May 6-13, 2023
PhotoFest
Join our 12th year of Cathy Church’s Underwater PhotoFest
Our Underwater Photo Fest has the world’s longest dive times! Join our 12th Cathy Church Underwater Photo Fest at Sunset House, in Grand Cayman. On shallow dive days, you can dive, shoot, come up when your tank is low, get some water or fruit while your tank is being changed (you don’t even have to get out of the water). Go back down and do it all over again until three hours are up.
No other group photo week offers as much instruction in the water, doing individual critiques, lecturing, etc. all with a complete understanding of how you want to be treated.
Price (USD)
7-Night package, double occupancy per person
Book early to guarantee your preferred room type
Courtyard double: US$TBA
Courtyard single: $TBA
Courtyard non-diver: $TBA
Oceanview double $TBA
Oceanview single $TBA
Oceanview non-diver $TBA
Suite double $TBA
Suite single $TBA
Suite non-diver $TBA
Apartment double $TBA
Apart single $TBA
Apart non-diver $TBA
Non-divers welcome at reduced rates
Schedule at-a-glance
AM Boat dive
Shore diving available
PM Lectures
PM Photo Critiques
Optional Kittiwake PM trip
Underwater Scavenger Hunt from shore
BBQ dinner and Photo Contests / Giveaways Final video / Slideshows
Included
- 5 days boat diving with extended bottom time and nitrox; includes shallow reefs and walls*
- Unlimited shore diving with Nitrox
- 7 nights accommodation with all government tax and hotel service charges at Sunset House Hotel for divers
- Airport transfers
- Daily made-to-order breakfast
- Welcome Cocktail Party, hors d’oeurves and more
- Amazing prizes including a return trip!
- Photo coaches available from 7:30 am to 6 pm above and underwater
- Complimentary buoyancy control class from Sunset Divers
- Waterfront BBQ dinner with prizes, photo slideshow and giveaways
- All boats are camera friendly with Cathy Church and/or her staff of fabulous Photo Coaches on board
- Great lectures and individual critiques
- Photo Editing classes
- 20% off camera rentals and one limited free trial use of camera DEMO gear from manufacturers to determine if you wish to try them
- Photo Critiques from Cathy or her staff of Photo Coaches
- Over $5,000 worth of giveaways and prizes
- Boats include fresh drinking water, fruit and Nitrox for our extended style of diving
- *Weather permitting and schedules subject to change
Not included
- Kittiwake Afternoon Dive ($85)
- Camera rental other than a demo use
- Meals not noted above
- Photo pro gratuities or dive crew gratuities
We strongly recommend purchasing trip insurance such as Travelguard or DAN. Credits for future trips cannot be given as all instructors expenses and other costs have already been allocated. Please do not ask me to pay for your change of plans. Giving you a future trip just means that I cannot accept a paying person in your free place so your cancellation comes straight out of my pocket. But insurance will pay you. Dive insurance is mandatory.
PhotoFest activities
Beneath the Sea’s Pioneer-of-the-year-Award-winner, Cathy Church, was the first and is still the best in the industry for teaching underwater photography.
Enjoy exciting classes with Cathy and her fabulous staff:
Lessons from getting started to creative lighting
Compact, Mirrorless, and DSLR Cameras
Photo critiques
Photo editing
Composition
Taking photos in the water
Separate photo contests for every level. One special category where only the worst photo can Win big!
Photo-friendly dive boats with photo coaches on board
Fabulous Fun
Plentiful Prizes
Free Olympus Demo Gear and Great Giveaways
Long bottom times
Cathy is a photographer and she knows what you want—lots of bottom time on interesting, fun, and photogenic dive sites. On the shallow dive days, you can stay down for three hours! Even on days when there is a stunning wall dive, you can use your computer and your nitrox to get maximum time for the wall dive and often ninety minutes on the shallow second dive. On the shallow dives you can dive, shoot, come up when your tank is low, get some water or fruit while your tank is being changed (you don’t even have to get out of the water).
Go back down and keep diving and finding subjects and taking photos until three hours are up. You might want to bring a little extra exposure protection to avoid getting chilled during these marathon dives. There will be one or two photo coaches on each boat helping solve camera questions, suggest creative strobe lighting angles, or showing you a terrific subject for your type of photography.
