The TRIP. Healthy reefs, unusual reef structures and dive sites. Unusual dive sites and the most diverse marine life area ever recorded. Huge schools of fish: barracuda, surgeonfish, fusiliers, batfish, sweetlips... macro creatures: blue-ring octopus, pygmy seahorses, double ended pipefish, shrimp gobies, nudibranchs, and loads of reef fish. Beautiful unspoiled topside scenery.
This is a trip you will never forget.
About US and the TRIP:
We've spent over 43 weeks creating images on 4+ dives per day in Raja Ampat over the past 10 years and know the reefs and conditions necessary for optimal image and video making. This will be the 13th - 17th trips we've made with a group (we're addicted!) here. Irian Jaya (Papua) is where we want to go for our diving holiday, so join us and find out why.
Since 1999, Deb has written several dive magazine articles, created several websites for the area (more to come), has contributed photos to dive magazines in Asia, the USA and UK, presented shows at DEMA, Seaspace, UPS & dive club meetings and wrote the Raja Ampat section of the Periplus Guide to Diving in Asia.
While our guides in Raja Ampat have been excellent at finding the reefs, they have not been aware of the conditions photographers' need in order to create outstanding images. We've worked it out.. although with much arguing and stamping of feet !
We've dived many of Raja Ampat's best sites dozens of times and we've explored by small boat many areas that our liveaboard trip will visit. In our exploration and time in Raja Ampat we've also dived sites that were a waste of time (2008 note.. unfortunately now some of the famous ones!). We'll be giving those a miss on these trips.
This will NOT be an exploration trip. Although we will try a few new sites, we don't believe photographers and videographers should spend this much money and their time searching for places where they might get a decent photo.
While we do not offer underwater photography instruction (except for beginners and some assistance with intermediate composition, lighting, etc.) or seminars, we do offer a well-organized trip with all the details worked out.
We strive to include only compatible divers & photographers on our trips so that everyone has a great time as well as brings home great photos.
Over the past 16 years of arranging dive trips for groups to Indonesia, the Caribbean and the Philippines, we've learned a great deal about what most photographers want from a dive trip... i.e. great diving, freedom to get that perfect shot, good tasty food, comfortable accommodations, stable electrical supplies ! and a congenial group to share the big finds and photo conversations.
We do screen our guests, and require they behave themselves while on our trip... so if you are grumpy, want to hog photo subjects found by the guides and your desire is to be unhappy and let others know, .. please find another trip.
About Raja Ampat Diving:
Don't delay. If you want to see Raja Ampat in all its glory.. get there ASAP.
Water Temp : The water temperature is 1mm neoprene or polartec diving, usual temperature is 84-86F with an occasional "chilly" 82F spot. We've had no problem with cold when diving 4 -7 long dives per day.
Liveaboard Travel: These islands are very close together. We plan not to make long journeys, but to keep the boat in an area for several days and dive the sites surrounding that area as conditions (current, angle of the sun, time of day) provide the best photo ops on a site. We aren't into crossing oceans, we're here to see the marine life and get those images.
Conditions: We choose the best season for diving the area. In fact, the liveaboard organized the rest of their schedule around our trips. The seas are typically flat.. like glass in some areas. Through the surface, split images and surface reflection shots are often possible.
Wide Angle Photography: There are VERY unique formations and unusually large schools of fish that make this an excellent area for wide angle photography. Again the trick is getting into the right spot at the right time. Sometimes this means you must be able to descend quickly to get down and out of the current. The same reef can be amazing or boring depending on the current & light. Sometimes the sites are shallow and you need to look near the surface for the best photo ops. We'll tell you what is special about each dive site during the pre-dive briefing.
Macro Photography: Can be done on nearly every site.. if you just ignore all the fish... We have several sites that we particularly like for macro. The silty bays, although not "clean" have abundant and unusual macro life. No pollution though.. only clean dirt out here. We always see pygs (pygmy seahorses), nudibranchs.. there are unusual small fish, a newly discovered species of epaulette shark, the "Walking Shark".. the ever present anemone fish, sometimes blue-ring octopus or flamboyant cuttlefish.... we've seen a lot of the allied cowries on the soft corals.. really just too much to name.. please ask about macro.
Current: While there is a lot of current on certain sites, we do NOT want or plan to drift and try to take photos (with one exception). We do NOT want guests to be struggling with camera gear in strong currents. If you don't know how to dive in current, let us teach you.. that is the #1 specialty that doesn't get taught. We've noticed that many divers are afraid of current simply because they do not know how to deal with it. (note.. we can drop divers who don't like the current behind the reefs in protected areas.. they won't see the best diving, but whatever makes them happy.. we'll do it).
