Oh! The things you see under the sea

The overall winning shot of a diver alongside a beautiful coral reef (top) was taken by Eve Marshall, seen above left with judge Hendrik Louw and iSimangaliso's Thandi Shabalala.

Oh! The things you see under the sea

Date: 2014-08-08

Winning images from iSimangaliso's Sodwana Bay Shootout Festival 2014 powered by Canon

"The magic and mystery of the underwater world were once again brought to life, reminding us what an incredible treasure we have here," says iSimangaliso Marketing Manager and event organiser, Lindy Duffield. Now in its 15th year, the annual photographic competition hosted in the Sodwana Bay section of iSimangaliso, was held last month.

Sodwana Bay, internationally renowned as one of the top 10 dive sites globally for its magnificent coral reefs, is an integral and highly valued part of iSimangaliso.

The 2014 festival was dedicated to the late Peter Timm, who tragically passed away in June in a diving accident on the South Coast. Peter was a licensed iSimangaliso scuba diving operator, and an exceptionally experienced technical diver, who famously discovered a coelacanth in deep canyons off Sodwana Bay in 2000. Peter, who was going to be the Master of Ceremonies of the event, had been actively involved with the organisation of this event.

The competition, which received fifty-three entries, recognises competitors at various skill levels from novice through to advanced and professional entrants. The six day competition now includes an increasingly popular land category along with the original underwater photography and videography. Material shot anywhere in iSimangaliso is eligible for the land category entries, as long as it is photographed within the week of the competition. Fabulous prizes included magazine portfolio spreads, holidays, accommodation packages, dive packages, open ocean excursions, photography equipment and accessories, electronic equipment and magazine subscriptions.

Award winning Richards Bay-based photographer Hendrik Louw (who judged the competition with Hugo Du Toit from Canon and Allen Walker, the 2013 overall winner) gave the thumbs up to the event and quality of entries, stating that a photographer, "does not take a photo but makes a photo, so a lot of thought and planning goes into successful photography. Sodwana Bay provides a unique setting for a photography competition with underwater wonders easily accessed not only by scuba divers but also right on the beach in the rock pools. Land category entrants have a variety of subject matter with all the activity on the beach in Sodwana Bay and the abundance of nature around them."

A selection of images will be available on the iSimangaliso website - https://www.isimangaliso.com. Media enquiries should be directed to Media Officer Siyabonga Mhlongo at siyabonga@isimangaliso.com or on 084 382 0884.

A selection of winning and commended underwater shots by (from top): Peter Laubscher; Eve Marshall and Jason Mulherron.

The two photographs above were taken by Estienne Janse van Rensburg.

The stunning overall winning shot in the 'Land' category, by Clayton Barnard.

Oh! The things you see under the sea

Springclean

Enlarge View Link

Nissan T5ekton

Enlarge View Link