Press release

DIVE INTO THE PINK ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF SHARE OUR AIR PHOTO COMPETITION

Nonprofit organization Dive into the Pink is delighted to announce the winners of the Share Our Air photo competition.

The competition, organized by Dive into the Pink, invited underwater photographers to submit their best images into two themed categories — Togetherness and Divers.

The judging panel was composed of accomplished underwater photographers Mike Bartick, Renee Capozzola, and Tobias Friedrich.

Proceeds from the contest, along with a donation drive and tee-shirt sale totaled over $20,000 and will support a comprehensive investigation on the effect COVID-19 has on lung function in divers, to be pursued by Duke Dive Medicine and Divers Alert Network (DAN).

In the Togetherness category, Hannes Klostermann nabbed first place with his action-packed image of marlins and California sea lions corralling a large school of mackerel; he wins a week at Crystal Blue Resort in Anilao, Philippines. With the top-scoring image overall, Hannes also won a $300 GoAskErin gift card, good for any GoAskErin On-Demand product.

Second place and a $250 gift certificate for Ultralight Control Systems gear went to Alex Mustard, whose tightly gathered catfish school represented the ultimate in social distancing failure.

Third place winner Nuno Rodrigues won $100 cash for his gorgeous image of “yin-yang” sharks.

And the judges couldn’t resist awarding an honorable mention — and a special “Share Our Air” limited edition virtual dive tee to Wendy Austin for her colorful anemone fish pair.

In the Divers category, Ellen Cuylaerts’ spectacularly exposed first place image of a cave diver gets her a future weeklong visit to Lissenung Island Resort in Kavieng, Papua New Guinea.

Ron Watkins was in second place, winning a $250 gift certificate for Ultralight Control Systems gear for his lovely portrait of a diver approaching a pair of humpback whales.

A dynamic photo of a diver swimming through a school of baitfish won Joel Penner third place and $100 cash.

And the judges also awarded an honorable mention plus a “Share Our Air” virtual dive tee to Ellen Cuylaerts’ creatively depicted image of a photographer and a sperm whale.

Comment from Allison Vitsky Sallmon, Dive into the Pink founder and president:

“When we met in April to discuss our annual “Think Pink” imaging competition, which raises money to support breast cancer research, we knew that cancer fundraising (critical as it is) was not going to be at the forefront of peoples’ minds. With the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic sweeping the globe, the world had essentially ground to a halt. However, we all agreed that doing nothing was unacceptable. We decided to shift our focus for this year’s competition, thinking long and hard about how we could make a difference under these circumstances. Ultimately, we settled on funding a joint effort by Diver’s Alert Network and Duke Diving Medicine that would evaluate the long-term effects that COVID-19 would have on diver fitness, hoping that this new cause would inspire the passion, determination, and enthusiasm of our community. The response was beyond anything we could have imagined. We were humbled and astounded by the support we received during the Share Our Air event, which raised over $20,000 in a single month through contest entries, donations, and tee shirt purchases. To all entrants, thank you for sharing your spectacular artistry and your kind generosity with us!”

About Dive into the Pink

Dive into the Pink was founded in 2016 by Allison Vitsky Sallmon, a breast cancer survivor, veteran scuba diver, and underwater photographer, who wanted to raise money to fight cancer by mobilizing the scuba community through dive charters and dive-related activities. Dive into the Pink is a 501c3 the organization, and 100% of our proceeds are redistributed. Beneficiaries include the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), an international organization dedicated to the critical issues of young women with breast cancer, and Dr. Theresa Guise/the Guise Laboratory, who are investigating whether certain characteristics of the bone marrow microenvironment can alter/promote the spread of cancer to the bone.

If you would like more information about Dive into the Pink, our annual online auction, or upcoming events, visit us at diveintothepink.org