Sangeang Api volcano, Indonesia

Behind the shot Sangeang Api volcano, north of Sumbawa Island, is still active today. (It only just erupted May 30.) Underwater hot springs release bubble streams though the black-sand bed; I designed this shot to highlight the characteristics of the site. I asked my buddy to free dive and demonstrate the feeling of levitation caused by the bubbles. After several “dance” trials, I finally was able to capture the beauty of this unique underwater scenery.

Camera info Gear Canon EOS 7D, Nauticam housing, natural light, Tokina AT-X 107 AF DX 10-17mm fisheye lens ISO 160 F-Stop f/8 shutter speed 1/200

Prize A REEF ID three-book set (fishid.com) and $250 gift certificate from Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo (backscatter.com)

Catalina Island, California

Behind the shot On a particularly clear day at Catalina, my dive buddy, Nick, and I decided to explore an expanse of relatively shallow kelp forest near Ship Rock. After peeking through a dense thicket of kelp, we came upon this clearing, where the mix of different types of kelp and algae gave the feeling that we were entering an underwater garden. As Nick paused with the sunlight gleaming off his mask, I snapped this shot.

Camera info Gear Olympus OM-D E-M5, Nauticam housing, Panasonic 8mm fisheye lens, one Inon Z-240 strobe, one Sea & Sea YS-90DX strobe ISO 1000 F-Stop f/8 shutter speed 1/80 sec

Prize Sherwood Scuba Oasis regulator, Onyx mask and Onyx snorkel (sherwoodscuba.com)

Tenerife, Canary Islands

Behind the shot It was afternoon, and I was with a group of friends taking pictures of pilot whales. In the distance was a big group of shearwaters and seagulls, countless numbers roughing the surface, marking a great feast. Underwater were many Atlantic spotted dolphins. The baitball spun and spun but didn’t move, all the time changing its shape. Dolphins, shearwaters and seagulls attacked the ball as it spun. When the scene was quiet, my friends and I tried to get pictures; that’s when I captured this moment.

Camera info Gear Canon EOS 5D, EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens, Seacam housing ISO 400 F-Stop f/5 shutter speed 1/80 sec

Prize One-week liveaboard trip for one on Cayman Aggressor IV (aggressor.com)

Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Behind the shot This banggai cardinalfish with eggs was found at the local police pier, a popular dive site in Lembeh Strait. To capture the moment, a spotlight effect was created by using a snoot on the strobe light.

Camera info ** Gear** Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sea & Sea MDX housing, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L lens, Inon UCL-165M67 close-up lens, Inon Z-240 strobe with Retra snoot ISO 160 F-Stop f/8 Shutter Speed 1/200 sec

Prize A REEF ID three-book set (fishid.com) and $250 gift certificate from Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo (backscatter.com)

Gulf of Naples, Italy

Behind the shot This black goby — Gobius niger — was in the entrance to its lair with a worm in its mouth that was too big to be swallowed completely. It looked at me with a definite sense of challenge. The picture was taken in the Gulf of Naples with a snoot on the flash to isolate the head of the goby from the background.

Camera info Gear Nikon D800E with Nikkor 105mm lens in Seacam housing plus one flash Seacam 150 with Retra LSD snoot ISO 100 F-Stop f/22 Shutter Speed 1/250 sec

Prize Mares Instinct 12s regulator, an X-vu LiquidSkin mask and an Ergo dry snorkel (mares.com)

Sint Eustatius, Netherlands

Behind the shot This male yellowface pikeblenny fights another male in order to defend his burrow or to impress a female. During this action, he puts up his saillike dorsal fin and, with a wide-open mouth, attacks the other male. I took this shot at the end of my second dive with the pikeblennies, at 78 feet in the Dutch Caribbean island of Statia.

