The colorful underwater world is captured in a weekend-long event.

Celia Jiménez here after spending a weekend with divers and underwater photographers who gathered in Monterey Bay to participate in the Monterey Shootout, an annual 36-hour underwater photo and video challenge. 

The event, which has been around for about 30 years, is organized by Monterey-based underwater and video camera store Backscatter and nonprofit Northern California Underwater Photographic Society.

It drew nearly 200 participants, including divers, free divers (those who dive without tanks), snorkelers and tide pool photographers.

“The competition in this community is just about sharing images from underwater, and it doesn't matter how you get them,” says Becca Boring, operations manager at Backscatter and NCUPS president.

I spent Friday hanging out with several divers on two boats while they were chasing underwater photos. I watched them get ready, from spitting on their goggles (saliva is a great underwater antifog), to putting on their flippers and disappearing in the water.

One of the divers was Kerri Bingham, who has about 7,000 dives under her belt and was diving in Monterey Bay for the first time. Bingham told me I had to learn how to dive and see the underwater fauna, which is very diverse and colorful. 

“The kelp is just so amazing to look at to try to photograph, and just the light rays that shine through. There isn't really any other place like it,” Bingham says. 

Jenna Emery, who was participating in the photoshoot, says the day surpassed her expectations, noting visibility was better than hoped. “The floor is just covered in invertebrates, which is awesome. So I like to capture those with the ecosystem around the mammals and kelp,” Emery adds.

Kelp was the main star during the award ceremony. It was showcased in the foreground and background in the photographs and videos that received honorary mentions.

I found out that the diving community is very welcoming. Jeff Mitchell, a 74-year-old snorkeler, told me he met an 85-year-old man who was participating in the contest.

Boring also shared that many children participate to take photos and videos in the tide pools. “That to me is one of my favorite things because it brings so many more people into the community,” Boring adds. 

To get the full experience, Backscatter lent me a point-and-shoot camera with its own light, and I headed to Point Pinos in Pacific Grove to what’s known as The Great Tide Pool. Armed with a camera and rain boots, I went chasing for critters and photographed sea anemones, crabs and shells. 

I got wet and struggled with the equipment for a bit since it was my first time using it—never take new equipment on a photo adventure—but I managed to get a few good photos. This won’t be the last time I take underwater photos whether or not I get fully submerged.