Jaymack83 - Bluewater Dive Travel

Jaymack83

Jaymack83

My Dive Map

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    • - Click on the map to "pin" where you have dived
    • - Type in the name of the dive location, e.g. La Paz, Baja, Mexico
    • - Click on the plus sign to zoom in on the map
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Reviews (2)

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Anilao

5
5
5
4

I'm an intermediate underwater photographer, so this review is written through that lens (pun intended).

I had always read that Lembeh was more difficult to get to than Anilao, but an overall better destination for macro because it had a bit more diversity and that diversity was more dense. Having been to both once each now, I don't find that true. While maybe seasoned experts with 200+ dives in each destination might know the differences, I didn't. I saw almost all of my critter list I'd put together at both destinations, and Anilao was much easier to get to!

We stayed at Crystal Blue Resort, which had average accommodations and food (can't really say anything negative about either), but an excellent camera facility and absolutely phenomenal dive guides. In the camera room, each person had their own cubby/workspace that was more than enough space to setup everything and organize your equipment without getting in anyone else's way. Our dive guide had us literally photographing subjects 90% of every dive. As soon as I would finish with one subject, our dive guide was already getting my attention to come to one of the other 3 critters he had been scouting.

We had 2 of our dives with strong current. While certainly not the strongest current I've been in, it made shooting super macro impossible, and shooting regular macro with a 105mm lens difficult. I'm not sure whether the current was due to the time of year or something that happens semi regularly. Aside from those 2 dives, the other dives were almost like diving in a pool. There were tide changes throughout the week that required us to dock on the other side of the peninsula since it wasn't safe to dock at the resort. It took longer to get back to the resort and we were shuttled in stuffy vans, but that seemed like a necessary evil.

Visited on 05/2019 - Submitted on 05/21/2019
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Crystal Blue Resort

5
4
5
3

Overall value was exceptional.

I was there for an underwater photography workshop, so spent a bit more time with the photo expert, Mike Bartik, than I otherwise would have if I were just going as a solo diver. He's a great guy and loves to share his knowledge. I learned a ton and really improved my underwater photography in just the 7 days I was there. If you ask Mike to give you constructive criticism, you get it. He doesn't tend to sugar coat things. If you're thinned skin, I could see him possibly coming across as harsh, but for someone like myself who is constantly trying to improve their photography, his criticism was invaluable.

The camera room is top notch. Everyone has their own individual cubby where you can setup your gear, leave equipment, etc and not worry about it between dives or be in anyone's way.

I've generally always had good boat crews, but this boat crew stood out. All of your gear was taken care of. You just had to get yourself to the boat for each dive. After the first day, your camera was loaded as soon as you brought it from the camera room, unloaded as soon as you landed, and your mask, fins, and BC were already setup and waiting on the boat.

Our dive guide, Jomer, was an all star dive guide. I was able to photograph a subject for 90% of every dive. If we wanted to see a particular critter (pregnant pygmy seahorse or brooding jawfish for instance), it was either the next dive or on the list for that day. As long as the divers communicated among themselves prior to the dive, we never felt rushed underwater. If I wanted to spend an entire dive with 1 subject, I could.

As for the accommodation, I rarely ever care about having a luxury room on a trip like this. I'm literally only in my room for 8 hours a day to sleep. So I just need a comfortable bed, a place to keep my things, and hot water for a shower. This didn't disappoint in that regard.

Aside from our feast on the last night which was phenomenal, I'd say the food was average. It was buffet style, so usually always had a steak, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian option. Nothing was bad, but then again, I wasn't asking the chef for their recipe either.

Visited on 05/2019 - Submitted on 05/21/2019
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