PADI and Scuba Diving Magazine Looking for World's Best Underwater Photographs to Inspire Hope for Our Blue Planet

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PADI^® and Scuba Diving^® magazine are teaming up to run their 18th annual Through Your Lens photo contest in an effort to highlight the incredible underwater world that needs protection.

"Our Through Your Lens Photo Contest is an incredible opportunity for those passionate about capturing the beauty of the ocean to share their perspective of our underwater world with a global audience," says Alexandra Gillespie, Digital Editor for Scuba Diving.

"The panel of judges will consist of both divers and PADI staff who will assess the submissions without knowing the names of the photographers – meaning everyone who enters has an equal chance to win," continues Gillespie. "In addition, every single prize awarded will further support these photographers to get beneath the surface and highlight just how incredible our blue planet really is."

There are four different categories for submission: wide-angle, macro, behavior, and compact camera. The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000USD cash prize and a week-long liveaboard trip onboard the BVI Aggressor. In addition, the first-place winner for each of the specified categories will also receive the week-long Aggressor Adventures liveaboard trip, the second-place winners a ScubaPro regulator, and the third-place winners a SeaLife light or underwater smartphone housing accessory. Select winners will also be given the opportunity to have their photos featured on PADI certification cards.

Past winners of the annual photo competition have ranged from mind-blowing images of a whale shark's mouth filled with fifty remoras and a fever of manta rays dancing through the water at night.

"We are always blown away by the thousands of images we receive from across the globe depicting the diversity of the ocean, from tropical reefs to ice divers and tiny nudibranchs," says Gillespie. "We are so excited to see what underwater photographers around the world have been up to over the last year and to share their captivating content in our annual Photo Issue. It is images like these that will truly inspire others to take action and create ocean change."

All winners and honorable mentions will be published in the September/October 2022 Photo Issue of Scuba Diving magazine, with the cover featuring one of the contest entries. Entries are open now until June 3 2022 on scubadiving.com/photocontest.

About PADI 
PADI^® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors^®) is the world's largest ocean exploration and diver organization, operating in 186 countries and territories, with a global network of more than 6,600 dive centers and resorts and over 128,000 professional members worldwide. Issuing more than 1 million certifications each year, and with over 29 million certifications to date, PADI enables people around the world to seek adventure and save the ocean through underwater education, life-changing experiences and travel. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive^®, maintaining its high standards for dive training, safety and customer service, monitored for worldwide consistency and quality. With a longstanding commitment to environmental conservation, PADI is leading the way for millions of people to actively explore, steward and protect the ocean through its course offerings and partnerships with like-minded, mission-driven organizations. PADI embodies a global commitment to ocean health with its mission to create a billion torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.^SM  www.padi.com

Media Contact: Samantha Pearson, [email protected]

SOURCE PADI