and often in very deep water. The diving itself was fabulous. From 60 m depth we could still clearly see the contours of the boat above.

We saw a lot of incredible things and found a few rare shells - one by one we will give reports about those findings, either on this website or in printed form. The photos shown here are a mix from over 5000 photos taken during the three weeks on sea.

Enjoy!