"SeaLife" is an Endeavor 43 Ketch, built in 1984, presently moored at the Treasure Cay Marina, Abaco, Bahamas. The full name is "SeaLife Marine Research Lab".

Far away from the main land, to be exact, 2 hours and 10 minutes by jet from Miami, lays a small group of islands, hardly known, even to the British government, who owns this crown colony. May be the Foreign Office in London forgot about this last colony; or the colonial department was dissolved, leaving the colony hanging in midair between dependence and independence. The islands rise up 8000 feet from the bottom of deep ocean trenches. This is the "Magic Mountain", the target of our ship SeaLife.

The underwater world around this mountain with its colorful reefs and magic sea life reveals itself as crystal clear and pure as the millions of stars at night, undisturbed by the lights and the air pollution of America's large land mass. Bizarre shapes of coral and rocks, sponges of huge dimensions and strange shapes and colors make the Rocky Mountains look pale.

A snow-white plateau spreads between the peaks of this mountain range, just like the eternal snow on Greenland or the highest land mountains. The fine sand that looks like snow is covered by only a few feet of light blue water. This huge plateau is called the "Caicos Bank", and a similar formation exists in most island groups of the Bahamas. The sand grows and grows continuously, as if it were snowing. And like glaciers, it flows down through canyons and valleys into the deep of the ocean. But different from snow, the fine "sand" does not fall from the sky. It is not formed from erosion of shells, rocks and by crystallization from minerals in the seawater, a process just recently discovered, in which microorganisms play some role.

Starting in the Chesapeake Bay, we sailed 1000 Miles south and then crossed over from Florida to Grand Bahama Island. From there we sailed along most of the 1000 islands of the Bahamas, the "Far Out Islands" to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

It may be the last time that anyone could see the remote islands in their natural beauty. Air traffic and tourism are penetrating the last retreats of island romance at a rapid pace. Not long ago, these islands could only be reached by tacking for weeks against the southeasterly trade winds. In 1997 the government of the Bahamas decided to develop roads, utilities, phone service, and airstrips in all islands. The almost unknown Turks and Caicos Islands, southeast of the Bahamas, are experiencing a dramatic development in Providenciales. While many islands are still asleep or uninhabited, cruise lines and resort conglomerates are planning major developments.

How long will the magic underwater worlds last? The islanders we met are fully aware that civilization is about to spread to their islands. What we see as paradise, is backwardness and poverty to them. Quickly forgotten are the skills of the sea, the craftsmanship of the islanders, and the closeness to nature. They are eagerly awaiting huge resorts, busy beaches, jets landing with tourists, construction crews, shopping streets, fine restaurants, and the income allowing them to be fully integrated with their dream world, our high-tech civilization.

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