PORTFOLIO GOLD: The Sun And Sea Creatures (Gabriel Guzman, Chile / Australia). Cowtail sting ray, Lady Elliot, Great Barrier Reef (1/160th, f/9, ISO 400, Canon EOS 5DSR, Aquatica housing, 2x Inon Z-330 strobes)
The inaugural edition of the Underwater Awards Australasia (UWAA) 2024 photo competition has been judged, and the winning entries were revealed on stage today (28 September) at the Go Diving Show ANZ in Sydney.
The judging panel comprised experts Tobias Friedrich, Jayne Jenkins, Brett Lobwein, Ross Long, Matty Smith and William Tan.
Entrants competed in eight categories for prizes of resort and liveaboard diving holidays and photo and video gear valued at more than Aus $50,000 (c £37,400).
Table of contents
Portfolio
Overall competition winner – the “Best of Show” – was Gabriel Guzman, with the collection of sunburst images that took top spot in the Portfolio category.
“Sunburst photography is a technique that utilises the sun as a focal element to enhance the visual impact of underwater images,” says Guzman. “By positioning the subject in front of the sun, the resulting rays create a natural halo effect, adding depth and drama to the scene. This approach emphasises the interaction between light and the marine environment, making the subject stand out in a striking manner.
“This portfolio includes six images: a sting ray, a lionfish, a manta ray, a turtle, a humphead wrasse and a titan triggerfish. These species were captured through a blend of planned shots and spontaneous opportunities.
“While most images feature the classic sunburst effect, the photo of the sting ray (above) is unique. Taken during the golden hour, it captures the sun’s rays penetrating the water with a warm, golden hue, creating a different but equally captivating atmosphere. This technique has captivated me for years, and I’ve dedicated considerable time to practising.
GOLD: The Sun And Sea Creatures (Gabriel Guzman, Chile / Australia). Lionfish, Coral Bay, Western Australia (1/200th, f/16, ISO 200, Canon EOS 5DSR, Aquatica housing, 2x Ikelite DS160 strobes). This photograph also took Silver in the Australia categoryGOLD: The Sun And Sea Creatures (Gabriel Guzman, Chile / Australia). Manta rays, Nusa Penida, Indonesia (1/200th, f/9, ISO 320, Canon EOS 5DSR, Aquatica housing, 2x Inon Z-330 strobes)GOLD: The Sun And Sea Creatures (Gabriel Guzman, Chile / Australia). Green sea turtle, Saxon Reef, Great Barrier Reef (1/200th, f/14, ISO 250, Nikon D500, Aquatica housing, 2x Ikelite DS160 strobes)
GOLD: The Sun And Sea Creatures (Gabriel Guzman, Chile / Australia). Humphead wrasse, Norman Reef, Great Barrier Reef (1/250th, f/14, ISO 250, Canon EOS 5DSR, Aquatica housing, 2x Ikelite DS161 strobes)
GOLD: The Sun And Sea Creatures (Gabriel Guzman, Chile / Australia). Titan triggerfish, Moore Reef, Great Barrier Reef (1/200th, f/13, ISO 250, Canon EOS 5DSR, Aquatica housing, 2x Inon Z-330 strobes)
“Achieving the perfect sunburst shot is not easy. It requires ideal conditions, including calm waters for the sunrays to penetrate clearly, full sunlight, and the subject positioned as close to the surface as possible. The creature must be in exactly the right spot, and one needs to have one’s camera and strobes set perfectly to capture the moment.
“The process involves many failed attempts, as the alignment of all these factors is rare. This portfolio represents the best of those efforts – a collection of images where everything finally came together.”
