Jurors’ Favorite – On the Bottle, Veronika Nagy. Small octopus sitting on a bottle. 

President’s Award – Refractions in a Golden Eye, Derek Singer

Close-up of a sculpin’s eye and the colorful refraction within created by the strobe light. Different species’ eyes will refract different patterns of light.

animal behavior category

1st: Three Stooges, Michael E Nebel
2nd: Sixgill Shark, Justin Warner
3rd: Little Red, Kennith McSweyn

splash of color category

1st: Crab, Seth Fogg
2nd: Octo by Design, Stephanie Collins Russell
3rd: Coryphella trophina, Abhishek Moothedath

macro category

1st: Splendid!, Dave Hicks
2nd: Look Behind You!, Olivia Carros
3rd: Life Everywhere!, Abhishek Moothedath

wide angle category

1st: Just Passing By, Jonathan Saenz
2nd: Down on the Bottom, Annelise Pasnau
3rd: Longnose Skate, Justin Warner

Sea Worthy Award: Dinner at Dusk, Jonathan Saenz

A two meter (six foot) Bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) gulps down the remains of her dinner. This juvenile shark appeared right at the start of the dive at 26 meters (85 feet) with a larger shark at her heels. The larger animal lunges for the salmon. As it wrenches the meal from her mouth, her instincts kick in and she defends the catch, saving the tail for herself.

eye category

(click on any image to see it full size)

1st: Eye See You, Annelise Pasnau

Stubby squid close up.

3rd: Roughback Sculpin, Brian Youngstrom

triptych category

1st: Curiosity, Nirupam Nigam

This red octopus (Octopus rubescens) perked up out of its aluminum can home as divers approached. It quickly flashed from a pale, mellow yellow to a curious, deep red. A tentacle reached out as if to say “Hi.”

2nd: Going with the Flow, Veronika Nagy

Nudibranch in surge triptych.

human impact category

1st – Crawled into a Bottle, Derek Singer

Red octopus hiding in one of the many discarded glass bottles in the bottle field. Many fish, crabs, octopuses, and stubby squid take shelter here. This particular bottle was unusually upright.

animal behavior category

1st: Three Stooges, Michael E Nebel

Penpoint gunnels.

3rd: Little Red, Kennith McSweyn

Baby little red octopus.

splash of color category

1st: Crab, Seth Fogg

A crab gazes back at the camera in wonder.

3rd: Coryphella trophina, Abhishek Moothedath

Dancing on the kelp floor with a backdrop of blue lights.

macro category

1st: Splendid!, Dave Hicks

Splendid hermit crab on red rust.

3rd: Life Everywhere!, Abhishek Moothedath

A couple fuzzy onchidoris graze zooids while polyps have taken over the empty lophophores.

wide angle category

1st: Just Passing By, Jonathan Saenz

A 2.4 meter (8 foot) pregnant Bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) comes in tight for her close-up 50 minutes into the dive at 32 meters (105 feet), the shiver of juvenile sharks suddenly swims back into the dark. I turn my camera towards the deep and, before I could bring my camera up, she is coming out of the dark 3 meters (10 feet) away. Slow and calm she swims towards me, while keeping her eye fixed right on me, curious of the stranger in her waters. Inches from my camera she veers away suddenly and circles back into the void.

3rd: Longnose Skate, Justin Warner

Taken at 100 feet deep on a night dive at Redondo.

The MaST Center Aquarium is the marine biology and aquarium facility of Highline College. Dedicated to expanding knowledge about Puget Sound, the MaST Center Aquarium serves as both formal teaching institute and public learning center. We are located 4 miles south of campus at Redondo Beach with easy access to a variety of nearby habitats. The aquarium holds over 15 tanks totaling approximately 3,000 gallons of flow-through seawater, and displays over 250 native Puget Sound marine species.

Table of Contents, Issue #19, Spring 2023