Best of Show

Magnus Lundgren
Sweden

The competition included themed categories, as well as a category for images that focus on conservation and the marine environment, one specifically for entries taken by compact digital cameras, and one specifically for Indonesia entrants. 

Esteemed judges Eric Cheng (Wetpixel), Berkley White (Backscatter), and David Espinosa (Scuba Diver AustralAsia), selected winners. Winners are being announced here on UnderwaterCompetition.com, and will be exhibited during the rescheduled DEEP Indonesia show. Due to devastating flooding in Jakarta, the event was postponed. 

Competitions such as this are not possible without the support of generous sponsors. Winners were awarded premium dive travel packages to some of the top photo destinations in the world, photo equipment, dive gear, signed books, DVD’s and more! Dive packages included trips to Sulawesi, South Africa, Vietnam, Bali, Palau, Philippines, Grand Cayman, The Red Sea, and Malaysia. Special offers from competition sponsors can be found on the competition website.

As a competition that celebrates the beauty and delicacy of our oceans and reefs, 15% of entry proceeds are donated to vital marine conservation efforts.

2007 Winners and Prizes

• All prizes were donated from our wonderful sponsors, without whom this contest would not be possible.
• Entrants who specified that they are professional shooters are tagged as "(Pro)", below.

In addition to the above prizes...

• All entrants in the Compact Camera category will receive one free photo lesson from reknowned underwater photographer, Marty Snyderman, via TheUnderwaterphotographer.com
• All placing winners will receive one free issue of Dive Portal DVD

2007 WINNING ENTRIES

Best of Show Magnus Lundgren Sweden "Friends" An oceanic whitetip shark cruising with a whole bunch of pilotfishes. Location: Southern Egypt, Red Sea Nikon D70 Sea & Sea Hartenberger strobe 1/180 @ f8, ISO 200

1st Place Reefscapes Gary Tan Yew Hin Tan Malaysia "The Ray of life" Location: Raja Ampat Nikon D100 Aquatica Housing Ikelite SS200 1/8 power 1/60 @ f5.6 ISO 200

2nd Place Reefscapes Giordano Cipriani Italy "Coral Fire" Location: Red Sea Nikon D2x Seacam Housing Seasea Yellow 350 1/100 @ f13, ISO 100

3rd Place Reefscapes Cor Bosman The Netherlands "Home is where the boat is" Diver exploring the reef Location: Papua New Guinea Nikon D2x Subal ND2 2 x YS90DX strobes 1/200 @ f4.5, ISO 100

Honorable Mention Reefscapes Liz Harlin Australia "Fiji Colours" Colourful whips, soft corals and fish on a wall dive Location: Fiji Nikon D70s Ikelite Housing Two SB105 strobes 1/125 @ f7.1 0, ISO 200

1st Place Animal Behavior Magnus Lundgren Sweden "Friends" An oceanic whitetip shark cruising with a whole bunch of pilotfishes. Location: Southern Egypt, Red Sea Nikon D70 Sea & Sea housing Hartenberger strobe 1/180 @ f8, ISO 200

2nd Place Animal Behavior Christopher Guglielmo USA "A 2-Ton Hat" A North Atlantic Humpback Whale shows curiosity towards boat and snorkelers Location: Silver Banks, Dominican Republic Nikon D2x Aquatica Housing Nikon 10.5 1/160 @ f4.5, ISO 100

3rd Place Animal Behavior Steven Kovacs USA "mating hamlets" Location: Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S.A. nikon d200 Ikelite Housing ikelite 200 x2 105mm

Honorable Mention Animal Behavior Steven Kovacs USA "Hanging Out" cardinal fish using snake eel as shelter Location: Lembeh strait, indonesia Nikon d200 Ikelite Housing ikelite d200 strobes x2 105mm

1st Place Animal Portrait John "Chip" Scarlett USA "My, What Big Teeth You Have!" Lemon Shark Location: Tiger Beach, Bahamas Nikon D2X Subal Housing Dual Inon z220s strobes 10.5mm fisheye 1/100 @ f13, ISO 100

2nd Place Animal Portrait Yeang Chng USA "Silky School" A school of silky sharks circling. Location: Blue water off Dirty Rock, Cocos Island Canon 1Ds Mark II Seacam Housing Inon Z220s strobe 1/250 @ f5, ISO 100

3rd Place Animal Portrait John David Wallis United Kingdom "Afternoon rays" Southern Stingray Location: Caymans Islands Canon 5D Subal Housing 1/125 @ f5.6, ISO 100

Honorable Mention Animal Portrait Rick Coleman USA "Stop and Smell the Roses" Last April from Santa Barbara Island Location: Santa Barbara Island, CA Canon EOS 20d Aquatica Housing Dual Inon Z220 strobes Canon 10-22 Lens 1/250 @ f9, ISO 200

