2013 Underwater Photography Contest Finalists
The 2013 Underwater Photography Contest has come to a close, and the Scuba Diving team had their work cut out for them in choosing from nearly 700 incredible photos from our readers.
After hours upon hours spent poring over the outstanding submissions, here are our 45 finalists. If your photo is featured in this gallery, congratulations are in order. This year had some of the best submissions yet, and it was no easy task to narrow it down this far.
*(Captions courtesy of photographers.)
James KashnerDuring a shore dive on Bonaire, I encountered this beautiful purple-tip anemone. On closer inspection, I saw three shrimp jockeying for position; this guy was the winner.
J. Gregory ShermanThis bird was fascinated by its reflection in the dome port. Taken in the northern Sea of Cortez, Mexico.
Mark FullerThis shot was taken below a photographer shooting a school of barracuda in Papua New Guinea.
Goos Van Der HeideA peacock mantis shrimp with eggs taken in Ambon, Indonesia.
Montse GrilloMature green turtles spend most of their time in shallow, coastal waters with lush seagrass beds. Adults frequent inshore bays, lagoons and shoals with lush seagrass meadows. Entire generations often migrate between one pair of feeding and nesting areas. On the coast of Tenerife (Canary Islands), we have three green turtles. I devoted much of my time to observing their different behaviors and photographed those moments.
Alan LoThis photo of an octopus in a clam shell was taken in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia, at a depth of 15 meters with a snoot.
Marcello Di FrancescoPictured is a male cardinalfish "intent" on hatching his eggs. Taken in Malapascua, Philippines.
Francis PerezIn the north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, basaltic lava creates underwater formations like this one.
Sarosh JacobAs I came across this diver in Iceland's Silfra Rift, I thought to myself, "This is what exploration looks like."
Filip StaesA free diver swimming through the canyon in Dahab, Egypt.
Mark FullerA snooted starfish and diver above in Eilat, Israel.
Michael ZeiglerBright yellow tube sponges were the highlight of this shallow reef off of the coast of Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.
Karen DoodyLate in the afternoon, after most divers have packed up and gone home, the entrance to the Kukulkan Cenote system is bathed in light beams from the sinking sun, further enhancing the natural beauty of the cavern system. Taken in Kukulkan, Puerto Aventuras, Mexico.
Montse GrilloThe Portuguese Man O' War lives at the surface of the ocean in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
William GoodwinA diver is crossing the "desert" on the way to the reef (Tori's, Bonaire).
Ellen CuylaertsA free diver takes time to contemplate at the bow of the USS Kittiwake. Nothing was staged; he did what he felt, and I tried to capture his state of mind. Taken in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
Luc RoomanBullheads can be seen with eggs every year in winter at Lake Grevelingen, the Netherlands.
Els Van Den BorreSmall clownfish with an isopod in its mouth. Taken in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.
Jacqueline JongenelenA tiny hermit crab is looking out of his tiny hole and began to wave hello as I took the picture of him. Taken in Moalboal, Philippines.
Chia Chi ChangGorgeous emperor shrimp. Taken off the northeast coast of Taiwan.
Mike SouthardTwilight shot in Fiji of a beautiful zebra anemone.
Fabio StrazziThis photo of a squid was taken during a safety stop on a night dive in the Maldives.
Luc RoomanA macro shot of a traveler inside a jellyfish in Oosterschelde, Holland.
Luis Javier SandovalMorelet's crocodiles live in the cenotes and lagoons of the Mayan jungle; this specimen was among water lilies inside a cenote. Taken at Carwash Cenote, Mexico.
Fabio StrazziMacro photograph of a crinoid shrimp in the Philippines.
Hamid RadA tree growing in a shallow-water mangrove. Taken in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Zach RansomA lemon shark opens wide for the camera in Tiger Beach, Bahamas.
Aleksandra BartnickaBeautiful oceanic manta over Magic Mountain, where reef and oceanic mantas come together. This manta posed for a split second then continued on its way. Taken in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Pietro FormisBeautiful sunbeams at Jackfish Alley in the morning. Taken at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Eduardo AcevedoReflection of pilot whales and surface on a magic day in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Blue ocean with crystal water gave three dimensions.
David ValenciaWhale sharks arrive in Roca Partida, Mexico's Socorro Islands, in November, May and June. When they are there, they curiously swim around divers.
Francis PerezTo get this shot, I had to be in the water very early to take advantage of the sunrise. I had very little time, but the sea turtles came and I was able to get the photo. Taken in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
David ValenciaA mother and baby humpback whale hover motionless, resting together in Roca Partida, Mexico's Socorro Islands.
Amir SternGoby on whip coral, shot with Canon PowerShot S100 camera with bug-eye lens, DS51 strobe. Taken in the Red Sea.
Jeremy KozmanTwo mantas soar across a background of snorkelers' dive lights in Kona, Hawaii.
Vanessa MignonI was in Tonga where humpback whales migrate to mate and give birth. We found two adult whales courting; they would swim around each other and pirouette in the ocean. Suddenly, one of them ascended vertically in front of me and stayed in place, clearly looking at me. Taken in Tonga.
Marcello Di FrancescoSpring is the best season to shoot nudibranchs in the Mediterranean. Here, a white Flabellina (endemic species) during spawning. Taken in Argentario, Italy.
Salvatore IannielloShrimp cleaning a moray eel's mouth in Bacoli, Italy.
Rodrigo FriscioneDuring winter, sailfish gather in the waters north of Cancun, Mexico, to round up sardines. The sailfish display amazing speed as they chase the fleeing sardines and slash their bills sideways in the baitball to snag their prey.
Mary R. HewettAt the end of my dive, I was down 80 feet on White Hill Reef in Destin, Florida, on the bottom under a coral formation, when I noticed the frogfish. What a surprise to me when I saw two of them together.
Charlotte SamsThese shoals of mackerel are a common sight on dives, and I was determined to capture them feeding with their mouths open. Taken in Marsa Shagra House Reef, Egypt.
Jamie HoldorfClose up of a conch's eye on Lighthouse Reef, Grand Cayman.
Yen-Yi LeeI saw this pregnant ringed pipefish at around 10 meters underwater. She kept moving and sometimes turned her body over; I saw these beautiful eggs on her back and was so lucky to get this photo. Taken in Kenting, Taiwan.
Luis Javier SandovalAkumal Bay in Mexico is a great feeding ground for green sea turtles, and I like to go at sunset to get this range of colors.
Craig DietrichI was coming up from a deep dive and had to get this shot. I was a little scared of the waves rolling in, but I went for it. This was taken in about 12 feet of water with a Canon 7D and Tokina 10-17 with 2 YS-D1 Sea & Sea strobes in San Benedicto, Socorro Islands, Mexico.
The 2013 Underwater Photography Contest has come to a close, and the Scuba Diving team had their work cut out for them in choosing from nearly 700 incredible photos from our readers.
After hours upon hours spent poring over the outstanding submissions, here are our 45 finalists. If your photo is featured in this gallery, congratulations are in order. This year had some of the best submissions yet, and it was no easy task to narrow it down this far.
*(Captions courtesy of photographers.)