Hi fellow divers

[ecdoodle]

I am new to scuba board.
Let me introduce myself:
I am a PADI certified diver in the West LA area for a little over 10 years.
I love to travel, and have dove in different oceans.
My all time favorite is probably Palau, followed by Cocos.
I went to Raja Ampat last year and loved it as well.
Most recently, I was in Fiji.
I like photography but I am not much of a little critter photographer.
I prefer mantas and sharks !
I am thinking of taking a trip in the Fall, maybe September or October.
Any suggestions?
Love to hear from you.
ecdoodle.

 

[marine9]

Welcome to the Board.
Please add your knowledge whenever possible.

 

[Dive Wananavu Fiji]

Hmmm, Palau, Fiji, Indo and Cocos and you want better "big stuff" to photograph. First off those are some pretty epic dive locations on their own. My recommendation might be to do a dedicated photography trip with a specific subject. Something like the Tiger sharks of the Bahamas or the Whale Shark migration to Mexico, Humpback Whales of Tonga (although snorkeling with whales not diving). There is also the Bill-fish migration to Mexico, Great Whites in Guadalupe or similar to Cocos would be the Galapagos Islands where you have the possibility of many big encounters.

Eli with Shark Diver Magazine often organizes trips to many of those locations and other photography focused groups do similar trips which may or may not included workshops to help with those specific subjects.

Just a few suggestions you can take or leave. Good luck.

*Edit: Sorry reread your post and now see the dates. Some of my suggested seasons have already happened, my mistake sorry for the not quite exact reply to your post. Sept'ish dates you can still catch the end of the Tonga Humpbacks, Galapagos if they have space on the boats will be leaving Whale Shark season and heading into Hammerhead season, or Mozambique Oct - March Whale Sharks. Tigers in Bahamas should be year round.

 

[Snorkel Exchange]

Have you dived or snorkeled off Catalina, CA? It is not far from Los Angeles and has some of the best snorkeling/diving in the USA. If you are looking for to get an underwater picture with one of the horn sharks that frequent the area there are a few tour guides that can help you. We hope to see you in the water!