Lembeh Macro Critter Workshop 2026

Lembeh Macro Critter Workshop 2026

Join Bluewater Travel at NAD Lembeh Resort for dives in the world's muck diving capital, offering some of the richest critter diving in the world.

Why Join This Trip?

• A haven for macro photographers - Lembeh is, without a doubt, the muck diving capital of the world
• Great resort with beachfront rooms, delicious food, all meals included, free public WiFi and a small pool
• FREE daily macro photography workshops
• Up to 20 boat dives plus unlimited diving at the resort's beautiful house reef
• Optional 3-night land extension available
• Diver to Guide ratio is 2:1
• 25% discount on rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo
• Fully refundable deposit until 12 months from departure

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Trip Overview

Lembeh Strait is, without a doubt, the muck-diving capital of the world. Underwater photographers flock here from all over the world to see a myriad of critters, including frogfish, pipefish, nudibranchs, seahorses, juvenile fish, and other exotic animals. Divers should not expect large reefscapes in Lembeh, but scenic reefs live around nearby islands for guests who want to extend their trip and enjoy some reef diving as well.

Learn more about Lembeh Strait Diving.

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Sample Itinerary

Guests can arrive any time on September 16 and leave any time on September 23. Here's the typical daily schedule for this 7-night trip:

• 6:30 Breakfast
• 7:30 Departure for two morning dives, with snacks and drinks during the surface interval
• 12:15 Lunch at the resort
• 14:00 Departure for one afternoon dive
• 16:00 Snacks
• 16:30 Mandarin Fish Dive - only on Saturdays, minimum 2 guests
• 17:45 Night Dive - minimum 2 guests
• 18:00 Black Water Night Dive - minimum 2 guests
• 19:15 Dinner

To get a little insight as to what the workshop is like, read the report from our 2025 trip!

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Diving Conditions

September is the end of the colder season, with water temperatures at their coolest. A full wetsuit is recommended year-round to protect against cuts, jellies, and getting cold during long dives.

• Water Temperature: 25°C (77°F)
• Visibility: 10 meters (30 feet)
• Depth Range: 5–30 meters (16–100 feet)

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Recommended Scuba Gear

Download our full scuba gear guide to Lembeh, Bluewater Travel guests receive 10% OFF!

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Trip Type

This is a PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP. Led by one of our photo instructors, the workshop includes daily underwater photography tutorials, in-water photography support, and one-to-one advice and guidance as required.

What to Expect From Our Photo Workshops

• Daily photo workshops - Your photo instructor will schedule seminars each day on topics including equipment type and selection, the concept of underwater photography, lighting and composition techniques, and post-processing. Additional topics relevant to the location and your experience will also be included.
• In-water support - Where possible, each dive group will spend time underwater with the photo instructor, receiving in-water support and guidance on shooting techniques. Participants can also request in-water assistance during the workshop.
• Consecutive days of practice & review - Each day provides an opportunity to practice the techniques and skills learned in the previous day's tutorials. New underwater photographers can see significant improvement in just a few days.
• Daily photo image reviews - Guests are strongly encouraged to bring a laptop and thumb drive, edit their photos, and submit shots for review from the instructor and their peers.
• Quality time with fellow photographers - Both new and experienced photographers can enjoy joining a trip with like-minded divers who share a passion for underwater photography.
• Suitable for everyone - New and experienced photographers are welcome. Guests can gain skills, increase confidence in finding the best underwater shots, or hone specific skills. Non-photographers are also welcome.

Enjoy free, unlimited access to a wealth of knowledge and advice from your photo instructor.

Want to learn more about our Underwater Photography Workshops? Check out this video!

Trip Syllabus

Bluewater's Lembeh macro workshop with Mark Hatter will focus on macro photography and blackwater photography, with an emphasis on post-production techniques for processing both types of images. Mark will also teach a section on using snoots, creative shooting, and strobe placement.

Mark will provide daily instructional classes in both group settings and via individual instruction. Tutorials will comprise up to five 60-minute presentations, each with follow-up one-on-one instruction. Teaching will take the form of PowerPoint presentations, informal group discussions, one-on-one training, streaming live demonstrations using programs such as Lightroom, and underwater help. There will also be an optional pre-trip Zoom class covering the basics of underwater photography to jumpstart novices.

• Days 1 & 2: Introduction to underwater photography, wide-angle underwater photography, and macro underwater photography
• Days 3 & 4: Employing snoots, creative shooting, and strobe angle placement
• Days 5 & 6: Post-processing tools in Lightroom for blackwater images
• Mark will provide as much in-water and one-on-one support as necessary.

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Trip Inclusions

• 7 nights accommodation with air conditioning
• Full board meals at the resort
• 4 dives per day, including one dusk, night, or blackwater dive, with a 2:1 diver-to-guide ratio - 20 dives total
• Round-trip airport transfers between 7:30 and 16:00
• Snacks, water, coffee, tea, chocolate drink, and espresso
• Free WiFi
• Nitrox

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Trip Exclusions

• International flights
• Effective February 14, 2024, visitors coming through Bali must pay the Foreign Tourists Levy of IDR 150,000 per person prior to arrival in Bali
• Travel insurance - ask us about our preferred partner plan
• Gratuity

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Accommodation

About NAD Lembeh

Situated on the well-loved Lembeh Strait, this muck diving paradise is alluring to divers worldwide. NAD Lembeh offers knowledgeable dive staff with trained eyes and a passion for diving and little critters, comfortable rooms, and excellent photography amenities. NAD prides itself on having one of the largest and most experienced dive teams in Lembeh.

