Our First Underwater Photo Competition: Medellin Dive7 Festival 2023

Taking the Leap: Our First Competition Experience

Before joining the competition, we were simply divers who loved capturing underwater moments. Photography was something we picked up less than a year prior, inspired by friends who had been shooting for years. With just our trusted Olympus TG5 (Keem) and Olympus TG6 (Ikuo), we decided to challenge ourselves and see how far we could go against seasoned competitors.

Excitement quickly turned into realization—we were completely new to this. We didn’t know about photography rules, composition, or editing techniques. Our competitors had advanced cameras, strobes, and macro lenses, while we only had our compact cameras in simple underwater housings. Despite our limitations, we maximized what we had, edited photos using free mobile apps, and relied on our passion for capturing the underwater world.

The Competition and Our Winning Shots

The competition had two categories: Open and Compact, and we competed in the Compact category. We spent hours selecting the best shots from thousands of photos taken during our dives, consulting fellow competitors and even calling friends for advice.

When the results were announced, we were overwhelmed! Sugbu Diver won multiple awards:

One of the standout moments was the marine life behavior category, where we captured a crab carrying a red sea urchin. The contrast of colors, the balance in composition, and the uniqueness of the subject made it one of our most memorable shots. This was proof that despite our limited equipment, we could still capture something special.

Challenges Along the Way

The road to competition was not easy. We drove more than 90 kilometers from our home in Lapu-Lapu to Medellin. A weather disturbance hit before the event, and a thunderstorm on competition night made us anxious about the dive conditions. Luckily, the waters cleared up enough for us to shoot.

Having no prior experience in competitions, we were clueless about submission strategies. Every night, we would go through our photos, selecting, editing, and second-guessing our choices. Our competitors used high-end editing software on laptops, while we edited on our phones. We were also competing against well-established photographers who had years of experience. But we embraced the challenge, and in the end, our efforts paid off.

A Win for Sugbu Diver and the Cebu Diving Community

Winning in Medellin was not just a personal victory but a win for Cebu's diving community. Most award-winning underwater photographers come from Luzon, but this time, Cebu was on the map. Our win also encouraged our diver friends to try underwater photography competitions themselves. If we, as complete beginners, could win, then why not them?

This competition also shed light on Medellin as a diving destination. Often overlooked for more popular dive sites, Medellin's marine life is truly breathtaking, and our winning shots helped showcase its beauty to a wider audience.

Gratitude and Reflections

We wouldn’t have made it through without the support of our friends Taga Isla Outdoors, Chu, and Grethel, who guided us through the event. A big thank you to Dive7, the Department of Tourism, the Municipality of Medellin, and the Province of Cebu for organizing such an accessible and well-organized competition. It was the only competition we knew that was affordable and offered amazing extras—free golf lessons, a golf driving range, and even a gun shooting range tour! Their hospitality made the entire experience unforgettable.

Looking back, this win was just the beginning. It made us realize how much more we had to learn and improve in underwater photography. We even used part of our winnings to invest in a wide-angle lens, a small step toward better shots in future dives.

Two years later, we still remember this competition as a turning point for Sugbu Diver. It wasn’t just about the awards; it was about pushing beyond our comfort zone, learning from others, and sharing Cebu’s underwater beauty with the world. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be back in another competition soon, this time with even better shots. See you in the deep!