SIPADAN, BORNEO

Date: (1)

Author: Jason Isley

September this year saw the fourth Martin Edge Photo Expedition visit the shores of Pulau Sipadan in Borneo. Almost 30 keen British underwater photographers, with cameras clutched in hand, convened at Sipadan Dive Centre for ten days of unadulterated underwater photography study and worship. With Martin at the helm, this little oceanic island witnessed an event that was to be a voyage into the world of underwater images and one worthy to have taken place in 1998, Year of the Oceans.

:nbsp; Most participants were repeat students of Martin's courses and by all accounts, this year's trip was as good if not better than previous years. The main reason being that the weather and conditions allowed for both wide angle and macro disciplines to be explored to the full. A trip over to one of Sipadan's neighboring islands, Mabul for some of the very best macro diving in SE Asia was also arranged. Finally, to kick start the launch of a new photo operation servicing all divers visiting the various islands, Scubazoo Images handled all the photo slide processing. Under the faultless guidance of E-6 photo expert, Evie Gagne, participants were able to see their results straight away with a total of 330 rolls of film being developed over the ten days.

:nbsp; It would appear that Sipadan, Malaysia, despite its uncertain future, still remains one of the best locations anywhere for such an expedition. The proximity of the diving to the dive centre's facilities is unmatched. Within ten minutes of sipping away at your cup of coffee at the water's edge deliberating whether or not to take the plunge, you can find yourself down at thirty metres, clicking away. Once there, the plethora of photogenic fauna and flora posing for the cameras is mind boggling. Whether it be pelagics such as sharks, schooling barracudas and big-eye trevally or the hundreds of resident turtles or simply the thousands of friendly reef fish that populate the reef; the diversity and fecundity of the reefs has to be seen to be believed. While having great macro subjects in its own right, with the unbelievable macro opportunities on surrounding islands - Sipadan is clearly still a world class destination.
:nbsp; However, by all accounts, the uniqueness of the event did not rest here. The attitude and teaching style of the event's guru and mentor, Martin Edge needs to be highlighted. Those of us that have met and spent time with some of the world's better underwater photographers will probably agree they can be a curious breed. However, Martin's selfless approach and commitment and dedication to the job in hand sets him apart from the rest. That job as he described it, was to improve the images that each individual produces with every dive. The most valuable trade secrets that most photographers guard like a hawk hiding its prey with its mantle, Martin unreservedly passed on to his students. For most photographers, those trade secrets are theirs and only theirs. For Martin, the rewards that he got from this imparting of worldly knowledge was in the images that the individuals produced throughout the expedition.
:nbsp; While not a course as such, Martin poured over participants' shots taken earlier that day, long into the night. It was amazing that he had any time to take his own photos and see the results! With his great sense of humour and his diving stories; the tips and hints he offered result in an dramatic change in the quality of everyone's shots over the ten days. For sure, as Sipadan is unique in its splendour, Martin is unique in his 110% commitment to the improvement of his student's underwater images.
:nbsp; For entertainment, a couple of competitions were organised. Firstly, each participant had to guess the total amount spent on photography equipment by the group. Gillian Whitmore was the winner guessing closest to the amazing total of 107,000.00 pounds worth of photography equipment needed to make this mini festival of underwater images possible. To round off the trip, a photo competition was held on the last night where all participants enter their 3 favourite photos. Everyone voted for the winning shots including all the dive centre's staff and the resort's other dive guests. The three winners were then announced as follows: 1st - Jason Isley, 2nd - Gary Clarke and 3rd Mikayo Langhofer.
:nbsp; First place winner, Jason Isley had only been taking photos for less than a year. He was the the only participant not to have been taught by Martin before the trip. Thus, he was looking for lots of technical advice and an overall increased hit rate with his photos from each dive. Together, with Martin's help and by communicating with the other participants, seeing their ideas and discussing their techniques, clearly - his expectations from the trip were very much exceeded!
:nbsp; Although Sipadan is not on the agenda for another of Martin's expeditions in 1999 due to the uncertainty of this diving paradise's future; hopefully there will be another trip there in the year 2000. It seems that other locations will be lucky enough to have Martin and his team visit their reefs next year. For an unforgettable and completely rewarding experience of all things relating to underwater photography as well as getting some great diving in - book now while there's still room!September this year saw the fourth Martin Edge Photo Expedition visit the shores of Pulau Sipadan in Borneo. Almost 30 keen British underwater photographers, with cameras clutched in hand, convened at Sipadan Dive Centre for ten days of unadulterated underwater photography study and worship. With Martin at the helm, this little oceanic island witnessed an event that was to be a voyage into the world of underwater images and one worthy to have taken place in 1998, Year of the Oceans.
