Roatan Photo & Video Championship Winners

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Paul Van Ness

Feast your eyes on the winners of the Roatan Underwater Photo & Video Championship

Camera-toting photographers and videographers from as far away as Portugal descended upon the Bay Islands this past September for the Roatan Photo & Video Championship, sponsored by the PADI Diving Society and Sport Diver.

Roatan's waters have long been a favorite for image makers from around the world. The combination of marine life, accommodations, live-aboard availability and the well-deserved reputation for world-class diving make Roatan an ideal location for an underwater photography and videography event.

Prizes were sponsored by Aggressor Fleet, Wyland, DeepOutdoors, Anthony's Key, Coco View, Fantasy Island, Sea and Sea, Pelican, TUSA, Aqua Lung and many others.

I was in good company as one of the participating photo pros, being joined by acclaimed photographers Rick Frehsee, Franklin Viola, Jay Ireland and Georgienne Bradley in presenting a series of photo seminars intended to pass along the knowledge from our collective 125 years' experience. The week flew by in a blur, and as one contestant said, "We dived our brains out and filled 'em back up with tips from the pros."

KIDS Nature Photography Contest

In addition to the photo competition mentioned above, a "KIDS" Nature Photography contest for kids ages 5-14, sponsored by the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was also judged at the event in Roatan. This judging determined the Grand Prize winner from the finalists which were previously chosen by the South Florida Underwater Society. Eight-year-old Jacquelyn Thompson took the Grand Prize with her striking photo of a heron and won an exciting family vacation to Anthony's Key Resort. The winning photo and photos of the other finalists' photos from the Kids Nature Photography contest are also included in the gallery above.

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"Never," "you can go with a friend," "we do have children" ... these are just some of my excuses to never go shark diving on a designated shark trip. No misunderstanding: I absolutely love sharks during an unexpected encounter. I always hope to capture the classic shark silhouette on a sandy patch close to the Cayman wall — a big treat, and an even bigger one if a Caribbean reef shark comes close and hangs around for some minutes before its shyness takes over and it disappears into the mysterious depths! Here's what happened when my husband encouraged me to book an oceanic white-tip shark expedition.

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