Behind the Mask Travel

17/10/2024

Alaska 2026 - Update! 🦅🇺🇸

In the summer of 2026 we venture out for one of the must anticipated and promising trips on our schedule: Alaska for its elusive salmon shark, a holy grail for elasmobranch lovers out there. 🦈

And that’s not all, after our snorkelling sessions we go out for bear, eagles and whale spotting. 🐻

The scenery I stunning: the Ravencraft Lodge in the heart of Alaska providing an almost movie-like atmosphere for bonfire beers and wildlife talks. 🏕️

We are running consecutive trips, from June 21 to 27, and June 28 to July 4. We have 2 spots left on the first week, 3 on the second!

This one will be different from anything we’ve ever done before. DM us if interested! 📤

14/10/2024

Our latest newsletter is online now! 🦈

03/10/2024

Indonesia has so much to offer that we often reach back to the places we know best and most. 🇮🇩

Every now and then we love to avoid this, so we sat together with the people from and asked them an “off the grid” itinerary and timing that brings something slightly less explored. 🌏

Enter Ambon to Kaimana, an 11-nights liveaboard trip through the treasure that is the Banda Sea. We precisely chose these dates to cruise through these waters around new moon, increasing the chance of diving with whale sharks. 🦈

And that’s not all: leading this trip is our Catalan underwater photo and video professional , making this not only a trip where you can marvel at underwater spectacles, but also learn new photo and video skills. 📸

If you like sea snakes, reef for days, shark action from black tips to hammerheads and an exquisite vessel, then this is one for you. 🐍

Get in touch for all the details or if you just miss us! 📩

26/09/2024

JAPAN 2025 - REVISED ITINERARY 🇯🇵

It’s good to listen to the beating heart of our agency, i.e. you.

A few people indicated that our initial trip plan was concise in dive locations, so we got to work.🏋🏻

We now offer 4 of Japan’s best dive regions in 9 days, for a very competitive price:

- 2 days at Mikomoto Islands with hundreds of hammerheads
- Bommie Shark Scramble in Tateyama with hound sharks
- Osezaki diving (with Mount Fiji in the background!)
- Atami sublime wreck diving
- A 2 days cultural endeavour in Tokyo

It’s a sweet combo of sharks, food, Japanese culture and heritage, unique scenery, top accommodation and private transport. 🗾

If you’re interested, give us a shout!

日本のサメ!!!🎋

19/09/2024

The word is out! 🍄

After a mind blowing 10 days in August, we couldn’t hesitate to set up another voyage to the most magical underwater sphere on earth.

In September 2026, we are applying the same successful formula: a 10 night itinerary, 5 days at Wolf and Darwin, with the phenomal Galápagos Sky and its impeccable crew.🌋

Prepare for sealions, thermoclines, hammerheads in their hundreds, Galápagos sharks, manta’s and rays of all kinds, whale sharks, the infamous marine iguana and much much more.

We feel happy to use whatever superlatives we can, cause for the Galápagos there is no such thing as an exaggeration. It is the best diving on the planet, and we chose the best operator to do it with. 🌊

Interested in joining? Let us know in the comments or DM’s, and be sure to check our trip page with all details through link in bio!

13/09/2024

Get on the tide, go with the flow 🌊

Our Azores 2025 page is online now!

There’s no place we are repping like these volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic, and with good reason. ✅

Shark action, mobula rays, dolphin pods, whale watching and whale sharks cruising in 20m vis. The Azores have it all and we are not done there yet. 🌋

An extended itinerary to Faial & Santa Maria, because each island in the Azores has its own traits. With we have a Portuguese trip leader that has been diving these islands for years, is an ocean warrior and speaks the language (maybe not the Azorean accent though). 🇵🇹

All details on our trip page, DM’s open for bookings, questions and music recommendations. 🫶

29/07/2024

Ia Ora Na, we apologise. 🌺

Last post we called a destination “paradise” and now we are at it again, but hear us out.

An 11 night French Polynesia on the infamous Aquatiki III catamaran: cruising through Fakarava’s famous shark wall, bombing along channel dives, huge manta mania, and no other dive boats to be spotted in those turquoise waters. 🏝️

Main anchor points for this one will be Fakarava South & North, Khauei, Toau and Apataki. Go Google these names and see if this qualifies as paradise or not!

