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Winners of the underwater photography contest: stunning images from the depths of the sea

Herbert Huffner

The Underwater Photography Contest Has Released A Selection Of Thirteen Winning Images, Along With Several Honorable Mention Images.

You must have seen many people who find space discoveries amazing and show excessive excitement to explore and see all its dimensions. However, as long as there are vast oceans to explore, isn’t it too early to go into the room? Why should we go to play when more than eighty percent of the oceans remain unexplored?

Underwater photography is as tricky as it sounds exciting and scary. The photographer must also have learned how to scuba dive to survive underwater photography.

This type of photography is essential; through it, more people will learn about the habitat of underwater animals, and we can make a difference in preserving the unique animals living in the aquatic environment. If more people take pictures of the oceans and share them, the interest in diving and efforts to protect them will increase.

” Scuba Diving ” magazine announced the winners of the underwater photography contest through the lens. Now in its sixteenth year, the game has released a collection of thirteen winning images, along with several ideas that won an honorable mention.

These pictures have been selected to be published in the Hall of Fame in this competition. In the most recent series of this contest, the image of a whale shark with more than fifty fish in its mouth won the grand prize of the underwater photography contest.

Through Your Lens is a photo contest organized by Scuba Diving Magazine. With more than 2,600 images submitted, the contest series celebrates the highest number of photo submissions in its history. 2020 is the 16th year that this competition will be held, and it will depict the world of oceans and seas.

Among the 2,636 submitted images, the jury selected 13 winning photos and 15 honorary titles in four categories: behavior, compact camera, macro, and wide angle of view.

This year’s grand prize winner was Evans Baudin, who took a stunning photo of many eels writhing in the mouth of a twelve-meter female whale shark in Baja, California, Mexico. The first-prize winners in other categories are as follows:

In this article, we have shared with you some of the selected images in this contest and some unique looks at the world of water and oceans.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

In “Gruner Austria” there is a park where you can sit on the benches and enjoy the sound of birds in the autumn season, But if you happen to be in this area during the summer season, you have to go underwater and swim to see this park; Because for hot summer days, a fantastic underwater park is created. This park is located in the Styros region around Groner Lake in Austria.

He winter, snow covers the hills of Gröner Lake. The areaThe lake is surrounded by the Hochschwab mountains. the lake is about 199 square meters, and autumn and winter are the best seasons to spend time around it.

In early spring, while the mountain peaks around the village of Tragoess are still covered in snow, the meadow cover of the green lake blooms. Just a few months after this date, when the temperature does not fall below zero at night, the snow melts and flows into the streams to fill the lake with clear and clean water. The meadow is flooded with newly blooming flowers and rich green grass.

After the snow melts completely, all the benches, stone paths, bridges, and trees will be flooded. Crabs and several species of salmon live in this water. This lake is also called Green Lake.

Grand prize winner of the underwater photography competition

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

In June 2020, with a special permit, I was sent on a cruise to document marine life and the effects of reduced maritime traffic due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus. After two hours in the water with the sharks in tow, the captain yelled in the boat, “There’s a whale shark right behind you.” When I turned around, I saw a twelve-meter whale shark behind me, and my surprise was even more significant when I realized that more than fifty remoras were enjoying a free ride in its mouth.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

After an eternity, the flamingos resumed feeding in the sand puddle where I had been lying motionless since sunrise. They kicked up sand on my camera lens as they rippled and barely passed. Being creative and brave, one of them noticed the sand on my camera lens and tried to lift it. This gave me a very brief opportunity to capture her yellow eyes with those unique filters.

First-place winner in the compact camera category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

As a SeaLife camera brand ambassador, I carry a DC2000 and my DSLR setup for a few side shots. I was very interested to see what I could capture with a tiny camera like the SeaLife and how close it could be to the quality of the images I capture with a DSLR. Diving was done near Anilao, Philippines, with Mike Bartik. This fantastic creature was sitting on a palm leaf and seemed like a perfect subject for testing.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

This picture was recorded in Greece and on the island of Amorgos. Amorgos is one of the Greek islands, with an area of ​​126,346 square kilometers and a population of 1973, located in the South Aegean province of Naxos. This island is located at the easternmost point of the Aegean Sea in the Cyclades region, and there are many caves along its coast. The darkness of the caves contrasts with the usual blue color of the Aegean Sea. Greece is also a paradise for freediving. This island offers a perfect imagination opportunity and helps create poetic images.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

In the Cuban archipelago and among the mangroves, a small colony of American alligators lives. To make a series of photos, I spent three days navigating the water with them and studying its currents, light, and clarity. I then waited for the alligator to position itself against the background light. The idea was to have the best reflection between the reflection of the sun and the color of the water.

Third-place winner in the compact camera category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

While snorkeling in Anilao, Philippines, I spotted an empty beer bottle through my camera lens in the sand. But something seemed to live there. I started photographing the bullish lemon that lived there. After a while, I noticed a shadow in the background. After a few seconds, I saw a juvenile lionfish emerge. Just as the bullish started yawning, I pressed the shutter, and the lionfish looked at the camera.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

You will never forget the first great shark you saw as a diver. I will forever feel blessed to have come face to face with this oceanic white shark in the Red Sea. As we approached the last minutes of the dive, the shark and his companions slowly circled us. They looked at each of us calmly before turning blue again.

