This year marked the 8th annual Bluewater Photo shootout, with a record-breaking number of prizes and dollar values given away to the winners. Diving conditions varied considerably this year, making some dive sites much more challenging to shoot than others, but overall there were some great marine life sightings and some stunning photos submitted.
Below are just a few of the exceptional winning photos captured during this year’s shootout. To see all the winners, visit the Bluewater Photo Shootout page here.
Best In Show – Octopus with Sunball
Josh Musselwhite
Nikon D7200 Camera, Tokina 10-17mm Lens, Nauticam Housing, Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes
John won a free stay with Cayman Beach Resorts, at either Cobalt Coast, Cayman Brac, or Little Cayman Resorts for his winning photo.
Honorable Mention Best in Show – Janolus
Desmond Ho
Olympus E-M5 Camera, Olympus 60mm Macro Lens, Nauticam CMC-1 Lens, Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes
Desmond won an Aquatica GH5 Housing with TLC Arm Sets for his winning photo.
Open Wide Angle Category
First Place – Tope Shark in Kelp
Davis Huber
Panasonic GH4 Camera with 16mm Fisheye Lens, Nauticam GH3 housing
Davis won a YS-D2 Strobe from Sea & Sea for his winning photo.
Open Behavior Category
First Place – Orange Throated Pike Blenny
John Ericksen
Sony A7rII with Aquatica Housing and Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2 Strobes
John won a trip to Aiyanar Beach & Dive Resort in Anilao, Philippines for his winning photo.
Mirrorless Wide Angle Category
First Place – Copper Rockfish on Oil Rigs
Andre Labuda
Olympus EM1 Camera with Panasonic 8mm Lumix Fisheye Lens in Nauticam Housing
Andre won a stay with Atmosphere Resort in Dumaguete, Philippines for his winning photo.
Mirrorless Macro Category
First Place – Fringehead
John Ericksen
Sony A7rII with Aquatica Housing and Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2 Strobes
John won a trip to Aiyanar Beach & Dive Resort in Anilao, Philippines for his winning photo.
Compact Macro Category
First Place – Goby
Michal Ross
Canon G7X Mark II Camera with Dual Sea & Sea YS-01 Strobes
Michal won an Olympus TG-5 Camera with PT-058 Housing for his winning photo.
Edited Video Category
Todd Kortte
Todd won a free stay at Volivoli Dive Resort in Fiji for his winning video.
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Congratulations to all the winners!
The 9th annual SoCal Shootout will be September 13th – 15th, 2019. To see all the winning photos and videos, and to learn more about the Bluewater Photo Shootout, visit their website here.