Ultimate Luxury Philippine Resort Group Trip 2024 - Bluewater Dive Travel

Ultimate Luxury Philippine Resort Group Trip 2024

 

Ultimate Luxury Philippine Resort Group Trip 2024

Join Bluewater Travel for an extraordinary diving experience at Atmosphere Resort in Dumaguete, Philippines, from June to July 2024. Explore remarkable macro/critter diving spots, witness stunning coral reefs at Apo Island, and seize the chance to attend a complimentary photo workshop guided by a top underwater camera expert. All this amidst the exceptional hospitality and top-notch facilities of what's hailed as the world's premier dive resort.

 

WHY JOIN THIS TRIP?

  • Ultra-luxury dive resort in Dumaguete, Philippines. This place will WOW anyone you bring. The suites with private pools are to die for, as is the food, service, lodging and amazing infinity pools right in front of the ocean.
  • The diving trifecta - one of the world’s best whale shark encounters, Some of SE asia’s best macro and critter diving, plus great coral reefs, walls packaged with turtles, jacks and info-pacific reef life.
  • Amazing snorkeling literally 15 feet from the resort in calm shallow water.
  • Led by the world’s foremost underwater camera expert Nirupam Nigam.


June 30 – July 7, 2024 (7 Nights)

Trip Leader: Nirupam Nigam 

Deluxe Suite: 
$2,399 per person, double occupancy
$3,329 per person for single occupancy

Premium Suite: 
$2,599
 per person, double occupancy
$3,649 per person for single occupancy

Premium Pool Suite:  (this suite is the best!! Private pool!)
$2,899
 per person, double occupancy
$4,249 per person for single occupancy

Penthouses & Apartments are available for groups of 3-6, Family suites are also available

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Non-Diver Rates

Non-divers save $554 from the above rates and includes a Spa Package (includes 3 massages each 90min long + 30 min Executive Back Massage) and one Apo Island snorkeling trips.

Optional Extras:

Whale shark snorkel trip. Group trip to Oslob to snorkel with whale sharks. Trip costs $195 based on a minimum group of 8 and it includes snorkeling gear and guide, van transfer, Oslob marine park fees, snacks and drinks, and snorkel session with whale sharks. 

Optional Add Ons:

Upgrade to 7 days of unlimited diving (up to 5 dives per day) for $345

 Travel Insurance not included, click here to learn more about our preferred plan

  

inclusions

  • 7 nights accommodation
  • Private transfers from Dumaguete airport/ferry terminal to Atmosphere.
  • 7 days of full board meal package (a la carte & buffet breakfast with fresh juices, tea & locally brewed coffee, 2-course lunch and a 3-course dinner)
  • Including 1 Beach BBQ night.
  • Free Wi-Fi, filtered drinking water throughout the resort, fresh fruit, tea & coffee in rooms.
  • 15 guided boat/shore package including Apo Island trips (includes tanks, weights, dive guide services, boat rides and all daytime marine park + UW camera fees)
  • 1 dive out of that package can be used as a mandarin or night dive
  • Complimentary Nitrox fills for Nitrox certified divers.
  • Complimentary check-out dive on arrival day (guided daytime dive with shore entry/exit, incl. tanks, weights, dive guide services and sanctuary fees)
  • Complimentary marine life presentations (standard schedule, twice a week).
  • Complimentary snorkeling on Atmosphere House Reef (incl. snorkeling gear and marine sanctuary fees)
  • Includes all government taxes (excl. airport fees) 

 

 Atmosphere Resort Dumaguete Atmosphere Resort Dumaguete

 

Read about out previous Dumaguete Photo Workshops here:

Dumaguete 2023 Trip Report by Mark Strickland

To get a little insight as to what the waters around the Atmosphere Resort are like, see our Guide to diving Dumaguete. 

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Best TRipS EVER for couples

Here is a video showcases our 3 best trips for couples (this trip is one of them!)

 

TRIP TYPE

This trip is a luxury group trip, with a relaxed pace. There is so much to do for both serious divers, casual divers, and non-divers. There is an optional free PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP, which will be led by one of our photo instructors and will include daily underwater photography tutorials, in-water photography support, and one-to-one advice and guidance as required. Both photographers and non-photographers will be very comfortable on this trip.

