Advances in technology are rapidly making the joys of underwater photography available to just about any diver. But capturing a prize-winning image takes so much more than a grasp of the tools. A keen eye is only the beginning: To create images that challenge the mind and touch the heart — of readers and our panel of 10 judges, who sorted through nearly 700 submissions this year — takes a special way of seeing and intuiting the world around us. Take a look and enjoy!

by Alan Lo
Kowloon, Hong Kong

**Behind the shot:
**The coconut octopus is one of the most fascinating and intelligent creatures, with its own personality. To capture this “stretching” moment in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia, a spotlight effect was created by using a snoot on the strobe light.

Gear Canon 5D MarkII, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8LII lens, Inon UCL-165M67 close-up lens, Inon Z-240 strobe with snoot ISO 200 F-Stop f/18 Shutter Speed 1/200

**Prize **$200 gift certificate to Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo

by J. Gregory Sherman
Tucson, Arizona

**Behind the shot:
**On the way back to the Rocio Del Mar live-aboard after a dive, I spotted a group of boobies feeding. The panga dropped me off and I spent my surface interval amongst the birds, trying to get close enough to get a shot while simultaneously keeping my dome port away from their curious beaks. This one seemed intrigued by his reflection and I was able to capture this frame before he flew away.

Gear Canon EOS 50D, Sea & Sea housing, Canon 8-15mm fisheye lens, two Inon Z-240 strobes ISO 100 F-Stop f/20 Shutter Speed 1/200

Prize Mares Instinct 12S regulator and a Dragon BC

by Marcello Di Francesco
La Spezia, Italy ‎

Behind the shot:
The secret to achieving a shot of a male cardinalfish brooding eggs inside its mouth: A lot of patience! This kind of fish is quite friendly and not afraid of humans; we have only to wait for the right time when we have a good vantage point and catch them with their mouths open.

Gear Canon EOS 60D, Nimar housing, Canon 100mm lens, two Inon Z-240 strobes ISO 320 F-Stop f/14 Shutter Speed 1/200

**Prize **Seven-night live-aboard trip for one on Aqua Cat Cruises

by Francis Pérez
Canary Islands, Spain

Behind the shot:
Summer is the best season in the Canary Islands, because the water is clear, with beautiful morning light. For this shot, I wanted to be alone with sea turtles — after only a few minutes, they appeared as if from the sunbeams.

Gear Canon 5D, Seacam housing, Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens, two Ikelite DS125 strobes ISO 100 F-Stop f/18 Shutter Speed 1/160

**Prize **$200 gift certificate to Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo

by Luis Javier Sandoval
Cancun, Mexico

Behind the shot:
Some of the cenotes in the Yucatan peninsula have wide-open entrances, allowing sun rays to enter. This light create amazing gardens full of life; some of the cenotes host different species of fresh-water turtles, fish and, if you are lucky enough, you might come across a Morelet´s crocodile. This young croc was hiding among the plants on the edge of the water — when he felt the camera come close, he opened his mouth, creating the moment for the perfect shot as he was reflected on the water surface.

Gear Nikon D7000, Aquatica housing, Tokina 10-17mm lens at 16mm, two Sea & Sea YS-120 strobes ISO 100 F-Stop f/9 Shutter Speed 1/200

**Prize **Aqua Lung Legend LX regulator

by Aleksandra Bartnicka
Warsaw, Poland

Behind the shot:
It was a clear day in Raja Ampat’s Misool area. We were diving the famous Magic Mountain, a manta cleaning station. We were lucky that day, with mantas cruising up and down the ridge. This manta was heading straight at me, and I braced myself for the photo opportunity. In the last minute it changed its course and swam straight up, toward the surface. I had to quickly change the settings to adjust for the new level of light, and I managed to get this photo, the most graceful pose of this magical creature.