Camera info Gear Nikon D90, Hugyfot housing, Nikon 60mm lens, two Inon Z-240 strobes ISO 100 F-Stop f/22 Shutter Speed 1/250 sec

Prize One-week liveaboard trip for one on Red Sea Aggressor (aggressor.com)

Panglao, Philippines

Behind the shot I was moving along the reef wall at the Panglao dive site when I met this fabulous frogfish sitting in a niche, looking just like a chimera stuck on a historic building. I tried to bring this feeling into my shot using vertical portrait composition and contrast adjustment.

Camera info **Gear**** Nikon D7000, Sea & Sea housing, Nikon 105mm lens, two Sea & Sea YS-110a strobes **ISO 320 F-Stop f/22 Shutter Speed 1/320 sec

Prize One-week liveaboard trip for one on Palau Tropic Dancer (aggressor.com)

Dumaguete, Philippines

Behind the shot It was my first trip to Asia, and I was very impressed by the incredible diversity of critters in the region. I was especially fascinated by the eyes of the mantis shrimp. I wanted to take a picture to show how beautiful and unique they are. I got my chance when this one was not impressed with my presence and kept going on with its daily routine, diligently cleaning his den, moving little rocks and sand particles away from it, right in front of my camera.

Camera info Gear Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 100mm macro lens + 5 diopter, 2x Inon Z-240 strobe ISO 100 F-Stop f/16, shutter speed 1/200 sec

Prize Scubapro MK25/S600 regulator, Synergy Twin Trufit mask and Spectra Dry Snorkel (scubapro.com)

Anilao, Philippines

Behind the shot I had envisioned this composition years ago, but every seahorse I would see would hide. But perseverance pays off. During a dive in Anilao, I saw a big seahorse almost in the middle of the sand — my chance. It was tricky, as I had no slave flash to position behind the seahorse to get the rim of light I needed. So I grabbed my second camera from my divemaster and operated it with one hand — so its flash would fall where I needed it — while operating my macro rig with the other. It took a few frames until I got what I was looking for!

Camera info Gear Nikon D300 in Seacam housing, AF Zoom-Micro Nikkor 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED AF at 100mm, 1x Seacam Seaflash 250JTL with snoot ISO 200 F-Stop f/32 shutter speed 1/250 sec

Prize A REEF ID three-book set (fishid.com) and $250 gift certificate from Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo (backscatter.com)

Giannutri Island, Tuscan Archipelago, Italy

Behind the shot Curiosity can lead an octopus to interact with the camera instead of fleeing. This Octopus vulgaris approached me and began to touch me with its tentacles. After a few minutes of this strange game, I began to retreat, but the octopus tried to take the camera! With tentacles open, it began to launch itself. I adjusted the flash to shoot as it launched itself again, and was able to immortalize its impressive attitude.

Camera info Gear Nikon D800; Tokina AT-X 107 AF DX 10-17mm fisheye lens, two Ikelite DS60 strobes, Subal ND 800 UW housing ISO 100 F-Stop f/16 Shutter Speed 1/125 sec

Prize A REEF ID three-book set (fishid.com) and $250 gift certificate from Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo (backscatter.com)

Shangri-La Marine Sanctuary, Philippines

Behind the shot There was very little current running on this dive at Shangri-La Marine Sanctuary, so I was able to compose a shot that I had had in mind for quite some time. To give the wreck a sense of scale, I asked a diver to position himself far away from the lens while holding a vertical position. As I framed the shot, the school of fusiliers passing by was an unexpected bonus!

Camera info Gear Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens ISO 640 F-Stop f/8 Shutter Speed 1/200 sec

Prize SubGear SG50 regulator, Super Vu mask and Super Vu snorkel (subgear.com)

Maldives

Behind the shot During a night dive in the Maldives, the light from our dive boat projected into the sea. Clusters of plankton attract whale sharks here, and our light revealed the back of this one. I could see where it had been injured by boat propellers: There were dozens of terrible scars. Yet, the shark seemed to forgive mankind by allowing us to dive closer, and it humbled me. With only the light from our boat, I captured the image of this selfless and gentle creature.

