Sea of Cortez Photo Workshop 2024
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Why Join This Trip? - Trip Overview - Inclusions & Exclusions
Accommodations - Workshops - How to Get There - Trip Leader - Payment Schedule
Sea of Cortez Photo Workshop 2024
Join us for sea lions, sperm whales, whale sharks, and some awesome macro life!
August 24 - 31, 2024
Trip Leader: Mark Hatter
7 Nights for only $2,995
Why Join This Trip?
✓ 25% off rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo
✓ The Rocio Del Mar is one of the most experienced liveaboards sailing in the Sea of Cortez
✓ Daily photo workshops
✓ Dive in an area Jacques Cousteat called the Aquarium of the World
✓ Big animal sightings like whale sharks, sea lions, dolphins, sperm whales and much more
✓ Easiest liveaboard in the US - fly or drive to Phoenix, AZ
Trip Overview
This trip offers a great combination of awesome big animals and fascinating macro life. There's always something for everyone. PLUS, it's really easy to get to - only a 4-hour drive from Phoenix, AZ!
The Sea of Cortez is home to sea lions, whale sharks, mantas and mobula rays, dolphins and huge schools of fish. Sperm whales, pilot whales, and dolphins are also commonly spotted!
It doesn't just stop there as the Sea of Cortez is also a perfect place to practice your macro photography skills. You will get to see nice varieties of nudibranchs, Panamic arrow crabs, Pacific seahorses, jawfish, small and big octopuses, frogfish and blennies.
Some macro photos from our 2019 trip to the Sea of Cortez
The boat will depart from Puerto Peñasco at 6 pm on Saturday and then travel for 12 hours to arrive the next morning for a 7 am dive. You will be diving 3-4 times per day on this trip. Here's a sample day-by-day itinerary of this trip:
- Day 1 - Embark at 5 pm in Puerto Peñasco. Depart at 6 pm
- Day 2 - Wake up at Refugio Bay on Angel Island
- Potential Dive sites: Angel Rock, La Vela, Lolo’s Cove, Sunset Zodiak Cruise with Sea Lions
- Day 3 - Angel Island
- Potential Dive sites: Andrea’s Eagle, El Aquario, Las Vivoras, Las Vivoras including a night dive
- Day 4 - San Pedro Martir
- Potential Dive sites: El Arroyo, Punta Martir (Sea Lions), Chayo’s Cove
- Day 5 - San Pedro Martir
- Potential Dive sites: Ravijunco, Xareni’s Pinnacle, Coromel, Morrito, in the afternoon we go looking for whales!
- Day 6 - Salsipuedes & Animas
- Potential Dive sites: Los Cuervos, El Caballo, In Animas, El Lavadero, El Lavadero including a night dive
- Day 7 - Baja and Snorkeling with Whale Sharks in Bahia De Los Angeles
- Potential Dive sites: El Pescador, Baja Ca., start heading back to Puerto Penasco in afternoon
- Day 8 - Disembark at 7 am
To learn more about what you can expect from this Sea of Cortez trip, check out this trip report or see how our 2019 trip to the Sea of Cortez went. You may also read the reviews on diving the Sea of Cortez here.
Inclusions
✓ Three meals per day & snacks,
✓ Beverages including soft drinks, juice, domestic beer & wine
✓ One morning of whale shark snorkeling, & several dives with a friendly sea lion colony
✓ Tanks, weights & weight belts
Exclusions
✗ Transfers from Phoenix airport ($125 roundtrip)
✗ Park fees ($28)
✗ Fuel Surcharge, if applicable (none currently)
✗ Nitrox ($120)
✗ Gratuity
✗ Mexican Tourist Card: purchased at the border ($36 CASH ONLY)
✗ Travel Insurance: click here to learn more about our preferred plan
About the Rocio del Mar
The Rocio Del Mar is an 89-foot liveaboard yacht that offers 10 cabins for up to 20 divers. One of the best parts of the trip is the friendly, knowledgeable staff of the Rocio, the delicious Mexican cuisine, and the spacious room provided for underwater photographers to prepare their equipment before and after each dive, so you can be sure you'll be able to document your underwater encounters with the large pelagics completely.
All of the yacht's rooms have private bathrooms with hot shower stalls, Western-style toilets, lavatories, and above height window. Each cabin is air-conditioned. There are room length windows with privacy curtains and convenient gear and clothes storage drawers beneath the beds.
Check this page to see more details and customer reviews on the Rocio Del Mar.
Daily Photo Workshops
Workshops will be given daily on topics such as wide-angle underwater photography, ambient light shots, snorkeling with large animals, strobe exposure and positions, avoiding backscatter and composition. Help underwater is also given.
Check out this page for more information on what to expect from our photography workshops as well as some testimonials!
Flight Information
Trip attendees will fly in and out of Phoenix, Arizona, which is the closest international airport. You should fly in on Saturday morning and arrive before 11 am. For return flights, book anytime after 2 pm.
Head Out To Rocky Point offers a shuttle service to and from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and takes you directly to the boat. It takes approximately 3.5-4 hours. The cost is $150 per person, round trip. All passengers will be picked up at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport at 1pm, Terminal 4, Door 5 outside on the far side of the street. The shuttles are clearly marked Head Out To Rocky Point. The shuttle will stop at the border so passengers can purchase Mexico Tourist Cards. If you choose to stay at a hotel the evening prior, be sure to be back at the airport by 12:30 so you can comfortably get to the shuttle departure area by 1pm. On disembarkation day the shuttle departs the boat at 7am.
Book the round-trip Head Out to Rocky Point Shuttle - Click Here
About The Trip Leader
Mark Hatter is an accomplished photojournalist who has had nearly one hundred feature articles with many hundreds of images published in more than two dozen fly fishing and diving publications over the last two decades. His most recent destination features have appeared in Alert Diver and Diver (UK) magazines.
Mark has traveled the world in pursuit of new underwater photography challenges, including cold-water destinations such as British Columbia and even Antarctica in January 2018.
“Of course, I love shooting in tropical locations but I think cold water diving is a great forcing function to hone one’s photography skills as the environment and equipment are much more demanding of a diver. Good image capture in cold water is particularly rewarding.” Mark tells us.
Mark has been shooting underwater since the early 1980s and has worked in both film and digital mediums in his photojournalism pursuits. In 35 years of diving, Mark has logged over 2000 hours, much of it doing underwater photography. Currently, he teaches underwater photography classes locally at Seminole Scuba in Lake Mary, Florida. More about Mark here.
Payment Schedule
Deposit: $825
Payment 2: $725, due on January 15, 2024
Balance: $1,445, due on April 15, 2024
Got Questions? Ready to Book?
Call Bluewater Travel at +1-310-915-6677 or email info@bluewaterdivetravel.com and let them book your dream vacation at the best price!
Photo Gallery
Sea of Cortez Underwater Photos from Previous Trips
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