About the Championship
The 2026 CMAS World Championship in Underwater Photography and Video comes to Pemuteran, North-West Bali — a small village with an outsized reputation for reef restoration. Here’s the context.
What This Championship Is
The championship brings the world’s national underwater imaging teams to one venue for a week of diving, judging and celebration. Seven photography categories, three video categories, judged under CMAS Visual Commission rules. Gold, Silver and Bronze in each category go to individual CMAS World Champions.
Full detail on categories, format, eligibility and scoring is on the Event Overview page.
Why Pemuteran
Pemuteran is a fishing village on the calm north-west coast of Bali — a corner of the island that stayed out of the mass-tourism story that shaped the south. Reef and coral come first here. Two of the world’s longest-running community-led restoration projects — Karang Lestari’s Biorock reef and the Natglue-based Agung Prana Reef Restoration — sit within a short boat ride of each other.
For an underwater imaging championship, that combination is unusually rare: a shore-access healthy reef, a wreck, and two active restoration sites, all within one bay.
Pemuteran’s Reef Story
Reef restoration in Pemuteran dates back to the early 1990s, when local divers and villagers moved to protect a bay that had been badly hit by destructive fishing. The Karang Lestari Biorock project began work here in 2000 and has grown steadily since. The Agung Prana Reef Restoration — the newer Natglue-based project led by marine scientist Kadek Fendi Wirawan — has out-planted nearly 1,700 coral fragments with an 81.4% survival rate.
Read the deeper story on the Agung Prana Reef Restoration page.
Why Indonesia
Indonesia sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle — the most biodiverse marine region on the planet. Pemuteran benefits from the same warm-water currents and healthy reef systems, in a village-scale setting that fits a week-long championship. The event is also the first CMAS underwater imaging World Championship to be held in Indonesia.
About PB POSSI
PB POSSI (Pengurus Besar Persatuan Olahraga Selam Seluruh Indonesia), also known as the Indonesia Subaquatic Sports Association (ISSA), is the official national governing body responsible for overseeing, regulating, managing, and organising all activities related to underwater sports in Indonesia. Established on 4 August 1977, PB POSSI serves as the national federation for underwater sports and is affiliated with the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS), the world governing body for underwater activities.
Recognised by the Government of Indonesia, PB POSSI governs various underwater sports disciplines, including Underwater Orienteering, Finswimming, Underwater Hockey, and Freediving.
Under the leadership of Police Commissioner General Makhruzi Rahman, S.I.K., M.H., M.Tr.Opsla., PB POSSI is committed to advancing underwater sports in Indonesia while enhancing the performance of its athletes through long-term development programmes, including youth athlete development and sustainable athlete regeneration. The organisation also prioritises improving the quality of coaches and referees by providing international training and certification programmes, ensuring Indonesian underwater sports continue to grow and compete at the highest international standards.
About Karang Divers
Karang Divers is an SSI & PADI dive centre in Pemuteran. A local team of more than 30 — instructors, divemasters, boat crew, reception and conservation staff. For the 2026 championship, PB POSSI (Indonesia Subaquatic Sports Association, ISSA) is the organiser, with the centre serving as Local Organising Committee (LOC).
Meet the people on the Karang Divers team page.
