Rules and Regulations

Indonesia World Underwater Photo Contest 2013

General Rules and Regulations:

1. Indonesia World Underwater Photo Contest (IWUPC) 2013 is open to entrants of all skill levels; however staff and family members of the judges and photo contest committee members are not allowed to enter the contest.
2. Submission to IWUPC 2013 is free of charge.
3. All images submitted must be the work of the photographer named on the Registration Form.
4. All images submitted must be taken between 01 January to 30 November 2013.
5. All images submitted must be taken in Indonesia and submitted through the Participating Dive Operator to the IWUPC Committee. Entries sent directly to the IWUPC Committee without PDO Verification will not be considered.
6. Submitted images must have been taken whilst Entrants dived with the Participating Dive Operator and be accompanied by the local Dive Leader provided by the PDO.
7. All images must be taken in a natural water environment such as a lake or ocean (not a pool, aquarium, or any kind of controlled environment).
8. Entries in the “People and Marine Conservation” category must be taken in a natural environment, not in a studio.
9. All subjects must be alive and in their natural environment. No captive animals will be considered and no entrapment of any kind is permissible.
10. Each individual can win one prize only. Any Entrant with multiple winning entries will be awarded the prize of the highest value.
11. All judges’ decisions are final and not open for debate.
12. Winners will be announced and prizes awarded by the third week of December 2013.

2. Conservation Rules and Regulations:

IWUPC is adopting the EPIC (Environmental Protection Through Incentives and Commerce) conservation rules established by the Center for Environment, Economy, and Society at Columbia University. Marine life should never be stressed or endangered for the sake of a photograph. Conservation rules will apply to all entrants as well as the dive leader supervising the dives during the event, and decisions will be final:

Any Entrant and/or Dive Leader suspected of exhibiting the following behaviour will be disqualified:

1. Diver(s) visibly damaging the environment (eg: dangling or dragging gear, kicking up sand);
2. Animals with signs of stress (eg: puffed puffers, inking octopus);
3. Animals moved to an unnatural environment or risky location;
4. Animals being fed;
5. Marine life being touched (eg: coral polyps, handling sea snakes);
6. Diver(s) exhibiting poor buoyancy control.

1. Images and Submission Regulations:

1. Photo

1. Scanned slides are not allowed.
2. Images captured from video are not allowed.
3. Photoshop (or similar imaging software) can only be used as follows:
   1. Allowed:
      1. Basic adjustment: colour temperature, brightness, contrast, minimal dodge & burn, sharpening, saturation changes, tonal adjustment, colour balance, and changes that can be made using Camera RAW converter;
      2. Rotation;
      3. Limited removal of backscatter and lens flare. Removing anything other than backscatter is not allowed;
      4. Cropping not more than 10% from the original image size (will be proved by comparison with the original image); and
      5. Black and White Images.

2. Not Allowed:
   1. Adding any other images and/or effect, glow to simulate flash light, diver, animal, etc;
   2. Blurring;
   3. Double exposure;
   4. Masking;
   5. Stitching;
   6. Frame or borders around the image; and
   7. Watermark.

2. Photo Submission

1. Images submitted must be in JPEG format (no RAW or TIFF), with a minimum image size of one (1) MB.
2. Each entrant may enter several categories but each image may be entered in only one (1) category.
3. For each dive area, each entrant is allowed to send up to five (5) images per category per PDO.
4. All images submitted must include the EXIF data (including date and time of capture, exposure, copyright info, camera model, etc) in each individual image.
5. All images must be stored in one folder for each category with the following name format: Entrant’s name—ID number—category (eg: johndoe—31590xxx—compactplusmacro).
6. Images must be submitted along with a completed IWUPC 2013 Application Form. Please obtain the form from the Participating Dive Operator (PDO), then give the completed form and images file to your PDO. Your PDO will email or mail them to IWUPC Committee.

7. Alternatively, you may ask your PDO to complete the “PDO Verification” section, then you can complete the application form and submit your images online at www.indonesiaunderwatercontest.com. To submit online you must include the “PDO Verification” (photographed or scanned). Without a certified copy of “PDO Verification” we cannot accept your application.

