Great White - Underwater Photography

Outline of our trip to the west coast of The Americas.

• Phase 1. The first week of the big trip is a specialist tour, photographing the Great Whites of Isla Guadalupe.
  We’ll be leaving from Ensenada, Mexico on the Nautilus Explorer.
  
• After Isla Guadalupe, we’re going to drive up the coast to Los Angeles, to dive in the kelp forests with seals and sea lions in the cold waters of Catalina Island.


• We’re going to try to squeeze in some sight seeing in Las Vegas before we get back to Blighty for the wedding of our good friends Paul and Heather (I must get round to writing that speech at some point!!!). Yes, it will all be kicking off at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne!


• We fly out to pick up the diving again on October 17th. Phase 2 starts half way down the California Baja, where we’re staying on land and doing day dives for a week in the Sea of Cortez.
  
• We’re going to follow this by going further out into the Sea of Cortez, staying 7 nights on board Fiesta.


• We have a few days free after Fiesta and may do some more day dives from La Paz, or make our way down to the southern coast of the Baja because our next booked stop is Socorro Island, locally known as the Mexican Galapagos. We’ll be leaving from Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of the Californian Baja, for the next 9 nights we will be aboard the Nautilus Explorer (Socorro Islands).
  
• We then have a few days on land in Cabo, followed by 7 nights on the SolmarV.


• After this we fly to San Jose, Costa Rica for our trips to the Cocos Islands, firstly on the Sea Hunter.


• After the Sea Hunter we have a couple of days on dry land before we’re out at sea again on the Okeanos Aggressor.


• We couldn’t get a liveaboard in the area over Christmas – they were fully booked 2 years in advance! – so we have a few days in San Jose, then we’re staying in the Costa Rican rain forest from 22nd to 29th Dec. We may even post some photos some top-side photos for once. Costa Rica has some of the largest Crocodiles in the world - maybe Esther will get some pictures this time! We will be bedding down at the Luna Lodge.


• We’re finishing by flying to Ecuador to get to the Galapagos for January 2009. Week 1 will be spent on Galapagos Aggressor I.


• And last but not least, week 2 – the final week of the trip, boo hoo, but it will be nice to get home for a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich – will be on SkyDancer.


Well that's about it. Plenty of diving and photography. Hope you all have a great Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all. Look forward to seeing you all again early in 2009.

Alan & Esther.