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20-30 June, 2012 Chris Huss and Mark Strickland Photography Philippines- Macatan to Apo Island

Date Posted: 2010-07-28
Close Date: 2012-06-20

Price: 3380USD*/2600EUR *price subject to currency flux

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Philippines
June 20-30, 2012 (Southern Visayas, Macatan to Apo Island 10 Nights)

OVERVIEW

Chris Huss and Mark Strickland, professional photographers and dive tour leaders, are teaming up for a series of unique dive trips.  Destinations and dive operators will be carefully selected from their stringent criteria to provide the best opportunities for diving, comfort and photo opportunities.

By combining their individual talents and experience, Mark and Chris are providing a tremendous added value to these trips, with no additional cost to participants.

These trips will be equally appealing to photographers and non-photographers alike.

All trip participants will enjoy Mark’s popular animal ID and behavior slide shows.  Marks’ infectious enthusiasm for the marine life really comes across in these entertaining shows, and helps guests get the most from their underwater experiences.  Chris combines photos of the guests and activities during the trips with his favorite underwater photos for what he calls his “trip experience” slide show.   Copies of the show will be provided to the guests as a quicktime movie for a keepsake they can share with others.

Of special interest to underwater photographers is the availability of
twice the amount of personal one-on-one underwater photography instruction.  Regardless of skill level, from beginner to advanced shooter, Mark and Chris will tailor their instruction to suit.  While equipment varies widely, photographic principles are largely the same whether you’re shooting with a compact camera or sophisticated SLR. Instruction ranging from the basics of equipment, proper exposure, composition and digital workflow is available. Guests can even get advice in advance of the trip to help them prepare.  Additionally, there will be plenty of opportunities to review and critique your work, all with the aim of helping you get the most out of the experience and returning home with images you are proud to share.

Trip Description:

Pricing:
•3380USD*/2600EUR
*Please note prices are subject to currency flux of the Euro.

Payment Balance: To receive confirmation of your booking, the customer must pay a minimum of 50% non-refundable deposit or payment in full. The remaining balance will be due no later than 60 days before the departure date of your diving expedition. Bookings made within 60 days of the departure date of your expedition must be paid in full at the time of the booking. Late payment may be considered cancellation of contract by the customer.

Inclusions:
•Lodging and meals aboard the S/Y Philippine Siren
•All diving (up to 31 Dives including up to 5 night dives) and FREE Nitrox

Join professional underwater photographers Chris Huss and Mark Strickland for 10 days in the Philippines, diving amidst some of the richest marine life-systems on earth.  An archipelago of 7107 tropical island and islets surrounded by deep blue waters, the Philippines comprise a large portion of the renowned Coral Triangle, long recognized by scientists as the world’s center for marine biodiversity.

Your home for this adventure will be the new luxury liveaboard dive yacht S/Y Philippine Siren, custom built by World Wide Dive and Sail on the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi, she is a traditional “gaff rigged Phinisi” handcrafted from ironwood and teak. You will find no other dive liveaboard as beautiful, or as comfortable, in Philippine waters. 

 For full description of the boat visit:S/Y Philippine Siren

Exclusions:
•Marine Park Fees
•Airfare
•Transfers and any lodging or meals required while in transit to and from the boat

Itinerary:
SOUTHERN VISAYAS 10 NIGHTS
PHILIPPINES

The following is a sample itinerary of where you might dive during your holiday with us. We wish to show you the very best diving but a number of factors can determine where we visit. Weather, tides, how busy a site is with other dive vessels all play a part in the Cruise Director’s decision of which route the yacht takes. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations. The Cruise Director is happy to listen to requests from guests to visit or remain at certain sites and providing it is possible and the schedule allows, then guest’s requests are respected.

● Day 1- Arrive Mactan
Meet members of the Worldwide Dive and Sail crew at the Cebu Yacht Club, where their office is situated, at 1p.m. Board the SY Philippine Siren around 2 p.m. After boarding settle into your
cabin and assemble your equipment with help from our friendly crew. The boat briefing is followed by dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening at your leisure.
Depart for Cabilao

● Day 2- Cabilao Island
Dive 1- Cambiquiz: a fantastic spot with a gentle sloping reef and sandy bottom to 20m, great for macro sightings of ghost pipe fish and frogfish
Dive 2- Paradise Wall: gentle drift along a fantastic coral reef with schooling fish and plenty of macro life in the shallow water.
Dive 3- Lighthouse / Talisay Tree: Sloping walls full of sponges and gorgonian fans. This is a great place to look for pygmy seahorses and to dive with large green turtles.
Dive 4- Optional night dive at Panganan Island

● Day 3- Cabilao Island and Balicasag
Up to 4 dives around Balicasag and Cabilao, South Point offers you the opportunity to look for white tip reef sharks that hang out in the caverns within the steep coral wall. Black Forest offers turtles and schools of barracudas. Sanctuary is another steep coral wall covered in soft corals and gorgonian fans. A great place to find frogfish and as you end the dive you’ll be surrounded by
masses of schooling jacks in the shallows. End the days diving at Rico's Wall.

