Komodo Photographic Workshop (September 27 - October 6, 2008) - News
We came back last week and it was hard to go back to work after such a great time. The trip was absolutely amazing, with loads of pictures opportunities. it run smoothly as we had the best group of photographer ever, and it was a great pleasure for me to run this workshop.
During the week the participants were gavering pictures and er launched a small competition to spice up the atmosphere. The participants had to enter 3 pictures of their choice, either 3 macro or 3 wide angle or a mix of both. The photographer with the best average won a trip to the back to the Komodo
The winner of the competition is: Edouardo Spacca
In Second place we have: Kathryn Prince
And in third position: Kathy White
And below the other entries:
Komodo Photographic Workshop (September 27 - October 6, 2008)
An amazing 10-day workshop is awaiting you this year. The SY Siren, the luxury yacht, is constructed from ironwood and teak in the same traditional Indonesian style as her sister Sampai Jumpa. The 34-metre yacht carrying seven sails is being used for a very exciting 10 day trip concentrating around the Indonesian island of Komodo and the Sunda Islands. She can comfortably take care of up to 20 guests on each trip; however we are selling spaces for 14 guests. This allows for better personal tuition, less crowding underwater and plenty of space for kitting up your camera equipment. She offers an expansive leisure deck area, a spacious air-conditioned saloon with cocktail bar, a dining area and 8 large air-conditioned cabins, each with their own personal computer, audio-visual entertainment system and en-suite bathrooms with hot water. All rooms feature a port hole sea-view and are lavished with luxury extras including bathrobes, hair dryers, hot towels, individually controlled mood lighting and individual controls for your air-conditioning unit. We offer a Laundry Service on the Yacht, as well as a Massage Service! Ideal for those sore muscles between dives. Our Yacht features a Boutique which will make available to customers Worldwide Dive and Sail merchandise, including hats, log books, t-shirts, shorts, bathrobes and lighters just to name a few items. The SY Siren provides Enriched Air Nitrox and all equipment and facilities required by underwater photographers. Enriched Air Nitrox is FREE for all certified Nitrox divers! If you are not a certified Nitrox diver we can certainly teach you the Enriched Air Specialty. She is perfect for those looking for that extra luxury, extravagance and comfort! This special charter for photographers whether new or experienced makes this an even more special. There will be plenty of dedicated camera only rinse tanks for your equipment, charging points and work tables. Of course each suite has an individual computer to allow downloads of the days photos and allows you to edit your work. A competition for the best photo taken on the trip will be held and will be judged at “Visions in the Sea 2008″ in London. The prize will be very special and you will have a one in fourteen chance of winning! Kitty Jempson will be onboard. The two of us will be on hand to offer advice, techniques, and will give constructive feed back on your pictures. We will give fun and informative talks, demonstrations of their own work and will even give advice on editing your pictures with the use of a computer. This trip is best suited to those with a digital camera, whether compact or SLR. Those that own film cameras are welcome but will find the lack of processing opportunities frustrating as they watch their fellow guests download their pictures. This trip is also open to Videographers and again the facilities onboard cater for your needs. We also hope to have a pre departure day in London at Ocean Optics. On this day you will have the opportunity to purchase last minute spares (o rings, silicon, lenses etc) or discuss your needs with Steve. We are also trying to secure some special treats for this trip and hope that INON who make great strobes and lenses will allow us to play and test some of their kit on this trip. Kitty is a superb dive instructor and photographer and will be on hand to give advice on SLR and also your techniques underwater including buoyancy. You will also have the opportunity to work with a professional underwater model Estee, my underwater model, will be onboard to give advises and will be happy to help you on your creative and composition side. 
Itinerary
Day 1: Depart Bima at 14.00 for the islands of Satonda, Moyo and Medang. We will wet our feet with the first dive of the trip and spend the evening at Satonda. Days 2 & 3: We dive Moyo Island, exploring the dive sites of Angel and Panjang reef where we will see massive barrel sponges, schools of long-fin banner fish, red tooth triggers, frogfish, nudibranchs, eels, surgeonfish, snapper, dogtooth tuna, and if we are lucky we will catch sight of the elusive pygmy seahorses. On Moyo we will visit a local village before heading to Medang to enjoy the afternoon and evening. Days 4 & 5: Leaving early in the morning we depart for Satonda Island for 3 day dives, and after a dazzling tropical sunset speckled with the silhouettes of hundreds of native bats, we will plunge into the dark blue for a world class night dive. Following a delicious feast we depart overnight for Sangiang Island, famous for rare nudibranchs, pygmy seahorse and underwater hot springs that support this very unique aquatic ecosystem. We explore further towards Banta Islands where we can encounter the big fish! The dive sites of Tanduk Rusa and GPS Point are well-known for sharks and large pelagic. Days 6 - 10: The remaining days will be spent navigating and diving the Komodo Marine Park, visiting the famous dive sites of Gili Darat, South Passage, Taka Toko, Gili Lawalaut, Crystal Rock, Pink Beach Entrance, Cannibal Rock, The Three Sisters, Manta Alley, Takat Makasar, Tatawa Kecil and many more! The variety of aquatic life is enormous in Komodo – from spanish dancers, manta rays, sharks, eagle rays, maori wrasse to frogfish just to name a few.
Price
We have two specially selected people on board to maximise your trip and photographic experience which is unique and offered at an unbelievable price. The 10-day trip which includes all diving, free nitrox (if qualified), free dive equipment (excluding computer) if required, all food, all drink (including beer, not spirits), and our services! Remember this trip has reduced numbers on board. The price is £1,450.00 which excludes flights. Flights are likely to be £500.00 to £700.00.
Reservations
To reserve your space for what is to be an amazing trip, you would need to pay a 30% deposit of £435.00. If you would like to reserve your place, please contact Kitty or me using the following contact details: Gerald Rambert Sun Divers Ltd, Mauritius Contact for more infos Kitty Jempson Dive Solutions, England Contact for more infos