2025 Underwater Photography Competition
The 2025 Nautilus Scuba Club Underwater Photo Competition winners were announced at the Awards Night in August. This annual competition is open to financial club members and this year was judged by well-respected underwater photographers Gary Bell, Mark Spencer and Kevin Deacon.
Club Members themselves can vote
There were several open categories as well as specific categories for compact, SLR/Mirrorless and smartphone/action cameras and a video category. All images submitted must have been taken in the last two years with photographers submitting up to three images per category. There were also Portfolio categories, where entrants submit five photos to demonstrate a range of skills, techniques, and styles. In the Member’s Choice award, club members themselves voted for their favourite image.
500 Photos, 7000 Visitors, 3 Big weeks
The competition included a major public exhibition at the Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns. Over 500 photos and video were on display for a three-week period, with around 7000 people visiting the exhibition, one of the most popular on the Cairns art calendar.
Full results, and a virtual tour of the public exhibition, can be found via the Club’s website at www.nautilus-scuba.net
Big name sponsors and huge prizes
The competition is generously sponsored by some of the biggest names in the Australian scuba diving industry, as well as many local Cairns businesses. Some big prizes were on offer again, including stays at overseas dive resorts and trips on premium liveaboards on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns.
About Nautilus Scuba Club
Nautilus Scuba Club was established over 40 years ago to support the local dive community and promote diving in Far North Queensland. The Club currently has around 400 members making it one of the largest recreational scuba clubs in Australia. The club has a busy schedule with monthly meetings (with guest speakers), social nights and a monthly dive day-trip with one of the local dive operators. The Club also organises local multi-day trips and several overseas trips a year to destinations near and far.
Congratulation to the winners
| Category | Place | Photographer | Prize |
| SLR/Mirrorless Portfolio | 1st Place | David George | Walindi Plantation Resort PNG trip |
| 2nd Place | Cathie Cummins | Slipins voucher | |
| Compact Portfolio | 1st Place | Glenn Abbot | Spirit of Freedom trip |
| 2nd Place | Jen Barrett | Benni Marine Designs voucher | |
| Beauty of the Great Barrier Reef | 1st Place | Glenn Abbot | Mike Ball Dive Expeditions Trip |
| 2nd Place | David George | DAN signalling sausage | |
| Behaviour | 1st Place | David George | Pro Dive Cairns trip |
| 2nd Place | John Ditria | Scuba Diver Magazine subscription | |
| Portrait | 1st Place | Aaron Smith | Buceo Anilao Resort Philippines trip & Sharkskin voucher |
| 2nd Place | Cathie Cummins | Baruna Jewellery pendant | |
| SLR/Mirrorless Wide Angle | 1st Place | Phil Woodhead | OceanQuest trip |
| 2nd Place | David George | DAN signalling sausage | |
| Compact Wide Angle | 1st Place | Glenn Abbot | Pure Snorkelling & Scuba Diver Magazine subscription |
| 2nd Place | Libby Sterling | Slipins voucher | |
| SLR/Mirrorless Macro | 1st Place | John Ditria | Yongala Dive voucher & First Aid Academy |
| 2nd Place | Kevin Coombs | DiversWorld voucher | |
| Compact Macro | 1st Place | Alex Navarro Otero | Aquaquest voucher & Scuba Diver Magazine subscription |
| 2nd Place | Carmen Prinsloo | Mike Scotland Book | |
| Black and White | 1st Place | Richard Banks | Adrelaline Dive voucher & Scuba Diver Magazine subscription |
| 2nd Place | Alejandro Navarro Otero | Mike Scotland Book | |
| Smartphone / Action Camera | 1st Place | Mignon Prinsloo | Octopus Dive voucher & Rum Runner trip |
| 2nd Place | Mignon Prinsloo | DAN signalling sausage | |
| Video | 1st Place | Jan Pope | Passions of Paradise voucher & Liquid Scuba voucher |
| 2nd Place | Kevin Coombs | 1-year subscription to Scuba Diving ANZ Magazine | |
| Members Choice | 1st Place | Phil Woodhead | Lissenung Dive Resort PNG trip |
| 2nd Place | Alison Smith | Diveplanit voucher | |
| Encouragement | 1st Place | Kirby Abbot | PADI pack |
| Note, all 2nd place also won a DAN signalling sausage. |
