I found myself admiring a Flamboyant Cuttlefish displaying its mesmerizing pattern of colors while trying to capture in a photo the exact moment when it launches its proboscis to capture its prey. It happens so fast it is very challenging, but I am patient enough that after many tries, I got it! It is not the best photo, but this trip has taught me that to become a good photographer you need patience and much practice.

I went to the Philippines to join Marty Snyderman on the 2025 Atlantis Image Makers trip. Every year, talented underwater photographers are invited to Atlantis Dive Resort, where they explore their creativity and talent and take stunning photos and videos of the incredible critters you can find while diving in Dauin, Philippines. This year Marty Snyderman invited me to join, even though  I am not a skilled photographer and still a beginner. He believed it was a good opportunity to learn from others and practice my skills. I am so honored to have been given this experience because Marty was correct; it was amazing to meet all the great photographers on the trip, get to know their stories and work, and learn from them. It was cool to see their unique style and how each of them could photograph the same subject in very different ways. It was also an incredible opportunity to dive with the purpose of getting to know better my photography gear, play with the settings,  light, and have fun.  Dive after dive, I felt more comfortable with my gear and understood it better.

In Dauin, most of the dives are muck dives, and that means that you spend the dive in a site where apparently there is not much to see, but after you start looking carefully, you find tiny, beautiful animals that are very fun to shoot. Some of my favorites were seahorses, the flamboyant cuttlefish, the wunderpus and of course the clownfish. The reefs in Apo Island are stunningly beautiful– it was truly like be diving in the Finding Nemo movie set!

I also got the opportunity to go to Oslob, Cebu, and swim with whale sharks. It is incredible to be side by side with such a big and beautiful animal! There is some controversy in this kind of tourism due to the locals feeding the whale sharks. Every morning, there are many tourists swimming with them, and it can be very chaotic. In my opinion, these practices are far from perfect, but it is a way that local people have found to make a profit with whale sharks instead of killing them and selling them for food. These kinds of interactions make me realize things are not black or white, and ethical tourism has many grays.  After 10 days in Atlantis Dive Resort and lots of dives and practice, I was very pleased with the progress I made. My pictures from the first day were very different from the last ones. I felt more comfortable with my camera gear and the results I got!

Then I went to Cebu City and visited Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF) offices. CCEF is an NGO that works with coastal communities in the Visayan Area with different conservation projects. During my visit, I learned about their important work and projects, one of them being a reef restoration project in collaboration with rrreefs  in which they are printing clay bricks to form an artificial reef and restore damaged areas. We went to Dalaguete to scout for a site for a new reef, and I helped to do the photogrammetry of two possible sites. I am very happy I was able to help and am very excited to see the new reef and its results!

During our time in Dalaguete we attended a meeting with the town mayor, where CCEF presented their work, the future project, and asked for permission for the placement of the new artificial reef. It was very interesting to get to live this side of conservation work, governmental meetings and procedures,  that normally people do not see but are fundamental for a successful conservation project. Mangrove conservation is another project CCEF is working on. We went on a boat ride to visit the mangroves in the area, and I learned that in the Philippines, there are more than 30 different mangrove species. I was impressed because in Mexico there are only 4!  We also visited the mangrove nursery where CCEF is working with the local community by sharing knowledge of the importance of mangroves and involving them in conservation projects by collecting the mangrove seedlings and selling them to companies that are interested in mangrove restoration. This way, the community will get a profit from taking care of their mangroves. It was very moving to see many members of the community working together with a conservation goal and I was very impressed with all the work CCEF does. It was very fun to spend time with the CCEF staff, and it was fun to find out that the Philippines and Mexico have lots of things in common due to Spanish colonization. I felt at home.

After my time with CCEF I went to Malapascua, a tiny island North of Cebu, with one aim: to see a thresher shark. I have always wanted to see these sharks, but they are pelagic, live very deep, and are hard to see. Malapascua is very special because it is the only place in the world where you have 98% of chance to see one! The reason is that there is a seamount that thresher sharks like to use as a cleaning station, so every morning they will swim up and stay for a couple of hours while they are being “cleaned” by other fish. When I knew I was going to be close, I knew I had to try and see one. I stayed at Kokay´s Maldito Dive Resort. I had met the owner, Ritchel, at DEMA, and she was very kind to invite me and allow me to join them. I loved my stay with them because all the staff were super nice and friendly. In my first dive, I was super nervous and was scared I was going to be one of the 2% of chance who would not see a thresher shark… but just after 5 minutes, I distinguished the majestic shark with its very long emblematic tail! I could not believe how beautiful and elegant it was! Then we found more and more of them. On all the dives I was surrounded by sharks– it felt like a dream! In between dives, I even saw them jump out of the water! It was the perfect closure to my incredible time in the Philippines!

Thanks to Atlantis Dive Resorts, all the amazing crew, especially our Dive Masters Ruel, Harnold and Norway. Thank you, Marty Snyderman, for the kind invitation, and all the 2025 Image Makers for all the help and tips! Thank you so much to all the CCEF team for the best Filipino experience, especially to Nicholson, Dabs, Ranie, Jose, Pablita, and Eduard. Thank you to Ritchel and all the Kokay´s Maldito Dive Resort staff! A big thank you to Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society for giving me this dream opportunity. Thank you to all my sponsors: Aqualung, Drysuits Unlimited International (DUI), Faith Ortins/Blue Green Expeditions, Fourth Element, and Backscatter for giving me the gear and tools I will need during my year.