Palau Bumphead Spawning Trip 2028

 

Palau Bumphead Spawning Trip 2028

Join Bluewater Travel for this brand new and unique itinerary offering the opportunity to photograph the amazing bumphead parrotfish spawning event in Palau.

 

Why Join This Trip?

• The trip is scheduled to target the expected Bumphead Parrotfish Spawning date over the new moon
• Experience Palau’s thrilling drift dives and abundance of pelagics
• Enjoy one of Palau’s newest high-end liveaboards with FREE NITROX!
• Diver to Guide ratio is 6:1
• 25% off rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo
• Fully refundable deposit until 12 months from departure

Back to Menu

 

Trip Overview

This 7-night liveaboard adventure aboard the M/Y Black Pearl takes divers to the heart of Palau’s stunning Rock Islands and Southern Lagoon, offering a unique opportunity to witness the spectacular New Moon Bumphead Parrotfish spawning. Each day features 3–4 dives at some of the world’s most renowned sites, including the dramatic walls of Blue Corner, where strong currents bring schools of barracuda and reef sharks; the manta-rich waters of German Channel; and the narrow, coral-filled passage of Ulong Channel.

Click the Manta Trust logo to learn more!

For more information, check out Liveaboard Diving in Palau.

Marine Life to Photograph

Palau is a paradise for underwater photographers, offering a dazzling diversity of marine life across its reefs, channels, and lagoons. Divers can capture schools of barracuda and trevally swirling in strong currents at Blue Corner, graceful manta rays gliding through German Channel, and the unique spectacle of Bumphead Parrotfish spawning in the Southern Lagoon. The rock walls of Ulong Channel and the coral gardens of the Rock Islands are alive with vibrant reef fish, including sweetlips, butterflyfish, and clownfish, alongside reef sharks, Napoleon wrasses, and occasional bull sharks. Macro enthusiasts will delight in colorful nudibranchs, shrimps, and seahorses. With such a range of species and behaviors, Palau provides endless creative possibilities for both wide-angle and macro underwater photography.

Check out a first-hand account of What It’s Really Like to Dive in Palau!

Sample Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary and is subject to weather and other conditions.

• Day 1 – Embarkation
  Guests are picked up from their hotel in Koror and transferred to Malakal Port for boarding. Upon arrival, guests are welcomed aboard the M/Y Black Pearl with a welcome drink and vessel orientation. A full safety briefing follows dinner. No diving is scheduled on the first day.
• Days 2 – 3
  Daily diving begins with 3–4 dives per day at Palau’s signature sites, including Blue Corner and German Channel. Strong currents attract large schools of fish, reef sharks, and manta rays. Optional night dives are available, conditions permitting. Evenings are spent relaxing onboard and enjoying the yacht’s amenities.
• Day 4
  Diving focuses on Ulong Channel and surrounding reef systems. Sites are selected based on tides, currents, and marine life activity, offering excellent drift diving and reef encounters. The day concludes with sunset views over the Rock Islands.
• Days 5 – 6
  Special dives are timed with the New Moon to witness the Bumphead Parrotfish spawning in the Southern Lagoon. Additional dives may include Chandelier Cave and nearby coral walls, providing opportunities for both wide-angle and macro photography.
• Day 7
  Dives continue in surrounding lagoons, followed by additional dives at select sites chosen according to conditions and wildlife activity. Optional night dives and social activities onboard are available.
• Last Day – Disembarkation
  A final morning dive is offered if time and conditions allow, followed by breakfast onboard. Guests disembark at Malakal Port with transfers back to their hotel or Koror Airport.

Back to Menu

 

Diving Conditions

In January, diving in Palau offers warm water temperatures, though visibility can vary slightly due to seasonal currents. Weather-wise, January falls in the wetter season, bringing higher humidity and occasional rain showers, but conditions are generally stable, and diving remains very rewarding.

• Water temperature: 80–82°F (27–28°C)
• Visibility: 50–100 feet (15–30 m), with some variation depending on currents and rainfall
• Depth range: 15–100 ft (5–30 m)

Back to Menu

 

Recommended Scuba Gear

Download our full scuba gear guide to Palau, Bluewater Travel guests receive 10% OFF!

Back to Menu

 

Trip Type

This is a PHOTO WORKSHOP. 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.

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.

Want to learn more about our Underwater Photography Workshops? Check out this video!

 

Trip Syllabus

Bluewater’s Galapagos workshop with Nirupam Nigam features the best diving in the world combined with the best underwater photo tips! Experience the opportunity to photograph and swim with hammerhead sharks, possible whale sharks, marine iguanas, Galapagos penguins, manta rays, harlequin wrasse, and more!

This workshop will include 8.5 days of instruction including 8 x 60-minute presentations as well as 2-3 x 30-minute image reviews and a final underwater photo contest. Teaching will take the form of PowerPoint presentations, informal group discussions, 1-on1 training, streaming live demonstrations (e.g., using programs like Lightroom), and underwater help.

