Organizer Bluewater Photo & Video has announced a call for entries for the first annual South California Shootout. The event will take place at any dive site South of Point Conception, California over the period 16-18 September. There are nine entry categories for SLRs, compact cameras and video.

Registration for the event is open now, and closes at 11:59pm on September 15. Competition entries will be accepted until the end of 19 September.

Bluewater Photo & Video Announces 1st Annual SoCal Shootout.

SANTA MONICA, CA – July 26, 2011 – Bluewater Photo & Video announces the 1st annual Southern California Shootout September 16-18, 2011. The underwater photography contest offers over $16,000 in prizes for the winners, with 9 categories for DSLR, compact and video.

The SoCal Shootout is open for all divers south of Point Conception, California to the Mexico border, diving by beach or boat anytime during the 3 day period. Entries will be accepted online until end of day September 19th.

The spirit of the SoCal Shootout is to showcase the excellent diving and marine life in southern California.

“We hope that divers in LA, OC, San Diego and Santa Barbara counties will come out and dive their local boats, beaches and the Casino Point dive park, shooting great images and video to share with the world,” said Scott Gietler, owner of Bluewater Photo. “We plan to make this event bigger every year with more divers, discounts for travel, and amazing prizes.”

Grand prizes are a 5-day trip to the Wakatobi luxury resort in Southeast Sulawesi and a 7-night Hans Christian Andersen live-aboard in the Philippines, while other premium prizes include an 8-day stay at the Marco Vincent dive resort in Puerto Galera, Philippines, a 7-day package at Maluku divers in Ambon, Indonesia, a 7-night stay at Manta Ray Bay on the island of Yap, sponsored by Reef & Rainforest, a 7-day dive trip at Club Cantamar in Baja, Mexico, a discounted Solmar V liveaboard in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and free night stays at the Hermosa Hotel on Catalina Island for category winners. Other sponsors include Bluewater Photo, Light & Motion, Sea & Sea, Dyron, Ultralight, Bigblue Dive Lights, Ikelite, Truth Aquatics, Princeton Tec, Channel Islands Dive Adventures and the Peace dive boat. In addition, every entrant will receive $189 worth of coupons good at Truth Aquatics, Hermosa Hotel and Bluewater Photo.

Winning images will be featured in California Diver Magazine and California Diving News.

For more information visit the SoCal Shootout website.