Whale Shark with 50 Remoras in Her Mouth Wins Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Contest

Grand Prize Winner – Evans Baudin, Baja California, Mexico

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Scuba Diving Magazine recently published winning photos of its annual underwater photo contest. Now in its 16th year, the contest has received the record number of entries so far. And the best of the best that have been chosen are absolutely marvelous.

This year’s contest received 2,636 photos and put the judges on a difficult task of choosing the winner in each of the four categories: Behavior, Compact Camera, Macro, and Wide-Angle. The grand prize was awarded to Evans Baudin for his stunning image of a whale shark with its mouth full of remoras.

“In June 2020, with a special permit, I went on an expedition to document marine life and the effects of reduced marine traffic due to COVID-19,” Baudin explained. “After two hours in the water with a school of silky sharks near the surface, our boat captain yelled, ‘Whale shark, right behind you!’—a 12-plus-meter female. The surprise was twofold when I discovered about 50 remoras peacefully enjoying a free ride in her mouth!”

Baudin took the winning image with the Sony Alpha 7R III paired with the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L fisheye lens in a Nauticam housing. He only used available, natural light.

More: Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest h/t: diyphotography

Behavior

First Place – Jules Casey, Port Phillip Bay, Australia

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Second Place – Jerry Arriaga, Ambon Bay, Indonesia

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Third Place – Thomas Van Puymbroeck, Marsa Alam, Egypt

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Compact Camera

First Place – Tobias Friedrich, Anilao, Philippines

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Second Place – Marcelo Johan Ogata, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Third Place – Enrico Somogyi, Anilao, Philippines

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Macro

First Place – Jeffrey Haines, West Palm Beach, Florida

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Second Place – Yury Ivanov, Bali, Indonesia

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Third Place – Robert Stansfield, Banco Chinchorro, Mexico

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Wide-Angle

First Place – Martin Strmiska, Puerto Morelos, Mexico

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Second Place – Marc Henauer, Amorgos Island, Greece

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Third Place – Raffaele Livornese, Baja California, Mexico

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Honorable Mentions

Martina Andres, Red Sea

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Martin Strmiska, Styria, Austria

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Marc Henauer, Amorgos Island, Greece

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Massimo Georgette, Jardines de la Reina, Cuba

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Renata Romeo, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Sean Steiniger, Ha‘apai Island Chain, Tonga

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Dennis Whitestone, Palm Beach, Florida

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Andrey Shpatak, Sea of Japan

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Chris Gug, Bonaire

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Enrico Somogyi, Anilao, Philippines

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Lureen Ferretti

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Franco Tulli

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest

Enrico Somogyi

Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2020 Underwater Photo Contest