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Press
Release - The First Underwater Photography Week of Formentera
(Balearic Islands)
Nacho
Pardo
Through
wind and tides
Last
October Formentera organized the first underwater photographic
competition to be held on the island. Under the auspices of
the Formentera island council and with the organization of the
Vellmarí diving centre, around one hundred divers congregated
in the smaller of the Pitiusan islands in order to enjoy two
of their favourite activities: diving and photography. The event
received an unwelcome visitor: the wind. However, gusts of up
to 40 knots during the days of competition were not able to
ruin an initiative designed to promote diving, photography and,
of course, the sea beds surrounding Formentera.
Thursday
morning. Photography Week arrives at its fourth day (the first
day of competition) and the wind made its presence clear. The
forecasts had not got it wrong and the gusts of wind from an
easterly direction reached a strength of forty knots. The wind
sneaked in through the window sills and emitted a chilling tune
that froze the blood of more than one contestant. The shipping
lines begin with their customary practice in these cases: suspending
the ferries between Ibiza and Formentera. At this moment, the
Vellmarí centre receives an unusually high degree of
activity considering it is the beginning of October. Dozens
of worried divers hear the reports from the staff, “The
wind is blowing hard and navigation will be uncomfortable, any
volunteers for diving?” jokes one of the instructors. Dozens
of raised hands show that when you really feel a passion for
it, there is no wind strong enough to weaken your will. The
dive is organized and the competition starts.
The
first Formentera Photography Week was held under precisely such
difficult conditions. The wind did not let up until the Open
had reached its conclusion but this did not stop the participants
from being able to enjoy all of the planned excursions (not
a single one was cancelled) and presenting more than 8000 snaps
of the sea beds surrounding Formentera.
The
first three days of the competition were devoted to practice
and reconnaissance dives. Those taking part had the chance to
get to know some of the best dive spots in Formentera such as
the sunken boat, an ideal dive spot for photography since it
offers countless possibilities for devotees of macro or environments.
Nonetheless, without a doubt, the dive that all were looking
forward to was La Plataforma, a former fish farm which was sunk
over ten years ago to the west of the islet of Espardell (situated
to the northeast of Formentera). The name refers to a very special
fish tank made up of a hexagonal structure supported partially
on the sea bed and partially on some pillars which were designed
to keep the entire structure afloat in its day. Nowadays, the
complex has been colonized by an endless number of living creatures:
scorpion fish, moray eels, forkbeard, conger eels, but, above
all, barracudas. Rare is the dive in which you do not find yourself
surrounded by a bank made up of thousands of them.
The
dives reserved for the competition were Punta Gavina, Es Banc
and El Arco (all on the west of Formentera), three points that
let the competitors cover the whole range of photography (fish,
macro, environment). With a maximum depth of 22 meters, the
three dive spots are also ideal for those divers who possess
less experience, since you always find optimal conditions for
the practice of scuba diving there.
The
competition produced superb results given that it was an event
clearly aimed at compact camera photography and at photographers
with little or no experience in the field. The winner in that
category was Albert Lerycke (who also got the prize for the
most original photograph). The local photographer, Pedro De
Ureta also emerged as one of the winners of the competition
by winning the reflex category prize, followed up by Jordi Benítez
(2nd) and Rafael Sánchez (3rd), as well as the most representative
photograph of the sea beds around Formentera. Julio Sanz and
Sergio Arribas ended up in second and third place in the compact
camera category. The two other special prizes were awarded to
Jaime Sánchez-Cámara (best compact camera photograph
without external flash) and Carlos Hernández (best macro).
The prizes consisted in 600 Euros for the winners, 400 for those
in second place and 250 for those in third place. At the same
time, the sponsors contributed by handing out gifts. The winner
of the compact camera prize took home a Sony Cybershot with
case kindness of Casco Antiguo, while the first three in the
reflex category received gift vouchers for use in the Kanau
shop. Mares handed out a diving computer, a regulator and other
diving accessories.
Abando
dive made a splash in the prize-giving which served as a preliminary
to the farewell dinner (courtesy of the Council of Tourism of
Formentera), organizing a raffle with a diving cruise among
the participants in the Photography Week. Segur Sub was also
present at the event, insuring the cameras that were made available
to those taking part. The latter were contributed by Olympus
and Intova. PADI did not miss out either providing the organizers
of the event with educational materials which were handed out
for free during the entire week.
These
courses are backed up by the prestigious Manu San Félix,
a professional photographer and the first photographer to win
the World Festival of Underwater Images as well as Wildlife
Photographer of the Year, who gave different workshops about
underwater photography. San Félix assessed the participants
during the whole course so that they were able to improve the
quality of their shots and get more out of their respective
cameras.
Summing
up, the first edition of the Photography Week may be said to
have turned itself into one of the most important meetings of
divers in Spain and a reference point in underwater diving for
years to come. If you would like to learn more about the next
edition, do not hesitate to consult its web page (www.semanafotosubformentera.com)
and get in touch with them.
The
Press Note (Summary)
Between
October 6 to 12, Formentera’s Island Council, in collaboration
with the Vellmarí Diving Center, organized the first
staging of the Formentera Underwater Photography Week.
More
than 100 people took part in the event dedicated to the promotion
of the seabed of the island and underwater photography, especially
with divers who have little, or no experience in the discipline.
The
week was clearly divided in two parts: the courses and the competition.
The
photography courses were held from Monday to Wednesday and the
dives took part during the last three days when the divers could
make full use of their new-found knowledge underwater.
The
Photography Competition was divided in two sections: compact
and reflex.
The
winner of the reflex section was Pedro De Ureta, followed by
Jordi Benítez and Rafael Sánchez.
In
the compact section, the winner was Albert Lerycke, second Julio
Sanz and third Sergio Arribas.
There
were also four special prizes: the most representative picture
of the seabed of Formentera (Pedro De Ureta), the most original
photo (Albert Lerycke), the best macro (Carlos Hernández)
and the best photo with a compact camera without external flash
(Jaime Sánchez-Cámara).
The
courses were organised by Manu San Félix, the marine
biologist and the first photographer to win the International
Festival of the Underwater Image and the Wildlife Photographer
of the Year.
There
were also workshops dedicated to different aspects of photography
like composition, illumination and the use of Photoshop®.
Everyone
had the opportunity to improve their skill with a camera, which
was the principal aim of the event.
There
was also an exhibition of the photographs of Manu San Félix
that everyone could visit in the special marqee which was installed
behind Vellmarí Diving Center.
The
first event of the Underwater Photography Week of Formentera,
which was one of the most important gatherings of divers in
Europe during 2008, concluded with dinner in a famous restaurant
of the island, courtesy of Formentera’s Island Council
All
the prizes were presented there, including three special prizes
that the organization dedicated to the most friendly couples.
The
Underwater Photography Week of Formentera has demonstrated that
the discipline has a good following, so it should be well supported
in the future... then the only thing that a diver needs to begin
or continue enjoying it alone is simple equipment and just a
little bit of skill.
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