Organized by Dive into the Pink (https://www.diveintothepink.org/) and hosted by Dive Photo Guide (DPG, https://www.divephotoguide.com/), this annual event invites photographers from around the world to capture the magic of pink in the underwater world, with two main categories: Macro and Wide Angle.
This competition not only celebrates talent but also supports a noble cause. Thanks to entry fees and donations, over $8,000 were raised this year, fully donated to cancer research and patient support. Beginner divers, seasoned professionals, nature lovers, or simple enthusiasts of the marine world, discover a breathtaking list of winners, inspiring anecdotes, and be guided into the heart of the most beautiful reefs on the planet.
Macro Category: when pink enhances the infinitely small
The jury had a tough time deciding among an impressive number of photos in the Macro category. Photographers competed in creativity to capture the slightest pink hue on often tiny subjects.
First place: « Egging Me On » – Joanna Chen (Australia)
Location: Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia
Equipment: Sony a7R Mark IV, Sony FE 90 mm f/2.8 Macro, Seafrogs housing, Nauticam SMC-1, Backscatter Mini flash, Weefine Mini Gear (f/22, 0.8 s, ISO 64)
Joanna Chen, grand winner of this edition, expresses her passion:
« Pink is my favorite color, so why not showcase it in a photo? In Tulamben, I wanted to experiment with creative lighting and long exposures on very small creatures. This photo shows a common ghost goby (Pleurosicya mossambica), widespread in Indo-Pacific waters, with its eggs delicately nestled on a blue tunicate. My challenge: keep the eyes and eggs sharply focused, while creating a contrasting harmony between deep blue and pink flashes, accentuated by motion blur with slow speed. After much patience, I captured this tiny 2 cm goby perched above its brood, perfectly lit. This image proves that even the most common animals can reveal unexpected beauty through technique and creativity. »
Second place: « Yummy » – Kirsty Andrews (United Kingdom)
Location: Anilao, Batangas, Philippines
Equipment: Nikon D500, Nikon AF-S 105 mm f/2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, Backscatter Mini Flash 2, optical snoot (f/18, 1/8 s, ISO 250)
« The flamboyant cuttlefish, true jewels of the Philippine depths, play with their colors to catch prey. I opted for focused lighting and a slow-speed panning technique to isolate the subject and highlight the intensity of the blue and sand texture. By a happy accident, the pink and yellow tones of the cuttlefish intensified, and just as the shutter clicked, it launched its tentacle, perhaps towards a nearby shrimp. »
Third place: « Egg Eater » – Kirsty Andrews (United Kingdom)
Location: Anilao, Batangas, Philippines
Equipment: Nikon D500, Nikon AF-S 60 mm f/2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, two Retra Flash Pro flashes (f/11, 1/250 s, ISO 250)
« The pink here comes from the eggs of a Hexabranchus sanguineus, arranged in beautiful spirals called “ocean roses.” At the center, a tiny nudibranch, Favorinus tsuruganus, feasts on these eggs. Difficulty: finding a pure composition where the elegant spirals aren’t destroyed by predators. I wanted to show the contrast between the delicacy of the decor and the appetite of the small nudibranch. »
Fourth place: « This Is My Scallop » – Kirsty Andrews (United Kingdom)
– Location: Loch Carron, Scotland, United Kingdom
– Equipment: Nikon D500, Nikon AF-S 105 mm f/2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, two Retra Flash Pro flashes (f/8, 1/250 s, ISO 125)
« Gobies are amazing territorial fish. On a pink maerl bed in Scotland, I observed their rivalries, the males showing off their colorful fins. This specimen, perched on a scallop shell, claimed the top. I waited for the ideal position to capture the perfect symmetry of the shell and the pride of the fish, offering a portrait full of character. »
Honorable mention: « Hold On » – Byron Conroy (United Kingdom)
Location: Lembeh, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Equipment: Sony A7R Mark V, Sony FE 90 mm f/2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, Nauticam MFO-1, two Retra Flash Pro flashes (f/8, 1/4 s, ISO 64)