What to expect from our Photo Workshops

  • Daily photo workshops - Your photo instructor will schedule seminars each day on topics including, but not limited to, equipment type and selection, the concept of underwater photography, lighting and composition techniques, and post-processing. They will also include additional topics relevant to the location and your experience.
  • In-water support - Where possible, each dive group will spend time underwater with the photo instructor, receiving in-water support and guidance on their shooting techniques.  Participants can also request in-water assistance during the workshop and the photo instructor will do his or her best to accommodate all requests. 
  • Consecutive days of practice & review - Each day you will have the opportunity to practice the techniques and skills learned in the previous day’s tutorials. If you are new to underwater photography you will likely see a vast improvement in just a few days.
  • Daily photo image reviews - You are strongly encouraged to bring your laptop, a thumb drive, edit your photos, and submit your shots for review from both the instructor and your peers. These are fun and interactive sessions encouraging you to improve throughout the trip.
  • Quality time with fellow photographers - Both new and experienced photographers from past workshops have expressed the advantages of joining a trip with like-minded divers with a passion for underwater photography.
  • Suitable for everyone - New and experienced photographers are welcome on all our trips. Gain the necessary skills to start shooting great photos, increase your confidence in finding the best underwater shots, or hone specific skills. We also encourage non-photographers to join, as many of them really enjoy the daily photo reviews, learning about underwater photography, and some have even returned to a photo workshop with an underwater camera setup!

Enjoy free, unlimited access to a wealth of knowledge and advice from your photo instructor.

 

trip syllabus

Bluewater's Dumaguete & Apo Island underwater photo workshop with Nirupam Nigam is the perfect trip for both incredible wide-angle and macro opportunities. Dumaguete features some of the best muck diving and macro critter action in the world with the opportunity to see frogfish, hundreds of species of nudibranch, flamboyant cuttlefish, bobtail squid, pipefish, blue-ringed octopus, and more! After everyone has had their fill of macro, we will venture to Apo Island to practice wide angle in some of the Philippines' best reef diving with Apo's resident sea turtles. Joining a photo workshop with Nirupam isn't just about the lectures or the 1-on-1 time to edit your photos - he will bring an assortment of toys from Bluewater Photo's coffers that the group can play with while practising their macro.

This workshop includes 7.5 days of instruction comprising 6 x 60-minute presentations, 1 x 30-minute presentation, and 2 x 30-45-minute image reviews. Teaching will take the form of PowerPoint presentations, informal group discussions, one-on-one training, streaming live demonstrations (e.g., using programs like Lightroom), and underwater support.

 

  • Introduction Topics (Days 1 & 2): 
  • Introduction to Dumaguete's top critters and reef subjects: This introduction will go over our favourite subjects we can find to photograph and capture on video in Dumaguete and Apo Island. Niorupam will go over top tips for photographing each subject and describe a little of their natural history and habitat. 
  • Introduction to Underwater Photography: This class is Nirupam's grand introduction to the hobby of underwater photography. He will cover essential information from the phenomenon of light attenuation to the triangle of exposure to underwater composition and strobe positioning. This class can sometimes span over 2 days.
  • Intermediate Topics (Days 3, 4 & 5 ):
  • Underwater Lighting Demonstration: This is a short class that will cover general positions for both underwater strobe and video lights with a single light source or dual light sources. Nirupam will cover both wide-angle and macro photography as well as what to do in difficult conditions with limited visibility or white sand. 
  • Introduction to Macro Photography (short class): This class introduces students to the concept of a macro lens and subject. It covers ideas for lighting, composition, and creative tools of the trade. Nirupam will talk about how to photograph flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish, nudibranchs, and more macro subjects. 
  • Introduction to Wide Angle Photography (short class): This class introduces students to wide-angle lenses, photographing reefscapes, and dome port optics. It covers ideas for composition and lighting as well as different techniques for photographing the coral reef scenes found on Apo Island. 
  • Photographing Sea Turtles: Apo Island is known for its charismatic sea turtles. This class covers the best way to approach these shy animals and photograph them without disturbing them. It also covers autofocus as sea turtles can be surprisingly difficult to focus on, as well as lighting their complex shape and shells. 
  • Adobe Lightroom - the Full Spectrum: This is the largest class of the workshop. Nirupam's Adobe Lightroom class includes the full spectrum of use for underwater photography including importing images, using the star rating system and sorting, creating collections, basic underwater editing, backscatter removal, and new AI masking tools/denoise/sharpen. As a follow-up, students will have the opportunity for 1-on-1 lightroom instruction in the evenings. 
  • Introduction to Underwater Video: The time the group spends on underwater video is subject to change depending on how many underwater videographers there are in the group. Nirupam's introduction to underwater video can include topics from GoPro underwater video to the triangle of exposure for shooting video to codecs and post-processing. This class is catered to the individual video shooters of the group.
  • Advanced Topics (Days 6 & 7):
  • Macro Underwater Video: It can be very difficult to capture macro video underwater. This class demonstrates how to select focus and stabilize your video while lighting up your shot. Nirupam will cover the use of tripods, in-camera stabilization modes, and frame rates/resolution. 
  • Snoot Photography and Creative Macro Lighting: Underwater snoots are devices that reduce the beam width from your strobe to isolate your subject - often producing black backgrounds. This class includes a demonstration of using snoots and ideas for creative macro lighting. Nirupam will talk about tools including colour filters and magic tubes.
  • During dives, Nirupam will be offering underwater help to provide lighting and triangle of exposure settings advice to the best of my abilities while we dive. Unless there are strong currents, he will be available by request to anyone. Nirupam will also be available underwater to anyone who is having camera issues and can try to fix any problems that are occurring underwater. He will be available for 1-on-1 advice throughout the workshop and will have open sessions in the evenings before bed to help with lightroom and any questions that people have.

