Beneath the Sea 1998
Underwater Photography/Video Contest

BTS is pleased to once again give amateur underwater photographers and videographers a chance to compete with their peers. This year's judges were David Millhouser, Herb Segars and Pete Nawrocky. For the winners there were many awards and prizes including equipment from premier manufacturers!

The Best-In-Show prize for video in 1998 was The Stan Waterman Award for Excellence in Underwater Videography, and one week of diving on board the liveaboard dive boat Cayman Aggressor III.

Grand Prize Winner
Alfredo Barroso Ruiz
Repentigny, Quebec, Canada
Interesting Creatures

The Best-In-Show prize for slides in 1998 was the David Doubilet Award for Excellence in Photography plus one week of diving on the liveaboard dive boat Caribbean Explorer in Saba and St. Kitts. Round trip airfare for two is provided by ALM Antillean Airlines.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. Permission for any use or distribution of these photos is not granted without Beneath The Sea's and the photographers' permissions.

Grand Prize Winner

"The Fireworks" about our disqualified winner: After judging the 1998 Photography Contest, we found that our grand prize-winning photograph was submitted under a name other than that of the photographer, and had won best-of-show elsewhere under the photographer's real name. This photographer is not a resident of the United States or Canada. On further examination, we found that he had won in a category in our 1994 competition and was not qualified to do so at the time. We have received an email explanation from the original photographer stating that he did this primarily to see "how his slide would fare" in our competition. Why then did he enter two other contests under his own name? He was clearly aware that he was not eligible to enter our contest.

Unfortunately, at the time of judging we did not anticipate such a problem, and did not choose a reserve winner.

General

1st prize Ascension Patricia Jordan Fairview, NJ

2nd prize Samarai Wharf Laura Losito Camarillo, CA

Marine Life

1st prize Enchanted Mark Maznek Saint Petersburg, FL

2nd prize Raccoon Butterfly Fish John Pfisterer Glendale, NY 3rd prize Live Long and Prosper Richard McEnery Redmond, WA Honorable Mention Sweeping Descent Rod Soja Belleville, MI

Macro

1st prize Long-Nosed Hawkfish Michael Whitlow New York, NY

2nd prize Anemone Fish Rick Moffitt Los Angeles, CA 3rd prize Bonaire Cutie Donna Emmell Pottstown, PA Honorable Mention Inner Rose Rod Soja Belleville, MI

Closeup

1st prize Spit Curls Rudy Whitworth Westland, MI

2nd prize Nautilus Belauensis Charles Rawlings Winston-Salem, NC 3rd prize Scorpy Ross Eric Miller Colorado Springs, CO Honorable Mention Lemon Drop Rod Soja Belleville, MI

North East Cold Water

1st prize Eye of Sea Raven Dave Whittemore Augusta, ME

2nd prize Summer Fluke James Matulis East Berlin, CT

West Coast Cold Water

1st prize Bundled in Bryozoan Reggie Brown San Jose, CA

2nd prize Lord of the Sponges Preston Steele Coquitlam, BC 3rd prize Descending David Nesheim Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA

Honorable Mention Mantis Shrimp Philip Hookham Culver City, CA Honorable Mention Home Sweet Home Reggie Brown San Jose, CA

Fresh Water

1st prize Bright Eyed Sunfish Rudy Whitworth Westland, MI