First Place photo by Maura Taylor, of New York and Zihuatanejo.

Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo’s first Underwater Photo Contest took place July 28-29, 2012.  Over 50 underwater photographers participated in the contest, including international contestants from Germany and the United States.  Among them were twenty scuba divers who took photos at Zacatoso reef and Ixtapa Island and a group of snorkelers who took photos while snorkeling around Ixtapa Island.  The photos were then downloaded onto a laptop and were judged on content, presentation, and originality by Owen Lee, a famous local scuba diver who dove with Jacques Cousteau, and Eduardo “Lalo” Barnard, a marine biologist.  The Mexican Federation of Divers awarded prizes to the contest winners.  The first, second, and third place winners in the SCUBA category were all foreigners: First Place, Maura Taylor of New York, USA; Second Place was Monica of Chicago, USA; and third place was Philine Enterberger, of Germany.  In the snorkel category, the award winners were: Armando Ortega, Domith Rendon, and Julia Rendon of Zihuatanejo.

The event was hosted by Hotel Irma and Indio restaurant on Ixtapa Island.  The event was organized by dive shops: Adventure Divers, Mero Adventures and Zihua Aqua Divers, along Frederic Bochet, Francisco Ibarra Martín del Campo, Joao Gouveia, Tierry Duran, diving instructors, Lalo Barnard of the Cooperativa Nautilus; Jorge Rendón of Arrecifes Artificiales, and Juan Escobar of Turistero, with the help of Pedro Serrano, Ricardo Pineda and Joaquín Wences, restaurant owners on Ixtapa Island, and with security and assistance from the marines and the Harbor Master during the event.