The Caribbean
THE CAYMAN PHOTOQUEST
Dates: Saturday 5th May - Tuesday 15th May 2012 (11 days)
Leaders: Sylvia Edge , Martin Edge
Group Size Limit: 14 plus leaders
Lady and reef (Ocean Frontiers)
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.
Martin and Sylvia have selected Grand Cayman as the site of this Photoquest, as diving in the Cayman Islands is certainly some of the best in the Caribbean. The topography of these islands lends itself to fabulous visibility and fascinating ‘landscape’ dives with sheer walls, shallow ‘groove and spur’ formations, overhangs, and swim-throughs. As most of Cayman is a marine park, these waters are well protected and fish and shark life is good, unlike in other Caribbean destinations affected by over-fishing.
Martin and Sylvia wish to take advantage of two of Grand Cayman’s unique dive attractions; Stingray City and the newly sunk Kittiwake wreck off Cayman’s west end. We will be staying at Compass Point condominiums and diving with Ocean Frontiers. They offer impeccable service and we have tailor made a unique programme that will yield excellent photographic opportunities. Martin and Sylvia will be spending more time than usual on back to basics trouble shooting sessions and we will be able to use the on-site pool for additional tuition, should anyone require it.
The Kittiwake was built in Georgia and commissioned July 18, 1946. She had an illustrious service for over 54 years, and was finally decommissioned in 1994. On the 5th January 2011 she found her new watery home in Grand Cayman. She is just over 20 metres/60 ft under the water and rests on a flat sandy patch. The top of the wreck is only 5 metres/15 ft from the surface. There are 5 decks on the 16 metre/47 ft tall Kittiwake. The upper decks accommodate the 2 bridges along with the radio and navigation room. The captain’s quarters are also located on the upper decks. On the main deck, from bow to stern, you will find the rec room, mess hall, ironing room, small tool workshop and recompression chambers. You will note the large a-frame structure on the stern that supported submarines and hard hat divers, as well as the diving bell where divers would enter to return to the ship from the ocean and then be placed in the chambers for decompression.?Below the main deck, 2 decks exist that include the crew quarters, hospital station, engine and propulsion rooms, air bank storage and compressors, as well as the steering gear, shaft, gyro, ammunition lockers, cold storage and barber shop to name a few areas. While the Kittiwake has been opened up with large access holes both vertically and horizontally, every space on the ship was used while in service.
Whilst the Kittiwake hasn’t been down long enough for her to attract much coral growth, the superstructure is picturesque and several large fish have already made their home on the wreck. Kindly note that due to local regulations, it is not possible to perform three consecutive dives on the Kittiwake. We will do one dive here followed by a second dive on a local wreck, followed by a third dive on the Kittiwake.
Please see ‘The Cayman Islands’ section of our website for full details about the diving of Grand Cayman and a full description of Compass Point Condominiums and Ocean Frontiers Dive Shop.
We have left one full day at the end of the trip free so that you may enjoy exploring the island in your own car. Should you wish you can do an additional day of diving, bookable locally subject to availability.
Outline Itinerary
Saturday 5th May: Afternoon/evening arrival at Grand Cayman. Self drive to Compass Point Condominiums for a 10 nights stay.
Sunday 6th May-Sunday 13th May: Eight days of diving Grand Cayman.
Monday 14th May: Day at leisure to explore the island or do more dives locally.
Tuesday 15th May: Midday departure from Compass Point
For details of the diving and accommodation, please see The Cayman Islands section of our website.
$3355 Grand Cayman/Grand Cayman
Includes:
• Car hire throughout your stay.
• 10 nights room and breakfast accommodation at Compass Point Condominiums in a one bedroom Oceanfront condominium on a twin/share basis.
• 3 pool side buffet dinners
• 8 days of diving (including 1 day of three tank diving at Stingray City/Sand Bar, one day of three tank diving at Kittiwake plus similar, three days of three tank diving and three days of four tank diving).
• Services of Martin Edge and Sylvia Edge as leaders.
Nitrox supplement: US$12 per fill, payable locally. Kindly note that this is a special rate, for member of the Photoquest only.
Important: If two couples wish to share a two bedroom condominium, you can deduct $370 from the above cost. If you do not have a travelling companion, but do not wish to have single occupancy of a one bedroom condominium, you could elect to share a two bedroom condominium with a room mate, should another single photographer book on to the trip.
Single Room Supplement: $755 in a one bedroom condominium. 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: $600 (for the Grand Cayman/Grand Cayman arrangements)
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.
HOLIDAY COMBINATIONS, STOP-OVERS AND ADDITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS: Whilst in The Cayman Islands, why not take advantage of some of the Caribbean’s best shore diving at Little Cayman? In addition there are regular flights between Grand Cayman and New York so why not take the chance to stop-over in the Big Apple? Talk to us about the possibilities.
Two Rays (Rachel Lee Horsfield)