PHOTO

THE SHOT CHOSEN as Best of Show in the ninth Ocean Art underwater photo competition came from Australia and was described as “a once-in-a-lifetime moment of an octopus taking a selfie with the help of the photographer and his curious family in the background”.

It was taken by underwater photographer Gaetano Dario Gargiulo, in the tide-pools of Kamay Botany Bay National Park in New South Wales.

The Ocean Art underwater photo competition winners for 2020 have now been announced. The California-based Underwater Photography Guide (UPG) website, which organises the annual contest, says that despite the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and global travel restrictions, the event attracted “an extremely high calibre of photos”.

“Underwater explorers took photos in their own backyards or select destinations open to travel and revisited their archives to bring us some eyecatching photography,” said UPG.

“These photos showcase the perseverance of underwater artistry amidst the adversity of the times.”

The judging panel, consisting of noted underwater photographers Tony Wu, Mark Strickland and Marty Snyderman, evaluated thousands of entries from 80 countries divided into 12 categories before selecting the final set of Ocean Art winners.

And despite the difficulties caused by coronavirus, UPG says that dive-trade sponsors provided US $45,000 in prizes of holidays and equipment.

Many of the same sponsors had also helped to raise funds for the World Health Organisation and the US Centres for Disease Control & Prevention in their fight against Covid- 19 in a one-off Ocean Art Safe Under The Sea competition last year.

“The Ocean Art team was thrilled to see that so many photographers were able to get out, dive and immerse themselves in photography this year,” commented UPG publisher Scott Gietler.

“The Best of Show was especially impressive. My only concern is that the octopus should get its share of the prize, as it did assist in taking the shot!”