The other category winners were Talia Greis (Sydney), Jenny Stock (Over-Under), Selanie Waddilove (Smartphone), Emma Turner (Environmental), Lewis Burnet (Australian), Luc Rooman (International Waters), and Ste Everington (Reels Showcase). Gold and silver-placed entries are shown below:
Sydney
GOLD: Puff (Talia Greis, Australia). Clifton Gardens. “This unusual, undocumented behaviour cannot be explained by even the most skilled of scientists, specialising in frogfish / anglerfish behaviour. I was experimenting with wide-aperture photography at a local dive-site when this striated anglerfish (clearly having devoured a huge meal) regurgitated a smoke-like substance. Never having witnessed such an occurrence, I sat and observed the behaviour for over an hour. Experts can only speculate that the angler had cannibalised an egg sac (intentionally or non-intentionally). This likely would have led to swelling of the stomach, causing the individual to cough up chunks of it at a time. Nature at its best.” (1/250th, f/5, ISO 320, Sony A1, Isotta housing, Inon Z-330 strobe, Backscatter snoot)SILVER: Depth Perception (Rowan Dear, UK). Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve. “These jellyfish had been seen in their hundreds each of the past three years, gathering in the bay at one of Sydney’s popular beaches. This particular year, there were more than I had ever seen, with some sections being several metres deep and densely populated. Swimming into the smack and shooting downwards into the deepest concentration of the jellies, I was hoping to create this otherworldly image with plenty of depth, showing just how many there were of them.” (1/200th, f/14, ISO 320, Sony A7 Mark IV, Ikelite housing, 2x Inon Z-330 strobes)
Over-Under
GOLD: Calm Tongan Nursery (Jenny Stock, UK). “Here a mother humpback whale and her new young calf are resting just below the surface in the calm, warm waters of Vava’u. Heavily pregnant female humpbacks arrive every year in July. After giving birth, they stay in this nursery setting until the calves are big enough to make their first trip to Antarctica. When taking split images, it is often wise to use a snorkel rather than dive on scuba, as you create fewer bubbles on the surface, which can be distracting in the image.” (1/125th, f/14, ISO 320, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Nauticam housing, 2x Inon Z-240 strobes)SILVER: Baby Turtle (Gabriel Guzman, Chile / Australia). Queensland. “Captured at Heron Island, a vital nesting site for sea turtles, this split shot reveals the moment of a baby turtle’s first swim after hatching. The image gracefully transitions between the shallow waters and the expansive horizon, showcasing the turtle’s journey from its birthplace to the vast ocean beyond. I took care to avoid using strobes or artificial light, respecting the delicate nature of these newborns. After taking a few photos, I allowed the hatchling to continue its journey without additional stress.” (1/250th, f/7.1, ISO 320, Canon EOS 5DSR, Aquatica housing)
Smartphone
GOLD: Can I Help? (Selanie Waddilove, Australia). “Sometimes a photo is asking to be taken… The playful pose of this pup in contrast with the abandoned rope was both confronting and beautiful. Often the New Zealand fur seal pups at Baranguba will play tug-of-war and chase with drifting seaweed, letting it go to dive and spin around you and then picking it back up again before another pup can steal it. This early April morning, instead of seaweed, the pups were playing with some rope and other plastic debris that had been washed in by the swell and winds of the previous week. I snapped a few photos to capture their fun and gently tugged on the end of the rope, hoping to distract them with a game so that I could eventually collect it. As the seals played, I gradually rolled it up in my hand and hid it in my wetsuit to be disposed of properly when we returned to shore.” (1/120th, f/1.5, ISO 50, Apple iPhone 13 Pro, Aquatech housing, AxisGO Bluetooth shutter grip)
SILVER: Standing Frogfish (Selanie Waddilove, Australia). “During a summer snorkel in Wagonga Inlet, Narooma, this black striated anglerfish was spotted moving slowly among the seagrass. The afternoon sun provided perfect lighting to highlight the amazing textures and details of this strange little creature. From the large, downturned mouth to the fascinating ‘lure’ and pectoral fins used to ‘walk’ the ocean floor, these fish are so interesting to see and photograph.” (1/100th, f/1.8, ISO 32, Apple iPhone 13 Pro, Aquatech housing, AxisGO Bluetooth shutter grip)
