Fotosub 2025: A window to the marine beauty of Cienfuegos

Onelia Chaveco

Cienfuegos is not only unique for having an urban center that is a World Cultural Heritage Site, but also for the beauties that remain hidden beneath the sea. Therefore, Fotosub 2025 becomes a window to view and capture the depths of Cienfuegos’s marine life with your lens.

More than 20 participants, both Canadian and Cuban, attended the Fotosub 2025 International Underwater Photography Event between July 21 and 25.

The event took place in the calm waters of Cienfuegos, where the gentle waves lap at the Caribbean Sea.

Ernesto Manzanares López, director of the Faro Luna International Diving Center, told Sol de Cuba about the benefits of the area where the 10 Canadians and 13 Cubans from different provinces carried out their work.

He said that there is a relatively small area where 40 diving sites are concentrated and where sunken ships, caves, underwater valleys and one of the most populated coral formations in the Caribbean Sea abound.

The expert indicated that the most recommended diving spots are La Corona, El Laberinto, Camaronero III, Notre Dame, La Patana, Cable Inglés and Rancho Luna.

Among the participants, a young female lawyer who now focuses on diving and photography stood out: Nosdalys Castillo Fuentes, representing the province of Cienfuegos.

She managed to overcome her fears and, with extensive training, is already standing out among her peers, mostly men, for her skill and abilities in the Fauna and Macro categories.

Manzanares López emphasized that this was the first time a figure like Cuban Francisco Pipín Ferreras, recognized as a legend of the deep, who holds a world record for diving, attended this event.

He highlighted Yoel de la Paz, another of the distinguished personalities of the competition, and an example of self-improvement. In just a few years, in addition to being a great photographer, the Cienfuegos native has become an excellent exponent of underwater photography and now serves as one of the judges for Fotosub 2025.

The competition included four categories: Environment, which portrays underwater harmony; Environment with Model, where a diver blends with the landscape; Fauna, dedicated to marine life; and Macro, which emphasizes the details of aquatic organisms. An invitation has been extended for the next event, where seabed lovers will gather to compete for the prize for the best images taken tens of meters down in the depths of the sea.