8. The IWUPC Committee will send a confirmation email to the entrant as soon as the committee has received the Participant Entrant Form, Survey sheet and image(s).

9. Images submitted on a CD/DVD/Flash Drive must use registered mail service. The IWUPC committee is not responsible for any images lost during mailing.

10. The IWUPC Committee has the right to ask for any original image file(s) from the entrant. Failure to provide the original file(s) may result in disqualification.

11. Entrants with winning images will be asked to provide the original RAW file or original camera file. Failure to provide the file(s) may result in disqualification.

12. All images must be sent by Nov 30th, 2013 (registered mail) and Dec 5th, 2013 (electronic). All images received after Dec 5th, 2013 24.00 will not be considered.

4. Contest Categories:

1. Compact Category

“Compact camera” is defined as any “point and shoot” camera with small sensors (less than 35mm), internal flash and unchangeable lens.

The category consists of 3 criteria :

A1: Basic Compact

This category is for images taken with a basic compact camera using only  an underwater housing with no accessories attached. The lighting may use the internal flash from the camera.

A2: Compact Plus Wide

This category is for images taken with basic compact camera in an underwater housing with additional wide angle wet lenses and/or with external flash attached.

“Wide angle shot” is defined as any image that shows a wider angle of view than the human eye (50mm focal length lens in 35mm size sensor), including over-under shots and close up – wide angle shots.

A3: Compact Plus Macro

This category is for images taken with a basic compact camera in an underwater housing with additional macro wet lenses and/or with external flash attached.

‘Macro shot” is defined as any image that shows a narrower angle of view than the human eye (50mm focal length lens in 35mm size sensor). Macro images resulting from excessive cropping will be disqualified (See C. Image and Submission Regulations above).

2. DSLR Category

“DSLR” is defined as any camera with the capability for lens change, cameras with a sensor size less than or equal to 35mm, and may be with or without attached flash. Mirrorless cameras (Olympus PEN, Sony NEX) are also in this category.

The category consists of 2 criteria :

B.1 SLR – Wide

This category is for images taken with a DSLR (Digital SLR) camera in an underwater housing with additional wide angle wet lenses and/or with external flash attached.

“Wide angle shot” is defined as any image that shows a wider angle of view than the human eye (50mm focal length lens in 35mm size sensor), including over-under shots and close up – wide angle shots.

     B.2:  DSLR – Macro

This category is for images taken with a DSLR (Digital SLR) camera in an underwater housing with additional macro wet lenses and/or with external flash attached.

“Macro shot” is defined as any image that shows a narrower angle of view than the human eye (50mm focal length lens in 35mm size sensor), Macro images resulting from excessive cropping will be disqualified (See C. Image and Submission Regulations above).

3. People and Marine Conservation Category

This category is also open to non-divers and is for images taken with any camera. The image does not have to be an underwater image.

The image(s) must portray people and/or marine conservation issues such as: protection of marine life, community involvement in marine conservation, people active in the marine environment setting, and (positive or negative) human and animal interaction. There is no minimum age for non-underwater shots.

4. Junior Category

This category is for Entrants aged under 15 years old using any type of underwater camera. The participant must be under 15 years old at the time of submission.

Junior participants must dive under the supervision of a parent/guardian or dive professional as specified in his/her certification requirement. Junior participants with no valid dive certification are not allowed to participate.

5. Disclaimer, Copy Right and Image Usage

1. By entering the IWUPC 2013, the Entrant represents, acknowledges and warrants that the submitted image(s) is an original work created solely by the entrant, that the image(s) does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any persons or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the image(s).
2. The entrant/copyright holder of the image(s) is responsible for the Model Release (if any).
3. Ownership and copyright of all entries remain with the photographer. For promotional purposes, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia reserves the right to use and to publish (without compensation) submitted images, in print, electronic format or online. This includes, but limited to the contest and future contest promotion. The winning pictures may be used without any further compensation to all kind of public relations, promotions and publication in any media, exhibition, printing in brochures, books, and future contest promotion. The rightful photographer’s name will be credited on every published image. Winning images may be included in a press release for third party websites and publications.
4. Each participant is responsible for his/her own safety and appropriate diving practices, the use of his/her diving equipment and photographic equipment. The Indonesian Government, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, the IWUPC Committee and its affiliates do not endorse that diving is safe and do not recommend any particular location to dive. Each participant must follow safe diving rules and use his/her own judgment regarding diving safety.
5. Some diving areas in Indonesia have limited (or no) emergency facilities and may take several hours for evacuation. All participants must be fully aware of this situation before engaging in any remote area diving.
6. All participants are advised to have personal accident and evacuation insurance.
7. By submitting his/her image(s), the entrant understands and agrees to all the Rules and Regulations relating to the IWUPC 2013.
8. The IWUPC Committee reserves the right to change, alter, or modify these Rules and Regulations at any time.

