Octopus clinches underwater photography competition!

This yr’s Ocean Artwork Underwater Photograph Competitors managed to supply a few of the greatest underwater photographs that the world has seen. These photographs showcase the perseverance of underwater artistry amidst the adversity of the occasions.

Two successful photographs instructed notably compelling tales. The Better of Present by Gaetano Dario Gargiulo is a once-in-a-life-time second the place a curious octopus took a selfie of itself with the photographer’s household.

One other notable picture is the successful picture of the conservation class by Christophe Chellapermal which displays on the necessity to protect not solely our surroundings however humanity itself.

This image was taken in Antibes on the French Riviera in the summertime of 2020.  Each week, activist Laurent Lombard with the NGO ‘Operation Mer Propre’ organizes conferences with native environmentalists in an effort to scrub up the coast. Many individuals don’t notice that the Mediterranean is tragically some of the polluted seas, the place plastic waste drifting and breaking down into micro plastic has sadly turn out to be the norm.

This superb picture reveals a nudibranch inside a crystal bubble algae. Right here it lives, eats and hides. The nudi is barely 5 mm lengthy. The photographer, Wen Chou Wu stated “Many individuals have skilled this sort of quarantine life this yr, and I believe this picture is appropriate for this troublesome time.” The judges – who included famend underwater photographers Tony Wu, Mark Strickland and Marty Snyderman – cherished it and awarded the picture first place within the nudibranch class.

Organised by the Underwater Photography Guide, photographers from over 80 nations entered the competitors.

This pleasant picture of 5 child seahorses was taken by PT Hirschfield beneath Blairgowrie Pier, Melbourne, Australia. It gained first place within the Compact Macro class utilizing a Canon G12 digital camera, Recsea housing and Sea & Sea YS-D2J Strobe.

Over $45,000 in prizes have been awarded, together with liveaboard journeys in Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, dive holidays with Aquamarine Diving Bali and different firms around the globe, present certificates from Bluewater picture and Bluewater journey, and digital camera tools from Sea & Sea and Ikelite.

Chia Chi Chang’s shot of coral spawning in Taiwan gained first place within the Compact Conduct class. He commented ” I used to be very blessed to witness the coral spawning in Northern Taiwan, and it took me three consecutive days of diving to get this shot. The underwater surroundings in Northern Taiwan has been impacted severely because of tourism and air pollution. The Coral bleaching scenario was the worst this yr for Taiwan and it’s estimated that 31% to 40% of the coral will not be going to outlive. I’m delighted to witness the coral spawning in my beloved ocean and seeing the following technology stay on.”