Gear Nikon D300s, Ikelite housing, Tokina 10-17mm lens at 10mm, natural light ISO 200 F-Stop f/9 Shutter Speed 1/125

**Prize **Seven nights plus diving for one at Utila’s Deep Blue Resort

by Luc Rooman
Kieldrecht, Belgium

Behind the shot:
This shot of an amphipoda is taken at the Netherlands’ Lake Grevelingen. This little animal is a parasite on the jellyfish. The shot was taken in June, when we have many jellyfish in the lake, when the temps reach about 57°F.

Gear Nikon D300s, Sealux housing, Nikon (?) 60mm lens, Subsee +10 diopter, two Subtronic (model?) strobes ISO 160 F-Stop f/32 Shutter Speed 1/250

**Prize **$200 gift certificate to Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo

by Amir Stern
Haifa, Israel

Behind the shot:
The Inon “Bugeye” lens, officially called the Inon Underwater Micro Semi-Fisheye Relay Lens UFL-MR130 EFS60, is one of the most unique lenses, giving neither a normal wide-angle or a purely macro perspective. Instead, it’s a hybrid: a dedicated “fisheye macro lens.” The lens allows the user to photograph a smaller subject while also including more of the environment in the negative space than would be possible with a traditional macro lens — the lens can basically focus as close as you can get without scaring away the subject. This means you can make a tiny nudibranch look as big as a buffalo in the frame.

Gear Canon S100, Ikelite housing, Inon Bugeye lens, single Ikelite DS51 strobe ISO 80 F-Stop f/8 Shutter Speed 1/400

**Prize **A SCUBAPRO MK25/S600 regulator

by Chia-Chi Chang
Taipei City, Taiwan

Behind the shot:
It's usually very difficult to find an emperor shrimp on a nudibranch, but I was lucky to find two that day. I patiently waited for them to move to a good spot, changed the flashlight to the top and got this shot.

Gear Canon G15, Recsea housing, two Inon Z-240 strobes ISO 80 F-Stop f/8 Shutter Speed 1/200

**Prize **Five-day, two-tank dive package for two from Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas

by Filip Staes
Mechelen, Belgium

Behind the shot:
I was taking pictures of the sunlight entering the canyon at Dahab, Egypt, in the Red Sea, when a freediver passed me between the narrow walls. Despite his long fins, he was in no hurry as I watched him slowly continue his way to the surface.

Gear Fujifilm Fine Pix S5Pro, Seacam housing, Tokina 10-17mm lens at 17mm, natural light ISO 200 F-Stop f/4.5 Shutter Speed 1/60

**Prize **$200 gift certificate to Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo

by Mark Fuller
Eilat, Israel

Behind the shot:
This image was taken in Papua New Guinea on a calm morning dive. My dive buddy was photographing a school of barracuda, so I decided to get below and shoot straight up to capture the photographer at work, thus getting a great silhouette of the diver and barracuda, and the calm sea with the clouds made for a nice Snell's window.

Gear Nikon D7000, Aquatica housing, Nikon 0.5mm lens ISO 200 F-Stop f/13 Shutter Speed 1/160

**Prize **Cressi MC9/Compact reg and octo set

by William Goodwin
Birmingham, Alabama

Behind the shot:
The seemingly empty expanse of sand that separates Bonaire's Tori’s Reef from the island's ironshore contains an abundance of life, including razorfish colonies, a large resident barracuda, graceful palometas, bonefish, spotted eagle rays, a rare Black Brotula — and my wife and dive buddy, Donna.

Gear Sony NEX-5N, 16mm lens (make?), natural light ISO 100 F-Stop f/8 Shutter Speed 1/500

**Prize **Four nights of accommodations, plus diving for two at the Hotel Cozumel & Resort

by Els Van Den Borre
Roosdaal, Belgium

Behind the shot:
I took this picture in Lembeh, Indonesia, during a safety stop. I saw an anemone with its usual clownfish and spent my five minutes on them. After a while I saw one of the small males with its mouth always open; I thought he was yawning, but then I noticed he had a parasite completely visible.

Gear Nikon D90, Hugyfot housing, Nikon 105mm lens, two Inon Z-240 strobes ISO 200 F-Stop f/18 Shutter Speed 1/250

**Prize **$1,000 cash and a seven-night trip for one aboard the Thailand Aggressor