« These creatures live deep, often in the current. My challenge was to capture both their environment, the blue water, and the flow’s movement. Thanks to a slow speed, I could convey the current’s dynamics while illustrating the seahorse’s attachment to the gorgonian, vital for its survival. The Nauticam MFO-1 offers ideal proximity, broadening the perspective and magnifying the pygmy in its habitat. »
Wide-angle Category: the pink glow on underwater landscapes
First place: « Pink Harmony » – Andrea Michelutti (Italy)
Location: Red Sea, Egypt
Equipment: Sony RX100 Mark VII, Marelux housing, Marelux Aquista 100 wide-angle lens, two Inon Z-330 flashes (f/10, 1/2000 s, ISO 500)
« This fan coral, inhabited by hundreds of glassfish (Parapriacanthus ransonneti), embodied the scene I was looking for. I wanted to merge the pink of the coral and that of the fish, against the backdrop of Red Sea light. Several dives were needed to find the right interaction with sunlight and approach without disturbing the school. The composition, where pink marries the blue of the sky and the Egyptian sun, was achieved with slowness and patience. »
Second place: « Bed of Stars » – Kirsty Andrews (United Kingdom)
Location: Berwickshire Marine Reserve, Scotland, United Kingdom
Equipment: Nikon D500, Tokina 10–17 mm f/3.5–4.5 Fisheye at 10 mm, Nauticam housing, two Retra Flash Pro flashes (f/14, 1/15 s, ISO 800)
« The Berwickshire reserve, Scotland’s only voluntary marine reserve, is home to abundant wildlife. At 15 m depth, a reef covered with colorful starfish stretches its arms for feeding. Urchins, stars, and sometimes predators pierce this living patchwork. I chose a particularly elegant pink sea urchin to compose this scene, where every detail of the reef is expressed. »
Third place: « Sea Angel Skylight » – Patrick Webster (USA)
Location: West Greenland
Equipment: Sony Alpha 1, Sony FE 28–60 mm f/4–5.6, Nauticam WWL-1B, Nauticam housing, two hybrid Backscatter flashes (f/14, 1/400 s, ISO 100)
« The pteropod sea slug Clione limacina, nicknamed ‘sea angel,’ reigns over arctic drifters. Its wings beat endlessly, hunting for the ‘chips of the sea,’ these planktic butterflies so prized by fish. The animal, nicknamed aataaliannguaq or ‘grandfather’ in Greenlandic, swam peacefully on a clear day. Without prey in range, I sought to capture the moment when its wings were deployed, the light forming a skylight right above. Like any angel photo, the devil is in the details! »
Fourth place: « A Love that Lasts Until the End » – Antonio Hou (Canada)
Location: Whyalla, South Australia, Australia
Equipment: Sony a6100, Tokina 10–17 mm f/3.5–4.5 Fisheye, Seafrogs housing, Sea&Sea YS-D3 Duo flashes (f/14, 1/160 s, ISO 250)
« Each year, Whyalla Bay hosts the mating of giant Australian cuttlefish. It’s the scene of colorful battles, but also peaceful moments, like this pair swimming side by side. Many die shortly after mating, giving the image a special meaning: it evokes faithful love until the end of the journey. »
Honorable mention: « Baby Seahorse » – Jules Casey (Australia)
Location: Blairgowrie, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
Equipment: Olympus Tough TG4, Olympus housing, Sea&Sea flash (f/5, 1/125 s, ISO 200)
« A tiny juvenile seahorse floats on algae under the Blairgowrie jetty. From October to February, it’s high season for these baby short-snouted seahorses, seen by the hundreds near the surface. I framed the image before my crossing gear to provide the viewer with the scale of their small size and express their extreme vulnerability. This specimen is probably only one or two weeks old. »
Prestigious prizes and sponsors
Award-winning photographers receive fantastic prizes, ranging from stays at exceptional diving resorts (Crystal Blue Resort in the Philippines, Lissenung Island Resort in Papua New Guinea) to state-of-the-art equipment (Backscatter hybrid flashes, Kraken NR-1000 lamps, Ultralight Camera Solutions gift vouchers…).
The success of this competition would not be possible without the involvement of committed sponsors – Crystal Blue Resort, Lissenung Island Resort, Kraken Sports, Backscatter, Ultralight Camera Solutions – and the professionalism of the jury composed of Richard Barnden, Tanya Houppermans, Shane Gross, and Ian Bongso-Seldrup, editor-in-chief of DPG.