The clearness of water afforded me one of the most astonishing sights I’ve ever beheld. The bottom was absolutely hidden by a continuous series of corals & other marine productions, varied forms & brilliant colours. exceeded the most glowing accounts I had ever read of the wonders of a coral sea. there’s no spot in the world in corals, shells, and fishes existence than the harbor of Amboyna - Sir A.R. Wallace, 1869