Environmental
GOLD: Hitchhiker (Emma Turner, Australia). Anilao, Philippines. “Blackwater diving is my happy place. This female argonaut, actually an octopus with an eggcase ‘shell’, emerged out of the blackness and zoomed past me. This was my opportunity. Was it riding a jellyfish like I’d hoped? As my eyes and camera focus, I wondered what it was actually riding. Metallic? Plastic? Both? A condom wrapper? Oh my gosh, a yoghurt lid! How sad for us both. Was this argonaut surfing humans’ litter right back out of its open ocean home or was it becoming so ‘normal’ to see pollution that it mistook as organic?” (1/250th, f/22, ISO 320, Nikon D850, Seacam housing, Seacam 160D strobes)SILVER: A Dog Toy Or A Plastic Trap (Andrii Slonchak, Australia). Queensland. “During a dive at North Stradbroke Island, I suddenly noticed a wobbegong charging towards me at full speed out of the cloud of lifted sediment. As I found later, our guide had spotted the shark entrapped in a plastic dog frisbee and attempted to remove the toy, but the startled wobbegong darted away. I had less than a second to grab this shot before the shark vanished. I’ve never seen this wobbegong again and kept wondering whether it managed to remove the toy or suffered a grim fate. Wobbegongs rely on blending in with their environment when hunting, and the bright frisbee would compromise this ability.” (1/125th, f/8, ISO 200, Canon EOS M50 Mark II, Ikelite housing, Ikelite DS160 II with dome diffusers)
Australian
GOLD: Oblong (Lewis Burnett, Australia). Darling Range Escarpment, Western Australia. “Photographing the bizarre and wonderful snake-necked turtle under water had always been on my South-west diving wish-list. These fascinating reptiles are found in the freshwater bodies that scatter the region and are most commonly seen on land in the breeding season while they are searching for a mate. I found this individual on my first-ever freshwater dive in the region and couldn’t have been happier to have such an obliging subject to photograph.” (1/320th, f/13, ISO 500, Sony A1, Ikelite housing, 2x Inon Z-330 strobes)
International Waters
GOLD: Salamander (Luc Rooman, Belgium). “Every year I dive into one of my beloved freshwater lakes, namely De Melle near Antwerp, to photograph the alpine newts among the water lilies. In July this year, I went looking again. After trying to photograph several specimens, I discovered one perched on a water lily, the body of the salamander producing an interesting silhouette through the leaf. After taking a series of shots, I left the creature alone and carefully moved on.” (1/125th, f/22, ISO 100, Nikon Z7II, Isotta housing, Backscatter Mini Flash MF-2, Backscatter Optical Snoot OS-1)SILVER: Amphibian Tree (Massimo Zannini, Italy). Bologna. “In springtime in the mountains of northern Italy toads mate in small pools of water, like many other amphibians. I was taking some photos of this mating behaviour when for a few seconds a frog jumps on their backs, probably mistaking them for a rock. Surprised and amused, I had just enough time to take three shots before the frog was ejected by the male toad on top of the female.” (1/50th, f/14, ISO 320, Nikon D850, Nauticam housing, Backscatter Mini Flash MF-1, Backscatter Optical Snoot OS-1)
Reels Showcase
The video section was won by Australian Ste Everington with Rays On The Ex-HMAS Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast, featuring spotted eagle, shovelnose and marble rays. “I absolutely love this shipwreck as a dive site – it’s my happy place.
“For this video, I wanted to spotlight a single specific dive – one where the rays spent an above average amount of time with us at the stern of the ship. But I also couldn’t resist including some stunning ray encounters from other dives at this location as well.”
Metal prints of the winners and runners-up were exhibited and available for purchase at the Go Diving show, with half of the proceeds to be donated to the competition’s environmental partner Take 3 For The Sea.
Steve has been a scuba diver for 32 years and became editor of Diver magazine in 1996, following 10 years with BBC World Service and the 10 before that in motoring journalism.
