Lembeh Nov 2025. Organised by Scuba Travel. Contact Caroline@scubatravel.com for bookings and information. FULLY BOOKED.

Dates: 3rd-15th November 2025 (12 nights), OR 3-9 and 9-15 November 2025 (6 nights).

Scuba Travel are excited to announce that Alex Mustard and Nick More are joining forces to run an exciting macro photography workshop at the wonderful Lembeh Resort, in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Lembeh Strait is one of the world’s most celebrated dive destinations, this 10 mile long sliver of sea is less than a mile wide, constrained between the forested volcanic landscape of Lembeh Island and North Sulawesi, is home to 60+ dive sites.

However, despite its fame and popularity, if you have not been before, it is important to stress that Lembeh is not a classic white sand beach and blue water reef destination. This is the world’s most famous spot for muck diving, where beautiful reefscapes and clear water are not the priority – people return again and again to Lembeh for the amazing marine critters. A-list animals such as painted frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, coconut octopus, hairy frogfish, pygmy seahorses, blue-ring octopuses and many more are seen daily.

“I am really excited to be running this workshop with Nick,” said Alex. “This is his first time officially teaching a workshop and I am excited for what he will bring. Nick will definitely inject fresh ideas into this event, sharing the secrets behind his approach to distinctive and award winning macro photos. He has visited Lembeh Resort more than 10 times, and his shots from Indonesia have been awarded in all the well known underwater photography contests, as well as in the major WPY and GDT nature photography competitions. He has also been nominated to give the 2024 Martin Edge Lecture on the topic of macro photography so he’ll definitely have some up-to-the-minute tips to share. And while we’ve photographed everything from great hammerheads to shaun the sheep slugs together, Nick’s photographic aesthetic is different from mine, so I know he’ll inspire the group to produce a greater variety of stunning images. Nick’s plan is to do two dives with each of the buddy teams, and shoot all the same subjects as you. Watching you in the water and suggesting settings, improvements and directly comparing your images to his.”

“Lembeh Resort is a home-from-home for me,” said Nick, “the combination of luxury accommodation, attentive staff, amazing, knowledgable dive guides and its proximity to the world renowned dive sites is unmatched. My images can appear simple but creating pictures with stunning subjects (guaranteed!!) with clean, uncluttered and complimentary backgrounds can be challenging. During the past 12 years diving Lembeh, I’ve developed my own photographic style, concentrating on animal portraiture, but with a twist. I’m very excited to be joining Alex in sharing all my knowledge and experience to help ALL workshop participants to achieve photographic success.” 

“I don’t think there is another destination or workshop that is as photographically productive as Lembeh,” continued Alex. “Add to that the beautiful Lembeh Resort as a base, surely one of the world’s very best dive resorts, the amazing dive team and famous guides at Critters@Lembeh, and I am certain this will be a very special experience. November is a fantastic month to visit, typically with sunny weather and cooler water bringing more key critters in the shallows. Fingers crossed!”

“My last Lembeh workshop in 2024 was over subscribed, so this time we’ve booked the whole of Lembeh Resort, and combined with 12 and 6 night options, this will allow more of you to get a place,” said Alex. “The full 12 nights package will be the longest I have ever offered in Lembeh. But don’t worry if you only come for 6 days, that is still a load of diving in Lembeh and easy to combine with other destinations around Manado. Also an advantage of two us teaching is that we can run a few extra lectures run in parallel with the image review sessions, so those on the 6 nighter can choose to catch up on key teaching.”

Alex says, “I know that many of you have scrolled straight past all the text straight to the booking info, as Lembeh Resort, Lembeh’s photography and my workshops there are all a well-known quantity! But to give you more details: the package is 12 Nights/6 Nights in Lembeh Resort, with a special unlimited dive package (I think some will hit 50 dives). Lembeh Resort really treats everyone as an individual: all the staff are so happy to have you staying with them and there is plenty of flexibility to personalise your evening dive choices – with night, dusk, mandarin, blackwater and bonfire dives all possible. You can also duck out of any boat dive to dive the house reef and your guide will be there to accompany you.”

