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THE BALI PHOTOQUEST

Reef and wreck image making 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.

This is Martin’s second visit to Scuba Seraya. He found the photographic opportunities so immense, the comfort of the resort conducive to some serious relaxation and the attitude of the staff so welcoming and helpful, that he is keen to return. The relative ease with which Denpasar in Bali can be reached by air and the relatively short road transfer time between the resort and the airport make this is a perfect choice for both underwater photographers and also their non-diving partners.

The Liberty, a 120 metre-long ship, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Lombok strait in January 1942. She made it back to shore, but not to port, with the captain running the vessel aground on the beach at Tulamben. However, in 1963, Mount Gunung Agung erupted and lava flows from the volcano pushed the wreck to its current resting place, around 30 metres off-shore.

The wreck has retained much of its superstructure, but is now completely clothed in corals and inhabited by an extraordinary concentration of marine life. The holes and structures of the ship create interesting shapes and patterns. With the depth of the wreck being between 3 and 28 metres, it is very suitable for underwater photography. Marine life is stunning and you can expect to see some lovely soft corals along with featherstars and crinoids, as well as some interesting hydroids, fastened to the boat. Colourful invertebrates can often be overlooked as potential ‘stars’ for underwater photographs, but you will have ample time to study these for yourself.

The reef fish population is also very good with surgeonfish, angelfish and the colourful Coral Trout (or Coral Groupers) being common residents. Of course everyone hopes an Ocean Sunfish will just pass by (as it did when Alex Mustard dived here recently!), but it is probably best not to expect such a rare visitor. Scrawled Filefish and Great Barracudas make good subjects for fish portraits. Spotted Garden Eels and goatfish are to be found in the sandy areas shorewards of the wreck.

Night dives on the wreck are truly magnificent and you will find ‘flowering’ cup corals and the shiny eyes of shrimps everywhere. There are at least a couple of species of lionfish that lurk in the shadows. Look out for the not-often-seen free-swimming crinoids that use the cover of darkness to find a new location for their next holdfast.

The Liberty wreck is, perhaps, the most famous ‘shore’ dive in the world, but by making this a boat dive, Martin will choose his moments for shooting. He will plan his time to dive so he knows the light and how it will fall through the wreck, creating patterns and shapes from the boat’s infrastructure and the amazing life that inhabits the wreck.

Of course there will also be opportunity to shoot other dive sites as well, including the famous house reef at Scuba Seraya, known as Secrets of Seraya. At first glimpse you may not find the beach at Seraya the most beautiful, but for photographers the dark sand offers a foil for the incredibly colourful marine life that lives here. Search the patches of hard coral and small sponges for invertebrates. Frogfish and seahorses can be located hiding amongst the sponges at slightly deeper depths, but even in the shallows there are boxer crabs with their anemone ‘fists’ and some resident harlequin shrimps. They can make fascinating, but perhaps gruesome, subjects for photographs if you can locate them eating their way through a starfish!

With his inside knowledge of the diving and conditions in this area, Martin can guide you towards achieving fabulous results, whatever level of experience you have and with whatever camera equipment you use.

Outline Itinerary

Sunday 24th May: Singapore Airlines midday flight from London (Heathrow) bound for Denpasar via Singapore.

Monday 25th May: Afternoon arrival in Denpasar. Transfer to Scuba Seraya for a 10 nights stay.

Tuesday 26th May – Wednesday 3rd June: Nine days of diving in the Seraya area.

Thursday 4th June: Morning at leisure to dry and pack your gear before an early lunch. In the afternoon you will be transferred back to Denpasar airport for an early evening flight to London via Singapore.

Friday 5th June: Early morning arrival at London (Heathrow) Airport.

£966 Denpasar/Denpasar

Includes:

• Airport transfers.

• 10 nights room and breakfast accommodation at Scuba Seraya Resort in a Maisonette Room.

• 9 days of diving (including 2 boat dives daily and unlimited unguided shore diving).

• Services of Martin Edge and Sylvia Edge as leaders.

Nitrox supplement: US$5 per fill, payable locally.

Room Upgrade to Ocean View Villa: £253

Single Room Supplement: £239 in a Maisonette Room (or £492 in an Ocean View Villa). Please note that, while we will endeavour to find a room-mate for those on the tour who are single travellers 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: £400 (for the Denpasar/Denpasar arrangements)

For details of the diving and accommodation, please see the Scuba Seraya section of our general Bali holiday description.

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 £842 to Denpasar. 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 and Denpasar via 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. Bali is famous for its rich culture and beautiful scenery. We can arrange extra time for you in Bali in any hotel category of you choice or you can simply stay longer at Scuba Seraya. Talk to us about the possibilities.