To ensure you’ll can take absolutely everything French Polynesia has to offer, we crafted a humpback whale diving extension to Rurutu. Wilder, further and intense, but incredibly rewarding when the stars align. 🐋

The trip is fixed for August 2026, we know most of you haven’t decided what to eat tonight and 2026 seems a decade away, but special places require special planning!

Get in touch for all the details, or visit the trip page with all the deets! 📩

03/07/2024

A Micronesian Paradise 🌏

Have you ever heard of a spawning event? Thousands of fish congregate and reproduce, fully in tune with moon phases. It's of absolute biological essence, and only for a few lucky divers to experience. 🐟

In March 2026, we are venturing out to Palau on a liveaboard and land based diving trip, with a special focus on the unique natural phenomena in these waters: bumphead and sea bream spawning! 🇵🇼

And that is not all: 3 dives a day through iconic divesites such as the infamous the German channel, manta dives in crystal clear waters, reef dives with hundreds of sharks, big barracuda schools and with good sighting chances of whale and tiger sharks…🦈

To top it all off we included a small historical tour, remembering the American Marines and Japanese infantry that fought fierce battles over the island of Peleliu. In combo with a couple of dives around this island as well, of course. 🪖

We know it’s far ahead but it’s the only way to secure this magical places. If you’d like to get more info, book directly or want to talk about the Pacific theatre in World War II send us a message! ✉️

18/06/2024

GREAT DEAL📸

14 days of sharks, mobula rays, bait ball madness and photo-video tips, now at 3.145 €!

Dates: 4 to 18 August, 2024.

2 spots available due to last minute cancellations.

Interested? Get in touch! 📤

05/06/2024

JURASSIC COCOS 🥥🇨🇷

We apologise, but we just cannot keep our masks out of the Pacific.

Cocos is a top 5 destination in our portfolio, an absolute juggernaut of marine biodiversity in a mirky, mysterious theatre that we can’t get enough of. 🪨

On this 10 night voyage on the Cocos Agressor, we expect reef sharks, whale sharks, tiger sharks, huge schools of jacks, giant trivially, and of course: it’s infamous walls of hammerheads. ⚒️

It’s hard to describe Cocos without doing injustice to its mystery and grandeur: you kind of just have to be there. 🍃

BTM Travel is rising to the occasion, with both Marcel and Tim leading this trip of dreams. 🤿

As always, if you are interested, send us a DM or email at [email protected] 💌

23/05/2024

JARDINES DE LA REINA 🪸

Cuba is high on a lot of travellers' bucket list. A place where time stood still, loaded with historical and political importance, but also with natural resources which are hard to find elsewhere. 🇨🇺

That is why we designed a culture & dive combo: a 7 day culture inspired tour through Cuba, combined with a 7 day liveaboard experience in the best diving area the country has to offer: Jardines de la Reina. 👸🏽

Translated "gardens of the queen”, these marine protected are is renowned for its crystal clear waters, pristine coral reefs and abundant marine life from endemic fish species to sharks and crocodiles. 🐊

Your Catlan Ché Guevara on this trip will be no other than professional underwater photographer and videogprapher ! 📸

Viva el buceo! 🫧

Get in touch for all info! 💌

15/05/2024

Philippines Wall Diving for 2.099 EUR! 🔥

Right in the heart of the Sulu Sea, squeezed in between Tubbataha and Borneo, Cagayancillo is a stellar destination for wall diving, colourful coral, hundreds of pelagic fish species and yes: the bigger pelagics lurking in the deep such as hammerheads and the majestic whale sharks. 🐠

Included is a private propeller plane transfer from and to Sipalay, a week of clamping on a completely remote island and 20 dives in the colours of Cagyan.🛩️

This trips is perfect for people that prefer adventurous land based diving: underwater wall and reef exploring during the day, and space to chill on land after. And the sunsets, oh the Philippine sunsets…🌅

All of this at a very competitive price for diving of this level with full board and accommodation! 🏕️

Interested? Give us a shout! 💌

07/05/2024

Ayo where our shark lovers at? 🦈

Oceanic White Tips, Longimuanus (whatever you want to call them) are one of the coolest predators alive. Moving different than any other shark, inquisitive yet mysterious and a tiny but unpredictable, they are the highlight of any dive they appear on.

