1st Asian underwater photo competition held in Cebu

CEBU CITY ,Philippines  — Some of the world’s top underwater photographers gathered in this city this week for the first Asian underwater photo competition.

A total of 75 photographers from China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Russia, and Hong Kong participated in the first Asian Underwater Federation Photography Championships organized by the Philippine Association on Underwater Activities (PAUA), in coordination with the Department of Tourism.

Officials believe the competition would help promote the country’s diving industry.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. attended the awarding ceremony at the Radisson Blu Hotel last Wednesday night.

“The people who came here are among the best underwater photographers in the world,” he said.

“Their pictures will go around the world and roughly 200 million people who like scuba diving will find out where they took those pictures.”

“The Philippines is a very, very important spot for diving already, when they see these pictures they will come here.”

South Korea bagged most of the medals, with Juang Hee Cheoi bagging the Best Photographer Award.

Jermy Wong from the Philippines won a silver medal in the Wide Angle with Diver category.

The recipients of gold medals also received the Presidential Medal of Honor.

PAUA secretary-general Benedict Reyes said the two-day competition is one of the best ways to promote the country’s diving industry.

“I think this is very good for our tourism industry because these are top photographers who are the president of each club group so whatever they say about the Philippines, ‘let’s go to the Philippines people are friendly, it’s safe to go there,’ I think somebody will believe them,” he said.

“Unlike ordinary divers it’s hard for them to express what they have seen. We have 75 ambassadors who will be going back home, they will be showing pictures to their countrymen through magazines, write-ups. I think with this ratio somebody will come back and discover the Philippines,” he added.

However, Reyes pushed for strict government regulation of the industry.

“The industry needs to be regulated,” he said. “Safety standards sometimes are not within the standards and accidents happen.

“This is bad image for us if accidents always happen in the Philippines; it means we are not taking care of the diving industry. We have a regulatory body but we have to enforce,” he added.

Reyes said countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia market their diving industry tremendously.

“We have much to offer than them, we need to invest on marketing, promotion and infrastructure,” he said.

“We have the market but we don’t know where to put them. Do we have dive operators who will protect these divers? We don’t just think about the money,” he said.

Some of the well-known diving spots in the country are Palawan, Bohol, Cebu, Puerto Galera, Subic, and Coron Bay.

The Philippines is one of the best diving locations around the world, according to the website www.awesomeasia.com.

“The Philippines is an ideal diving location for both experts as well as novice divers,” the website said.

“The marine life of this exotic location is all the more enticing with 500 varieties of corals and 2,400 kinds of fishes. The water’s temperature is ideal for scuba diving throughout the year,” it added.