October the 12th, 2021 - Croatia comes first in many areas, producing a lot of talent from sport to science and medicine and everything in between. Croatian underwater photography skills are the latest thing to be awarded however, at a ceremony which recently took place on the beautiful island of Madeira.

As Morski writes, four underwater photographers from the Republic of Croatia won two medals at the World Underwater Photography Championships held in Madeira, Portugal, on Saturday, October the 9th. Croatian national team member and two-time world champion Damir Zurub with his assistant Katarina Marija Mihaljinec once again won a new world title in the Close up category and in the same category, and fellow Croat Marino Brzac and his assistant Sandra Sertic came in third place.

For the past 36 years, CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques) has been organising the World Underwater Photography Championships. Held every two years, this competition brings together photographers and videographers from around the world to compete for this world title.

This year, from October the 4th to the 10th, the ceremony was held on the Portuguese island of Madeira, more precisely in Porto Santo, and all of the competitors were accommodated in the Hotel Villa Baleira, which was the base of all events. 97 competitors from 21 countries with 10 teams took part in the world championship, and competitors from 8 countries competed in the video category.

The Croatian national team was represented at this world championship by Damir Zurub (photographer and captain of the national team), Marino Brzac (photographer) and assistants Katarina Marija Mihaljinec and Sandra Sertic, who are all members of the Roniti se mora diving club from Zagreb.

Croatian underwater photography is extremely popular due to the rich array of life the Croatian Adriatic boasts, and the country's national team members submitted photos in 4 categories, coming within the TOP 15 best photos of all in each.

In the overall standings of the world's national teams, Spain eventually won first place as a team. The Croatian national team in underwater photography (Zurub/Mihaljinec/Brzac/ Sertic) has once again shown that it has been at the very top of the global scene in terms of underwater photography over recent years, and this new title has only confirmed that.

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For such a small country, it's quite remarkable to see just how much talent Croatia continually produces and provides to the world. From sport, (with a particular emphasis on football, of course), to science and medicine, to the arts and beyond, Croats are an impressive lot for just about four million, and with such a gorgeous coast, why shouldn't underwater photography be added to the list, too?

The Croatian Adriatic is not only beautiful to look at and to swim in, but it's also full of life. Numerous live underwater cameras have been set up along the Croatian coast, with a particularly well known one placed in Šibenik, but now the Croats have taken things one step further and managed to win awards for underwater photography at a championship that has been running for many years.

As Morski writes on the 26th of September, 2019, the CMAS Underwater Photography World Championship is held every second year and has been held for 34 years in a row. This year, the competition was held in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, and the Croatian national team, represented by members of the Roniti se mora diving club from Zagreb at this year's world championship, took home several impressive awards.

Damir Zurub (an underwater photographer and national team captain) and his assistant Katarina Mihaljinec managed to win silver in the ''Fish'' category and the bronze medal in the ''Macro'' category, while photographer Srđan Vrančić and his assistant Martina Gračić managed to win fourth place in the ''Macro'' category, thus placing Croats among the best in the world in yet another field.

Among the 93 competitors from across twenty countries worldwide, members of the aforementioned Zagreb-based diving club won the overall third place in the world championship's team competition.

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