Lebanese photographer Samer Halwani distinguished himself in the international underwater photography competition in the United Arab Emirates, where he won second place.
Organized every year in Dubai by the “Emirates Diving Association”, the event brings together participants from around the world in seven categories: creative, macro, wide angle, “Best of UAE”, black and white, animal behavior, and video. Competitors could only submit one photo per category.
Representing Lebanon, Samer Halwani secured second place in the black and white category with a portrait of a turtle photographed in the Maldives. He also earned second place in the overall competition ranking, registering the second highest cumulative score among all participants.
The award ceremony took place at Deep Dive Dubai, home to the world’s deepest pool. The competition was judged by an international panel including Kate Jonker, Oliver Clarke, and David Diley. The trophies were presented by Ali Khalifa Ben Thalith, Secretary-General of the Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA).
Among the other photos submitted by Samer Halwani were a cuttlefish projecting ink, captured in Lebanon in the “behavior” category, an image of a diver exploring the wreck of Oum el-Faroud in Malta in the wide angle category, and a moray eel with a motion effect in Egypt for the creative category. He also submitted a macro photograph of a shrimp taken in Beirut and a snapshot of a seahorse clinging to coral in the “Best of UAE” category.
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