The Latest from Our Wanderings: At Sea

We’ve been having lots of aquatic adventures of late. Pavia just got back from the inaugural Explora III shakedown cruise and Jeralyn had great encounters underwater in South Australia and South Beach.

Explora Journeys, the new luxury cruise line from the family-owned Italian mega travel company MSC, was designed for the kind of traveler who would solidly classify themselves in the ugh me take a cruise how gross never camp. A cohort that I would absolutely put myself into.

Well, they are onto something. I just took the four-day inaugural voyage on the Explora III from Rome to Barcelona and, hi everybody, my name is Pavia and I’m a cruiser.

Defying expectations is built into the company’s DNA and its consumer messaging, which includes suggestive hypotheticals — Maybe the best hotel isn’t a hotel. Maybe the best rooftop bar doesn’t need a city. Maybe the best check-in takes you to multiple destinations. — that point to a desire to create an experience more comparable to a floating luxury hotel than to a typical cruise ship.

Also atypical and altogether wonderful is the number of women in charge around here. The captain is Serena Melani, who was also the first captain on the Explora I and Explora II ships. She’s ultimately responsible for everything on board. Tania Arnold is the senior executive chef. Nerina Brand is the chief security officer. Emily Love is the head of entertainment. Enikő Tűnde Balla is the guest services manager. Princes Nuñez is the destination experiences manager. Offshore and all the way at the top is Explora Journeys president, Anna Nash.

Let’s talk about the accommodations. My Ocean Suite had a spacious dining-living room, a bedroom with a king-sized bed, a dressing area with a vanity table, a bathroom with heated floors, a walk-in shower and two sinks, and a terrace furnished with tables and lounge chairs. Amenities included a Dyson blow dryer, a Techogym workout kit, an elegant checkerboard, a coffee maker and kettle, full-sized bath amenities, a big TV loaded with on-demand options, and binoculars for catching the passing sites. Everything was elegant and minimal, in beiges and neutrals offset by punches of color in the art on the walls and sculptures on the bookshelves. There were so many closets, I wish I had packed an extra suitcase. I’ve lived in smaller apartments than this cabin.

But make no mistake about it: At 461 cabins, this is a cruise ship. One that has to feed a lot of people, which made me worry I was in for tacky, Vegas-style buffet lines. Hardly. I had three excellent dinners: a multi-course tasting menu at Anthology, an outstanding pan-Asian feast at Sakura, French classics at Fil Rouge. Lunch was a smorgasbord — from mango salad and sushi to jamon iberico and burgers — at the all-day dining restaurant Emporium Marketplace. Breakfast — cortados on demand at Crema Cafe — were served within a minute, despite the fact that I was sharing a ship with several hundred other people.

Indeed, that may have been one of the most surprising things about the experience, after realizing what a great time I was having: I never felt like I was in a crowd. The pools (five in all) were never busy. I didn’t have to wait for the equipment (free weights, cardio machines, Pilates reformers) at the impressive gym. After a terrific massage, I had the sauna, salt room, and infrared lounge almost all to myself.

If anything, I didn’t have time to enjoy everything on offer. I didn’t take a cooking class at the chef’s kitchen. I didn’t do a wine tasting. (A damn shame, as their collection is the biggest at sea.) I didn’t schedule an appointment at the Rolex shop. I didn’t make it to the lounge for an evening performance. I didn’t swing a racket at the outdoor padel court. I didn’t make it out of bed for a sound bath.

But! I did have a beautiful day in the sunshine and lunch at Langosteria in Portofino, our only stop along the route, and I danced under the stars during opening ceremony performances by Sister Sledge and DJ Bob Sinclar.

All in all, it was exactly the opposite of what I imagined life on a cruise ship would be.

There are many prizes for making the long journey to South Australia: gorgeous, good-for-you food; unique wildlife in pristine natural scenery; awe-inspiring encounters and adrenaline-pumping experiences.

Shark cage diving was not on the agenda during my visit to the Eyre Peninsula (too bad!), but I felt a rush of cortisol as my Baird Bay Experience guide strapped a shark deterrent to her body, then giddily instructed everyone on our boat to jump into the Southern Ocean to swim with a giant pod of wild dolphins. We were just 20 minutes by boat from the tiny coastal village of Baird Bay, a remote spot on a remote coast of scattered settlements, farming communities, and outback. The last Australian census reported a population of five, but in the water, it was an absolute crowd. Our captain estimated 60 dolphins.