This is also the story of a few amazing weeks learning how to be a dive instructor at Blue Corner Dive.

I have been diving since I was 15. Just like any diver who has a cold country for home (France, to name it), diving was mainly a vacation thing for years. Work all year long to afford a few weeks somewhere else on the planet. I took a Divemaster internship a few years ago, one more step into learning how to be a better diver, how to share the passion with others. And from then, the idea started nesting at the back of my head…what if this could just be my daily life?

It took a few years, and it took my first trip to Bali in 2011, where I ended up on Nusa Lembongan because several people told me the diving was amazing there. Several people were right, the diving is awesome. What they did not warn me about is how it would feel like home within a matter of days, how I would extend that first stay much longer than planned and how I would cry my eyes out the day I had to fly back home.

So I came back a few months later, stayed longer, still loved it. I also went diving to other places in Indonesia, but none was as good as this one. And then, after working out finances, emptying my home and packing my life in two suitcases, I was finally back where it all started to become a plan.
Choosing Blue Corner Dive to do my Instructor course was the obvious option. Not only it was on Nusa Lembongan, but also I had met Andrew and Cody before (aaah those Friday night parties!) and knew we would be a good match. Several friends advised to go with them, and once again my friends were not mistaken. Even though I came prepared, I did not know entirely what I was in for.

I didn’t know that I would go through presentations and pool sessions until my body and my brain felt like they could not take any more.

I didn’t know that I would be happy to go to bed at 8pm and to sleep like a rock until the next morning.

I didn’t know that I would laugh so much under water that I would choke on my reg.

I didn’t know that I would arrive one morning and hear “Let’s do the work later and go fun diving instead, OK?”. (you bet I’m in!)

I didn’t know that I would have not one, not two, but three instructors to prep me, and two awesome team mates. That would all end up becoming friends.

I didn’t know that I would get support and encouragement from all the staff.

I didn’t know that it would be challenging, intense, fun, so hard to prep and so easy to pass, and that I would end up dropping a few tears of joy when it was all done.

I didn’t know that not only I would feel very proud for passing the exam, but that I would see the happiness and the pride on my instructor’s faces just like in a mirror.

I didn’t know that not only I would get support to go through this, but also to find a job when I was done.

Those three weeks have changed my life drastically, however cheesy and obvious that may sound. Because now, I am a dive instructor and I live on a paradise island, a few minutes away from some of the best diving spots in the world.

After travelling around as much as I have, and in the disorganized, unplanned manner that has become my life, you come to learn that everything happens for a reason. And that’s why, after a series of unexpected events and random

advice, my partner and I ended up on a boat to Lembongan, an island neither of us had ever heard of before a few days previous. We had a flight booked to Australia for the following week and decided on a friend’s recommendation to spend the interim time doing a few fun dives with BCD. We hadn’t dived since our advanced course in Thailand earlier in the year and were excited to get back into the water. That afternoon was spent in the pool drinking Bintangs and thinking what a sweet setup they had here – an infinity pool right on the beach, a fully stocked equipment shed, some lovely authentic bungalows, and most importantly, a bar filled with ice cold beers! But it wasn’t just the surroundings that were blowing us away, it was the people too. The dive shop is run by two Canadian boys and staffed mostly by locals from either the island itself or other parts of Indonesia, as well as this core group there was also a group of guys from all over the world doing various courses, some long term, some just there for the week. All in all they were really welcoming and made the place feel like home.

