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Hone your underwater photography skills with Alphamarine Photography at Red Sea Diving Safari in March
Alphamarine Photography is running an underwater photography workshop event at Red Sea Diving Safari’s Marsa Shagra Village in March 2024. The event includes eight classroom sessions on different aspects of underwater photography given by Phil and Anne Medcalf over four days, and then repeated. The workshops will start on 12th March and run until the 19th, inclusive. There won’t be a need to attend any of the talks in a specific order. This rolling program approach means attendees can arrive at any time during or before the event, and as long as they are in the resort at least four out of the eight days, they can access all the talks. That, in turn, gives lots of flexibility with flight options.
The talks will cover exposure, composition, using light, and underwater photography styles and techniques. Each will be about 45 minutes long. Guests will also be able to access Anne and Phil for advice throughout the eight days of the event, not just during the days they attend talks. They’ll run impromptu sessions and give at least an hour’s one-to-one time with everyone who is booked on a workshop. There’ll also be a selection of demo equipment available to try, including wet lenses and strobes.
Between them, Phil and Anne have over 50 years of diving experience, and over 30 years of those have been spent taking digital pictures underwater. In that time, they’ve dived around the world, including many trips to the Red Sea, as well as Indonesia, the Maldives, Australia, and the UK. Together, they turned their interest into a business in 2017 and now own Alphamarine Photography, an underwater photography training and retail company. They have a highly rated blog on their website alphamarinephoto.com and a Facebook Q&A group with over 2000 members worldwide. They’ve written on underwater photography for magazines and presented on the subject at every Go Diving show since the event began. Their workshops and online courses in photography and photo editing attract students from around the world. Alphamarine’s expertise ranges from getting the best from budget-friendly cameras such as Olympus TG’s to using the latest high-end mirrorless options, and experience as retailers gives them a broader knowledge base than many underwater photographers when it comes to the equipment available.
Anne and Phil Medcalf
Marsa Shagra village has a range of accommodation from tents to air-conditioned chalets. A standard package will include full board, most soft drinks, and five days of unlimited house reef diving. Meals are buffet style, with a good range, and the meal times are long enough to allow for early morning dives and night dives without any risk of missing out. The house reef diving is excellent, and you can dive unguided from 6 am to 8 pm. As well as accessing the house reef from shore, zodiac dives on the outer house reef are covered in the unlimited package. Marine life is impressively varied, with regular sightings of turtles, reef sharks, and dolphins, as well as a great deal of macro life to find and occasional sightings of whale sharks. Elphinstone reef can be dived by speedboat with a journey time of about 20 minutes for a supplementary charge, as can a range of other local sites by boat or shore.
The way bookings are handled for this event is that you book your holiday package through Oonasdivers (oonasdivers.com) if you are in the UK (contact Red Sea Diving Safari for their agents elsewhere), and once you’re booked, you pay the workshop fee of £175 to Alphamarine Photography. The format and the resort setup suit people coming on their own, as a couple, or a group. If you have non-photographers with you, they don’t pay the workshop fee. Red Sea Diving Safari’s website is https://www.redsea-divingsafari.com For more details about what the workshop entails, to book spaces, or anything else, email info@alphamarinephoto.com.
The GO Diving Show – the only consumer dive and travel show in the UK – returns to the NAEC Stoneleigh on 1-2 March 2025, just in time to kick off the new season, and early bird 2-for-1 tickets are now available, representing fantastic value for money.
Buy your ticket before 31 January 2025 for £17.50, and get your buddy, your spouse or your best friend in with you absolutely free! Or why not bring that non-diving mate along so they can see all of the wonders of the underwater world they are missing out on!
Effectively, the 2-for-1 offer equates to each ticket being just £8.75. And as always, this includes complimentary parking. And under-16s go free of charge, so bring the kids along for a fabulous family day out!
The Main Stage headline presenter is TV star, author and adventurer Steve Backshall, making a welcome return to the GO Diving Show after a few years away. He’ll be joined by NASA-trained NEEMO Aquanaut and Head of Scientific Research at DEEP Dawn Kernagis, fellow TV presenter, author and perennial favourite Monty Halls, and the dynamic duo of explorers Rannva Joermundsson and Maria Bollerup, who will be talking about their recent Expedition Buteng in Indonesia.
The dedicated UK Stage, Tech Stage, Photo Stage and Inspiration Stage are filling up with some familiar faces and a host of fresh speakers, and the show floor is getting fill to capacity with hundreds of exhibitors, including tour operators, resorts, dive centres, liveaboards, tourist boards, training agencies, manufacturers, retailers, and the ever-popular British Isles Experience.
You can take advantage of the Go Diving Show 2-for-1 ticket deal here.
Following a period away, Palau – a dream destination for countless divers – is excited to rejoin the boot water sports show in Duesseldorf, Germany.
This prestigious water sports show, taking place from January 18 to 26, 2025, provides Palau with a platform to showcase its unique offerings in diving, snorkelling, and sustainable tourism.
Located in the western Pacific’s Micronesian region and part of the Caroline Islands, the Republic of Palau comprises over 340 picturesque islands. Although small in landmass, Palau is a natural wonder both above and below the water.
Palau is renowned as a global leader in environmental conservation. Years ago, the nation implemented forward-thinking measures to preserve its natural resources. In 2009, Palau became the world’s first national shark sanctuary, banning commercial shark fishing. To further protect its marine ecosystem, home to over 1,500 fish species and about 700 coral species, Palau established a fully protected marine sanctuary spanning 193,000 square miles in 2015.
Palau’s return to the boot shows marks a significant moment for the island nation, celebrated for its crystal-clear waters, pristine coral reefs, and extraordinary marine biodiversity. Visitors to the Palau booth will discover a vision of sustainable tourism, as environmental stewardship is deeply ingrained in the islanders’ way of life.
“We are thrilled to return to Germany and share the beauty and diversity of Palau with the world,” says Kadoi Ruluked, Managing Director of the Palau Visitors Authority, who will lead the delegation at the trade show. “boot provides an outstanding platform to position Palau as a premier destination for sustainable tourism and a true paradise for underwater adventures.”
Amid growing global efforts toward eco-friendly tourism, Palau continues to set benchmarks with initiatives such as the “Palau Pledge.” By signing this pledge, visitors commit to respecting and protecting the environment during their stay. These and other measures will be highlighted at the event to raise awareness of marine ecosystem conservation.
The boot water sports show offers a unique opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in Palau’s culture and natural beauty while planning unforgettable diving and snorkelling trips. The Palau Visitors Authority warmly invites all attendees to explore their booth and experience the unspoiled charm of Palau.
Learn everything there is to know about this extraordinary destination at
Hall 12, booth nr. E42.
The exhibition runs from January 18 to 26, 2025, in Duesseldorf.
For more information or to schedule interviews and meetings, please contact: Judith Hoppe, WhatsApp: +49-151-5523 1966, e-mail palau@tourism-unlimited.com
For more information about Palau, please visit: www.pristineparadisepalau.com or follow us on social media at https://www.instagram.com/visitpalau/ or https://www.facebook.com/pristineparadisepalau/
Photo credit: © Judith Hoppe
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