Camera info Gear Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Anthis 5DMK2 housing, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM, lights on board the dive boat ISO 250 F-Stop f/4.5 shutter speed 1/80 sec

Prize One-week liveaboard trip for one on Thailand Aggressor (aggressor.com)

Sharm el-Sheikh, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

Behind the shot I captured this shot while vacationing with my wife in Sharm el-Sheikh, where I was actually looking for barracuda and grouper. I wasn’t having much luck finding the larger fish at the cleaning station, but then my wife signaled that she had found something interesting. I approached and saw this scene: a clownfish in an anemone, caring for his eggs. After testing different positions and angles to best capture the moment, I was able to make the shot I wanted.

Camera info Gear Nikon D90, Hugyfot housing, Nikkor, Micro-Nikkor 105mm lens, two Inon Z-240 strobes ISO 100 F-Stop f/18 Shutter Speed 1/250 sec

Prize $1,000 cash and a 10-day trip for one to Cocos Island on Okeanos Aggressor (aggressor.com)

Thresher shark, Malapascua, Philippines

Harlequin crab and glass anemone shrimp, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Nudibranch, Puri Jati, Bali, Indonesia

Common toads, Lake Como, Italy

Pygmy seahorse, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Blenny, Taiwan

Juvenile scorpionfish and gray moral eel, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Lesser weever, Chalkidiki Peninsula, Greece

To enter this year's contest, view all photo submissions so far and see an updated list of prizes, click right here.

Prizes [Through Your Lens]
Scuba Diving magazine would like to thank these generous donors to our 2014 contest, without whom these prizes would not be possible.

	Prize Description
	Grand Prize OKEANOS AGGRESSOR Our winner will spend 10 days aboard Okeanos Aggressor, exploring the thrilling underwater world of Costa Rica's Cocos Island.aggressor.com
	1st Place Behavior RED SEA AGGRESSOR Our winner will spend a week aboard Red Sea Aggressor, diving among breathtaking soft corals and thousands of species of fish, many found nowhere else on the globe.aggressor.com
	1st Place Divers CAYMAN AGGRESSOR IV Our winner will spend a week in one of the top dive destinations aboard Cayman Aggressor IV, where crystal-clear waters, wrecks, walls and reefs await in warm waters.aggressor.com
	1st Place Macro PALAU TROPIC DANCER Our winner will spend seven nights in the Land of Smiles aboard Thailand Aggressor, plying the famed Andaman, Similan or Phi Phi islands.aggressor.com
	1st Place Wide-Angle THAILAND AGGRESSOR Our winner will enjoy seven nights plus diving at all-inclusive PADI Five Star IDC Deep Blue Resort on the Bay Island of Utila, perfectly situated for unlimited shore diving, with a reef that starts at the shoreline, and the chance of whale sharks passing nearby.aggressor.com
	2nd Place Behavior MARES The Mares Instinct 12S regulator, X-vu LiquidSkin mask and Ergo Dry snorkel combine to provide a sleek look and a nearly bubble-free view underwater.mares.com
	2nd Place Divers SHERWOOD SCUBA The Sherwood Oasis regulator reduces dry mouth thanks to its patented, moisture-retention fins. It is paired with the Onyx mask and snorkel.sherwoodscuba.com
	2nd Place Macro SCUBAPRO The Scubapro MK25/S600 offers tremendous reserve capacity for extreme diving. We’ve paired it with the Synergy Twin Trufit mask and Spectra Dry Snorkel.scubapro.com
	2nd Place Wide-Angle SUBGEAR The high-performance SubGear SG50 regulator and sturdy Super Vu mask and snorkel provide the utmost comfort and clarity under pressure.subgear.com

| 3rd Place All Categories
BACKSCATTER GIFT CERTIFICATE
Winners will receive a $250 gift certificate to Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo (backscatter.com), the world’s leading supplier for underwater-imaging equipment.| | | 3rd Place All Categories
REEF ID SET
Winners will receive a three-book REEF ID set (fishid.com).|