• Introductory Topics (Days 1 & 2):
• Introduction to Galapagos’s Top Creatures and Photographic Opportunities: This introduction will go over our favourite subjects and reef scenes we can photograph in the Galapagos. Nirupam will cover his top tips for photographing each subject as well as information about their natural history, habitat, and lifecycle. Subjects include Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas, harlequin wrasse, mola mola, hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, manta rays and more!
• 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 blue-striped nudibranchs, gobies, blennies, and more macro subjects.
• 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 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 sharks, sea lions, iguanas, and other Galapagos critters.
• Photographing Sharks: Nirupam’s top tips for photographing sharks with an overview of shark behaviour, approaching sharks, and techniques for focus and lighting. This class will focus on the hammerhead sharks found in the Galapagos.
• Advanced Wide Angle Topics (Days 6 & 7):
• Ambient Light & Close Focus Wide Angle: This class covers more advanced wide-angle techniques for close focus and ambient light. Nirupam takes a look at lighting techniques, lens selection, capturing refraction, and light attenuation.
• Capturing Quick Action Underwater: It can be difficult to photograph quick pelagic subjects underwater. This class will cover my top techniques for locking focus, using burst shooting, and composition with quick underwater subjects.
• Photographing Sea Lions (Short Class): Sea Lions are a lot of fun to play with but can be frustrating to photograph! This class goes over Nirupam’s recommended lighting techniques, autofocus techniques, and settings for getting great detail and colour in your sea lion photos.

Nirupam will have open sessions for one 1-on-1 time at least one hour per day. During dives, he will be alternating dive groups and offering underwater help to provide lighting and triangle of exposure settings advice to the best of his abilities. He will be available by request to anyone. Many of these dives have strong currents or variable encounters with subjects, so there will be fewer underwater instruction opportunities than in other workshops. This is especially true for Wolf and Darwin. 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.

 

Back to Menu

 

Inclusions

• Full-board accommodation on the Black Pearl, twin share
• 3 meals for every full day onboard
• Free drinking water, tea, instant coffee
• Two-way transfers only between the hotels in Koror area and Malakal Port
• 3 guided dives each day (except 2nd last day), plus 1 night dive
• 12-litre tanks, weights, and weight belts
• Nitrox for EANx certified divers
• WiFi
• An array of activities such as beach BBQ, cocktail party, Jacuzzi pool, snorkelling, paddleboard, kayaking, etc.
• Palau Goods & Services Tax (PGST)
• Fuel surcharges

Back to Menu

 

Exclusions

• Marine Park Fees and Taxes ($150 per person, paid on board)
• Transfer between Koror (ROR) Airport (and islands outside of Koror area) and Malakal Port ($25 one-way)
• International flights
• Pre- or post-cruise accommodation
• Specialty coffee, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages
• 15-litre tank rentals and dive gear rentals
• Diving insurance (mandatory)
• Crew gratuities
• Travel Insurance – ask us about our preferred partner plan

*Onboard fees and charges are subject to change.

Back to Menu

 

Accommodation

About the Black Pearl

For further details about the accommodation, visit our dedicated M/Y Black Pearl page. The Black Pearl is a luxury liveaboard offering exceptional diving adventures in Palau, featuring 11 stylish cabins for up to 22 guests. The upper-deck Master Seaview cabins and lower-deck Deluxe cabins all come equipped with ensuite bathrooms and modern amenities. Guests can enjoy 3 meals a day with light snacks, comfortable indoor and outdoor lounges, a sun deck, Jacuzzi, camera bay, and entertainment facilities. The vessel also provides expert dive guides, well-equipped tenders, and a large camera station for underwater photography.

Connectivity

There is free Wi-Fi onboard, however, there may be limited or no access to internet once the yacht sails into a remote area or open sea. If you prefer a SIM card, M/Y Black Pearl offers SIM card free rentals during the cruise.

Back to Menu

 

Trip Leader

Nirupam Nigam

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo & Video – the world’s top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head.

You can get in touch with him at nirupam@uwphotographyguide.com or through his website www.photosfromthesea.com.

Read more about Nirupam Nigam.

Back to Menu

 

How To Get There

Flight Information

Arrival

Guests should fly into Palau’s Koror Airport (ROR), and we recommend arriving on January 18th, one day before embarkation. For those staying at hotels in Koror, complimentary transfers will begin mid-afternoon. Please ask us for hotel recommendations.

If you plan to arrive on embarkation day, the boat will charge a $25 transfer fee from the airport to the boat. You must arrive no later than 3pm on embarkation day.

International flights to Palau route through the Asian hubs of Taipei, Manila, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and also through Brisbane and Guam.

Departure

On the last day of the cruise, guests flying straight out will be transferred to the airport at least 2 hours before the time of departure of their flights. Check-out and disembarkation will be organized from 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM (local time) on the last day. The boat charges an airport transfer fee of $25 per person.

If you are staying in Koror after the trip, complimentary hotel transfers within Koror are included in the trip price.

 

Flight Package

Our group trips attract guests from all over the globe and many of our customers prefer to book their own flights to take advantage of mileage points or credit card discounts. For these reasons, flights are not included in our group trip packages.

However, we are more than happy to work with you to find the best travel itinerary for your trip and will gladly give suggestions and advice, even if you make the final booking. We will check through your travel reservations at any time to ensure they fit with the trip schedule and can give recommendations on transit hotels and day tours where needed.

If you would like us to book flights and transit hotels for domestic and/or international travel on your behalf, we are also happy to arrange this. Contact Us for more information.

Back to Menu

 

Payment Schedule

• Deposit: $1,000 to book your spot
• Payment 2: $2,000 due 1 January 2027
• Balance: due 1 December 2027

Back to Menu

 

Back to Menu