Lembeh 2021 Underwater Photo Workshop

Join us at NAD Lembeh Resort for our annual underwater photo workshop in the muck dive capital of the world and the best place for underwater macro photography.

Why Join This Trip?

• 25% off rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo
• FREE daily photo workshops
• A haven for macro photographers—Lembeh is, without doubt, the muck diving capital of the world
• Great resort (NAD Lembeh) with beachfront rooms, delicious food (all meals included), free public WiFi and a small pool
• Top dive operation in Lembeh with 2:1 divers to guide ratio
• Up to 26 boat dives + unlimited diving at the resort’s beautiful house reef
• Optional 3-night land extension available

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10-Night Package Inclusions:

• 10 nights accommodation (with airconditioning) in the chosen room and occupancy
• Full board meals in the resort
• 3 boat dives/day with 2 to 1 diver to guide ratio, Nitrox, tanks and weights
• Round trip airport transfers between 730-1600
• Snacks, water, coffee, tea, chocolate drink, and espresso
• Free WiFi

additional Information about the resort:

• The resort offers 2:1 guest to guide ratio as a standard. Its 15 dive guides are permanent employees with local Lembeh diving experience (totalling at least 100 years between them). They are all underwater photography trained and proficient UW photographers themselves.
• Please note that the resort does NOT allow for our guests to wear gloves!
• The resort has a fleet of 4 dive boats that are at least 13m long with 2 x four-stroke engines. There are onboard toilets, Medical oxygen, and a Basic First Aid kit.
• There are a maximum of 8 guests per dive boat.
• It's the only resort on Lembeh island with a floating dock. This allows for easy access to the boats and dignified boarding, as well as easy entry to the house reef.
• The resort is on ground level with minimal steps to the bungalows. Beachfront rooms, restaurants, bar and camera room are all on the ground floor. Older guests or those with disabilities and knee/back problems find it easy to navigate.
• It's situated in a private bay and surrounded by lush greenery. Far from villages, thus offering a quiet and tranquil environment for a relaxing vacation.
• The resort offers 24-hour electricity and WiFi.

DAILY PHOTO WORKSHOPS

Workshops will be given daily on topics such as macro composition, camera settings, creative lighting, super macro, and more. Help underwater is also provided.

DAILY IMAGE REVIEWS

The workshop will include daily photo reviews aimed at providing tips and insights on how the workshop leaders might improve upon the selected images. With the ability to visit the same sights (and possibly the same photo subjects) multiple times during the trip, these reviews give the guests suggestions that they can put to use immediately. The feedback includes lighting techniques, composition suggestions, and general impressions of the presented images. Guests can also expect feedback from their peers at these sessions, which might sound daunting, but has proven to be immensely helpful and positively contructive.

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Diving in Lembeh Strait

Lembeh Strait is, without doubt, the muck-diving capital of the world. Underwater photographers flock here from all over the world to see a myriad of critters, frogfish, pipefish, nudibranchs, sea horses, juvenile fish, and other exotic animals. Don't expect large reefscapes in Lembeh, but very scenic reefs live around nearby islands if you want to extend your trip to get in some reef diving, too.

Learn more about Lembeh Strait Diving

Schedule

Guests can arrive any time on September 15 and leave any time on September 25. Here's the typical daily schedule for this 10-night trip:

• 6.30 Breakfast
• 7.30 Departure for two morning dives (snacks/ drinks during the surface interval)
• 12.15 Lunch at the resort
• 14.00 Departure for one afternoon dive
• 16.00 Snacks
• 16.30 Mandarin Fish Dive (only on Saturdays, minimum 2 pax)
• 17.45 Night Dive (minimum 2 pax)
• 18.00 Black Water Night Dive (minimum 2 pax)
• 19.15 Dinner

To get a little insight as to what the workshop is like, read the report from our 2018 trip, here!

