Blue O Two has announced the winners of their first amateur photography competition.  Entitled, DIVING LIFE, it had two categories: Underwater Photograph and Divers Lifestyle Photograph.  An overall winner was chosen from the two category winners and received the title: Diving Life Photographer of the Year 2020.  A calendar of the winning photographs is being produced and will be released for sale in the coming weeks. 

The team at Blue O Two were blown away by the response they had to the competition.  Entries came in from all over the world.  When they launched the competition, it was in part to lift the mood, spreading some joy among the Covid gloom.  The idea was to remind divers of wonderful past experiences and to dream of those they will have again.  Given the engagement from the global diving world and the standard of entries, the competition will now be annual.

Ivan Donoghue: There’s always one!

From the hundreds of entries, there was an initial shortlist of 50 images.  Each category had 2^nd and 3^rd places, alongside several runners up.  The overall winner has a Liveaboard trip to Egypt to look forward to, the title of ‘Diving Life Photographer of the Year 2020’ and an assortment of Blue O Two goodies. Both category winners will receive a copy of their photograph printed on canvas, a copy of the Diving Life Calendar 2020 and a selection of branded goodies. The runners up will have their image printed in the calendar and will receive a free copy.

Dr Alex Mustard MBE, who judged the competition, said the following: “This collection of fabulous winning images reminds me why I love being underwater and going on diving adventures. It was a tough contest to judge because it was more than just an underwater picture competition, Diving Life was created for amateur photographers to share their love of diving, with pictures taken both above and below the surface. When judging I gave equal weighting to the feeling captured in the images and their photographic technique and quality. For me, all the winners capture the highs of dive trips: encounters with incredible creatures both big and small, amazing moments underwater, spending time with friends, visiting incredible places and having fun.

Overall Winner: Masayuki Agawa with Hammer River

Special congratulations to the overall winner Masayuki Agawa from the USA, whose white knuckle image Hammer River will immediately transport anyone who has dived with hammerheads in the East Pacific back on those dives. The hammerhead schools are regularly most spectacular when the currents are fierce and the advice from the National Park guides is to stay low and hold onto the rocks, as anyone floating up in the water will spook the sharks. The picture places me right in the moment of this unforgettable experience as the hammerhead school magically materialises from the blue.”

The winner, Masayuki Agawa, said: “I am truly honored. Thank you very much for the compliments! It was hard to contain my excitement when I saw the announcement.  Thank you again for such opportunity and motivation. I will continue to strive for better photos in the future!”

To see the winning images and learn more about the competition click here.