Divers put together for Monaco’s underwater pictures contest

The Monaco Underwater Exploration Club (CESMM) will stage the twenty first version of its National Underwater Photography Competition on Saturday fifth September, sending photographers into the waters off the Principality for 2 dives throughout 4 classes in a one-day contest that pairs the seek for a standout picture with a wider message about defending the Mediterranean’s fragile marine life. Held below the honorary presidency of Prince Albert II, the occasion runs alongside the thirteenth version of the junior competitors, ‘Regards sous la mer’.

The competitors opens with the standard briefing earlier than contributors head out for 2 dives at two websites within the coronary heart of the Principality. Working with pure mild, water motion and the marine life they encounter, photographers should come again with the photographs that can carry them earlier than the judging panel.

Four classes will form this yr’s contest: macro, fish, wide-angle and a obligatory theme of ‘Shellfish & Crustaceans’. After the 2 dives, every competitor selects one {photograph} per class, submitting 4 photographs in complete to the jury. An extra distinction is drawn by tools, with separate classes for interchangeable-lens and fixed-lens cameras, in order that photographers are judged in opposition to others utilizing comparable gear.

“This event is important because, through the competitions we organise, it helps make the invisible visible. Most people only see the surface of the water; they are unaware of the beauty of our seabed and how fragile it is,” mentioned Roger Mullot, President of CESMM.

A summer time to arrange for the juniors

Alongside the nationwide occasion, CESMM is holding the thirteenth version of ‘Regards sous la mer’, its junior competitors, which follows a unique format. Rather than a single competitors day, younger contributors are given two months over the summer time to take their images in Monaco’s waters, diving as usually as they need in quest of the picture that greatest displays their view of the marine setting. Each entrant submits a sequence of three images, with no set theme, and the membership ran two supervised periods over the summer time for these collaborating.

“We are deeply committed to keeping the Junior Competition alive, which is open to children aged 8 to 18. With the growing accessibility of digital underwater cameras, these young people are becoming true enthusiasts, capable of capturing and sharing exceptional moments,” mentioned Mullot.

The membership additionally backs the Munegu Photo-Sub Academy, which introduces kids to underwater pictures. “Looking ahead is essential. That is why the Club supports the Munegu Photo-Sub Academy, which offers children introductory courses in underwater photography. They discover the art of photography in a particularly demanding environment and learn from an early age to observe and understand the ecosystem around them,” Mullot mentioned.

Warming seas increase the stakes

For CESMM, the competition is as a lot about consciousness as competitors, in a Principality that has made ocean safety a long-standing precedence. Mullot hyperlinks the occasion on to the pressures now going through the Mediterranean.

“This summer, the Mediterranean reached exceptionally high temperatures. These marine heatwaves are having consequences for biodiversity: just a few meters below the surface, ecosystems are being profoundly disrupted. Faced with these changes, photography plays an essential role. It can generate far more emotion than a simple speech. An image can raise awareness of the consequences of human activities on the marine environment and of the need to protect this exceptional underwater heritage,” he mentioned.

Between them, the 2 competitions body pictures as a self-discipline that’s directly sporting, inventive, academic and environmental, turning Monaco right into a showcase for its underwater world for a single day.

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Photo credit score: Pascal Parry