Revillagigedo Angels

I remember perfectly the first time I was at the foot of the imposing volcano of San Benedicto Island. A tear dropped down my cheek, not just out of emotion, but for the effort and sacrifice it takes to be away from my beloved in my home country to follow my biggest dream and passion. There is no other reason for me to live in Baja other than being able to experience the magic of the Revillagigedo Archipelago. 

TRIP OVERVIEW

This unique nine day underwater Backscatter photography expedition onboard the Nautilus Liveaboard Fleet focuses on learning and perfecting advanced wide angle photography techniques in one of the top destinations for capturing large pelagic marine life. As your private Backscatter Photo Pro throughout the entire trip, I will provide you with daily one-on-one instruction concentrating on shooting technique and image review while diving and assisting you underwater to make this the most valuable experience. The goal of this course is to study in detail every aspect of underwater photography to obtain that perfect shot.

   Revillagigedo Archipelago

Positioned in the Pacific, 235 nautical miles off the southwest coast of Baja, this group of four volcanic islands was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1994 and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2016. Socorro, San Benedicto, Roca Partida and Clarión are home to some of the most amazing pelagic species, such as giant oceanic mantas and a wide variety of sharks.

   SAN BENEDICTO     |     SOCORRO     |     ROCA PARTIDA

TRIP SCHEDULE

Day 1: When the adventure begins! This is the day we leave so we need to make sure you have all your photography equipment working properly and none of it is missing. I'll personally be at See Creatures (Nautilus Dive Center) all day long before we depart to meet you and make sure we have all that ready before heading to the Archipelago. Whether flying in the same day of our departure or some days before (SJD airport), please be at See Creatures by 7.30 pm for the mandatory captain briefing before boarding the boat at 8 pm.
Day 2: Crossing overseas during the whole day until we arrive at San Benedicto Island at night. We will go over presentations I teach to have all theory clear before the upcoming days diving in the water. We will learn about and go through photography basics, how to get the perfect exposure underwater, different strobe positioning, focusing techniques and composition, and how to get that perfect shot of a manta.
Day 3 to 7: Dive, shoot, review, and repeat! We will be doing four dives a day except for one day we must do a mandatory check-in at the local navy base, on which we will do three dives and a night silky shark snorkel. During all diving days, we will review and edit your pictures in Lightroom and Photoshop at the end of the day, referencing the photo technique based on your own images. 
Day 8: Crossing back to Cabo San Lucas. This is the right time to go through pictures and review the concepts learned during the week.
Day 9: Time to say goodbye and disembark the boat in Cabo at 8.30 am for either SJD airport or See Creatures Dive Center. The crew onboard will arrange transportation for you depending on where you want to go.

The fleet

PRICE

Price will depend on single or double occupancy and which rooms are available on the boat. The Backscatter underwater photography workshop price is separated from your cabin onboard and varies depending on how many guests want to attend.

Prices for the workshop are:
               -   1 guest: 1200 USD
               -   2 guests: 750 USD per person
               -   3 guests: 600 USD per person
               -   4 guests: 500 USD per person

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

The crossing to islands is about 26 hours and weather can sometimes be rough. If you have a history of seasickness, please bring your own personal medication. The itinerary is subject to weather conditions and dive sites can be changed on short notice for everybody’s safety.I would highly recommend you bring your own laptop with Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop downloaded beforehand to get the most of the underwater photography workshop. If you don’t have a laptop don’t worry at all, we will use mine during the trip.

For reservations, questions, or any other further information you may need, please email me at info@davidserradell.com.

Find here the Nautilus Official Pre-Trip Information Document