4D/3N Discover Minahasa Land Tour itinerary

• Day 1: Tangkoko Day Tour
• Depart from Manado City or Airport to Tangkoko Nature Reserve at 12 noon. The 2-hours trip to this nature reserve is quite scenic as we pass on small villages. Lunch is served in a local restaurant enroute.
• Explore the 9,000-hectare Tangkoko Nature Reserve with a forest ranger and safari guide in search of the Macaca Nigra (black crested macaques indigenous to North Sulawesi), hornbills, couscous, Tarsier Tarsier (one of the world’s smallest primates), as well as other fauna specific to the reserve.
• After the sun sets, we will have dinner at a local homestay near Tangkoko. After dinner, we will drive to the chosen Resort for overnight.
• Day 2: Minahasa Highland Tour
• Breakfast at Resort. Leave the Resort at 08.00.
• Tour the Minahasa Highlands with attractions such as Pagoda Ekayana in the village of Kakaskasen, the traditional food & flower market in Tomohon, the small village of Woloan to see the Minahasan traditional style houses, Tondano Lake, Pulutan Village, and a bentenan weaving workshop to see the local weaving traditions being practiced.
• Dinner and overnight at Resort.
• Day 3: Mahawu Volcano Tour
• Breakfast at Resort. We leave the resort at 08:00 heading to Mount Mahawu.
• Visit Mount Mahawu with a 30 minute climb up the stairs to the crater’s edge with amazing vistas of Bunaken & Manado Tua Islands as well as the bay of Manado. Walk around the crater’s rim for 45-60 minutes and observe a steaming lake. Also included is a visit to sulfuric Lake Linow.
• Dinner and overnight at Resort.
• Day 4: Departure Day
• Transfer to Manado airport after breakfast for onward flight.

LAND TOUR PACKAGE INCLUSIONS

• 3 Nights accommodation at Gardenia Country Inn in Tomohon Manado
• All meals (lunch on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 4)
• All transport
• English speaking guides
• All entrance fees

Tangkoko Day Tour

Minahasa Highland Tour

Mahawu Volcano Tour

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About NAD Lembeh

Situated on the well-loved Lembeh Strait, this muck diving paradise is alluring to divers worldwide.

• Open air restaurant
• Sunbeds
• Small pool
• Jacuzzi
• Aquaponic Greenhouse
• Business center
• Free public WiFi
• Laundry services
• Return airport transfers
• Multilingual staff
• Non-smoking rooms
• Camera room

Read the reviews of the NAD-Lembeh Resort here.

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 ABOUT THE TRIP LEADER

Erik Lukas is an active diver and photographer based in Los Angeles, CA. He is a volunteer scuba diver at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. You can expect to find Erik diving many of the amazing Pacific Ocean sites of Southern California, camera in hand, at any chance he can get.

See more of Erik’s photography at http://www.seeundersea.com or on Instagram @seeundersea. Email Erik at erik@bluewaterdivetravel.com.

"I am passionate about underwater photography in general and have a special love for macro subjects. For me the things that are hardest to spot hold the most interest. Documenting the commensal and symbiotic relationships is for me the most interesting…the smaller and more bizarre the better. I also have a passion for sharing my knowledge with others. My goal with all of my workshops is to ensure each guest leaves with a group of images that they are proud to share."

HOW TO GET THERE

Direct flights are available from Singapore to Manado (4 times a week with SilkAir) or from Jakarta and Makassar (several times a day). It takes around 90 min. by car and boat to get to the resort on Lembeh Island. Aim for flights to arrive and depart so that transfers can be done between the hours of 7:30 and 16:00. Transfers are still available outside of this time for an extra fee.

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Payment Schedule

$800 deposit to confirm spots

Balance due July 1, 2021

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Photo Gallery 

Blue-ringed octopus by Smeeeta Rishi (LEFT) and hairy frogfish by Susan Henry (RIGHT).

 

Photo credit: Tony Bensted (left), and Teresa Williams (right)

Photo credit: John Berschied Jr (left) and Susan Henry (right)

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