 

DIVE OVERVIEW

Atmosphere's state-of-the-art dive center offers accommodating and knowledgeable staff, ensuring relaxing dive experiences. Atmosphere offers easy access to Dauin's excellent muck diving and the pristine coral reefs of Apo Island teeming with larger marine life. 

At Atmosphere, you can take full advantage of some of the world’s best scuba diving. The world-renowned Apo Island with its walls, stunning coral and schooling fish is a short boat ride away. Some of the world’s rarest critters compete for the underwater photographer’s attention along the Dauin coastline near Dumaguete in the Philippines, where Atmosphere is situated. The area is often frequented by underwater photographers in search of exquisitely rare shots.

The night dives at Atmosphere are stunning, as are the mandarin fish dives at dusk and the fluoro dives where you can see the underwater worlds in a completely new light.

The instructors and guides are highly trained and know how to get you the “fantastic” dives. They offer small group diving and the guests requests are accommodated within safety limits. They also offer flexible dive options. 


Atmoshpere Dive Sites

 Bluewater owner, Scott Gietler, says: 'July is a great time to visit Dumaguete. I've done Dumaguete twice in July and weather has been very nice - calm and not windy. You get some rain but only a brief shower which freshens the air.'

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About ATMOSPHERE RESORT & SPA 

Atmosphere Resort & Spa in Dauin, Dumaguete, is one of the best luxury dive resorts in the Philippines, offering excellent diving, impeccable service as you would expect from a 5-star hotel, luxurious and comfortable rooms and a wide array of amenities to please the discerning diver and traveler.

Atmosphere Resorts breeze restaurant Atmosphere Resort Breeze restaurant

Atmosphere Resort Deluxe Suite Atmosphere Resort Deluxe Suite

Atmosphere Resort dive center Atmosphere Resort camera room


The Sanctuary Spa at Atmosphere

The Sanctuary Spa is synonymous with Wellness. Our award-winning spa promotes physical and mental relaxation with a tranquil tropical setting and variety of treatments such as a dozen massages, Watsu’s, facials, body treatments, healing baths, foot and hand treatments, children’s spa services etc. 

  Atmosphere Resort 

Click here to read Atmosphere Resort's Sanctuary Spa Menu 

Read the reviews of the Atmosphere Resort & Spa here.

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ABOUT THE TRIP LEADER

Nirupam Nigam is a dedicated underwater photographer and fisheries scientist. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in Southern California's Channel Islands. He received degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, at the University of Washington. He spent some time as a fisheries observer on fishing vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific, collecting data for NOAA. When he is not at sea, he is traveling with his wife and taking photos.

As the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the Chief Marketing Officer at Bluewater Photo & Video, Nirupam is one of the world's few full-time underwater photography editors. You can get in touch with him at nirupam@uwphotographyguide.com or through his website www.photosfromthesea.comRead more about Nirupam here.

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how to Get there

Trip attendees should fly in and out of Dumaguete through Dumaguete Airport (airport code DGT). Flights may arrive any time on June 30. Return flights should be made at any time on the last day of the trip (July 7). Airport transfers are included and travel time is about 30 minutes each way.   

 

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Deposit: $700

Payment 2: $700 due May 1, 2023

Payment 3: $700 due Oct 1, 2023

Payment 3: Balance due Feb 15, 2024

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Got Questions? Ready to Book?

Call us today at +1-310-915-6677 or email us trips@bluewaterdivetravel.com

And let us book your dream vacation!

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Photo Gallery

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 Underwater Photos 

Atmosphere Resort Atmosphere Resort

Atmosphere Resort Atmosphere Resort

Atmosphere Resort Atmosphere Resort

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