Honorable Mention Animal Portrait Steven Kovacs USA "Open Wide" Moray Eel Portrait Location: ft. lauderdale, florida, u.s.a. Nikon N70 Ikelite Housing ikleite 200 x2 105mm

1st Place Divers Todd Essick USA "Shark Dreams" Model with reef shark over her head Location: Bahamas Nikon D2x Aquatica Housing Magic Filter

2nd Place Divers Christopher Guglielmo USA "Nice Stern" A girl freedives on the wreck of the Polixeni Location: Silver Banks, Dominican Republic Nikon D2x Aquatica Housing 10.5mm fisheye 1/125 @ f10, ISO 200

3rd Place Divers Oren Lederman Israel "Halo" A driver looking at two clownfish Location: Eilat, Red Sea Nikon D70 Ikelite Housing Ikelite DS125+DS50 1/500 @ f11, ISO 200

Honorable Mention Divers Donald Thomas Brown USA "Kustom Cave" A diver hovers below a skylight in an underwater cave known as Kustom Cave. Location: Solomon Islands Nikon F100 Sea & Sea housing 20mm lens 1/30, ISO 100

1st Place Compact Camera Lawrence Alex Wu Thailand "Elektra-sunset and Starfish" Shot during the sunset minutes in ocean waves. Location: Coco Loco beach dive, Palawan, Philippines Olympus c5050 Ikelite housing Ikelite DS125/INON z220 INON wide angle lens & dome port 1/80 @ f2.8, ISO 200

2nd Place Compact Camera Lawrence Alex Wu Thailand "Swimming Anemone Surprise" On a dive from a liveaboard, this unexpected find was to give way to a school of manta rays; a more common siting. Location: Maldives Olympus c5050 Ikelite housing Epoque DS-150 Accessories ISO 64

3rd Place Compact Camera Jurgen Pesch Philippines "Shrimpfish" School of Shrimpfish Location: Kontiki,Mactan,Cebu,Philippines Sony DSC-P12 Sony housing Sea&Sea YS60 1/40 @ f2.8 , ISO 160

Honorable Mention Compact Camera Steven Trainoff USA "Flying Garabaldi" Face view of the California Saltwater State fish (Hypsypops rubicundus) Location: Santa Cruz Island Olympus C5050z Olympus PT-015 housing Inon Z220 1/125 @ f2.6, ISO 64

Honorable Mention Compact Camera Roger Carlson USA "Rockfish Canyon" Rockfish in a canyon Location: California, San Miguel Island Olympus 5050 Olympus housing Ikelite DS125s 1/200 @ f1.8, ISO 64

Honorable Mention Compact Camera Sharon Williams USA "Ride'm Cowboy" pair of Periclimenes imperator shrimp on a pair of Risbecia tryoni nudibranch Location: Papua New Guinea Olympus 5050 Light and Motion housing Sea and Sea YS90DX f5, ISO 64

1st Place Environment and Conservation Linda Blanchard USA "Hook, Line, and Sinker" Dead Cormorant hanging by fishing line from pier piling Location: Newport Beach, California Nikon N90s with 24MM lens Subal Housing 2 x Sea & Sea YS90 strobes 1/125, ISO 200

2nd Place Environment and Conservation Justin Ebert USA "Face to Face on the Front Line" A local shark finner defends his right to fin Location: Raja Ampat, Indonesia Nikon D70s 1/320 @ f9, ISO 200

3rd Place Environment and Conservation Justin Ebert USA "Left for dead" A freshly finned shark is dumped onto the otherwise healthy reef Location: Raja Ampat, Indonesia Nikon D70s Sea and Sea housing Sea and Sea YS120 & 90 1/80 @ f8, ISO 200

Honorable Mention Environment and Conservation Vassallo Pasquale Italy "The King" Location: Lembeh Strait NIKON F100 IGLOO housing SUBTRONIC strobe 1/100 @ f18, ISO 50

1st Place Indonesian Resident Agung Djaja Rachwan Indonesia "Su Mei ... = Napoleon" Almost never that I could be so near with this Napoleon .. In Hong Kong, they call it Su Mei Location: Palau Olympus SP-350 Olympus housing Olympus SP-350

2nd Place Indonesian Resident Dianti Andajani INDONESIA "Behind the Canon" A diver peaks over the part of the USAT Liberty Wreck Location: Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia Nikon D70 Ikelite Housing Ikelite Strobe 1/125 @ f8, ISO 1600

3rd Place Indonesian Resident Agung Djaja Rachwan Indonesia "Nice picture" While waiting on the wreck below, I saw an interesting moment that my friends is descending Location: Manokwari, Papua, Indonesia Olympus SP-350 Olympus housing Olympus SP-350