The Pelagian has enjoyed a rich and varied history over the years. We are more than happy to share its storied past with current guests.

Early Years...

The details behind the "birth" of what became the Pelagian are a little sketchy. Evidently, the vessel was commissioned by a very wealthy naval architect who wanted to combine a sturdy ocean-going yacht with the creature comforts of a pleasure yacht. The plans also had the vessel outfitted for long-distance cruising. For that reason, the vessel was designed to have a huge fuel and water capacity.

The vessel was built at the Batservice Verft A/S Shipyard in Mandal, Norway, as a world-class ranging luxury motor yacht. Her construction was certified Lloyds class 100 A1 + LMC, at the top of Lloyds Class registry

Not much is known of the early years other than the vessel traded hands a few times. Sometime before 1990, the 'Radiant' or 'Radiante' (as the vessel was known back then) was berthed in Palma de Majorca, Spain, and the owner was someone associated with the Iraqi Sufi religious sect, an exile living in London.

In 1990, Howard Rosenstein (now of Fantasea camera housings) bought the ship and renamed her the "Fantasea II". Howard was one of the original dive operators in Egypt, literally diving off camels in the early days. Howard's first dive vessel was the Fantasea I, thus the second was dubbed Fantasea II. From 1990-1997, the Fantasea II was widely regarded as one of the world's premier liveaboard dive vessels. During that time, she earned an unparalleled reputation for her quality operations and unique itineraries. Howard's Red Sea dive operation was originally based in Egypt, but the government there eventually shut down the area to dive operators. Howard moved the Fantasea II to operate out of the Seychelles.

Howard cruised all over the western Indian Ocean from the Chagos Archipelago, Diego Garcia area, Seychelles, down to the Comoros, Madagascar, Somalia, Eden, Yemen. During that time, the Fantasea II played host to two major National Geographic articles, one in the Red Sea and one on Aldabara. David Doubilet was the photographer and writer for both.

The Pelagian is Born

In the spring of 1998, Captain Matt Hedrick entered the picture. Matt had been operating dive boats in Thailand and Burma for years, running trips out of Phuket on various boats, including the Sai Mai, under the Dive Asia Pacific banner. Given the seasonality of the area and the increasing saturation of the Thai dive market, Matt started looking for other opportunities.

By luck , Matt learned the Fantasea II was on the market. The Fantasea II's seaworthiness, long-range capability, and luxury accommodations were just the combination Matt was looking for in a new dive boat. As it turned out, Matt beat out several bidders for the vessel. Matt pulled together a crew and cruised the Fantasea II from Israel to Cyprus for an initial refitting. From Cyprus, Matt cruised to Thailand where the the Fantasea II was stripped down the bare metal, totally refitted, and rebuilt with upgraded electronics, mechanicals, and guest quarters. Matt renamed the ship "Pelagian," derived from the Greek "of the open ocean," to reflect her tremendous open ocean-going abilities. With that, the Pelagian was born and ready to cruise again.

The first couple seasons, Matt cruised the Pelagian into the familiar waters of Thailand and Burma. In the off season, Matt sailed to Manado in northern Sulawesi to try out the waters of Indonesia. The season in the Sulawesi region convinced Matt to stay in Indonesia as it offered excellent year around diving over a variety of locations.

From there, Matt cruised Indonesia and developed a love for the reefs, tremendous corals, and amazing variety of fish that abounded in the waters. The Pelagian also gained a loyal following from guests that appreciated the comfortable diving and exciting itineraries. From this loyal following, Matt and a frequent Pelagian guest hit upon the idea of a "voyage of discovery," a dive expedition and adventure like the world had never seen before. The Voyage of Discovery would entail a year-long expedition to the remote atolls, islands and reefs of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The voyage began in February 2002 from Palau, and ventured to Yap and Chuuk before heading South to explore Northern Papua New Guinea and the Bismark Sea. Here, ports of call included Kavieng, Wewak, Manus and Kimbe Bay. Winding on past New Britain to Rabaul, the Pelagian made its way towards the Solomon Islands. Following four spectacular trips of remote diving on varying routes between Gizo and Honiara, the Pelagian cruised back to Papua New Guinea, coming ashore at Alotau. After two trips from Alotau, including Milne Bay and beyond, the final leg will took the Pelagian to Port Moresby via the Northern Coral Sea's "Eastern Fields".

The Voyage of Discovery was in many ways the highlight of the Pelagian under Matt's ownership. Its bold, year-long expedition itinerary was a dive trip for the ages. Spurred by Matt's sense of adventure and exploration, and made possible by the Pelagian's long range capability and excellent sea-worthiness, it was an incredible journey. However, times change and the long months at sea took its toll--Matt decided he wanted to spend more time with his family in Florida.

The Pelagian is Reborn...at Wakatobi

In the early summer of 2005, the management team of Wakatobi Dive Resort bought the Pelagian from Matt. Wakatobi Dive Resort, home to the "world's best house reef," is now the new home port of the Pelagian. The Wakatobi Islands have long been known for their profuse marine life and pristine corals. The Pelagian will cruise the waters of Wakatobi during the year and also offer select voyages to the Komodo Islands.

Thus, a new chapter in the Pelagian's storied history is being written.

If you have more details or old pictures of the Pelagian (or previous incarnations), please feel free to .