PCUPC Images Dazzle; "Dive the Docks" Help OCUPS Team Win

Well the Dive the Docks strategy was alive and well in San Diego for the Pacific Coast Underwater Photographic Championships (PCUPC). The Underwater Flashers from the Orange County Underwater Photographic Society (OCUPS) won the team title for the fourth time in five years, submitting a quality portfolio as the give-me-five contest rules required. OCUPS swept first place in all The Diver categories: Advanced - Steve Benavides (docks), Amateur - Gary Gates (Mission Bay Breakwater), and Novice - Tim Baskin (docks) 1st and 3rd. They also won Best of Macro - Gary Cisne, and Best of Humor - Steve Benavides, both of which were also shot at the docks.

Conditions at sea were marginal at best and deteriorated from Thursday to Saturday, the day of the contest. There was no sun the day of the event and the marine layer did not burn off until almost sunset. Visibility was a dirty 10 feet with surge and turbidity from a week of minus tides in the San Diego area.

There were two general camps of followers, the Blue Water contingent who had fast boats and headed out 20 miles to find clear water and personal glory -- Best of Show, Best of Diver, with spectacular shots of Molas and Salps. Then there were the Brown Water divers who dived the docks, dived from shore and tried to find clean water driving their (slow) boats all over San Diego looking for the magic place.

Despite the conditions there were plenty of spectacular images and the judges were impressed with the quality, given the conditions.

The film for the contest was donated by Kodak and was their new E-100 VS. This is a great film! It was the first time many of us had used it and all were pleased with the results. The film is being marketed as a Velvia Stomper and I must say that the preliminary results bear that out. All contestants left with many rolls of film to try out after the contest.

Major kudos are due to PCUPC chairwoman Karen Ross and the San Diego Council of Divers for putting on another great contest and allowing so many to have so much fun. The granddaddy of all the one-day shootouts is still the premiere event of the West Coast and the winning shots will tell that tale.

Best of Show: Dan Blodget

Category: Diver

Best of Diver: Dan Blodget

Novice

1st -- Tim Baskin
2nd -- Abigail Smigel
3rd -- Tim Baskin

Amateur

1st -- Gary Gates
2nd -- Anthony Bedford
3rd -- Randall Scott

Advanced

1st -- Steve Benavides
2nd -- Gary Cissne
3rd -- Aaron Gerson

Category: Marine Life

Best of Marine Life: Dan Blodget

Novice

1st -- Abigail Smigel
2nd -- Chris Stewart
3rd -- Abigail Smigel

Amateur

1st -- Dave Gunning
2nd -- Gary Gates
3rd -- Randall Scott

Advanced

1st -- Randy Harwood
2nd -- Aaron Gerson
3rd -- Dave Neshiem

Category: Macro

Best of Macro: Gary Cissne

Novice

1st -- Terry King
2nd -- Terry King
3rd -- Kevin Marnet

Amateur

1st -- Gary McCarthy
2nd -- George Tillack
3rd -- Joanne Garden

Advanced

1st -- Jim Beyster
2nd -- Barry Heller
3rd -- Joel Penland

1st Place Humor: Steve Benavides

1st Place Team: Underwater Flashers

2nd Place Team: We Be Trouble

1st Place Video: Bob Gladden

2nd Place Video: Walter Marti

Steve Benavides is an frequent contributor to California Diving News, memeber of the winning Orange County Underwater Photographic Society team "Underwater Flashers", and has often taken home individual awards himself, such as this year with his winning the Humor category.