The Cairns Underwater Film Festival is held every August and is a celebration of underwater photography and filmmaking. The festival combines an underwater film and photo competition (which focuses on the rich and diverse beauty of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea) with a film festival showcasing underwater imagery from around the world.
Damien Siveiero
Run by a team of passionate volunteers the festival screens a combination of local and international talent, giving filmmakers a chance to showcase their talent in the only Australian festival of its kind. The Cairns Underwater Film Festival delights those who love to explore the underwater world, appreciate nature and have a passion for world-class imagery. All profits from the film festival will be donated back to the community through selected volunteer organisations, scientific research, conservation groups and charities.
Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea and the Cairns Underwater Film Festival and Photo Competition is a celebration of the beautiful underwater world. This year’s festival featured $50,000 in prizes and a packed schedule of local and overseas talent, showcasing the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and beyond. All proceeds were donated to minke whale research, the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre and the marine conservation organisation Tangaroa blue. The shot above and below are some of the most breathtaking photographs from this year’s top entries. Have fun and be prepared to be marveled and blown away!
Damien Leze
Damien Friedrichs
Eden Gray Spence
Phillip Woodhead
Aaron Smith
Jayne Jenkins
Pamela Grossen
Takuma Oawa
Vanessa Mignon
For more of our posts on Australia, check out our Australia travel page. Also see our Festivals Page. (Best Festivals / Top Festivals / Top Cultural Festivals)
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
