Join Ron Watkins for an underwater photo adventure at the beautiful Wakatobi Resort in Indonesia.
Situated on a stunning tropical island in the remote and peaceful Wakatobi archipelago in the Banda Sea, Wakatobi Dive Resort offers what many consider to be the best reef diving in the world.
Blessed with a house reef only 60 feet from the dive center, Wakatobi is often described as a liveaboard with a built-in beach! In addition to the spectacular house reef, there are several dozens of easily accessible dive sites offering incredible marine life diversity, color, and natural splendor.
One of the things Ron is known for on his trips is that he is extremely approachable and will always make time to listen and try to help you get past any hurdles in your photography journey. Where conditions permit, he may also be available underwater to evaluate your strobe position, position to subject, and exposure settings.
All of the presentations, reviews, and assistance are completely optional, and each guest is free to participate as much or as little as they want because we are all at different levels, with different equipment, and have different goals. After all, it is YOUR vacation! Our trips are very non-photographer friendly, so you should never feel like you have to be a photographer to join the trip. Everyone is welcome!
Managed and operated by Wakatobi Dive Resort, Pelagian offers the same high standards of guest services as our land-based operations – but in a more intimate setting. With a maximum of 10 guests, this 115-foot yacht provides more comforts than any other dive liveaboard. Spacious outdoor decks, multiple lounges, and dining spaces allow you to choose the level of social interaction or privacy you desire.
Arrive early: Come in on Nov 9 and add 7 nights at Wakatobi or on Pelagian. (Nov 9 – 27, 18 nights)
Stay longer, depart on Nov 30 or Dec 4 to add 3 or 7 nights at Wakatobi (Nov 16 – 30, 14 nights) (Nov 16 – Dec 1, 18 nights)
Or do both. Why not? Arrive early and stay longer.
Situated on a stunning tropical island in the remote and peaceful Wakatobi archipelago in the Banda Sea, Wakatobi Dive Resort offers what many consider to be the best reef diving in the world.
Blessed with a house reef only 60 feet from the dive center, Wakatobi is often described as a liveaboard with a built-in beach! In addition to the spectacular house reef, there are several dozens of easily accessible dive sites offering incredible marine life diversity, color, and natural splendor.
What to expect from the Photography Workshop
Ron Watkins takes pride in his photography workshops and gets a lot of satisfaction out of helping others learn new techniques and elevate the consistency and quality of their images. There will be practical presentations made throughout the course of the trip to include UW photography basics, advanced and creative topics, and post-processing. Another very popular and helpful aspect of the workshops are the photo review sessions, where Ron reviews submitted images, provides constructive feedback on the image’s quality, and makes suggestions of things to try for different outcomes.One of the things Ron is known for on his trips is that he is extremely approachable and will always make time to listen and try to help you get past any hurdles in your photography journey. Where conditions permit, he may also be available underwater to evaluate your strobe position, position to subject, and exposure settings.
All of the presentations, reviews, and assistance are completely optional, and each guest is free to participate as much or as little as they want because we are all at different levels, with different equipment, and have different goals. After all, it is YOUR vacation! Our trips are very non-photographer friendly, so you should never feel like you have to be a photographer to join the trip. Everyone is welcome!
Topics typically covered include:
- Wide Angle
- Macro
- Dialing in your Exposure
- Focus techniques
- Strobe placement
- Avoiding backscatter
- Close Focus Wide Angle
- Ambient Light / Sunballs
- Composition
- Advanced and Creative topics
- Adobe Lightroom importing and organizing (Library) Adobe Lightroom Post-Processing (Develop)
Standard Package Includes:
- 11 nights accommodations at Wakatobi resort, double occupancy.
- Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner daily
- 3 boat dives per day
- Unlimited shore diving
- Nitrox
- Tanks and weights
- Taxes and service charges
- Charter flight from Bali to Wakatobi
- Photo workshop with Backscatter photo-pro Ron Watkins
Price:
- Palm Bungalow $7,299
- Ocean Bungalow $8,499
- One Bedroom Villa $11,299
- (Turtle Beach Bungalow and 2-bedroom villas are also available; ask for more details.)
Additional costs:
- Airfare to Bali (DPS)
- Accommodations in Bali before and after
- Soft drinks, cocktails, wine & beer
- Premium services
- Single supplement
Getting there
Bali’s airport code is DPS, and you can get there on many major airlines. You need to arrive at least one day before the charter flight to Wakatobi, but we suggest you arrive earlier and enjoy the beautiful island of Bali. We’re happy to help you choose the best flight options and arrange hotels and activities before or after the trip.Travel info:
- Nov 15 or earlier: Arrive in Bali (DPS)
- Nov 16: Charter flight to Wakatobi
- Nov 27: Charter flight back to Bali
- Nov 28 or later: Depart Bali
Pelagian – Indonesia
November 9-16th, 2026
If 11 nights isn’t long enough for you, we have a few extension options: either stay at Wakatobi or take a trip on the Pelagian!Managed and operated by Wakatobi Dive Resort, Pelagian offers the same high standards of guest services as our land-based operations – but in a more intimate setting. With a maximum of 10 guests, this 115-foot yacht provides more comforts than any other dive liveaboard. Spacious outdoor decks, multiple lounges, and dining spaces allow you to choose the level of social interaction or privacy you desire.
Arrive early: Come in on Nov 9 and add 7 nights at Wakatobi or on Pelagian. (Nov 9 – 27, 18 nights)
Stay longer, depart on Nov 30 or Dec 4 to add 3 or 7 nights at Wakatobi (Nov 16 – 30, 14 nights) (Nov 16 – Dec 1, 18 nights)
Or do both. Why not? Arrive early and stay longer.
Ron Watkins is a professional photographer, writer, explorer, trip leader and photography instructor specializing in underwater and topside nature photography. Through his imagery, Ron is committed to raising awareness of the challenges facing our fragile ecosystems and threatened marine life in hopes of promoting conservation. Ron is known as an adventurer who is passionate about sharing his knowledge of photography techniques and helping his clients capture images of unique subjects and behavior.
Ron has been an accomplished award-winning photographer for over 18 years, most recently winning awards in the prestigious Nature’s Best Awards, Underwater Photographer of the Year, Our World Underwater, World Shootout, Ocean Art, and The Digital Shootout. His imagery and stories have been featured in print and online publications, including Ocean Geographic, Alert Diver, Scuba Diving, Scuba Diver Ocean Planet, and several other international magazines. Ron also makes presentations on marine life, conservation, and volunteering with Sharks4kids.
Ron has been an accomplished award-winning photographer for over 18 years, most recently winning awards in the prestigious Nature’s Best Awards, Underwater Photographer of the Year, Our World Underwater, World Shootout, Ocean Art, and The Digital Shootout. His imagery and stories have been featured in print and online publications, including Ocean Geographic, Alert Diver, Scuba Diving, Scuba Diver Ocean Planet, and several other international magazines. Ron also makes presentations on marine life, conservation, and volunteering with Sharks4kids.