Photo Contest Statistics

Where do underwater photographers take the most pictures? Which country? What Sea? What are their favorite subjects?

We have all the answers here, displayed in graphical format. This analysis of our photo contest entries is surely the most unique insight into the travel habits of underwater photographers ever!

You can use the data here to decide where the utimate u/w photo destination is!

What Seas?

When you enter the contest the sea that the image was shot in is an optional field. Not everyone knows what sea they were in! And, of course, freshwater shots are excluded. We have logged seas since 2007

Mouseover the graph bars to see even more detail. Is this the ultimate trip planner? Mouseover the graph bars to see which seas produce the most medals and so should be most worth a visit? Of course the most popular seas will have more images and should statistically therefore have more medals. But note the most popular seas do not always produce the most medals!

SeasPercentageGraph
Caribbean Sea17.50%
Red Sea13.00%
Pacific11.30%
Indian Ocean7.90%
South China Sea5.10%
Philippine Sea4.60%
Sulu and Sulawesi Seas4.50%
Celebes Sea3.50%
Bali Sea3.20%
Mediterranean Sea3.00%
Atlantic (North American coastal)2.60%
Andaman Sea2.10%
Adriatic Sea1.90%
Atlantic1.30%
Atlantic (African coastal)1.20%
North Sea1.20%
Atlantic (European coastal)1.10%
Molucca Sea1.10%
Banda Sea1.00%
Tyrrhenian Sea1.00%
Coral Sea0.90%
Asian Sea0.80%
Irish Sea0.70%
Bohol Sea0.70%
Atlantic (South)0.70%
Mindanao Sea0.70%
Aegean Sea0.70%
Tasman Sea0.70%
Halmahera Sea0.60%
Flores Sea0.60%
Ionian Sea0.50%
Arabian Sea0.50%
Solomon Sea0.40%
Gulf Of Mexico0.40%
Visayan Sea0.30%
Bismarck Sea0.20%
Atlantic (South America coastal)0.20%
Java Sea0.20%
Ligurian Sea0.20%
Black Sea0.20%
Norwegian Sea0.20%
Mozambique Channel0.10%
East China Sea0.10%
Baltic Sea0.10%
Sargasso Sea0.10%
Balearic Sea0.10%
Koro Sea0.10%
Great Australian Bight0.10%
Gulf of Venezuela0.10%
Antarctic (Southern Ocean)0.10%
Sunda Sea0.00%
Gulf Of Oman0.00%
Persian Gulf0.00%
Sea Of Cortés /Gulf of California0.00%
Sea of Japan0.00%
Ceram Sea0.00%
Arafura Sea0.00%
Sea of Marmara0.00%
Landlocked Seas/Lakes0.00%
Caspian Sea0.00%
African Lakes0.00%
Norwegian Sea0.00%
Ross Sea0.00%
Camotes Sea0.00%
Arctic0.00%
Timor Sea0.00%
Celtic Sea0.00%
English Channel0.00%
Savu Sea0.00%
Lake Tahoe0.00%
Sea of the Hebrides0.00%
Sea of Crete0.00%
Sibuyan Sea0.00%
White Sea0.00%
Gulf of Alaska0.00%
Great Lakes0.00%
Greenland Sea0.00%
Labrador Sea0.00%
Kara Sea0.00%
Queen Victoria Sea0.00%
Davis Sea0.00%
Bering Sea0.00%
Alboran Sea0.00%
Amundsen Sea0.00%
Wandel or McKinley Sea0.00%
Weddel Sea0.00%

What Countries?

Is this the ultimate trip planner? You can see which countries produce the most medals and so should be most worth a visit, then cross-reference with the seas that produce the most medals and Viola! Book now!

It is interesting to compare country taken against sea taken. Note that the Caribbean Sea rates so highly when no single island does as a country.