We are crossing the Atlantic all the way to the Caribbean Sea in The Bahamas to go find that half white round dorsal fin. Warning: these oceanic white tips are different than anywhere else in the ocean: bigger, bolder and yes: more photogenic. 🌋

The backdrop for all of this? The charismatic Greenwood Beach resort on the paradise like island that is called Cat Island. Think 7 days of big oceanic white tips, Caribbean reef sharks, coral reefs and white sandy beaches. 🏝️

Joining us for 2 consecutive trips of 7 days will be underwater photo pro ! If there was ever a time where you wanted to learn how to shoot sharks in different light, angles or edit the crap out of it, this is your ti-hime!. 📸

DM or email for more spicy details! 💌

23/04/2024

SHARKS OF JAPAN 🇯🇵 日本のサメ

In September 2025, we are diving Japan. 🗾

This trip has been in the works for over 6 months, so it’s safe to say we are buzzing to finally announce this 10 days diving and cultural galore in the land of the rising sun. 🎑

We’ll start off our journey with the infamous hound sharks of Tateyama, significantly called “Shark City”. Literally hundreds of sharks, rays and parrotfish swarming around this feeding ground, providing a photogenic underwater mess. ⚠️

After a few cultural stops on the way, we move on to the focal point of the trip: the hammerheads of Mikomoto. Think big walls of hammerheads sharks in the blazing Kurisho current around a small island of Japan’s Izu Peninsula for days. 🦈

We then turn back north and experience the cultural heritage of Tokyo and its unique surroundings for 2 days, before we return back home. 🏯

Ping us if you like sharks and want to experience something special. We are always here! 💌

15/04/2024

RAJA WITH SONJA - In April 2025, one of the best rated liveaboards in Indonesia, the Mermaid II, opens its cabins to us! ⛵️

Destination? The infamous archipelago of Raja Ampat on the left tip of West-Papua. 🇮🇩

Raja Ampat is a soft coral Valhalla, littered with sea fans and home to thousands of unique fish species. Giant reef manta’s frequently take a pause at the many cleaning stations along Raja’s reefs, providing for divers that are looking for the big stuff as well as macro. 🪸

Our trip leader Sonja Geier called Indonesia home for over 7 years and knows these islands like no one else. She is a badass underwater photographer and videographer, and can help improve your underwater imagery in a flash. 📸

This 8 night journey is the perfect formula for divers who love to get the best in quick succession, and at an affordable rate: 3.610 EUR. Terima kasih! 🙏🏻

All info here:

https://behind-the-mask.com/group-trips/raja-with-sonja-04-2025/

Send us a message if you feel up for this one! .💌

04/04/2024

Our latest newsletter is ONLINE! ⚡

Read it here: https://mailchi.mp/behind-the-mask/end-of-year-17374448

19/03/2024

WE FOUND IT! 🔋

Marcel is unable to stay at home. He breezes through timezone after timezone in order to catch as many underwater experiences with clients as possible.✈️

In order to stop this and offer him some rest, we have crafted a trip for which he doesn’t fit the criteria: a Girls Only trip to Indonesia led by our South African powerhouse 🫧 !

At last, a trip where you don’t have to hear an alpha male’s story about his deco dive in the Red Sea in 1997! So, what’s to be expected?

- 7 nights superior room in Coral Eye, a SPECTACULAR Italian designed 🇮🇹 paradise on a hideaway island in Indonesia
- 20 dives, with day trips to Lembeh and Bunaken included🤿
- All meals and transfers🥗
- BTM Travel trip guide🤍
- A VERY competitive price, 2.199 EUR! 💳
- A dynamic group of women connected by the love for our oceans⚡️

The diving around the island is incredible: hard and soft corals in all colours, macro biodiversity for days, reef sharks patrolling and tons of fish species only to be found in the Coral Triangle.🪸

ALL INFO? HERE:

https://behind-the-mask.com/group-trips/bangka-bash-girls-only-trip-04-25/

13/03/2024

EXCLUSIVE WHALE PHOTOGRAPHY TRIP 📸

The Southern Right Whale population of Argentina is one of the most elusive whale species in the whole Atlantic. With its V shaped blow and its playful interactions, these whales gathering in Peninsula Valdés are a holy grail for many underwater photographers. 🐋