This is a trip you will never forget.
About US and the TRIP:
We've spent over 43 weeks creating images on 4+ dives per day in Raja Ampat over the past 10 years and know the reefs and conditions necessary for optimal image and video making. This will be the 13th - 17th trips we've made with a group (we're addicted!) here. Irian Jaya (Papua) is where we want to go for our diving holiday, so join us and find out why.
Since 1999, Deb has written several dive magazine articles, created several websites for the area (more to come), has contributed photos to dive magazines in Asia, the USA and UK, presented shows at DEMA, Seaspace, UPS & dive club meetings and wrote the Raja Ampat section of the Periplus Guide to Diving in Asia.
While our guides in Raja Ampat have been excellent at finding the reefs, they have not been aware of the conditions photographers' need in order to create outstanding images. We've worked it out.. although with much arguing and stamping of feet !
We've dived many of Raja Ampat's best sites dozens of times and we've explored by small boat many areas that our liveaboard trip will visit. In our exploration and time in Raja Ampat we've also dived sites that were a waste of time (2008 note.. unfortunately now some of the famous ones!). We'll be giving those a miss on these trips.
This will NOT be an exploration trip. Although we will try a few new sites, we don't believe photographers and videographers should spend this much money and their time searching for places where they might get a decent photo.
While we do not offer underwater photography instruction (except for beginners and some assistance with intermediate composition, lighting, etc.) or seminars, we do offer a well-organized trip with all the details worked out.
We strive to include only compatible divers & photographers on our trips so that everyone has a great time as well as brings home great photos.
Over the past 16 years of arranging dive trips for groups to Indonesia, the Caribbean and the Philippines, we've learned a great deal about what most photographers want from a dive trip... i.e. great diving, freedom to get that perfect shot, good tasty food, comfortable accommodations, stable electrical supplies ! and a congenial group to share the big finds and photo conversations.
We do screen our guests, and require they behave themselves while on our trip... so if you are grumpy, want to hog photo subjects found by the guides and your desire is to be unhappy and let others know, .. please find another trip.
About Raja Ampat Diving:
Don't delay. If you want to see Raja Ampat in all its glory.. get there ASAP.
Water Temp : The water temperature is 1mm neoprene or polartec diving, usual temperature is 84-86F with an occasional "chilly" 82F spot. We've had no problem with cold when diving 4 -7 long dives per day.
Liveaboard Travel: These islands are very close together. We plan not to make long journeys, but to keep the boat in an area for several days and dive the sites surrounding that area as conditions (current, angle of the sun, time of day) provide the best photo ops on a site. We aren't into crossing oceans, we're here to see the marine life and get those images.
Conditions: We choose the best season for diving the area. In fact, the liveaboard organized the rest of their schedule around our trips. The seas are typically flat.. like glass in some areas. Through the surface, split images and surface reflection shots are often possible.
Wide Angle Photography: There are VERY unique formations and unusually large schools of fish that make this an excellent area for wide angle photography. Again the trick is getting into the right spot at the right time. Sometimes this means you must be able to descend quickly to get down and out of the current. The same reef can be amazing or boring depending on the current & light. Sometimes the sites are shallow and you need to look near the surface for the best photo ops. We'll tell you what is special about each dive site during the pre-dive briefing.
Macro Photography: Can be done on nearly every site.. if you just ignore all the fish... We have several sites that we particularly like for macro. The silty bays, although not "clean" have abundant and unusual macro life. No pollution though.. only clean dirt out here. We always see pygs (pygmy seahorses), nudibranchs.. there are unusual small fish, a newly discovered species of epaulette shark, the "Walking Shark".. the ever present anemone fish, sometimes blue-ring octopus or flamboyant cuttlefish.... we've seen a lot of the allied cowries on the soft corals.. really just too much to name.. please ask about macro.
Current: While there is a lot of current on certain sites, we do NOT want or plan to drift and try to take photos (with one exception). We do NOT want guests to be struggling with camera gear in strong currents. If you don't know how to dive in current, let us teach you.. that is the #1 specialty that doesn't get taught. We've noticed that many divers are afraid of current simply because they do not know how to deal with it. (note.. we can drop divers who don't like the current behind the reefs in protected areas.. they won't see the best diving, but whatever makes them happy.. we'll do it).