Check out our walkthrough video of the resort!

NAD Lembeh Facilities

• Open-air restaurant
• Sunbeds
• Small pool
• Jacuzzi
• Big and spacious camera room
• Business center
• Free public WiFi
• Laundry services
• Return airport transfers
• Multilingual staff
• Non-smoking rooms
• Open-air bar

Bar & Restaurant

Pool Area

Read the reviews of the NAD Lembeh Resort here.

Additional Information About The Resort

• The resort offers a 2:1 guest-to-guide ratio as standard. Its 15 dive guides are permanent employees with local Lembeh diving experience, totaling at least 100 years between them. They are all underwater photography trained and proficient underwater photographers themselves.
• Please note that the resort does NOT allow guests to wear gloves.
• The resort has a fleet of 4 dive boats that are at least 13 meters long with 2 x four-stroke engines. Boats have onboard toilets, medical oxygen, and a basic first aid kit.
• There are a maximum of 8 guests per dive boat.
• It is the only resort on Lembeh Island with a floating dock, allowing easy access to the boats and dignified boarding, as well as easy entry to the house reef.
• The resort is on ground level with minimal steps to the bungalows. Beachfront rooms, restaurants, bar, and camera room are all on the ground floor. Older guests or those with disabilities and knee or back problems find it easy to navigate.
• It is situated in a private bay and surrounded by lush greenery, far from villages, offering a quiet and tranquil environment.
• The resort offers 24-hour electricity and WiFi.

Connectivity

At NAD Lembeh Resort, WiFi is available for guests throughout the resort, including in guest rooms and common areas. The connection is generally suitable for everyday tasks like email, social media, and light browsing, though speeds can vary depending on demand and diving operations. It may not always support heavy streaming or large file uploads.

For more consistent and faster connectivity, many guests choose to purchase a local Indonesian SIM card with a data plan. Major providers such as Telkomsel and XL Axiata offer reliable 4G/LTE coverage in the Lembeh region. SIM cards and data top-up vouchers can be purchased upon arrival at Manado Airport kiosks, convenience stores, or Telkomsel/XL outlets in Manado before the transfer to Lembeh. Guests should ensure their phone is unlocked and compatible with local networks before traveling.

Most major US mobile phone providers offer international “bolt-on” or add-on packages that allow guests to use their phones abroad without changing SIMs. Details vary by carrier and plan.

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Trip Leader

Mark Hatter

Mark Hatter is an international award-winning photojournalist who has had over one hundred feature articles with many hundreds of images published in more than three dozen diving publications and fly fishing publications over the last three decades. His most recent destination features have appeared in Ocean Geographic and Asian Diver (UK) magazines.

Mark has traveled the world in pursuit of new underwater photography challenges, including cold-water destinations such as British Columbia and even Antarctica.

“Of course, I love shooting in tropical locations but I think cold water diving is a great forcing function to hone one’s photography skills as the environment and equipment are much more demanding of a diver. Good image capture in cold water is particularly rewarding.” Mark tells us.

Mark has been shooting underwater since the early 1980s and has worked in both film and digital mediums in his photojournalism pursuits. In 35 years of diving, Mark has logged over 2,500 hours, much of it doing underwater photography. Currently, he teaches underwater photography classes locally at Seminole Scuba in Lake Mary, Florida and works for Aggressor Adventures as a commercial photographer and writer.

Read more about Mark Hatter

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How To Get There

Flights with Scoot Airlines are operating on time on Wednesdays and Fridays direct from Singapore Changi Airport. Baggage collection at Manado Airport has been remarkably swift.

Visa on Arrival costs IDR 500,000 and needs to be paid for in cash. Immigration will accept IDR, USD, SGD, AUD, and EURO notes, which should be clean and not creased. There is also an ATM inside the airport terminal for cash IDR withdrawals.

Upon exiting the airport, the NAD Lembeh team will be ready to greet guests. With the new toll road open, the transfer to NAD Lembeh's private jetty is now approximately 60 minutes.

Flight Package

Our group trips attract guests from all over the globe and many customers prefer to book their own flights to take advantage of mileage points or credit card discounts. For these reasons, flights are not included in our group trip packages.

However, Bluewater is more than happy to work with guests to find the best travel itinerary and will gladly give suggestions and advice, even if guests make the final booking. Bluewater can check travel reservations at any time to ensure they fit with the trip schedule and can give recommendations on transit hotels and day tours where needed.

If guests would like Bluewater to book flights and transit hotels for domestic and/or international travel on their behalf, Bluewater can arrange this. Contact Us for more information.

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Lembeh Trip Extensions

Want to extend your trip? We can help with that! See more of Indonesia before or after your workshop in Lembeh with Bluewater. Here are some examples of packages we can add on to your reservation. Read More

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Payment Schedule

• Deposit: $800 to book your spot
• Balance: Due July 1, 2026

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