Galapagos Photo Workshop May 2019
2019 Galapagos Islands Underwater Photo Workshop
This will be an epic trip with a rarely offered 10-night trip to see hammerheads, mantas, marine iguanas, penguins, batfish, seahorses, Galapagos sharks and more. The trip is timed for the best hammerhead & iguana encounters, best visibility, and best water temps. Extra time at Darwin plus 2 - 3 land tours. Trip led by Tommy Stylski.
May 13-23, 2019
10 Nights for:Lower Cabin - $7,075 Upper Cabin - $7,225 * Rates are based in USDGo to:
Why Join This Trip? - Trip Details - Itinerary Overview
Accommodations - How to Get There - Trip Leader
Why Join This Trip?
✓ 25% off rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo
✓ Best time for hammerhead & marine iguana encounters
✓ Modern luxury liveaboard - the Galapagos Master: great amenities and spacious cabins
✓ Rarely offered itinerary with 30 dives, extra time at Darwin, and 2-3 land tours
✓ FREE daily photo workshops by Tommy Stylski.
✓ Timed for best water temps and visibility
Trip Overview
Quote from previous trip leader, Scott Gietler: "I have put together an epic trip to the Galapagos, where we will help people get incredible photos of hammerhead sharks, mantas, marine iguanas, penguins and more. I have picked a boat with the best possible itinerary for this purpose at the best time of year - this will truly be a trip of a lifetime."
The unique and isolated islands of the Galapagos are home to truly extraordinary creatures: Schooling hammerheads and a large variety of other sharks, mantas, sea turtles, and sea lions, as well as endemic species such as penguins, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and extensive schools of fish.
Scott has done extensive research to choose the best possible time of year and route for this trip.
The Galapagos Master is a first-class yacht with capacity for just 16 divers. Its spacious cabins and well-designed dive amenities ensure a comfortable and relaxing trip. A spacious indoor lounge boasts cushioned bench seating and plasma screen for photo viewing, and there is an indoor camera set-up station with numerous charging points and storage drawers situated to the rear, providing ample room for a full photography charter group. Further camera preparation areas can be found on the rear deck next to the dive deck.
With this 10-day itinerary, guests will get up to 30 dives - a vast increase from the 20 dives included in most 7-day trips!
Read the report on our previous Galapagos trip and the reviews on diving Galapagos here.
Marine Life to Photograph
Thanks to their extreme isolation, the Galapagos Islands have some of the most unique marine life on the planet. Here are just a few examples of marine life you're likely to see: dolphins, sea lions, penguins, turtles, marlin and large schools of fish, silky sharks, Galapagos sharks, whale sharks, reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, eels, and manta rays. This is a wide-angle photographer's paradise, but don't leave the macro lens at home: frogfish, octopus, seahorses, nudibranchs and other small subjects are found at various dive sites. Finally, visitors often encounter penguins, flightless cormorants, and marine iguanas.
Diving Conditions
This is right in the middle of the warm season in the Galapagos with the highest water and air temps. Brief afternoon rain showers are common, but expect the sun to reappear after the rain. Water temperature is 70-86F (21-30C) with some cooler thermoclines at depth. The northern islands are generally colder. Visibility stays between 40-100 feet (12-33 meters).
Inclusions
✓ Accommodations and photo workshops
✓ All meals and snacks throughout the cruise
✓ Coffee from the espresso machine, tea, fruit juice, and soft drinks
✓ Up to 30 dives
✓ Three land-based tours
✓ Airport transfers
Exclusions
✗ Park fee ($100 cash, paid upon arrival)
✗ Hyperbaric chamber fee ($35)
✗ Ingala Transit Card ($20 payable at Guayaquil International Airport)
✗ Nitrox ($200 for a 10-night trip - recommended!)
✗ Airfare, additional transfers, and hotels
✗ Alcoholic beverages
✗ Equipment/computer/underwater torch rental
✗ Dive insurance
✗ Gratuity
Trip Schedule
The itinerary can be variable and will be planned according to the direction of the trip leader and cruise director on board. They will have a good idea at that time of the conditions at the various locations. Here is an example of a typical itinerary:
> Monday: San Cristobal embarkation and checkout dive (1 dive)
> Tuesday: Morning, Carrion Point (2 dives). Afternoon, North Seymour (land visit).
> Wednesday: Darwin (4 dives)
> Thursday: Darwin (4 dives)
> Friday: Wolf (4 dives)
> Saturday: Wolf (2-4 dives)
> Sunday: Douglas Cape (3 dives)
> Monday: Vicente Roca Point/Marshall Cape (3 dives)
> Tuesday: Morning, Roca Redonda (2 dives). Afternoon, Albermale Point (dive + land visit)
> Wednesday: Morning, Cousin Rock (2 dives). Afternoon, Charles Darwin Station (land visit)
> Thursday: San Cristobal disembarkation
About the Galapagos Master
The new Galapagos Master liveaboard used to be the "Deep Blue" - a very well-laid out boat. The Master Liveaboard fleet, owned by the Siren Fleet (WWDS), is refitting the boat with new engines, new compressors, new generators, new water-makers, individual air-con, an entertainment system in each room, a dedicated camera station, new dive gear for rent, and Nautilus lifelines, along with many other small improvements.
Read the great reviews of the Galapagos Master!
The trip will begin and end in San Cristobal. When the time comes (no sooner than 1 year before departure) we can assist you with flight suggestions and booking. Guests will fly into Guayaquil International Airport (code GYE), then take one of several daily 1-hour flights to San Cristobal (code SCY).
About the Trip Leader
Tommy Stylski is an avid marine life photographer, ocean lover, and diver of over 20 years. His dad introduced him to scuba at a young age while vacationing in Tulum, Mexico. Now a certified dive master, he’s led hundreds of trips and has worked with both novice and the most advanced divers. Diving has provided him opportunities to travel, visit many Caribbean destinations, lead workshops in the Philippines, photograph sharks in Fiji and explore the kelp forests of California. These experiences have instilled in him a deep respect for our oceans.
Now planted in a small beach town, Tommy enjoys a surf before work and time with his family.
Payment Schedule
TBA
Contact Information
Email info@bluewaterdivetravel.com for more info and to book your spot!
Call us at (310) 915-6677
Stop by our office at 3961 Sepulveda Blvd, Suite 206 Culver City, CA 90230
More Images:
Galapagos Photos & Video from Previous Trips
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
