Finally! After months of receiving your stunning images, we’ve closed the 2026 Snorkel Venture Friendly Photo Competition, and we’ve declared a winner! This was an extremely tough choice, as the quality of the photos we received was top-notch. Nonetheless, we were able to carefully select our winner, who will be walking away with a $500 voucher for their next snorkeling tour with us. The other well-deserved placeholders will receive some of our new Snorkel for Good merch!
1st Place: Marilyn Stacey
Location: Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
Camera: Olympus TG-7
Judges Comments:
This photo of two whale sharks feeding beneath the bags in Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia, is not only a technical achievement, but it beautifully portrays the relationship between the bagan fishermen and the whale sharks in one stunning photo. To be able to split the waterline with the small size of the Olympus TG-7 Camera’s lens is a feat in its own right, but to frame it so beautifully with two whale sharks, the bagan, and the fishermen is just unreal!
2nd Place: Paul Gibbard
Location: Alor, Indonesia
Camera: Olympus TG-7
Judges Comments:
Ahhh, the beauty of a muck snorkel! This photo is the epitome of what muck snorkeling is all about. When a few old mooring lines become a suspended reef that then turns into the hunting grounds for ambush predators, such as this white warty frogfish, who is surrounded by a cloud of razor fish. We absolutely love the slow burn of this photo. The longer you look at it, the more it reveals. The composition is just perfect!
3rd Place: Gary Narcowich
Location: Togian Islands (Jellyfish Lake), Indonesia
Camera: Nikon Coolpix W300
Judges Comments:
This is a truly surreal photo that perfectly captures the experience and beauty of snorkeling amongst thousands of stingless jellyfish in one of Indonesia’s jellyfish lakes. We love the reflection of the jellyfish on the surface of the water and the snorkeler’s mask. The moody lighting and greenish tint to the water really just add to the image and provide the perfect backdrop for the many dozens of jellyfish in this single frame.
Honorable Mention: Judy Backhouse
Location: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Camera: Olympus TG-6
Judges Comments:
We couldn’t help but honor this exceptional photo of a very cute blenny peeking its curious face out of its burrow within the coals, framed by tiny blue tunicates. This is not only a very challenging photo to take, but it also pushes the more traditional boundaries of composition, with the subject being center-focused. To capture this image no doubt took some great duck-diving skills, a keen eye, patience, and a dash of luck, as these little buggers are shy! Expertly framed and executed is all we can say.