:nbsp; Most participants were repeat students of Martin's courses and by all accounts, this year's trip was as good if not better than previous years. The main reason being that the weather and conditions allowed for both wide angle and macro disciplines to be explored to the full. A trip over to one of Sipadan's neighboring islands, Mabul for some of the very best macro diving in SE Asia was also arranged. Finally, to kick start the launch of a new photo operation servicing all divers visiting the various islands, Scubazoo Images handled all the photo slide processing. Under the faultless guidance of E-6 photo expert, Evie Gagne, participants were able to see their results straight away with a total of 330 rolls of film being developed over the ten days.
:nbsp; It would appear that Sipadan, Malaysia, despite its uncertain future, still remains one of the best locations anywhere for such an expedition. The proximity of the diving to the dive centre's facilities is unmatched. Within ten minutes of sipping away at your cup of coffee at the water's edge deliberating whether or not to take the plunge, you can find yourself down at thirty metres, clicking away. Once there, the plethora of photogenic fauna and flora posing for the cameras is mind boggling. Whether it be pelagics such as sharks, schooling barracudas and big-eye trevally or the hundreds of resident turtles or simply the thousands of friendly reef fish that populate the reef; the diversity and fecundity of the reefs has to be seen to be believed. While having great macro subjects in its own right, with the unbelievable macro opportunities on surrounding islands - Sipadan is clearly still a world class destination.
:nbsp; However, by all accounts, the uniqueness of the event did not rest here. The attitude and teaching style of the event's guru and mentor, Martin Edge needs to be highlighted. Those of us that have met and spent time with some of the world's better underwater photographers will probably agree they can be a curious breed. However, Martin's selfless approach and commitment and dedication to the job in hand sets him apart from the rest. That job as he described it, was to improve the images that each individual produces with every dive. The most valuable trade secrets that most photographers guard like a hawk hiding its prey with its mantle, Martin unreservedly passed on to his students. For most photographers, those trade secrets are theirs and only theirs. For Martin, the rewards that he got from this imparting of worldly knowledge was in the images that the individuals produced throughout the expedition.
:nbsp; While not a course as such, Martin poured over participants' shots taken earlier that day, long into the night. It was amazing that he had any time to take his own photos and see the results! With his great sense of humour and his diving stories; the tips and hints he offered result in an dramatic change in the quality of everyone's shots over the ten days. For sure, as Sipadan is unique in its splendour, Martin is unique in his 110% commitment to the improvement of his student's underwater images.
:nbsp; For entertainment, a couple of competitions were organised. Firstly, each participant had to guess the total amount spent on photography equipment by the group. Gillian Whitmore was the winner guessing closest to the amazing total of 107,000.00 pounds worth of photography equipment needed to make this mini festival of underwater images possible. To round off the trip, a photo competition was held on the last night where all participants enter their 3 favourite photos. Everyone voted for the winning shots including all the dive centre's staff and the resort's other dive guests. The three winners were then announced as follows: 1st - Jason Isley, 2nd - Gary Clarke and 3rd Mikayo Langhofer.
:nbsp; First place winner, Jason Isley had only been taking photos for less than a year. He was the the only participant not to have been taught by Martin before the trip. Thus, he was looking for lots of technical advice and an overall increased hit rate with his photos from each dive. Together, with Martin's help and by communicating with the other participants, seeing their ideas and discussing their techniques, clearly - his expectations from the trip were very much exceeded!
:nbsp; Although Sipadan is not on the agenda for another of Martin's expeditions in 1999 due to the uncertainty of this diving paradise's future; hopefully there will be another trip there in the year 2000. It seems that other locations will be lucky enough to have Martin and his team visit their reefs next year. For an unforgettable and completely rewarding experience of all things relating to underwater photography as well as getting some great diving in - book now while there's still room! Other reports from SIPADAN, BORNEO:   (2)

Other reports from South-East Asia