Anilao Underwater Shootout stages a successful comeback!

Amateur and professional underwater photographers, divers, and marine enthusiasts once again masterfully captured the beauty of Anilao in the entries to the 7th Anilao Underwater Shootout (AUS), recently mounted by the Department of Tourism (DOT) of the Philippines.

Dubbed as the “World Cup of Underwater Photo Competitions,” the four-day event highlighted the town’s teeming marine biodiversity, including its world-famous nudibranchs.

The event showcased the country’s readiness to welcome back tourists and reclaim its position as the world’s leading dive destination. Supporting the Department of Tourism’s thrust to safely restart tourism in the country, more than 95 percent of the tourism workers in dive destinations are now fully vaccinated.

Gathering a total of 120 participants flying in from all over the country, the event also spurred domestic tourism activity in Anilao, trickling down to the community with engagement from the town’s resorts, dive guides, and spotters.

This year’s edition garnered a total of 348 entries across the competition’s 11 categories. Winners were awarded over two million pesos worth of prizes from its official airline partner Cebu Pacific, underwater photography gear from event partners Nauticam, Scubalamp, and sponsors AOI, XDEEP, Crest, Fourth Element, Divers Point, Nautilus Dive, and Sports Center, Squires Bingham, and Ultralight Control Systems, Inc.

The Winners

Open Class

Macro/Supermacro category

1st place: Dennis Corpuz

2nd place: Marivic Verdadero Maramot

3rd place: Emil Ribaya Jaranilla

Open Class (Macro) 3rd Place: Dennis Corpuz

Open Class (Macro) 3rd Place: Marivic Verdadero Maramot

Open Class (Macro) 3rd Place: Emil Ribaya Jaranilla

Marine Behavior category

1st place: Ariel Careño Locsin

2nd place: Glenn Ian Diaz Villanueva

3rd place: Adrian Dan

Open Class (Marine Behavior) 1st Place: Ariel Careño Locsin

Open Class (Marine Behavior) 2nd Place: Glenn Ian Diaz Villanueva

Open Class (Marine Behavior) 3rd Place: Adrian Dan

Nudibranch category

1st place: Dennis Corpuz

2nd place: Glenn Ian Villanueva

3rd place: Armida Esteban

Open Class (Nudibranch) 1st Place: Dennis Corpuz

Open Class (Nudibranch) 2nd Place: Glenn Ian Villanueva

Open Class (Nudibranch) 3rd Place: Armida Esteban

Fish Portrait category

1st place: Dennis Corpuz

2nd place: Louis Myse Fae Ronquillo

3rd place: Angelyca Paras Nery

Open Class (Fish Portrait) 1st Place: Dennis Corpuz

Open Class (Fish Portrait) 2nd Place: Louis Myse Fae Ronquillo

Open Class (Fish Portrait) 3rd Place: Angelyca Paras Nery

Compact Class

Macro/Supermacro category

1st place: Rafael Francisco

2nd place: Jorge Ida

3rd place: Fr. Nemer de Castro Chua

Compact (Macro) 1st Place: Rafael Francisco

Compact (Macro) 2nd Place: Jorge Ida

Compact (Macro) 2ns Place: Fr. Nemer de Castro Chua

Marine Behavior category

1st place: Regie Casia

2nd place: Lloyd Respicio

3rd place: Anjeanette Fuentebella

Compact Class (Marine Behavior) 1st Place: Regie Casia

Compact Class (Marine Behavior) 2nd Place: Lloyd Respicio

Compact Class (Marine Behavior) 3rd Place: Anjeanette Fuentebella

Nudibranch category:

1st place: Penn De Los Santos

2nd place: Kim Morfe

3rd place: Armando Panopio

Compact Class (Nudibranch) 1st Place: Penn De Los Santos

Compact Class (Nudibranch) 2nd Place: Kim Morfe

Compact Class (Nudibranch) 3rd Place: Armando Panopio

Fish Portrait category

1st place: Teresa Sy Ortin

2nd place: Patricia Santos

3rd place: Ronald Amboy Dalawampo

Compact Class (Fish Portrait) 1st Place: Teresa Sy Ortin

Compact Class (Fish Portrait) 2nd Place: Patricia Santos

Compact Class (Fish Portrait) 3rd Place: Ronald Amboy Dalawampo

Special prizes were awarded to Dennis Corpuz in the Blackwater category and Paul Joseph Aristorenas in the Wide Angle category.

Special (Blackwater) 1st Place: Dennis Corpuz

Special (Wide Angle) 1st Place: Paul Joseph Aristorenas

Teresa Sy Ortin and Dennis Corpuz were named DOT Photographers of the Year for the Compact and Open classes respectively.

The international event has been organized by the DOT since 2013, in line with the identification of diving as a priority tourism product in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP). This year’s panel of judges includes renowned underwater photography aficionados David Doubilet, Jennifer Hayes, Mike Bartick, Scott Gutsy Tuason, William Tan, and Underwater360 Group founder John Thet.

Following COVID-19 restrictions, the event followed a hybrid format with underwater photography workshops hosted via Zoom and the competition’s official Facebook page. Judging and deliberations were also done through the video-conferencing application.

The 7th Anilao Underwater Shootout was mounted in partnership with Mabini Tourism, DOT Region 4 A Calabarzon #DiscoverCalabarzon, Solitude Acacia Resort, Aiyanar Beach and Dive Resort, Crystal Blue Dive Resort, Nauticam, Scubalamp, AOI, and Scubastudio Philippines. The event is also supported by Wetpixel, Underwater Photography Magazine, Underwater 360, and GRID Magazine.

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