With so many gorgeous underwater photographs entered in the Epson Red Sea 2008 underwater photography competition by over 100 photographers from 12 countries, everyone was waiting with bated breath to know who the winners were. 

The big $10,000 prize and all-paid three-week safari to Papua New Guinea was won by none other than Eilat's own Noam Kortler.  Noam donated half of his prize money to environmental conservation purposes (Red Sea Rangers, a youth group that helps maintain the bay) and half to the national Cancer Fund. 

This is the fourth year that the competition, organised by the well known underwater photographer and editor-publisher of ‘Yam' [‘Sea'] diving magazine, David Pilosoff (‘Pilo'), has taken place in Eilat.  The competition is sponsored by Epson imaging, and during the event one Epson printer was even taken on a dive - its first and last. 

On the first day of the four-day competition, participants arrived at their hotel and were later invited to an opening cocktail held at the Underwater Observatory. 

Every evening the beer flowed like water, to the point where even experienced diving instructors (read: experienced beer drinkers) were having trouble keeping up the pace.  One evening the Russian diving magazine treated all comers to a special ‘bread and pickles vodka just like in the Gulag', as participant Amotz Holender Tal put it in his blog. 

On the second day of the contest the major prize event was held.  A lottery was drawn with notes indicating what fish each country's finalist photographer had to find and take five portfolio shots of.  Participants were so surprised at the fish they drew in the first round that they ate their notes, according to an eyewitness.  Apparently that was easier to digest than the thought of trying to locate and photograph a mako shark, hammerhead, manta ray, or other deliberately chosen fish not endemic to the Red Sea. 

In the second round, however, the notes bore the names of commonly found fish in our sea.  Somehow, however, Sponge Bob Squarepants got included in that category.  This ‘Best Five Images - Porfolio' category was, as mentioned, won by Noam Kortler of Eilat, Israel.

[Photographer, Noam Kortler, Epson Red Sea 2008 Competition] 

The last day of the competition involved a Shoot Out, for which over 100 photographers including amateurs signed up (unlike other categories limited to the finalists).  In spite of the previous night's excesses... errr... socialising, photographers were in and out of the water ‘like teabags at the Teacher's Union' (again in Amotz's words).  The evening involved a digital photography workshop held by photographer Kurt Amsler, talks by the general director of Epson, and of course... more beer.  Along with ouzo and some fantastic cheeses, courtesy of the Cyprian Ministry of Tourism.

Amotz Tal won in a new category, ‘Eilat Behind the Scenes', bearing a $2000 prize.  In this category each participant had to take ten photos: two of Eilat, two of the hotel (Isrotel Yam Suf on the South Beach), and six of the competition.  Some of Amotz' entries are among the photos featured on this page.

What a goldfish looks like when you've had too much vodka

A photographer on last day

 Photographer photographed

There were numerous additional categories, the winners and prizes of which can be seen at the competition's official website at:  http://www.eilatredsea.com .

All photographs on this page except Noam Kortler's winning photos are courtesy of Amotz Holender Tal, as well as some of the information.