THE CONTEST HAS NOW ENDED. Thank you to all the Participants!
The winning photo:
Bryan Chu's adorable capture of a sea lion - See the full photo
The photograph will be featured in our Bluewater Travel 2021 desk calendar and has earned an honorary spot on the cover of our social media pages!
winners of the raffle:
Laurie Slawson, Mary Pinkerton, Alvin Cheung, Julie Bartell, Cara Troye, Melisa Davidson,
Julie Gosselin, Jenny Chu, Alexander Sykelyk, Martina Peladeau
The winners of the raffle will receive a voucher for $100 off their next dive trip with Bluewater Travel and our lovely desk calendar 2021!
Congratulations!
Bluewater Travel's Photo Contest
Having led numerous amazing photo workshops around the world, our Bluewater photo instructors and trip leaders have gathered an impressive collection of underwater photographs. But who has the best photo? We need your help to decide.
The contest
Voting begins on the 16th of November, 2020 and ends on the 30th of November, 2020. The winning photograph will be announced on the 1st of December, 2020!
The winner
The most exciting part of the contest! The winning photograph will be featured in our Bluewater Travel 2021 desk calendar. Moreover, it will earn an honorary spot on the cover of our social media pages.
Prizes for voters
Voters, that have signed-up on our website will be entered into a raffle to win one of 10 vouchers for $100 off your next dive trip with Bluewater Travel! Make sure to LOG IN or CREATE AN ACCOUNT on our site to take part in our raffle.
HOW TO VOTE
Voting is simple! After you have chosen your favorite photograph, at the end of the page, you will see our poll unit with all the photographs and the authors listed. Just tick the button next to your favorite photo and then click vote!
Have a look at the shortlisted photographs below and vote for your favorite!
TIM YEO | NIRUPAM NIGAM |BRYAN CHU | MARK HATTER |MARK STRICKLAND
CRAIG DIETRICH | KATIE YONKER |TOMMY STYLSKI | SCOTT GIETLER | ERIK LUKAS
Already a fan of one of our photographers? Go straight to the polls!
Tim Yeo
Tim Yeo : "This photo was taken at Darwin’s Arch in the Galapagos during a 2 week back to back trip in March 2019. Conditions were very challenging; 56F/13C waters, ripping currents and a strong down current during our safety stop. But the group of mostly divemasters and instructors were rewarded with excellent visibility and an endless school of scalloped hammerhead sharks as far as the eye can see for 40 minutes."
Want to take cool photos like this? For great wide angle photography, we recommend the Ikelite Canon SL3 Wide Angle Package! Join our next Galapagos Photo Workshop in August 2021!
Nirupam Nigam
Nirupam Nigam: "I chose this photo because it is another take on the relationship between an anemone and anemonefish. The swirls created with a magic tube are a metaphor for symbiosis. Photographed with the Nikon Z6, Isotta Z6 housing, Sea & Sea YS-D2J strobe, and a Saga Magic Tube".
Want to take cool photos like this? This photograph was taken with a Nikon Z 6 camera in an Isotta Nikon Z6 housing with a Sea & Sea YS-D2J strobe, saga magic tube, and a reefnet fiber optic snoot. This photo was taken during our December 2019 Anilao photoworkshop. Join our next Anilao Photo Workshop in Spring 2021.
Bryan Chu
Bryan Chu: "While diving in my local waters in February, we were approached by a group of younger sea lions. They were really curious about us very slow, noisy, awkward, lumbering animals. They dove down to check us out, whizzing past us very closely to see what was going on. I ascended to a very shallow depth to try to capture the bright blue sky and clouds on this beautiful winter day, and fortunately this one sea lion came over to dive bomb me, and I was able to get the shot before it whizzed past me! Why I chose this photo: It shows the really playful and curious side of steller sea lions. And we could all use a few more happy/cute photos with everything going on these days!"
