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THE SULAWESI PHOTOQUEST: GANGGA, BANGKA & LEMBEH

Soft coral extravaganza and weird creatures with Martin and Sylvia Edge

Underwater images have the power to thrill the mind, to make one wonder at the marvels of the deep, the colours that nature arranges, the patterns and the shapes. And what admiration we have for the underwater photographers who have achieved these visual marvels. Can we do the same? Can we create such miracles of shape, texture, colour and light? Apply a little vision, a lot of imagination and Martin and Sylvia Edge will guide you towards ‘making’ images, not just ‘taking’ images.

Martin and Sylvia have worked with Divequest from the earliest days of its inception and have many years of experience on which to draw to develop the most stimulating, rewarding and enjoyable trips. Your photography skills will be propelled in leaps and bounds towards that ultimate, perfect underwater image. Martin is a great underwater photographer, for sure, but what really drives him and stimulates his interest more than anything else is teaching others. Little wonder that Martin’s students refer to him as their ‘guru’!

Photoquests are not about how much you know, how much equipment you use or even how much experience you have. They are about making wonderful images, about achieving your potential and, ultimately, having fun. Being amongst a group of like-minded friends who are also keen and eager to improve their photography is a huge advantage over taking a trip with the general diving public.

Photoquests are not about diving in large groups, following a timetable of events, attending formal talks or lectures. You dive when you want and with whom you choose. You don’t have to follow the dive guide unless you choose to! Some divers go their own way; some prefer to dive with Martin or with Sylvia and pick up ‘tricks of the trade’ by observation or by demonstration. Do things at your own pace. While as much photo dive time as possible will be provided, it will be up to you to decide how best to spend your time. Regimentation is avoided at all costs.

Why travel with Martin and Sylvia when you could go it alone? Firstly, Martin has no secrets. Everything he knows he will share with you. Secondly, if you chose, Martin will dive and take pictures with you, side by side: dive together, shoot together. Martin will point out both macro and wide-angle opportunities: teach you how to use your eyes, your mind, your memory and your imagination to enable to see ‘in pictures’, to see in your mind’s eye what the lens may capture.

Sylvia works along side Martin to compliment the work he does. Careful management of trip logistics ensures that the topside service and diving management works for each individual in as efficient manner as possible. During the ‘working’ day, Sylvia will conduct a series of modelling workshops and tutorials both in and out of the water. Topics include working with your model, selecting the right mask, fins and wetsuit to maximise the visual impact of the image and using a handlight to improve your images.

Sylvia is usually on hand to provide an effective buddy service or model. Her optional ‘Compositional Class’ is a popular speciality.

The combination of stunning soft coral reef vistas and seascapes at Gangga and Bangka Islands with unique ‘creature encounters’ in Lembeh Strait offers an amazing series of photo-opportunities for the underwater photographer. Combine this with easy air travel on the excellent Singapore Airlines, very comfortable accommodations, lots of diving and Martin Edge and you have the ideal trip for those wanting to further their underwater photography skills.

On arrival in Manado we will take a road journey to the very tip of this starfish-shaped island and then transfer by boat across the Bangka Strait to the small island of Gangga where we will stay for 7 nights. Gangga Island has just 15 comfortable wooden bungalows built amongst lush gardens. Diving will start on the first morning and for the next 6 days you will be able to take 3 dives each day. There will be boat dives, shore dives, night dives and also Mandarinfish dives. Our time here will allow us to fully explore the Bangka and Gangga Island dive sites as well as those of the islands of Talisei and Lehaga.

Bangka is famed for flowing soft corals, but there are also some large Acropora corals too. Angelfish, tuna and jacks inhabit these dive sites, where you may also encounter some young sharks, barracudas and some technicolour parrotfish. Maximum depths are around 25 – 30 metres, but there are many, many photo-opportunities to be had in the shallower depths. Lehaga Island is close to Gangga Island and has a lovely selection of hard corals including some beautiful coral gardens with mushroom corals and table corals. Search here for cowries, both ‘slashing’ and ‘spearing’ mantis shrimps, and beautiful sweetlips (whose facial features may well remind you of the film star Angelina Joli!). The ever-photogenic anemones and their clown fish partners will provide a superb focus for images with colour and movement. Talisei Island is to the north of Gangga and can have some strong currents, so we will endeavour to visit when the conditions will facilitate good photography. This is an area where soft and hard corals can be found as well as some interesting nudibranchs, Napoleon Wrasse and Banded Sea Snakes. Large tuna visit this area, particularly when the current is running.

