A photograph taken by Wetpixel member Michael Patrick O’Neill (Michael) was awarded First Place in the Science/Natural History category of the 65th Pictures of the Year International competition, the “largest, oldest and most reputable photo journalism competition in the world.”

The image of an underwater photographer and Goliath grouper, taken in South Florida, will be presented among other winning images during the awards ceremony at National Geographic in Washington, D.C. on April 17 and 18, 2008. Congratulations, Michael!

Not only is David Harasti a marine scientist, he is also a superb underwater photographer. Combine the two and you have a great recipe for a book. Dave has spent many hours co-producing this book and the results are fantastic. It is full of amazing images, information and a great aid to help local communities understand the ocean and its importance.

The ‘Marine Life of Bootless Bay - Papua New Guinea’ identification guide by Dr Mark Baine and Dave Harasti is the accumulation of 18 months work and several hundred hours spent underwater photographing and documenting the marine biodiversity of Bootless Bay, located just outside Port Moresby…

The winning images of the Beneath the Sea 2008 Worldwide Underwater Photography/Video Competition have been announced, with many familiar names in the list of winners. The Best of Show was awarded to Mark Melnick for an image in the cenotes of Mexico.

All winning images will be shown at the Saturday night film festival during the weekend of Beneath the Sea‘s Ocean Adventure and Travel Exposition, March 28th, 29th and 30th, 2008, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Congratulations, all!