Coming soon
August 2008
Scapa Flow photography liveaboard
Details to be published shortly
Places available
Celebes Explorer Photographic Week
Borneo, Semporna Marine Park
15 November , 2008
Price per person : £1,639.00.
inc: flights, airport tax, transfers, full board (exc alcohol), all diving inc tanks & weights, all photographic tuition, not inc: Visas
Escorted by JP Trenque & Jane Morgan
3 Mythical reefs
Semporna Marine Park encompasses the islands of Mabul, Kapalai and Sipadan. Between them you couldn’t get more diverse diving. Sipadan is Malaysia’s only oceanic island, shaped by volcanic activity aeons ago. It rises 700 metres from the sea floor attracting a rich diversity of marine life. Mabul by contrast has a shallow reef profile with sandy bottom and patches of sea grass. The coral reefs at first glance do not look very picturesque and inviting. However it is the diversity of macro animals inhabiting the coral rubble and sea grass the puts Mabul on the diving map.
Sipadan
There is little need to introduce mythical Sipadan. Dubbed by the late Jacques Cousteau as “an untouched piece of art”, the island offers superb encounters with schooling barracuda, jacks and an impressive number of inquisitive turtles. Reef sharks are also very common.
Visitors are no longer permitted to stay on Sipadan, in an effort to protect the island. Divers must instead commute from neighbouring Mabul and Kapalai resorts. However, liveaboards such as the Celebes Explorer are the preferred option to make the most of your time there.
Mabul
Mabul boasts numerous muck diving sites, offering superb macro opportunities. Weird and wonderful critters such as mandarin fish and sea horses have made their homes in the area around the Sipadan Water Village.
Diving underneath Sea Ventures is an exhilarating experience. The ex oil rig is home to an incredible amount of aquatic life including several frogfish.
Kapalai
Surrounded by a huge coral reef, Kapalai is effectively another macro paradise. Although not as famous as the other 2 locations, the dive sites are teeming with rarer species like blue-ringed octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish and numerous varieties of crabs, shrimps and gobies.
Easy diving conditions, good visibility and shallow sites make Kapalai an ideal location for photographers.
For full details and booking
www.hiddendepthsdivetours.com
Mafia Island, Tanzania
January 2009
Details will be available shortly
