Greg Lecœur winner of the prestigious Ocean Art competition

Le Underwater Photography Guide, which organizes the annual Ocean Art underwater photo competition, announced its 2019 winners yesterday. This 8^th edition featured 16 categories this year, including 2 new ones that motivated many photographers to submit their images: ‘blackwater’ and ‘ocean conservation’. The awarded photos were selected from thousands coming from 78 countries.

The judges of Ocean Art 2019 included the prestigious underwater photographers Tony Wu, Martin Edge, and Marty Snyderman, accompanied by the editor of Underwater Photography Guide Scott Gietler who stated: » I continue to be amazed by the beautiful images today’s underwater photographers produce. The two new categories, Conservation and Blackwater, were truly show-stopping categories. Especially in the Conservation category – the winning images evoke powerful emotion and will influence a new generation to work towards ocean conservation. »

The French underwater photographer Greg Lecœur won the competition’s main prize, the ‘Best of Show’, with a stunning image of a crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga) maneuvering swiftly under the Antarctic ice. This photo had first taken first place in the ‘Cold Waters’ category.

Greg Lecœur tells the story of this image taken on the Antarctic Peninsula: « During an expedition on a small sailboat, we explored the Antarctic Peninsula by diving beneath the surface. Although the conditions were extreme with a temperature of -1°C, we documented remarkable marine wildlife in a fragile ecosystem, as seen in this image: the crabeater seal. We also saw leopard seals, gentoo penguins, and Antarctic fur seals. All these marine animals are affected by climate change with the melting ice. Despite their name, crabeater seals do not eat crabs. Krill makes up to 95% of their diet. Crabeater seals have developed sieve-like teeth structure that filters krill, similar to a whale’s baleen. They suck in water containing krill, close their jaws, and push the water out between their teeth to trap the krill inside. »
Equipment used: Nikon D500, Tokina 10-17mm lens, Nauticam NA-D500 housing, Ikelite DS-161 strobes.
Settings: 1/250 s, F9, ISO 250.

Another winning photo in this contest, featuring 6 juvenile seahorses, was taken by the young photographer Julie Casey, who won the New Star Photographer award.