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Philippines Underwater Photo Clinic - March 2014

Crystal Blue Resort – Anilao, Philippines

Your hosts are Mike Bartick, Anilao expert and owner of Saltwater Photo.com, and Liquid Diving Adventure's owners Greg and Gail Carter. Mike knows the Anilao reefs inside and out, and will show you where to take that perfect wide-angle, macro or critter shot. This amazing photo clinic will provide new photographers and experienced photographers alike the opportunity to work and learn with Mike. With his skills as a naturalist knowing the critters, and as a photographer understanding composure, lighting, exposure, and how to capture critter behavior, every diver will benefit from this trip regardless of their experience level. 

Why are we diving in March...? March is a bit cooler in the Philippines and offers some great diving. Water temps range around 78-80 degrees F which is too cool for the locals, so the dive sites are our to enjoy. Expect to see tons of nudibranches, octopus activity is higher then normal and we see rhinopias too. In fact, all of the most sought after critters are present from November through May, at different times.

Anilao boasts some of the richest reefs in the world. You will be overwealmed with photo opportunities that will fill up your camera's memory card. Mike's favorite critterscan be found in Anilao - rhinopias, blue-ring octopus, hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish & Bobbit worms, along with huge schools of jacks, great barracuda, sharks, and beautiful soft corals. Anilao is also the nudibranch capital of the world!

Crystal Blue Resort features 17 well-appointed air conditioned rooms, an excellent chef, wi-fi service, nitrox blending, and a photo facility with 25 camera bays (called one of the best in the world by guests and Undercurrent). This is an intimate resort that caters to divers and underwater photographers.

• $1899 includes an amazing 10 nights, 8-1/2 dive days, 34 dives, all meals, nitrox, and night dives. Ground transport to/from Manila (add $75pp shared van) and international air fare to Manila is not included. 

• Deluxe accommodations in rooms with air-conditioning

• Small 4:1 diver to guide ratios and long dives

• Daily photo workshops to help you improve your photography

• Most sites are just 10-20 minutes from the resort

• March is a great time to dive Anilao, with cool water, great visibility, tons of critters

• Single rooms are available, please email us for rates

• 7 night stays are available for $1,475

Anilao Photo Workshop Itinerary

Day one of the trip will include two dives in the afternoon. It is recommended that you arrive either the day before and spend the night at an airport hotel, or arrive before 10am on the morning of the first day. Sorry, we can't offer refunds for missed dives if you arrive late!

Each subsequent day of the trip includes four dives, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. There will be underwater photo seminars in between dives. On the last day there will be two morning dives and departure from the resort will be on the following day.

If you are ready for some fin-tastic muck diving in Indonesia, Kungkungan Bay Resort is a great choice. This is were muck diving began in Lembeh. For the Beneath the Sea Dive Show, we are offering a great special at KBR. Save $300 per person on a 7 night dive and accommodation package and the longer you stay, the more you save...!

A 7-night package with accommodations, meals, 18 boat dives is $1560 pp - Save $300 pp

A 10-night package with accommodations, meals, 27 boat dives is $2230 pp - Save $418 pp

A 14-night package with accommodations, meals, 39 boat dives is $3060 pp - Save $698 pp 

Just in time for the Beneath the Sea Dive Show, we have a fantastic special that includes a combo deal at both the Atlantis Dumaguete and Atlantis Puerto Galera. You may also choose either resort and a combo with the Atlantis Azores liveaboard, or better yet, you can book the "7 + 7 + 7" package with a week on the Azores and a week at both Atlantis Resorts. This is diving the Philippines at its best. We current have package special rates for groups and for individuals.

Atlantis Dumaguete

 

We are showcasing this resort for the Beneath The Sea Dive Show March 22-24, 2013. We are pleased to be offering another fantastic dive resort in the "Muck Diving Captial of the World."

The Maluku Divers Resort in Laha is one of the must visit locations in any diver’s Indonesian dive list. The only dedicated dive resort in Ambon, the facility was built specifically with divers in mind and boasts the most unique and comfortable accommodations in the whole of Maluku. Each individual bungalow is over 60 square meters, with private bathroom, hot water, air conditioning and a large covered private wooden terrace. Each bungalow also has the unique feature of individual editing desks for each diver. The ten bungalows look out over Ambon Bay and the incredible muck diving and critter sites to be found there, the ultimate location for diving Ambon.

