Overview

It’s time to experience a different Hawaii, Visionary Wild-style. Join us for this all-inclusive, exclusive-charter photographic expedition from Hawai’i to Moloka’i

We’re told to visit Hawaii to sip on cocktails along Waikiki Beach. We’re told it’s a honeymoon and beach vacation destination. But the Hawaiian archipelago remains one of the world’s most beautiful natural landscapes, featuring wild, spectacular, and little-visited locations for photography, including many that are best accessed from the water. Escape the crowds and let us guide you on an 11-night itinerary, including seven nights aboard our rather luxurious charter vessel, visiting locations that will amaze the most avid photographer.

A first-class team of three instructors will lead this expedition: G. Brad Lewis, Michele Westmorland, and Justin Black. A photography trip around Hawaii would not be complete without Brad, who we all know as The Volcano Man. The ever-changing landscape and unpredictable conditions mesmerized Brad from his first visit decades ago, and he continues to return, traveling both new and familiar routes, documenting the birth of new land and the transformation of the landscape, and strengthening his connection to this geological and ecological wonder. Michele has led an impressive career as a professional nature and cultural conservation photographer and filmmaker, building upon a diverse skill set. She is comfortable tackling a wide range of subject matter in her work, but she is best known for her photographs of underwater wildlife and native cultures. Michele is the consummate teacher in underwater photography, the one you want along as you snorkel along the Hawaiian coast. Justin is a landscape photography specialist with decades of experience helping passionate photographers make the most of unique opportunities like this one to take their work to the next level. All three are kind, compassionate, conscientious, and engaging people, whose goal is to create the best possible overall experience for everyone on this expedition.

We start on Hawai’i Island, also known as the Big Island. Private transportation will take us around the northern half of the island to Hilo, where we spend one night, before traveling around the southern half of the Big Island back to Kona. These first three nights of the expedition will include photography on location at a lava lake, waterfalls, forest, and more, taking advantage of the best opportunities presented by the light and weather conditions during a stunning overland journey.

Then, we embark on the Safari Explorer: our exclusive charter vessel. Up to 15 cabins are available to our guests to host a maximum of 18 participants (up to two per cabin), though the Safari Explorer normally accommodates 36 guests. The group size is thus limited to maximize the overall experience, helping to ensure that our photographic locations and the ship are uncrowded, that participants are all able to receive attentive photography instruction with opportunities to work one-on-one with all three leaders, and to generally enhance the efficiency of our operations during the trip. With at least 14 ship’s crew members aboard, the staff-to-passenger ratio will be about 1:1. Safari explorer is a highly capable expedition vessel and a superb platform for serious photography, but comfort doesn’t take a back seat. Her stylish staterooms have heated tile floors in bathroom, air conditioning, Tempur-Pedic® memory foam mattresses, flat-screen TV/DVD, iPod docking station, large view windows (no portholes!), and private en suite bath with shower. The ship carries two Zodiac boats that normally accommodate up to 19 people each, so our excursions on the water will be uncrowded, with plenty of room to maneuver camera gear.

While aboard the Safari Explorer for our 7-night cruise, we will encounter more of the sealife and landscapes that make Hawaii the centerpiece of the Pacific Ocean. From snorkeling with manta rays to cruising beneath some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world, each day will be an adventure, holding in store plenty of opportunities for photography. The timing of this trip coincides with the return to Hawaiian waters of humpback whales in abundance. Between December and May, they calve and nurse their young before migrating to the waters off Alaska. After exploring West Maui, Olowalu, and Lana’i, we disembark on the island of Moloka’i. We spend one last night together here before an early morning flight to Honolulu, Oahu, where there are midday flights departing for the U.S. mainland and other destinations so that everyone can easily arrange their own flights back home.

In the words of Michele, “Swimming with dolphins is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have when doing underwater photography. Combine that with traveling around Hawaii by ship with Brad and Justin… this trip is a slam-dunk.” We hope you will join us to see the more undiscovered parts of Hawaii as we island hop to its most pristine and breathtaking views!

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