07/14/2025
📸💔 I usually post happy, pretty pictures of reefs and marine life from my travels… but today I need to break from the norm and share something really heartbreaking.
🌊 What happened in Alor should never happen anywhere.
I’m currently diving in Alor, Indonesia on some of the most pristine and biodiverse reefs I’ve seen in the world, from Raja to Fiji, Maldives to the Red Sea. The shallow reefs here start at just 5 feet and are bursting with fish, coral, and life. It’s a place that reminds me why I love the ocean so much. I took the first 2 pictures last week.
A few days ago, the luxury expedition cruise ship Silver Cloud (owned by Royal Caribbean Group, NYSE: RCL, which reported $16.5 BILLION USD in revenue in 2024) brought its guests to snorkel here. What should have been a magical experience turned into an absolute environmental tragedy.
🚫 What They Did:
1. Silver Cloud launched 13 Zodiacs, and instead of drifting or tying to a mooring like all local boats do, each Zodiac dropped THREE anchors directly onto the reef. That’s a total of 39 anchors.
One was witnessed wrapped around a coral head, being yanked out manually by crew. Imagine that—times 39. The reef damage caused in just a few hours could take years to recover.
2. When local dive instructor respectfully questioned their damaging behavior, the Silver Cloud crew responded with this (40 seconds into the video, turn up the volume):
“F*!k you… you’re not even Indonesian bro, f*!k off.”
Complete with a middle finger.
Let that sink in. This isn’t just disrespectful.
It is racist. It is hostile. It is unprofessional.
3. Every visitor is required to pay a small marine park fee (US$3).
Silver Cloud guests paid up to US$20,000 each for this cruise and nothing went to support the protection of the reef they just damaged. The local marine park authority confirmed the ship was never registered or accounted for.
💔 What Makes This Worse:
Silver Cloud is a member of IAATO (Antarctica) and AECO (Arctic), organizations that are supposed to uphold strict environmental standards for cruise operators in the remote and fragile places that they oversee.
If this is how the Silver Cloud treats Alor, with dive professionals present and people watching, what are they doing in the untouched, remote regions of the poles where no one is looking?
They also visit places like Fiji, French Polynesia, Bali, Sulawesi, and Svalbard. Places I love and places many of you have traveled with me to and fell in love with as well.
🚨 CALL TO ACTION
🔹 and – You need to act. Investigate Silver Cloud. Suspend or remove them if they fail to meet your environmental standards.
🔹 – Your brand markets itself as a luxury expedition cruise line. That should mean responsibility, respect, and stewardship, not destruction and arrogance.
🔹 – You made $16.5B last year. You can afford better crew training, environmental compliance, and accountability. Step up and do the right thing.
👀 BALI FRIENDS – PLEASE KEEP AN EYE OUT
The Silver Cloud is scheduled to arrive in Benoa, Bali on July 18, 2025.
If you see them operating in Bali’s marine parks, please document and report anything suspicious. The world is watching now.
💬 Will they be fined? Maybe.
💰 Will it hurt them? Not a chance.
❓ Will this post change anything? I honestly don’t know, but I am posting it anyway.
🙏 If this message resonates with you, please share it.
The more eyes on this, the harder it is for irresponsible operators to destroy nature without consequence.