The next four days fulfilled everything we could have hoped. We went out bright and early every morning, steadily making our way through some of the beautiful dive sites Lembongan and its neighbouring island Penida had to offer. I thought I’d enjoyed my diving in Thailand, but after just a few dives off Lembongan they had pretty much been wiped from my memory to make room for all the fantastic things we saw in that first week. I won’t lie to you a lot of it was as foreign to me as if aliens had landed in the Ocean that day. But it didn’t matter that I had no idea what i was looking at, that i didn’t know what the difference between a moray eel and a ribbon eel was, that when i was pointed out a scorpion fish i was blindly looking around for something that actually resembled a scorpion (silly!) or that i had no clue what this fabled Mola Mola was. None of that mattered because it was all pointed out for me by the fantastic guides, no one mocked my ignorance of the marine world or made me feel silly for asking about a million questions once we got back on the boat. Instead They made the effort to show me the fish ID book when we got back to land, reminding me what it was we’d just seen and inadvertently fuelling a love for diving and the underwater world that I never knew I had.

But we didn’t just dive. We drank Bintangs in the pool, we watched sunsets, we went out for some delicious island grub and we scooted about on our hired moped. In short, we were in heaven. But, as is life, all good things must come to an end; our flight to Australia, to the real world, was looming fast and ominous like a storm cloud on the horizon. To cheers us up some of our new found friends took us to the larger island attached to Lembongan for lunch. Over Nasi Goreng we reminisced about the last few days and soaked in the panoramic view of the ocean; with the sun shining overhead and the seaweed farms laid out below us like underwater allotments i swear to god i could have cried at the thought of leaving.

Now I feel I should sidebar here to let you know that I’m not an emotional wreck who has a breakdown every time i leave a place I’ve enjoyed, I just can’t explain how much like home Lembongan had started to feel like in just a few short days. And who could blame me, who would want to leave an island paradise, where there’s some of the world’s best diving, where the people are super friendly and your day can be filled with anything from stand up paddle boarding, to surfing, to cliff jumping, or maybe just sitting on a bean bag with a good book! (Guess which one i partook in!?)

So it was here, in this tiny warung that I was given then best bit of advice I’d ever received whilst travelling (apart from the obvious, toilet related gems of course!) ‘So, if you love it so much, why are you leaving? Why don’t you just stay and do your Dive Master?’ Why not indeed? I think it was said as a joke. It was definitely taken as a joke at first. But then…why not? We could afford it – just about. We didn’t want to leave, so what was stopping us? Money…that’s never a good enough reason. Flights….they were dirt cheap anyway. Sticking to the Plan….nah!  So off we went to speak to the boys about what the Dive Master course entailed, how much longer we could drag out this paradise existence and what sort of damage it would do to our bank account.

And the rest, as they say, is history. We spent the next few months learning all there is to know about the world of professional diving. We went on some of the most awe-inspiring dives, we studied, we played, we taught, and most importantly we put off that mythical beast, ‘the real world’ for as long as physically possible!

And that’s my story of Blue Corner Dive. A bit cheesy, perhaps, but a damn good time was had by all, and it definately won’t be my last visit!

By Caroline Hills OWSI

Nusa Lembongan, an island paradise, white sands, blue skies, glassy turquoise seas and an abundance of marine life, what more could a tourist want from a remote Indonesian island? How about a resort that offers world class diving opportunities, excellent customer service and an affordable range of food and drinks. Now, this might sound like an advert but I happen to be a tourist passing through or at least I once was. Approximately five months ago I landed on Lembongan, backpack bursting and an innocent grin plastered on my pasty face completely unaware of Blue Corner or the life changing experiences I was about to embark upon. I had planned to stop by for three days before heading to Gili islands so got straight to work finding a dive resort that would be cheap, fun but safe. After visiting at least four dive centres I settled on the cheapest, I wouldn’t be on the island long, cheap meant extra lunch portions. Most people lose their appetite in hot climates, most not all.

