Bali to Komodo Photo Workshop August 2024

Bali To Komodo Underwater Photo Workshop 2024

Join us from Aug 29 to Sep 8, 2024, for amazing dive experiences among some of the most diverse marine environments in the world. Travel in style aboard the MSY Seahorse, a liveaboard specially built and designed by divers for divers.

Why Join This Trip?

• FREE daily photo workshops
• 3-4 dives per day, with a 1:4 diver-guide ratio
• Explore some of the most diverse marine environments in the world
• FREE nitrox
• Travel aboard the MSY Seahorse, catered specifically for photographers
• 25% off rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo

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Trip Overview

Komodo National Park is a remarkable dive destination known for its diverse marine environment. The islands are home to the famous Komodo dragon, which can be seen patrolling the beaches or from a distance. The northern coral reefs showcase a colorful mix of hard and soft corals, inhabited by anthias, wrasses, majestic angelfish, and predators like reef sharks and tunas. In the south, vibrant soft corals and a variety of critters can be found. Komodo offers a range of diving experiences, including thrilling high-voltage current dives, gentle drift dives, and colorful wall dives. Manta rays, turtles, and occasionally whale sharks can also be spotted. The area is rich in marine life, including barracudas, surgeonfishes, bumphead parrotfishes, trevallies, seahorses, frogfish, leaf fish, and scorpionfish. 

Read about our last Komodo trip here.

Read more about diving in Komodo here.

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Marine Life to Photograph

When it comes to big animals, Komodo Island is renowned as one of the top destinations in the world for diving with manta rays. Most diving trips in the area include opportunities to witness these majestic creatures at one or more dive sites. Alongside manta rays, you can also expect to encounter other pelagic species such as dogtooth tuna, giant trevally, and barracudas. Komodo's waters are home to various shark species, including reef sharks such as blacktip, whitetip, and grey reef sharks. Turtles are another frequent sighting, and they can be found at many sites within the park.

Komodo National Park also offers a wealth of small critters and fascinating marine life for macro enthusiasts. Divers can expect to spot a variety of intriguing creatures, including frogfish, stargazers, spiny devilfish, leaf scorpionfish, ghost pipefish, cuttlefish, bobtail squid, garden eels, bobbit worms, and pygmy seahorses. The diversity of critters in Komodo is astounding, and you may even come across unique species like the "Ladybugs" that inhabit the area.

Diving Conditions

Water Temperatures: Water temperatures are usually moderate, but can range from 66f / 19C to 86f / 30C on the same trip. The temperature changes more based on location, than on time of the year. The north side is always warm, but the south side is often colder.

• Visibility: averages 15 - 40m (49 - 131 feet)
• Depth Range: 3 - 40m (10 - 131 feet)

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Inclusions

• Accommodation in a shared twin or double cabin.
• All meals & snacks. Drinking water, soft drinks and hot drinks
• All guided dives (minimum of 30 dives)
• Nitrox for certified divers
• Aluminium tank (12 litres), weights and belts
• Airport-boat transfers from/to the closest airport (departure and arrival).

Exclusions

• Park, port & distance fees: 250 € (cash on board)
• International and domestic flights (unless specified)
• Alcoholic beverages (you can BYOB)
• Diving equipment rental (see pricing below)
• 100 cf (15 litres) tank : 65 € / cruise
• Laundry (1 € / 2 pieces)
• Crew gratuities
• Massage
• Fuel Surcharge: 100 €/pax to be paid CASH on board (subject to revision anytime)
• Travel Insurance: click here to learn more about our preferred plan

Trip Type

This trip is a PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP. It 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.

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.

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About The MSY Seahorse

The MSY Seahorse is a newly-refurbished 33m (108 ft) Phinisi-style liveaboard boat, run by Wallacea Dive Cruises. 

MSY Seahorse (LEFT) & Sundeck (RIGHT)

Seahorse's Camera room (LEFT) & Dive Deck (RIGHT)

All-inclusive meals and snacks. Hailing from a long tradition of big family homecooked meals in Spain, MSY Seahorse takes pride in offering you a delicious menu with the carefully selected & professional chef on board the Seahorse.

There are 8 cabins for up to 16 divers aboard the Seahorse, with 2 different cabin types to choose from, twin or double bed cabins.  The cabins are located across the main and lower decks. The Main Deck Cabins are equipped with two sizeable windows offering a sea view. These cabins are just one step away from the boat's spacious camera room.

Main deck cabin & bathroom

Cabin 1 & lower deck bathroom

View more cabin details and images here.

"The crew and service was one of the best things about the Seahorse, and one of the best of any liveaboard I have been on. There is a masseuse on board and also a pastry chef. Photographers have individual cooler bags for their cameras so they are not banging against each other on the ride out to the dive site." - Tim Yeo

Read the reviews of the MSY Seahorse here.

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Itinerary

• This is a sample itinerary and number of dives, dive sites, etc. may be subject to change due to weather conditions and other unforeseeable factors
• DAY 1 - BALI (CHECK IN)
• DAY 2 - GILIS ISLANDS / 3-4 dives
• DAY 3 - MOYO & SATONDA / 3-4 dives
• DAY 4 - PULAU SANGEANG / 3-4 dives
• DAY 5 - PULAU BANTA / 3-4 dives
• DAY 6 - NORTH KOMODO / 3-4 dives
• DAY 7 - NORTH KOMODO / 3-4 dives
• DAY 8 - CENTRAL KOMODO / 3-4 dives
• DAY 9 - SOUTH KOMODO / 3-4 dives
• DAY 10 - CENTRAL KOMODO / 3-4 dives
• DAY 11 - NORTH KOMODO / 1-2 dives
• DAY 12 - LABUAN BAJO (CHECK OUT)  
  

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Flight Information

The trip departs from Bali on August 29.  Guests will need to fly into Denpasar (DPS) which has an international airport with multiple direct flight options from various hubs in Asia and Australia. We encourage all guests to arrive in Bali at least a day early to allow for flight and baggage delays.The boat disembarks in Labuan Bajo (LBJ). We can book your flights from LBJ back to DPS and your extension in Bali to include accommodation, diving and topside activities.

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Payment Schedule

•  $1,000 deposit to confirm the trip
• $2,000 due 1 Feb 2024
• Balance due 1 May 2024 

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See Also:

Komodo Dive Travel Guide 

MSY Seahorse: Amenities, Cabins, Reviews & More... 

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Photo Gallery 

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