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View all winners in our gallery: October 2013: "Sand Creatures". Stills: 1st Place Open - Tony Frank 2nd Place Open - Kevin Lee 1st Place Novice - Merry Passage 2nd Place Novice - Walter Bassi 3rd Place Novice - Phil Garner Video: 1st Place Open - Anastasia Laity 2nd Place Open - Walter Marti 1st Place Novice - Dana Rodda 2nd Place Novice - Vickie Elson 3rd Place Novice - Vickie Elson Congratulations!

1st Place Open: Tony Frank

Please join us in the Times Mirror room of the Natural History Museum at 7:30pm, Wednesday October 16, for a presentation by Mark Strickland. Mark Strickland: Amazing Marine Life Behavior Mark’s presentation combines his award-winning photography with informed commentary to illustrate fascinating habits, adaptations and interrelationships between sea creatures and their habitat. Bungee-jumping snails, snuggly sharks and amorous cuttlefish are but a few of the creatures you will get to know, as Mark shares knowledge gained through years of patient observation and photography. Designed to inform and entertain, this presentation will delight you with stunning imagery while expanding your knowledge, providing insights and inspiration to make each of your dives a more satisfying experience, whether at some exotic destination or a local beach dive. If time permits, Mark will also share a few shots from his recent trip to Indonesia’s Cenderawasih Bay.

Mark Strickland

Mark Strickland’s life-long interest in the sea has included over 10,000 dives and careers as lifeguard, boat captain and scuba instructor. His passion for underwater photography has led him to many top dive locales, including Thailand, where he spent 17 years as Cruise Director on a series of live-aboards. An avid marine naturalist, Mark has discovered several nudibranch species. He is co-author and principle photographer for Lonely Planet’s award-winning book, “Diving and Snorkeling Thailand”, and his work appears in many publications and displays around the world; editorial credits include BBC Wildlife, Conde Nast Traveler, Geo, National Geographic World, Nature's Best, Natural History, Outside and most major dive magazines. His images have also been displayed at the Smithsonian Institute and the United Nations Visitor Center, among other venues. Mark enjoys sharing his knowledge, and leads several dive trips each year to his favorite destinations, specializing in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Current projects include a collaboration with photographer Chris Huss on a traveling photo exhibit titled “State of the Sharks”, designed to raise awareness about the need for conservation of sharks and rays. Mark also works as DSLR and Travel Specialist at Bluewater Photo in Culver City. For a sampling of Mark’s work, visit www.markstrickland.com. OCTOBER MINICOMP: This month’s minicomp topic is "Sand Creatures". Please submit your entries using our upload form no later than 11:59pm Tuesday October 15. TRIP REPORTS We love having one or two people share their dive experiences at the beginning of meetings, so if you have a short trip report (about 5 minutes) you'd like to share, please e-mail the webmaster.