CountryPercentageGraph
Indonesia12.70%
Egypt11.00%
Philippines8.30%
United States7.90%
Malaysia4.10%
Australia3.60%
Mexico3.40%
United Kingdom3.10%
Maldives2.90%
Italy2.60%
Cayman islands2.60%
Netherlands Antilles2.30%
Puerto Rico2.30%
South Africa2.10%
Thailand1.90%
Bahamas1.80%
Spain1.50%
Honduras1.40%
Croatia1.30%
Switzerland1.30%
Micronesia0.80%
Canada0.80%
Turkey0.70%
Papua New Guinea0.70%
Portugal0.70%
Fiji0.70%
Taiwan0.70%
France0.60%
Palau0.60%
Belize0.60%
Ecuador0.60%
Malta0.50%
Solomon islands0.50%
Northern Mariana Islands0.50%
French Polynesia0.40%
Cuba0.40%
Greece0.40%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines0.40%
Sudan0.40%
Mozambique0.40%
Oman0.40%
Virgin Islands U.S.0.40%
United Arab Emirates0.40%
Virgin Islands (British)0.30%
Norway0.30%
Turks and Caicos islands0.30%
Ireland0.30%
Israel0.30%
Dominica0.30%
Netherlands0.30%
Brazil0.30%
East Timor0.30%
Sri Lanka0.30%
Czech Republic0.30%
Germany0.30%
Grenada0.20%
New Zealand0.20%
Vanuatu0.20%
Costa Rica0.20%
Saudi Arabia0.20%
Japan0.20%
Jordan0.20%
Guadeloupe0.20%
Bermuda0.10%
Ukraine0.10%
Cocos Islands0.10%
Barbados0.10%
Dominican Republic0.10%
Saint Lucia0.10%
Madagascar0.10%
Myanmar (Burma)0.10%
Chile0.10%
Vietnam0.10%
Mauritius0.10%
Singapore0.10%
Guam0.10%
Cyprus0.10%
Marshall Islands0.10%
Saint Kitts and Nevis0.10%
Colombia0.10%
Tonga0.10%
Austria0.10%
Slovenia0.10%
Tanzania0.10%
Denmark0.10%
Seychelles0.10%
Russia0.10%
Poland0.10%
Aruba0.10%
Sweden0.10%
Jamaica0.10%
Romania0.10%
Argentina0.10%
Trinidad and Tobago0.10%
Cape Verde0.10%
Antarctica0.10%
Palestine Territory, occupied0.10%
Martinique0.10%
Belgium0.00%
Brunei Darussalam0.00%
Hong Kong0.00%
India0.00%
Kenya0.00%
China0.00%
Finland0.00%
Panama0.00%
Qatar0.00%
Venezuela0.00%
Bulgaria0.00%
Serbia and Montenegro (Yugoslavia)0.00%
Nambia0.00%
Iran (Islamic Republic of)0.00%
Hungary0.00%
Iceland0.00%
Cook islands0.00%
Antigua & Barbuda0.00%
Anguilla0.00%
Nicaragua0.00%
New Caledonia0.00%
Pakistan0.00%
Tunisia0.00%
Samoa0.00%
Morocco0.00%
Greenland0.00%
Guatemala0.00%
American Samoa0.00%
Djibouti0.00%
Latvia0.00%
Lithuania0.00%
Malawi0.00%
Mali0.00%
Luxembourg0.00%
Montserrat0.00%
Nigeria0.00%
Niue0.00%
Peru0.00%
Christmas Island0.00%
Angola0.00%
Bahrain0.00%
Bolivia0.00%
Haiti0.00%
Eritrea0.00%
El Salvador0.00%
French Southern Territories0.00%
French Guiana0.00%
Iraq0.00%
Guinea-Bissau0.00%
Belarus0.00%
Afganistan0.00%
Cote d’Ivoire0.00%
Reunion0.00%
Saint Helena0.00%
Senegal0.00%
Slovakia (Slovak Republic)0.00%
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands0.00%
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands0.00%
Norfolk Island0.00%
Monaco0.00%
Macau0.00%
Korea, Republic of0.00%
Kuwait0.00%
Mayotte0.00%
Togo0.00%

What Subjects?

Please bear in mind that we introduced several new categories in January 2008 so the figures may be skewed towards older categories. As time goes by this should even out and become more accurate.

Mouseover the graph bars to see even more detail. You should be able to deduce not only the most popular categories to enter but also for vistors to look at from their average vote. Note that new category Nudibranchia punches way above it's weight in this respect!

Photo contest categoryPercentageGraph
Macro - not swimming22.10%
Wide Angle - Marine Life17.40%
Macro - swimming13.90%
Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)6.20%
Macro - Close-Up6.20%
Wide Angle - Divers5.90%
Topside (above water but marine related)5.30%
Macro - Nudibranchia4.60%
Wide Angle - Wrecks3.20%
Wide Angle - Close Focus2.40%
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)2.20%
Freshwater1.90%
Macro - Super macro1.60%
Temperate Waters1.50%
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)1.10%
Sharks1.00%
Humorous0.60%
Macro - Last years entries0.50%
Wide Angle - Year 2000 entries0.40%
Out Of Contest0.10%
Places0.00%


More stats - who takes the hot shots?
Which camera system do you have?
Which housing system do you have?

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