Afternoon activities
Photo or video class
Critique
Shore dive
Shopping
Nap
Have a beer by the sea
Sunset House has one of the best shore dives in Grand Cayman with plenty of close-up subjects, a wonderful little wreck, a nine-foot bronze mermaid, a coral nursery, a big anchor. Watch for rays, eels and turtles. All in 20 to 60 feet deep.
Learning is fun
Lectures by Cathy and her knowledgeable staff are fun and informative. Lecture topics can include: Basics of photography, Composition, Strobe Lighting, Photo Editing, Close-ups, Wide Angle, Critter information and more.
Critiques never make you cry, no matter how your photos turned out. Critiques are designed to help you grow, not to make you feel bad! And when you get your best photo ever, you will get plenty of applause.
Schedule
Saturday
Arrivals all day
Camera system function tests with Staff at Photo Centre
Complimentary Buoyancy Control Class with Sunset Divers
Shore diving available
Program Orientation
Welcome Happy Hour with Fruit or Rum Punch and hors d’ouvres
Sunday
AM Three-hour macro, shallow Boat dive**
Shore diving available
PM Lectures
PM Photo Critiques
Monday
AM three-hour shallow Boat dive
Shore diving available
PM Lectures
PM Photo Critiques
Tuesday
AM Wall and shallow wide angle Boat dives
Shore diving available
PM Lectures
PM Photo Critiques
Wednesday
AM Wall wreck wide angle Boat dive
Shore diving available
PM Lectures
PM Photo Critiques
*Kittiwake Wreck Dive (additional charge)
Thursday
AM three-hour shallow Boat dive
Shore diving available
PM Photo Critiques
Friday
Shore diving available
Underwater Scavenger Hunt from shore
BBQ dinner and Photo Contests / Giveaways / Final video / Slideshows
Saturday
Departure day: diving available for those staying longer.
*Subject to change at any time, without notice
**Schedule varies among the three boats so not all three groups will be trying to dive on the same best wall or wreck dives.
Contests and socializing
Share fish tales socializing with the other underwater photographers, enjoy cocktails as you watch the spectacular sunset at the famous My Bar, and see everyone’s best photos at the final evening photo presentation (previously known as a “slide show”. Photo contests and drawings for great prizes and giveaways from Olympus, Scubapro, Ultralight, Sea and Sea, Ikelite, Sunset House, DAN, GoPole, AquaSketch, Cathy Church’s and more. Enter the worst photo category for the super prize. Anyone can win!
Available nowhere else in the world
Nowhere else can you find our quality and style of photo-friendly diving. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet, learn from and dive with Cathy herself. She is a legend in underwater photography, having received almost every award the industry has to give.
She is first and foremost a teacher, generously offering all of her 54+ years of knowledge and experience to every student—no matter what their level or equipment. She taught the coaches who will be assisting you, so you can expect excellent instruction from them as well. Advanced or beginner, photographer or videographer, even non-diver guests are welcome.
If you are considering any other Caribbean photo workshop, ask if the instructor is dedicated to helping students IN the water the way Cathy Church is—she and her staff do not carry their own camera to do their own photography. It is all for you!
We look forward to helping you get some beautiful underwater photographs and have a great vacation.
Reservation information
Checks
Payable to Cathy Church Photo Center
Mail to
Cathy Church Photo Center
Sunset House
390 South Church Street
Grand Cayman, KY1-1106 Cayman Islands
Credit Card
345-949-7415 Cayman number
607-330-3504 U.S. direct with credit card information
There is a 2.9% credit card surcharge for all portions paid for with credit card. We accept all major credit cards including American Express.
Payments (USD)
Book early to guarantee your preferred room type.
To reserve your room now, deposit $300 per room
Second payment: 50% of balance due by Dec. 2, 2022
Final payment: 100% due by Feb. 8, 2023
Cancellation Policy (USD)
Before November 7, 2022 – full refund of payment already made
Between November 7, 2022 and December 7, 2022 – forfeit $250
Between December 8, 2022 and February 8, 2023 – forfeit 50% of total
After February 9, 2023 – forfeit due 100% of total
No rollover allowed
PLEASE NOTE CREDIT CARD FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE
Dive insurance is mandatory and we strongly recommend adequate travel insurance including COVID and Fource Mejeure. This is a group booking with group cancellation terms dictated by Sunset House Hotel. We are not insurance agents and can not cover the cost of cancellations.