On our final morning at Gangga we will pack our clothes, but not our dive gear as we will be diving on our way to the Lembeh Strait. After two dives and lunch we will reach Kungkungan Bay Resort for the next part of our photo-adventure.

Kungkungan Bay Resort is well-known to divers the world over for its comfort and facilities, as well as its great access to the bizarre world of strange creatures. The resort is built within an old coconut plantation with the rooms and suites scattered throughout the gardens. There is a lovely pool and if the weather is clement the resort can arrange a barbecue in the evenings.

With the furthest dive site being 15 minutes boat ride from the resort, and the average boat journey taking just 5 minutes, there is obviously plenty of time for photography. The reefs are shallow and usually lacking in current. Though universally famed for its ‘muck diving’, Lembeh Strait has more to offer, including three World War II shipwrecks and some lovely hard coral gardens.

Unlimited shore diving is available during your stay, so you will really have chance to dive as much as you like. Just make sure that you take plenty of memory cards as you are almost sure to fill more than you think!

Outline Itinerary

Sunday 3rd October: Singapore Airlines midday flight from London (Heathrow) bound for Singapore (or morning flight from Manchester).

Monday 4th October: Morning arrival in Singapore. Connect with morning Silk Air flight bound for Manado. Afternoon arrival in Manado. Transfer to Gangga Island for a 7 nights stay.

Tuesday 5th October–Sunday 10th October: Six days of boat and shore diving to explore the wonderful soft corals and reef vistas of the region.

Monday 11th October: Morning departure from Gangga Resort and after enjoying two dives and lunch en route we will arrive at Kungkungan Bay Resort in the afternoon.

Tuesday 12th October–Sunday 17th October: Six days amongst the weird, wonderful and bizarre creatures in the Lembeh Strait.

Monday 18th October: Morning at leisure before packing up the gear and transferring to Manado airport for a Silk Air afternoon flight to Singapore. Evening departure from Singapore on Singapore Airlines bound for London or Manchester.

Tuesday 19th October: Morning arrival at London (Heathrow) or Manchester.

£2378 Manado/Manado (provisional price, to be confirmed)

Includes:

• Airport/resort transfers.

• 7 nights full board at Gangga Island Resort.

• 7 days of diving (a total of 18 boat and guided shore dives).

• 7 nights full board in a Plantation House or a Cottage Suite room at Kungkungan Bay Resort.

• 6 days of diving (3 boat dives daily plus unlimited shore diving tanks), dive guides on boat dives.

• Services of Martin Edge and Sylvia Edge.

All prices below are provisional and to be confirmed.

Nitrox supplement at Kungkungan Bay: £74

Room Upgrade to Deluxe Room at Kungkungan Bay Resort: £87

Single Occupancy Supplement: £212 (there is no additional supplement for a Deluxe Room at Kungkungan Bay Resort). Please note that, while we will endeavour to find a room-mate for those on the expedition who are travelling alone and would prefer to share accommodation, in the event of a room-mate not being available the single occupancy supplement will apply. Room-mates will be allocated on a first-come first served basis.

Deposit: £500 (for the Manado/Manado arrangements)

For more details of the diving and accommodation, please see our general Gangga, Bangka & Sangihe and Lembeh Strait holiday descriptions.

Note: Should two people travelling together apply for the last place on the tour, we may, at our discretion, increase the group size limit by one.

Flights: From about £834 to Manado. We will quote you the airfare applicable, based on current fare levels and booking class availability, at the time of booking, based on your individual requirements (for example, you may want to extend your holiday, or travel from an airport other than London, or use a different airline). Our quote will include all taxes and fuel supplements applicable at the time of quotation, as well as our service charge.

HOLIDAY COMBINATIONS, STOP-OVERS AND ADDITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS: Flights between London (or Manchester) and Singapore are operated daily so it is quite simple to stop-over in Singapore if you wish. The lovely Marina Mandarin hotel offers comfort, luxury, a chance to do a touch of shopping, explore the orchid gardens of Singapore or simply enjoy some fantastic food. For those who would like to explore the reefs of the Bunaken Marine Park, why not take a few extra days and stay in any of our Manado resorts: Santika Seaside Resort, Tasik Ria Resort, or the more luxurious Kima Bajo Resort & Spa or Minahasa Lagoon. Talk to us about the possibilities.