We will be spending 5 days snorkelling under government permit with these barnacle covered giants. The trip is led by our BTM Travel photographer , and will specifically focus on underwater photography. 📷

On the two non-diving days, we will explore the land wildlife the peninsula has to offer: Magellanic penguins, elephant seals, sea lions and many bird species! 🐧

This trip is one of the most exclusive trips we have ever organised. To ensure the intimacy of the encounter, not more than 5 guests are welcomed. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Get in touch through whatever platform that suits you, Marcel and Tim are here to assist. 😎

Vamoooos Argentina! 🇦🇷

ALL INFO HERE:
https://behind-the-mask.com/group-trips/argentinas-southern-right-whales-09-25

20/02/2024

WILD ALASKA - In 2026, Marcel and Tim are organising two consecutive trips to the wilderness of Alaska. 🇺🇸

Hundreds of kilometres away from civilisation, we will be spending the mornings snorkelling with one of the must elusive of elasmobranchs: the Salmon Shark. Looking like a mix between a mako, great white and porbeagle, this is an animal very few people have ever seen. 🦈

In the afternoons we explore around our lodge, located in the middle of the forest. Hikes, paddleboarding and scouting for birds and other wildlife. 🌲

At dusk, we will be riding out on the skiff looking for bears, eagles and whales. 🐻

It’s hard to overestimate how special this trip will be. This operator only offers these trips to groups, so it makes this one that much more exclusive.

Let’s freaking go! 📵 Info through DM or email: [email protected]!

All info on our trip page: https://behind-the-mask.com/group-trips/wild-alaska-06-2026/

30/01/2024

The forever young Peter Löseke - Pestivideo has found a brilliant remedy to avoid getting sick of diving in French Polynesia: a 14 night best of the Maldives spectacle for a change of scenery. 🇲🇻

Imagine reef sharks, manta’s, healthy & colourful reefs surrounded by oriental sweetlips… And that’s not all. The real action on this trip starts at night: under the light of our torches and the beacons of the boat will attract giant manta’s and yes, hopefully the majestic whale sharks as well. 🦈

The theatre for so much beauty will be the brand new Seascape liveaboard. 🛥️DM us or email for more info, and see the link below!

https://behind-the-mask.com/group-trips/peters-getaway-14-nights-maldives-best-of/

23/01/2024

TWO EXTRA ORCA TRIPS LINED UP ⚠️

In the last months we got a lot of requests for spaces on orca trips in 2024. We wanted to accommodate these and handcrafted two lovely 6 days trips with our Greek underwater photographer and trip leader Timon Koch. 🐋

The trips are land based, as the overnight stays are in two cozy local houses. The boat that brings us to the action is normally used for productions, and is equipped with a heated back room which is perfect for the icy Arctic conditions. 🧊

Dates are 11 to 17th November, and the 18th to 24 November 2024! Price is competitive too for an experience you will never forget! 🇧🇻

All info through the link:
https://behind-the-mask.com/group-trips/orca-cinemarine-11-2024/

16/01/2024

We got some spectacular feedback from divers on Banda Sea trips the end of last year, so we decided to kick off the year with a bang offer💥.

Led by professional underwater photographer David Serradell, we are organising back to back 11 night adventure through the Banda Arc in October 2025 on the mesmerising vessel the Adelaar. 🇮🇩

Two reasons why this one will be extra special: 1) we are going around new moon, increasing the chances of diving with whale sharks, and 2) the itinerary from Ambon to Kaimana is uncommon and less explored, exactly what we love. 🌪️

Expect hammerheads, whale sharks, sea snakes, reefs for days and spectacular biodiversity that only Indonesia can offer. DM or email us at [email protected] 📮

Join professional underwater photographer David Serradell on a 11-night cruise through one of the most vibrant regions in Indonesia!

05/01/2024

Enough of the New Year resolutions: where should we organise trips to this year? Let us know! 🐠

Photo by the blond tiger, Peter Löseke - Pestivideo

31/12/2023

We wish everyone a spectacular beginning to the new year, lot's of diving, tons of humpback whales and prosperity in bubbles! 🪼