● Day 4- Balicasag and Siquijor
We start the day with a memorable dive at the Cathedral, before heading southwards to dive Paliton wall with some beautiful sponges. Ribbon eels and cuttlefish can be found in the shallow areas toward the end of the dive. We end the day with a dive at Coco Grove. Critters come out as the day ends and sea snakes and bobtail squid are regular sightings. Expect 3 great dives this day.

● Day 5- Siquijor and Apo Island
Dive 1- Lighthouse is a gentle sloping wall with plenty of hard and soft corals.
Dive 2- Apo Island: Rock Point East is a favourite for turtles.
Dive 3- Boluarte is a hot spot for nudibranchs and you can also see bubbles underwater coming from the active volcano.
Dive 4- Chapel offers up the opportunity to observe mandarin fish mating.

● Day 6- Apo Island
Start the day with a drift dive on Mamsa Point where you’ll hang out with schooling jacks. Do the next three dives in the muck diving area of Dauin, on Negros Island, perfect for macro spotting. Ghost pipe fish, frogfish, nudibranchs and many more can be found.

● Day 7- Apo Island
Do another 3 dives at around Apo Island, including Coconut Point and Kantipanan before cruising northwards to Southern Cebu.

● Day 8- Cebu and Sumillon Island
Weather dependant we will dive the Wall of Death on the southern point of Cebu. It is one of several dives in this area along a steep wall combined with dives in shallower water. Currents can be very strong and the diving here is for experienced divers. Hard and soft corals, sponges, many nudibranchs and frogfish can be found. Sumillon Island is a marine sanctuary with hard corals,
sand slopes, many coral fish, small caverns and sometimes sharks.

● Day 9- Panglao Island and Cabilao
Arco point has a sloping reef with a chimney through a reef wall. Bumphead parrotfish may be sighted. We then cruise north and dive twice off Cabilao. Pygmy seahorses, ghost pipe fish, frogfish, turtles and more are often sighted here.

● Day 10- Olango and Mactan Island
Talima reef wall has soft and whip corals and the wreckage of a small banca provides a haven for grouper, sweetlips and snappers with schooling jacks, batfish and barracuda come of the regular sightings. Tambuli offers divers a final gentle dive nudibranch spotting; other critters include mantis shrimp, ghost pipefish and seahorses. The number of dives is dependant on your onward
flight arrangements. In the evening enjoy a BBQ on the boat and start planning your next adventure aboard the Siren Fleet.

● Day 11- Disembark in Mactan
After breakfast say your farewells and disembark the SY Philippine Siren. Depart around 10 a.m.

 Mark Strickland and Chris Huss Bios

Mark Strickland’s life-long interest in the sea has included over 10,000 dives and careers as lifeguard, boat captain and scuba instructor. His passion for underwater photography has led him to many top dive locales, including Thailand, where he spent 17 years as Cruise Director on a series of live-aboards. An avid marine naturalist, Mark has discovered several nudibranch species. He is co-author and principle photographer for Lonely Planet’s award-winning book, “Diving and Snorkeling Thailand”, and his work appears in many magazines, books and displays around the world. Currently, Mark leads several dive trips each year to his favorite destinations, while working on a career-spanning large-format pictorial book. For a sampling of Mark’s work, visit www.markstrickland.com. 

Chris Huss has been a full-time professional photographer since 1981 after earning a degree in photography and film-making from the University of Washington. Chris's passion for the marine world was in full swing by age 14 when he started taking photos underwater with an instamatic camera protected by a plastic bag. He has since received over 60 national and international awards for his photography and has been published in countless magazines, books, calendars, brochures and postcards. His list of publication credits and clients include: National Geographic, Vogue, Natural History, The New York Times, American Express, Time-Life, ABC, Alaska Airlines, Hallmark, and Nikon. He is also a frequent presenter at underwater film festivals and leads groups on dive/photo trips all around the world.  His work can be previewed at www.chrishuss.com.

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