Third-place winner in the macro category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

In November 2019, I signed up with Amigos del Mar for 14 days of diving in Banco Chinchorro, Mexico, with my good friend Heiko from Mahahual. As a joke, Hiko set a goal for me to see how many different species I could capture on camera during my time there. Although diving there requires more wide-angle lenses, I opted for the 105mm lens to give it more reach. On the second dive, I looked down as I prepared myself for a low-angle shot of a school of eels. At that moment, I realized that this shark was looking at me confidently. I slowly moved up and back, repositioned, and then snapped a series of shots of him.

Second-place winner in the compact camera category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

Have you ever felt like a fish could smile at you? The most exciting thing about this dive was that it took me a long time to realize that there was a pigfish in the sponge barrel. I glued to the sponge to find the hairy scat crab. Only after some time did I notice this fish passing by my camera with camouflage and a smile.

The first-place winner in the broad angle category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

On the surface at the entrance to the cenote, I still had no idea what space lay beneath the small pool. It was only when I descended and was outside the bright sun area that the darkness became apparent. As my eyes adjusted to the night, I realized the vastness of space. My friend, hanging above that cloud and slightly lit by the sun, looked very small, So I did all the diving with remote photography, trying to capture the image of the little diver in that vast space.

Third-place winner in the broad angle category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

I took this photo last October in Baja, California. This was my first time there; it took me a few days to gain more trust in the sea and the animals that live there. I was fortunate; Because, at that time, many sardines were passing by. So the sea lions were constantly playing and hunting them. To take this picture, I floated in shallow depths for a long time, looking for the right moment to press the button. When the time came, I saw two sea lions swim away first and then toward each other. Sardines used to move in the same way to escape hunting. So they created parallel wave lines, and I plotted them.

Third-place winner in the behavior category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

This photo was taken in very shallow water in the Morsi Sea in Egypt. Mursi Alam is a city in the Red Sea Province of Egypt. While on our honeymoon, we couldn’t resist the touch of water. So my wife and I went diving every morning. One day a lot of slimes caught my attention. I only had a concise opportunity to photograph; Because the mud was spread everywhere. This fish fed on small mixtures of sand. After a few seconds, the sunlight disappeared, and we continued to enjoy the beautiful Red Sea and our honeymoon.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

I tried the slow shutter technique with a flash and a standard color flashlight to capture this image.

Second-place winner in the macro category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

The sea hare is one of my favorite models for underwater photography. I call them “living colors of the sea” or “snow queens.” Here, a sea snail called “iriomotense Phyllodesmium” is seen feeding on one of its favorite foods, coral. This photo was taken at a depth of 32 meters. The time allotted for photography at that depth is minimal, So I dived four times to get this photo.

Second-place winner in the broad angle category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

The sinking of the Olympia was depicted in Luc Besson’s 1988 film Big Blue. This ship hit the ground near the coast of Amorgos island in Greece and sank. The secret of this image lies in synchronization. For success, a beam of sunlight shines in front of the ship to illuminate the underwater landscape; Then, a wave hits the camera lens at the right angle to get a good view from above and below, and finally, the diver has to maintain his position towards the wreck. This image was captured with great effort.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

Sepiola birostrata is one of the two species of marine fish living in the northern Sea of ​​Japan. This fish is hidden in the bottom of the sand during the day and is only found by chance and goes hunting at night. Despite their small size, these fish are good hunters and catch shrimps and crabs. There are usually large numbers of them in July, above the sandy bottom at depths of 15 to 40 feet. I managed to find this beauty during a night dive. Its color is gorgeous.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

A humpback whale crosses Tonga’s emerald and blue waters, closely followed by its mother and escort. Suddenly the mother of this whale appeared to take her baby away from the stranger, who happened to be me. As the leviathans circled directly below me, the whale surfaced for fresh air. I gathered up my freed fins to get ready to photograph it.

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I captured this image of a squadron flying fish on May 31, 2020, while snorkeling around a patch of sargassum; When I was diving just a few feet below the surface of the black waters in Palm Beach, Florida. When a group of these fish came in, my good friend notified me of their arrival, and I was able to capture a picture of them within minutes. The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

The first-place winner in the behavior category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

This image was captured during a daily dive at the Blerguerry Pier in Port Phillip Bay, Australia. This short seahorse was feeding near the water’s surface, freely swimming from one piece of floating weed to the next. I’m not sure if the seahorse mistakenly grabbed the leg of the fish tube instead of a part of the weed or if it was intentional. The tube fish immediately tried to free itself from the seahorse’s grip. This interaction only lasted about ten seconds; The time was enough to take a picture.

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The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

Sudanese fish are mainly composed of non-native males and females. At some times of the year, you can watch a war where the male fish fight to defend their harem.

The first-place winner in the macro category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

You never know what you’ll find when diving in the black waters. One night you might see a small larval fish, and another might be a mako or silky shark. But mostly, you’re looking for tiny creatures floating among the plankton. Along with water flow that is too deep, stability and focus are the keys to successfully finding your subject on the move. About 45 minutes into the 90-minute dive, I started spotting small clumps of sargassum that were always floating. On a black water dive, I found this seahorse in the third mass I examined.

Second-place winner in the behavior category

The photographer says in the explanation of this picture:

We were snorkeling in the glistening mud of Ambon Bay. I was swimming under the fishing buoys at Laha, one of my favorite dive sites in the area. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a lizard that suddenly jumped from the top of the boulder and was swift. I swam faster and finally found the lizard. Finally, I captured this image just before the lizard swam away with its delicious meal.

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