Ocean Art Contest Announces the Best Underwater Photos of the Year

DIVE Report

The prestigious Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, has announced its 2018 winners.

The seventh annual competition attracted a very high calibre of photographs taken in waters from around the world, with 2018 being the most competitive year in the competition's history. Sixteen different categories allowed photographers of all levels and disciplines to enter, with categories including compact, mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. A new category for 'Underwater Art' was also added for 2018.

The images from this year's competition included an exceptional variety of fish and marine life shots, rarely seen animal behaviour, innovative shooting techniques, stunning portraits and dramatic encounters between humans and marine life. Thousands of images from photographers spread across 70 countries were evaluated by the judges, which included Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman and the Underwater Photography Guide's publisher, Scott Gietler. Over $80,000 worth of prizes will be awarded to the winners, including dive trips with some of the most prestigious and liveaboards and dive resorts in the world.

'This year’s outstanding underwater images in the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition continue to raise the bar for underwater photographers,' said Scott Gietler. 'Myself and the other three judges were honoured to be viewing such amazing results of the dedication and drive of the human spirit.'

Best of Show | Duncan Murrell

Courting Devil Ray Ballet

Wide-Angle | François Baelen

Gentle Giants

Macro | Jeff Milisen

Sharp Eared Enope Squid

Portrait | Claudio Zori

Chimaera

Coldwater | Greg Lecoeur

Grey Seal Face

Nudibranchs | Flavio Vailati

Inside the Eggs

Super Macro | Edison So

Hairy Flames

Reefscapes | Yen-Yi Lee

Mangrove

Novice DSLR | Alvin Cheung

Special Encounter

Mirrorless Wide-Angle | Eugene Kitsios

Atlantic Spotted Dolphins

Mirrorless Macro | Steven Walsh

Baby Seahorses

Mirrorless Behavior | Fabrice Dudenhofer

My Babies

Compact Wide-Angle | Melody Chuang

Dancing Jellyfish

Compact Macro | Sejung Jang

Hairy Shrimp

Compact Marine Life Behavior | PT Hirschfield

Cannibal Crab

Underwater Art | Bruno Van Saen

Disco Nudi

A full list of the winning photographs, runners-up and honourable mentions can be viewed on the Underwater Photography Guide 2018 Winners Page. The Underwater Photography Guide website also includes tutorials, technique tips, in-depth gear reviews, international workshops and all the latest underwater photography news. For more information, visit www.uwphotographyguide.com