Scuba Diving Magazine’s “Through Your Lens Underwater Photo Contest” has been a great underwater photography inspiration for many divers and photographers for the past 16 years. This year’s competition produced an excellent outcome!
Winners were chosen from a total of 2,636 photos, the most in the competition’s history. The judges worked tirelessly to select the five best images to be recognised as one grand prize winner and four first-place winners in four categories: behaviour, compact camera, macro, and wide angle.
The grand prize this year went to photographer Evans Baudin, whose image depicted a majestic whale shark holding more than 50 fish in its mouth. According to the magazine, the photograph captured the close encounter with the whale shark, making it a “mind-blowing and jaw-dropping image.”
Evans Baudin shot the image in Baja California, Mexico. He also wrote a synopsis for it:
“In June 2020, I went on an expedition with a special permit to document marine life and the effects of reduced sea traffic due to C.O.V.I.D-19.” Our captain yelled, ‘Whale sharks, right behind you!’ after two hours in the water with a school of silky sharks near the surface. The surprise was amplified when I discovered that 50 remoras were peacefully enjoying a free ride in her mouth!”
The whale shark is the largest marine animal, with a maximum size of 20 metres. They frequently collaborate with small fish by allowing them to clean their teeth and ride wherever they want in their mouth.
Check out the other year’s winner photos below:
First Place in Behavior, taken by Jules Casey in Port Phillip Bay, Australia
First Place in Compact Camera, taken by Tobias Friedrich in Anilao, Philippines
First Place in Macro, taken by Jeffrey Haines in West Palm Beach, Florida
First Place in Wide Angle, taken by Martin Strmiska in Puerto Morelos, Mexico
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