South-East Asia
ULTIMATE SULAWESI: LEMBEH AND BUNAKEN WITH BONNIE PELNAR
Macro and wide angle delights in Indonesia’s most photogenic hotspot
Dates: Monday 11th March - Friday 22nd March 2013 (12 days)
Leader: Bonnie Pelnar
Group Size Limit: 11 plus leader
A small school of Batfish (Bonnie Pelnar)
Bonnie Pelnar has been working in the graphic design and photographic industry for over 30 years and since 1996 has dedicated her life to her own work at Under Watercolours, marketing the dive industry, drawing on a life time of experience in photography and artistic talent. The great advantage of all her experience in this line of work is that Bonnie is continually ahead of the game in terms of new technology, new techniques and the latest concepts. Since 2003 Bonnie has focused more and more on her underwater photography workshops and courses for underwater photographers, be they beginners with compact cameras or those with a more complicated DSLR set-up. During her courses Bonnie covers subjects such as composition, lighting (both natural and strobe use), shooting modes and colour management. Where Bonnie really comes into her own is through her knowledge of digital image processing and editing, as she shares an array of tips and tricks for editing and enhancement your images in Photoshop and Elements. You can learn the basics from getting images from your camera to your computer and there is no end to the amount of technical detail that you can reach with Bonnie.
For Bonnie’s first Divequest workshop, we have chosen to travel to Indonesia’s ‘Starfish Island’ of Sulawesi to dive two of the world’s best underwater photography hotspots; The Lembeh Straits and Bunaken Marine Park. Here we can experience the ultimate combination of the world’s best muck diving coupled with the delights of the reefs and walls of the Manado Tua Marine Park.
The tour will comprise 5 nights with 4 days diving at Lembeh Resort where we can take advantage of the ‘unlimited’ shore diving off the island of Lembeh. Up to four boat dives are offered each day, with the majority of the 40+ sites within the Lembeh Strait only minutes away by boat. Divers can rest assured that they can accomplish as much diving as they desire. 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.
Following our stay at Lembeh Resort, we will transfer to the delightful Santika Seaside Hotel on the edge of the Bunaken Marine Park for 6 nights, where we can take advantage of three boat dives a day across at least 20 different dive sites. Here we will dive with Thalassa Divers, a long standing dive resort of excellent repute and a favourite of Bonnie. The walls of Bunaken harbour all our usual favourites from anemonefish to frogfish, countless nudibranchs and exquisite seascapes of hard and soft corals. Think carefully if you want your wide angle or macro lens on!
The advantage of a twin centre stay means that photographers can really get to grips with both macro and wide angle shooting techniques in Lembeh and Bunaken respectively. With a wealth of experience at shooting in both habitats, Bonnie can help you bring out the best in your photography and with the expertise of the local guides, you will never be short of subjects upon which to practice and observe. Both accommodations offer excellent photographic facilities and we will take advantage of the presentation facilities for evening critiques and discussions.
Outline Itinerary
Monday 11th March: Afternoon arrival at Manado where we transfer to Lembeh Resort for 5 nights.
Tuesday 12th March-Friday 15th March: 4 days diving and exploring the critter-filled Lembeh Straits.
Saturday 16th March: Transfer to Santika Seaside Hotel and Thalassa Divers for 6 nights.
Sunday 17th March – Thursday 21st March: 5 days of diving the Bunaken Marine Park
Friday 22nd March: Morning at leisure to dry and pack your gear before an afternoon departure from Manado airport.
For full details of the accommodation and diving, please see the Lembeh Strait and Manado sections of our website.
PRICE: $3080 Manado/Manado (provisional price, to be confirmed)
• Airport transfers
• 5 nights on a full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner), twin/share basis at Lembeh Resort.
• 11 dives on air in the Lembeh Strait.
• 6 nights on a room and breakfasts basis on a twin/share basis in a Deluxe Garden Bungalow at Santika Seaside Hotel.
• 15 dives on air in the Bunaken National Marine Park with lunch on diving days.
• Services of Bonnie Pelnar as leader.
Nitrox supplement (currently only available at Lembeh Resort): $71 (provisional price, to be confirmed)
Single occupancy supplement: $578
Deposit: Initial deposit of $400, followed by a further deposit of $400 12 months before departure.