29th July – 5th August 2023. FULL. For further information and for reserve list spots please contact lesley@oceanfrontiers.com.
Ocean Frontiers is proud to once again be hosting Cayman Digital Madness, at Compass Point Dive Resort, their underwater photography workshop with Alex Mustard. The latest edition to launch is a summer workshop – scheduled for August 2023. Be sure to book now to join a week jammed with specialized diving tailored for enthusiastic underwater photographers, with one to one tutoring in the pool, lectures and group image review sessions under the expert guidance of Alex Mustard. You can read a detailed introduction to all of Alex’s Cayman Workshops here.
WORKSHOP
Alex says, “the Controlling Light Workshop is my classic Cayman wide angle photography class, where we shoot the very best of Grand Cayman’s diving. The week is dominated by my favourite photogenic and productive dive sites, with almost every trip being bespoke and not something that it is possible to do in exactly the way we do it at any other time. If weather allows we will even make a full day trip over to Little Cayman. The focus of the workshop is on wide angle photography and it aims to reconstruct the way you shoot wide angle, both from technical and artistic point of view, while you enjoy shooting reef walls, coral caverns, Kittiwake wreck, stingrays, reef sharks, turtles, tarpon and more. I see the workshop as a valuable coaching session for those core skills – in the same way that a golfer never stops working on their swing. My summer workshops are timed to catch schools of silversides and if they are around we will dedicate lots of time to them!”
Yes, the timing of this workshop is all about the silversides. This small, silvery schooling fish are present year round in Grand Cayman, but typically in mid-summer their numbers bloom from thousands to millions. They spend the day sheltering in caverns and inside wrecks (the Kittiwake is one of Grand Cayman’s most reliable sites for them), dispersing at night to feed, and then returning, often to a different cave, for the following day. And the silversides attract predators – tarpon, jacks, groupers and snappers. Their numbers are not linked to the lunar cycle, so they cannot be predicted with certainty, but these dates have always proved the most reliable. Also our itinerary allows us to cover all sides of Grand Cayman to hunt for them. If they are about, we will find them and we will work them hard!
Alex continues “This is an intensive workshop, we try to make the most of the week both from a diving and photography perspective. I try to help the group as much as I can during the week, I will tell you what to do, but I also want you to understand why you need to apply that technique in that way to get the killer image. I want you to leave my workshop a more knowledgeable and better underwater photographer, as well as with a collection of great images. I want you to understand what goes into stunning shots, so that you can take them on dives, whether I am there to help you on your next trip or not.” This is the aim of this workshop.
Alex adds “The summer workshop has calmer seas and warmer water than the January workshops, but usually the visibility is not quite as good. We have the attraction of the silversides, and will visit the stingrays later in the day, hoping to catching the dark skies with afternoon storm clouds as a backdrop in our split level images. The reef sharks are usually not as good in the summer, because this is their mating season and they disperse, but we will see the females with very fresh mating scars. Although, please note that the itinerary for the workshop is always flexible to make the most of the conditions and any silverside aggregations.”
VITALS
Each week includes 7 Nights accommodation at the luxurious Compass Point Dive Resort, enjoy the luxury of rolling out of bed and onto the dive boat!
6 days of action packed diving with Alex Mustard and Ocean Frontiers (approx. 15 dives in total), almost every dive trip we make is exclusive to this workshop, which you can’t do normally.
Group Size: Limit 14 Photographers plus Alex Mustard
Seminars, Workshops, 1:1 Session in pool; Group Image Review Sessions and pre-dive Tips & Tricks from Alex.
Pool Deck drinks and social on final evening
Free High Speed Wi-Fi Internet Access for your entire stay
Rental Car for entire stay
Includes all room taxes
Group Size: Limit 14 photographers / plus Alex
Package Price:
US $3,785.00 per person single occupancy in a one-bedroom condominium
US $3,405.00 per person double occupancy in a two-bedroom condominium
US $3,050.00 per person double occupancy in a one-bedroom condominium
The workshops will commence on the evenings (7.00pm) of 29th July, with a welcome lecture. Therefore, if you are planning on flying in on this day we would suggest and recommend arriving on the earlier flights so as not to miss out on the first presentation and the meet and greet. If you are coming from Europe or The West Coast perhaps consider arriving a day earlier and adding a night to your package.
The card will be used to confirm your booking and will be charged a $1,000 deposit to hold the spot and then the remaining 50% balance will be taken 90 days prior to arrival with the final 50% being taken 45 days prior to arrival.
Cancellation policy: Full refund with more than 90 days notice prior to first day of arrival. No refund with less than 90 days notification
For further information and for reservations please contact lesley@oceanfrontiers.com and ask about Cayman Digital Madness with Alex Mustard.
You can also call Toll Free from the USA on 1 800 348 6096.
Those wishing to come with diving or non-diving partners please check with Lesley for a variety of package options.
With rules around the world continually changing, it is not clear what they COVID entry requirements for Cayman will be for 2023, but we suggest not not booking unless you meet the current entry requirements of being fully vaccinated.
The video below shows silversides at a well known East End dive site called Snapper Hole, from BBC Earth.
