Behind the Shots of the Asturias Underwater Photo Competition 2025

Welcome to the suspense-filled, thrill-charged, memory-laden depths of Asturias, Cebu. This is not just a blog post. This is a dive into the very heart of an underwater battleground where bubbles meet brilliance, where pressure builds not just in tanks, but in every shot taken.

This is the Second Asturias Underwater Photo Competition—an event etched with anticipation, grit, and the saltwater dreams of photographers who dared to see the ocean in frames.

A Date with Destiny: April 23–26, 2025

The moment the calendar struck April 23, we knew there was no turning back. Hosted now under the wing of Dive7, the diving arm of the Department of Tourism Region 7, this event leveled up from its LGU-only beginnings in 2024. And yes, last year, our tribe swept most of the awards—the bar was high, and the expectations higher.

This time, the stage was bigger, the pressure heavier, and our excitement off the charts.

The Build-Up: Broken Ankles, New Gear, and a Whole Lot of Hope

Weeks before the competition, our dives were intentional—every click, every strobe flash, every buddy check was preparation. Chu of Taga-Isla Outdoors even invested in a new light. But fate added drama: just days before the event, Ikuo sprained her ankle. Swollen and limping, she still geared up, changing to lighter fins just to join. That’s the kind of tribe we are.

We packed our camera cases, air tanks, and hopes into the car and drove through Transcentral Highway at sunrise, the sharp curves and cliffs echoing the journey ahead. Picking up Joan at Subangdaku, convoying with Doms, and later greeted by Val and Cristy at Jollibee Balamban, we headed into Asturias not just as photographers, but as warriors of the deep.

Arrival and Registration: Cue the Spotlight

We checked in at Coco Seaview Resort, the air buzzing with excitement. We weren’t just early; we were among the first, bagging our welcome kits and landing an on-the-spot Budots Media PH interview. The gang was complete: Chu, Grethel, Dixon, Regie, Vanessa, Val, Cristy—and us.

Destination: Tubigagmanok. The battleground.

Dive 1: The Pillars of Ginabasan – Drama at 3.5 Meters

At 12:48 PM, our tanks hissed as we entered the realm of shadows and seafans beneath Ginabasan Port. Just before the descent, Ikuo realized she forgot her fins. A small boat raced back to get them as she borrowed our guide’s fins. Classic suspense.

We shot wide-angle: massive pillars teeming with life, schools of fish darting in sunbeams, an eel eyeing me from inside coral. Pipefish with eggs, frogfish sightings by Cristy (missed it, argh!). Ninety-one glorious minutes. Box ticked for Wide-Angle and Behavior categories.

Dive 2: Tubigagmanok – Elusive Beauty

This was macro territory. I battled poor visibility, common slugs, and found hope in a harlequin shrimp and a ghost pipefish that led me on a chase until my tank warned me to surface. Ninety-two minutes of chasing perfection.

After rinsing, we rushed to the delayed opening ceremony. Late dinner, full hearts. Stayed at Dixon's house—free stay, free food, unlimited hospitality. We can never thank him enough.

Dive 3: San Roque – Where Sunrays Paint Coral

Morning light kissed hard corals at San Roque. I framed seascapes, documented a boxer crab, snapped nudis. Chu and I laughed at how he obsessively photographed a brown nudibranch. The dive was long—98 minutes—but the real win? A canvas of living reefs and moments captured in silence.

Dive 4: Sta. Lucia – The Struggle is Real

Riding waves and dodging river silt, this dive was a test of endurance. Low vis, silty bottom, elusive critters. Found a stunning juvenile Geonobranchus and fought to frame it. Then a lionfish set up a perfect shot—until my strobe failed. Dive ended after 77 frustrating but fulfilling minutes.

Then the kicker: Joan saw a sperm whale breach near our boat. We missed it. Salt in the wound? Maybe. But also a reminder of the surprises the sea holds.

Dive 5: Nightfall Finale

At 6:05 PM, we descended for our final act. Torches on, eyes sharp. Found an octopus that wouldn’t budge, a bobtail squid that buried itself in sand, and countless shrimp that turned my torch beam into a disco. Then came the pipefish party and a trio of red-strawberry-like nudibranch. Jackpot.

Ninety-seven minutes underwater, capping five dives that pushed us to our limits.

Post-Dive: Cocktails and Composure

The edit war began. Thousands of shots. Four categories. One chance each. Thankfully, Nino’s cocktails soothed the chaos. We debated, we sorted, we uploaded.

Some glitches. Some close calls. But at the end, we all submitted. Vanessa had to go analog with a USB. That’s how serious it got.

Why It Mattered

Because even if we don’t win, we already won. We fought together. We supported each other. Our underwater choreography is unspoken but synchronized.

From rare harlequin shrimp to bobtail squids and ghost pipefish, to the photo-bombing sea slugs and the shots that almost weren’t—we gave it our all.

The Real Victory

Competitions demand precision. It’s not just a dive. It’s a mission. We go in with purpose, emerge with proof of our passion.

It’s exhausting. It’s exhilarating. It’s everything that makes us better.

And this was just the first part.