Ambon is undoubtedly famous for the world class muck diving, with a huge array of critters that can be observed and photographed during long dives at the shallow sites close to the resort. Diving in Ambon includes regular sightings of resident marine life such as rhinopias, many assorted frogfish, mandarin fish, ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimp, flamboyant cuttlefish, blue ring and hairy octopus, thorny and pygmy seahorse, stonefish, inimicus, to name but a few, along with literally hundreds of different species of nudibranch. As the Maluku Divers Resort is the only dedicated dive resort within Ambon Bay, it is “Critters Without Crowds” when diving in Ambon.

We have amazing packages to Maluku Dive Resort offering 7 nights accommodations, meals, and 3 boat dives per day plus unlimited house reef dives starting at $1550 per person with discounts for added days if you extend your vacation. Email us for details and let's blow bubbles in Ambon! 

We are featuring Palau Dive Adventures for this Beneath the Sea Dive Show Special to the island of Palau. Grab your dive buddies to take advantage of this special deal.

• Book two (2) divers, pay full price for the first diver, the second gets a 25% discount
• Book four (4) divers, pay full price for 3 divers, the 4th is FREE - Save $950
• Book eight (8) divers, pay full price for 6 divers, 2 divers are FREE - Save $1900
• Book ten (10) divers, pay full price for 7 divers, 3 divers are FREE - Save $2850 

The special discounted rate for the Beneath the Sea Dive Show for the dive package only is $950pp. Dive package includes:

• Same small group (max of 10 divers) all week (M-F) on same boat with the same guide(s), offering flexibility for group to determine dive sites and schedule

• 13  boat dives; 3 days- 3 tank dives, 2 days- 2 tank dives

• Trip to Peleliu and trip to Jellyfish Lake

• Lunch on all 5 dive days

• Nitrox to 32% free

• Drinking water, snacks, and other beverages on board

• Tanks, weights, use of dive computer and safety sausage

To make your trip complete to Palau, we can add in the accommodations and meal package at Palau Pacific Resort. The accommodations and meals are not included in the above dive packages.

Palau Pacific Resort is surrounded by the pristine, crystal blue waters of the western Pacific Ocean, combining the true spirit and culture of the islands with a tranquil ambience and beauty, in a world-famous resort destination for both scuba-divers and non-divers alike.

Palau Pacific Resort is the only luxury international resort in Palau featuring a private 1000 feet blanket of white sand beach with excellent snorkeling right off the hotel’s beach front, a freshwater outdoor beachside swimming pool and Jacuzzi overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This superb hotel has two outdoor tennis courts and a saltwater fish pond with over 200 fish, clams and stingrays. The hotel’s all-day alfresco restaurant and its fine dining restaurant offer the finest seafood and international cuisine.

Another fin-tastic offering for the 2013 Beneath the Sea Dive Show is Raja4Divers, located on Pulau Pef, a scenic exclusive private resort island, in remote central Raja Ampat West Papua. This resort features 6 water bungalows on stilts with a maximum of 18 guests at any time.

Raja4Divers redefines the Raja Ampat diving holiday by offering an authentic Papuan experience, one with nature, without compromising on quality, comfort and service. The pristine beauty of the Raja Ampat both above and below the water is truly un-rivalled. Dramatic lime-stone island outcrops dot the azure ocean, while on the larger islands, coastal mountain ranges punctuate the lush, verdant forest canopies that sweep downhill towards coconut palms on white sand beaches. The incredible topside scenery is only the beginning - as soon as you drop beneath the surface, a fairy tale wonderland awaits. The Raja Ampat is deemed a species factory for marine life, with scientists proclaiming the region as one of the Earth’s richest seascapes.

We are offering 7 night packages including full board accommodations, all gourmet meals, unlimited diving, free nitrox, 1 overnight in Sarong for transfer, water transfer from Sarong to Raja Ampat. Package $3,075 ppdo at 2013 rates.

 Pre-DEMA Las Vegas Dive Show Special - Brac Reef Resort, Cayman Brac

Got a group of dive buddies ready to travel to the Caymans? Great deal on Cayman Brac, 7 nights beachfront room, 17 boat dives, all gourmet meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and airport ground transfers. We have great flights direct to Cayman Brac from Miami on Cayman Airways and no bag fees for that dive gear! This pricing is for groups of 10 or more. Upgrades to junior suites available. Contact us for availability. And yes, you can pet the grouper.... This package is valid for travel through December 18, 2013. Book early!