Later that evening I headed to Blue Corner to take advantage of their bean bags and sunset views having met the owners Andrew and Cody earlier in the day. Sitting sipping on a cocktail mulling over tomorrow’s diving plans I realized I was already sat exactly where I wanted to be, locals giggling at visitors attempting to play volleyball, feel good music powering my tapping feet and the familiar sounds of divers heading out for a sunset gander. I hesitantly picked up my Nokia phone with Snake score still blank and tried to decide how I would word my cancellation call to the other dive centre. The call was polite, brief and not at all awkward unlike the pre-played version I was expecting; job done, Blue Corner would be taking me into the blue bright and early.

I arrived bleary eyed and was met by Made who immediately sized me up and had my gear ready to go, “coffee?” he said. Now in normal circumstances coffee wouldn’t be my beverage of choice but his gleaming eyes caught me and I politely obliged. I sat back and felt like a VIP as my gear was plopped on to our boat and I sipped my sweet caffeine beverage. On board I downed the complimentary water to ease the bitter after taste of my last ever Indonesian coffee and breathed in the fresh air flowing over the bow. Anticipation growing I tried to remember all the steps I was about to go through until I came to the conclusion, as long as I could breathe, I would be perfectly fine. Safety briefing complete I need not have worried, I had been reminded of every step including the infamous hug if I felt disorientated, what a crazy PADI suggestion. I rolled into the water and proceeded to drift through shoal after shoal of fish, blinking my eyes just in case I was seeing double or should I say quadruple. Made tinkling his magic shaker to reveal the wonders Lembongan held, a scorpion fish here, a psychedelic looking nudibranch there, none of the photos did the real thing justice.

We surfaced and I was lost for words, three days were not going to be enough. Back on board I opened my lunchbox, no I haven’t gone back to my school diaries we were that well looked after; curry, crackers and fresh fruit consumed I laid in the sun a top the boat and begun to mull over life, as you do when magical moments grab you. Second dive complete, dry land ahoy and I had thoroughly enjoyed my day of diving.

Completing my dive log with Made I ran out of room on the page, three days, how about three months. A collection of people had gathered on the bean bags whilst we had been gone and I realized the ‘deco beers’ being ordered would lead to sunset beers and possibly even a beer for the road. Andrew and Cody joined the group and I heard just how much expertise they had in marine biology, instructing and diving. Why couldn’t my life have such a thrilling story, exactly, why not me? A week later, manta rays, mola mola and schools of barracuda later I had cancelled my plans to Gili and begun my divemaster training. The five weeks that followed was nothing but high class fun, I learnt more about customer service, the real life diving business and discovered gaping holes in my diving knowledge that I never even knew existed. Every day was started with an eggy breakfast whipped up by the ever smiling staff, closely followed by a post-dive gorge on pizza, nasi campur, creamy curry, or an occasional salad if I felt cheeky, led to pure diver happiness.

Cody and Andrew’s doors were always open, enter the office with a question and you could leave with, not only the answer, but probably some of Andrew’s left over pizza, a bonus for me. I went through good moments and ever better moments all the while maintaining a tan and keeping my ever worrying mother up to date. As a PADI 5 star IDC centre, a big title I know, I expected training unlike some of the ‘tank donkey’ experiences I had heard from fellow travelers and I wasn’t disappointed. Both Andrew and Cody were flexible and altered their teaching methods to suit my learning style; patience was their blessing, like I said gaping holes in my knowledge. Both instructors demonstrated quality role modeling when interacting with customers and students alike and maintained high level of service for all they encountered, including offering a beer here and there in return for a shared photograph.

Throughout the course Andrew and Cody made me feel wholly included in the running of the dive resort and I was given the opportunity to understand all emergency procedures including evacuation actions and I ended my time at Blue Corner feeling prepared to work at any dive centre. Both boys were involved in every step of my training and got me excited about joining the PADI Pro family; I was also made aware of the next steps and my options for following particular diving interests. I kept bringing myself back to that magical moment a top the boat and questioning ‘my path’. Did I want to just have diving as a fun hobby? Answer to follow.

Andrew and Cody created a learning environment that fostered effective and efficient learning and were so successful at motivating me I have continued on to complete my instructor training, with Blue Corner! Now that is positive approach selling. Put another dollar in, sure, I am hooked.

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