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Winners of the Puerto Galera Underwater Shootout 2026

Forty-five photographers from more than a dozen countries participated in the inaugural competition in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. In this feature, Underwater360, the event’s Official Media Partner, celebrates the top awarded images captured during the event.

By
Ian Bongso-Seldrup
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Special Category, Cephalopod, PJ Aristorenas
Winner of the Cephalopod Special Category by PJ Aristorenas

In September 2026, the diving community turned its focus to the Philippines for the first Puerto Galera Shootout, an international underwater photography competition organised by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in cooperation with DOT MIMAROPA and the Municipality of Puerto Galera. Hosted at Lalaguna Villas Luxury Dive Resort and Spa, the inaugural competition challenged participating photographers to capture the dramatic contrast between the region’s world-class macro sites and the famed wide-angle scenes of the Verde Island Passage, widely recognised as the “centre of the centre” of marine biodiversity.

The shootout brought together 45 underwater photographers representing 13 countries, with an internationally respected judging panel – South Korea’s Jerome Kim, Singapore’s Aaron Wong, and Scott “Gutsy” Tuason from the Philippines – evaluating entries captured throughout the five-day event. The competition featured four main categories: Macro, Marine Behaviour, Nudibranch, and Wide Angle. Participants entered their images in either the Compact Class or the Open Class, with the different classes designed to allow shooters with compact cameras and those with larger, more capable cameras to compete separately.

The organisers crowned a “Best of Show” winner in each class: Ronilo Corpuz, for his winning shot in the Macro (Open Class) category; and James Magsino, for his winning photo in the Marine Behaviour (Compact Class) category. PJ Aristorenas was also honoured for capturing the top images in both the Turtle and Cephalopod special categories.

 

Macro

Open Class

Best of Show, Open Class, Macro, 1st place, Ronilo Corpuz
Best of Show, Open Class, Macro, 1st place, Ronilo Corpuz
Open Class, Macro, 2nd place, PJ Aristorenas
Open Class, Macro, 2nd place, PJ Aristorenas
Open Class, Macro, 3rd place, Faisal Farooq Moosajee
Open Class, Macro, 3rd place, Faisal Farooq Moosajee

 

Compact Class

Compact Class, Macro, 1st place, Julienne Evangelista
Compact Class, Macro, 1st place, Julienne Evangelista
Compact Class, Macro, 2nd place, Van Daniel Magsino
Compact Class, Macro, 2nd place, Van Daniel Magsino
Compact Class, Macro, 3rd place, Anthony Castillo
Compact Class, Macro, 3rd place, Anthony Castillo

 

Wide Angle

Open Class

Open Class, Wide Angle, 1st place, PJ Aristorenas
Open Class, Wide Angle, 1st place, PJ Aristorenas
Open Class, Wide Angle, 2nd place, Ronilo Corpuz
Open Class, Wide Angle, 2nd place, Ronilo Corpuz
Open Class, Wide Angle, 3rd place, Marivic Maramot
Open Class, Wide Angle, 3rd place, Marivic Maramot

 

Compact Class

Compact Class, Wide Angle, 1st place, James Magsino
Compact Class, Wide Angle, 1st place, James Magsino
Compact Class, Wide Angle, 2nd place, Van Daniel Magsino
Compact Class, Wide Angle, 2nd place, Van Daniel Magsino
Compact Class, Wide Angle, 3rd place, Eva-Paner
Compact Class, Wide Angle, 3rd place, Eva-Paner

 

Nudibranch

Open Class

Open Class, Nudibranch, 1st place, Alex Elmbaek
Open Class, Nudibranch, 1st place, Alex Elmbaek
Open Class, Nudibranch, 2nd place, Lo Kai Chong
Open Class, Nudibranch, 2nd place, Lo Kai Chong
Open Class, Nudibranch, 3rd place, PJ Aristorenas
Open Class, Nudibranch, 3rd place, PJ Aristorenas

 

Compact Class

Compact Class, Nudibranch, 1st place, Julienne Evangelista
Compact Class, Nudibranch, 1st place, Julienne Evangelista
Compact Class, Nudibranch, 2nd place, Peri Paleracio
Compact Class, Nudibranch, 2nd place, Peri Paleracio
Compact Class, Nudibranch, 3rd place, Van Daniel Magsino
Compact Class, Nudibranch, 3rd place, Van Daniel Magsino

 

Marine Behaviour

Open Class

Open Class, Marine Behaviour, 1st place, PJ Aristorenas
Open Class, Marine Behaviour, 1st place, PJ Aristorenas
Open Class, Marine Behaviour, 2nd place, Lo Kai Chong
Open Class, Marine Behaviour, 2nd place, Lo Kai Chong
Open Class, Marine Behaviour, 3rd place, Justin Carmack
Open Class, Marine Behaviour, 3rd place, Justin Carmack

 

Compact Class

Best of Show, Compact Class, Marine Behaviour, 1st place, James Magsino
Best of Show, Compact Class, Marine Behaviour, 1st place, James Magsino
Compact Class, Marine Behaviour, 2nd place, Jeston Dayday
Compact Class, Marine Behaviour, 2nd place, Jeston Dayday
Compact Class, Marine Behaviour, 3rd place, Van Daniel Magsino
Compact Class, Marine Behaviour, 3rd place, Van Daniel Magsino

 

Special Categories

Cephalopod

Special Category, Cephalopod, PJ Aristorenas
Special Category, Cephalopod, PJ Aristorenas

 

Turtle

Special Category, Turtle, PJ Aristorenas
Special Category, Turtle, PJ Aristorenas

 

  • Official Dive Resort Partner: Lalaguna Villas Luxury Dive Resort & Spa
  • Sponsors: Scandi Divers, Atlantis Dive Resorts & Liveaboards
  • Official Media Partner: Underwater360
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