Want to take cool photos like this? We recommend the Nauticam Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark III housing and Sea & Sea YS-D3 strobes. Join our next photo workshop to the Sea of Cortez in July & August 2021 to meet lot's of sea lions!
Mark Hatter
Mark Strickland
Mark Strickland: Divemaster Josie, longtime crew on the liveaboard Febrina, swims above a thriving coral reef, including barrel sponge, soft corals and various reef fish. Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean.
"While stationary scenes like this may seem less difficult to photograph than moving subjects like fish and marine mammals, in my experience, reefscapes present their own special challenges. For starters, you need good visibility and ample available light to allow for optimum camera settings. And, for scenes like this that include soft corals, steady current is required for the corals to look their best. Including a diver adds interest, but ensuring that this diver appears in a compositionally desirable part of the frame while looking natural and graceful is an additional challenge for both model and photographer. Finally, this scene was shot at about 110 feet, so bottom time was very limited, especially considering that we had to wait until all the other photographers had their chance and were no longer milling around in the scene. With so many variables that need to come together, many such efforts do not result in good photos, but this time was a happy exception!"
Want to take cool photos like this? This photo was taken with the Nikon D850 - one of the world's best DSLR cameras ever made. We recommend the ultimate Nikon D850 underwater package. Join our next photo workshop to Papua New Guinea in May 2021.
Craig Dietrich
Craig Dietrich : "Two Peas in a Pod - This image of bottlenose dolphins was taken in the Sea of Cortez about ten feet beneath the surface. My group had been in the water with the pod for approximately 15 minutes when I was lucky enough to capture these two playing together. I like the way they seem to be separate from the rest of the pod even though the others were only several feet away. "
Want cool photos like this? We recommend the Canon EOS R5 ultimate underwater package for the best wide angle photography with a Canon camera. Join our next Sea of Cortez Photo Workshop in July & August 2021.
Katie Yonker
Katie Yonker: "This photo was taken in Banco Chinchorro, Mexico. I chose this photo because it was one of my most thrilling marine encounters. The resident crocodiles in Chinchorro have a 100+ year symbiotic relationship with the local fishermen who clean their daily catch from their overwater huts, discarding fish scraps into the water to be quickly consumed by the crocodiles. One lucky operator has received approval from the Mexican government to run small group trips to view these creatures in their natural habitat."
Want cool photos like this? We recommend an Isotta OM-D E-M1 Mark II Housing and Sea & Sea YS-D3 strobes. And contact us for options to travel to Mexico.
TOMMY STYLSKI
Tommy Stylski: "There’s nothing like swimming through a healthy kelp forest."
Want cool photos like this? We recommend the Canon EOS R5 ultimate underwater package for the best wide angle photography with a Canon camera. . And check out our guide to diving in Southern California.
Scott Gietler
Scott Gietler : "Mating mandarin fish, Dumaguete, Philippines. Mandarin fish male/female pairs rapidly rise in the water column, release, and fertilize their eggs every day at dusk in a spectacular display."
Want to take cool photos like this? We recommend the Nikon Z7 - one of the world's best full frame mirrorless cameras. We recommend the Aquatica Z7 housing (which is 15% off!), Sea & Sea YS-D3 strobes, and ultralight strobe arms. ultimate Nikon D850 underwater package. Join our next Dumaguete Group Trip in June 2021.
ERIK LUKAS
Erik Lukas: "Amphioctopus marginatus. I photographed this octopus with two common names, Coconut octopus and Veined octopus, during my last macro photo workshop in Anilao. "
Want cool photos like this? This photograph was shot with the Canon 5D Mark IV - one of the best full frame DSLR cameras from Canon. We recommend the Ultimate Canon 5D Mark IV Underwater Package, and if you're looking to brush up on your editing skills, take a look at these Photoshop tutorials. And join our next Anilao Photo Workshop in spring 2021.
Let us know which photo is your favorite by voting below!
Voting has been closed.