You know you’re in for a treat when even the people working on the boat are squealing with excitement. Underwater, I was close enough to see the dolphin faces, bellies, and even their scars, but I could not feel a ripple between us as they sliced through the water. Even in a 3mm wetsuit, I was shivering from the thrill. The dolphins zipped around in every direction, mimicking our spins and jumps as I awkwardly tried to capture it all on GoPro. Eventually, I gave the camera to someone else and focused on vibing out with those awesome creatures, yelling “Oh my god!” over and over again into my snorkel mask. It was exhilarating and unforgettable. Just par for the course in this little community! And unlike anywhere else.

There was a natural buildup to that moment. Before the dolphin mania, we spent an hour or so slowly and quietly swimming in the shallows around Jones Island, a protected sandy spit that’s home to more than one hundred Australian sea lions. We stayed a good distance from the shore, but pretty soon the inquisitive and adorably wild pups approached us with curiosity, coming face to face with our group of swimmers, their whiskers nearly skimming my goggles. It was clear that the tour guides had developed a respectful rapport with the endangered colony and knew just how to make it interactive without becoming an interference.

Luxury eco-sensitive Australian travel specialist The Tailor relaunched the Baird Bay Experience in 2024. In addition to the EPIC sea lion and dolphin swims I was on (available October thru June), it offers guests who make it this far down the peninsula two lovely villas for an all-inclusive stay on the beach. I spent two nights in Villa Eko, a structure made of rammed earth and decorated in the neutral jutes, rattans, and blond woods we have come to know and expect from Australian design. It had four spacious bedrooms, a comfy living area, large kitchen, and saltwater pool right on the beach.

On land, it was just myself and three travel companions, a passing kangaroo at sunset, a ton of wacky pelicans, manager Kat Bevan, and a couple of energetic staffers who arranged fishing expeditions and fat-tire bike rides and prepared fresh, flavorful group meals, like an evening snack of skewered fish and samosas and a lunch of locally caught King George whiting with nori and ginger butter, hand-cut chips, watermelon salad, and homemade bread. As if the baby seals and bottlenose dolphins weren’t enough, one bite revealed how special and rare this destination is.

The Eyre Peninsula in South Australia produces more than half of the country’s seafood and is considered the country’s seafood capital. When you arrive, you’ll hear about their prized Coffin Bay oysters. You can eat them directly from the source, and then drive a few hours up the coast, trying all the bay oysters along the way.

Don’t stop until you land at Smoky Bay’s SA Premium Oysters, a family-run farm operated for nearly four decades by Jeff and Colleen Holmes, who transitioned from the backbreaking work of farming wheat on the land to the backbreaking work of farming shellfish in the bay. It seems to suit them; the couple clearly take pride in their livelihood and are a delight to spend time with, which I had the chance to do on their unique oyster tour. After checking out the oyster shed (and seeing the very cool machine used for grading oysters), we climbed onto their barge and zipped out to the oyster beds. From there, we ascended the stairs to Australia’s only overwater oyster deck.

It’s literally right over the oyster beds, on pilings right there in the middle of Smoky Bay, with a terrific view, a beautiful breeze, and a sturdy table for shucking and slurping bivalves. The ebullient Colleen had the idea to construct it as a means of differentiating their tour offering from the usual. As Jeff and his strapping young nephews harvested a few dozen “Jeremys and Jennis” growing “faster than a centipede skipping” (to use the local lingo), we hauled up buckets with ice, wine, lime, and even a bottle of locally distilled vodka to spritz on the oysters (a delicious 10 a.m. addition). I swear if I spent one more minute with them I would have asked to be their intern. This place is the real deal and worth the trek.

I’ll share a few other amazing characters and experiences during my time in South Australia next month. In the meantime, for all you good planners out there, note that United Airways launched a nonstop route from San Francisco to Adelaide, departing three times weekly from December through March. A 50-minute flight from Adelaide to Port Lincoln lands you in prime road-tripping zone on the Eyre Peninsula.

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While in Miami earlier this summer, I snorkeled 200 yards from sunbathers on South Beach to get a first look at the Reefline, an experimental underwater art park and conservation project shaping up on the ocean floor. The goal is ambitious: to become a seven-mile snorkel trail and hybrid reef running parallel to the shore, from 4th Street to Surfside to Bal Harbour. Installation involves using cranes to submerge sculptural works that double as much-needed habitats for marine life; local science groups and the marine biology department of the University of Miami monitor the progress. If you duck your head under the water today, you’ll see a “traffic jam” of concrete cars made by conceptual artist Leandro Erlich, studded with brown corals to attract triggerfish and small manta rays. In terms of marine life, there’s not a whole lot to look at just yet, but I did see a small sea turtle among the baby plants and spent time learning about restoration efforts while hanging out on a giant floatie. (The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, which organized the excursion, plans to offer guests programming connected to Reefline.) Next deployments include an enormous concrete whale heart and a trail of large-scale starfish, which will hopefully draw the right aquatic crowds.