Workshop dives will always be with the expert guides from Critters@Lembeh, with one guide to each pair of photographers. During the workshop photographers cannot book private guides (except when needed for safety reasons), and the most experienced guides are reserved for the group. Photographers who book the workshop with a diving, but non-photographing partner, will end up with their own guide. The workshop spots are open to non-photographers, and we can also accommodate non-divers (ask Caroline). Guides will be rotated every 2 days, meaning you should dive with 6 different guides if you are there for the 12 Night package. The group will be split across multiple boats, there will usually be between 4 and 6 photographers per boat. Alex will work with the team at the Dive Centre to select the best dive sites throughout the trip. When you have great dives (or quiet dives) remember the name of the site and tell Alex to make sure we’re getting all the boats there. Like this we can efficiently identify and repeat the richest sites, so everyone has extended opportunities with the most productive subjects.

If you have not travelled to Lembeh before, it is one of the easiest destinations to reach in Indonesia. Most guests arrive on the direct 3 hour flight from Singapore, landing at the small Manado airport, where you are met by Lembeh Resort staff and then it is just 45 minutes by car to the Lembeh Strait. The workshop package also includes transfers from Manado airport, Nitrox, laundry throughout, 1 hour spa treatment etc.

The workshop teaching will focus on the techniques of macro and critter photography. The lectures are not random talks, but are planned as a complete course on this style of photography, starting with fundamentals such as gear selection and optimisation, covering fundamental macro techniques, then discussing high quality and creative lighting techniques, wide angle macro and many more innovative approaches for creating standout images. These technique lectures are typically given each morning after breakfast to provide you with the advice and ideas you need just before you go diving. While, in the evenings, after dinner, image review sessions are ideal to analyse the strengths and areas for improvement in the days’ images. They also provide a great chance to see what others have produced and get inspiration and suggestions for the next day. “Nick is also very experienced in processing macro shots for maximum impact,” adds Alex “and I’m sure he’ll be sharing those tips during the review sessions. Nick is will be joining buddy teams throughout the workshop, shooting all the same subjects as you, so you can compare shots and he can pass on suggestions.”

“I will share my secrets for using slow shutter speeds to capture movement,” said Nick. “Utilising shallow depth of field, through open apertures, combined with ND filters or using high magnification to create separation and smooth backgrounds, making subjects really ‘pop’. Of course, I can also teach classical black background macro if you ask! Mindset and strategy are integral to unlocking the photographic potential of Lembeh. The ‘A’ list critters are in abundance, but sometimes the truly special photographs originate in opportunities with more regularly species. Recognising potential even in a less glamorous subject is key. Remember there is always something to shoot in Lembeh with the right techniques!”

VITALS

Lembeh Resort offers a variety of rooms, and with two lengths of workshop available, please take a moment to familiarise yourself with the options. All spaces and room options are on a first come (first email to Caroline) first served basis.

Dates: 3rd-15th November 2025 (12 nights), or 3rd-9th and 9th-15th November 2025 (6 nights)

Prices based on double occupancy – 6 Night Package Prices

• Garden Room £3250 GBP
• Premium Luxury Cottages: £3850 GBP
• Single occupancy rates for those rooms types are: £4225 & £4995 GBP

Prices based on double occupancy – 12 Night Package Prices

• Garden Room £5695 GBP
• Premium Luxury Cottages: £7150 GBP
• Single occupancy rates for those rooms types are: £6795 & £8895 GBP

The package includes:

• Alex Mustard/Nick More Macro & Critter Photography Workshop
• Unlimited guided boat dives (typically 4 per day) – with Nitrox
• Unlimited guided house reef dives with Nitrox (typically 7am-10pm)
• 2:1 Photographer to Critters@Lembeh dive guide ratio
• Manado Airport transfers
• All meals, snacks etc
• 1-hour spa treatment and free laundry service
• Free Wi-Fi.

Note that Lembeh Resort are upgrading all their Cliffside Rooms (rooms on the left, as you look at the resort from the sea) between now and the workshop to the same standard as the Premium Luxury Cottages (the rooms on the right as you look at the resort from the sea). Group size is whole resort – exact number will depend on how many people take single rooms etc.

BOOKING

Please contact Caroline@scubatravel.com for reservations and further information. A deposit of £1500 GPB is required to secure your spot, with the balance due 100 days before departure.