UPY 2025

UPY 2017 Wrecks - Third
'Rising Sun - Nippo Maru'
Kieran Hatton

Engine rooms in Truk Lagoon are popular places; I’d made a plan with the group that they would head there at the beginning of the dive and I’d venture in at the end. I’ve taken an image similar to this before but had never played with remote lighting prior to this trip. Entering through the blast hole at 45m it took about 30 minutes to position the lights, get set up and wait for the silt to settle; being on a rebreather really helps with the rust percolation. I hoped to share the detail and scale with this picture. Gauges with the faces still in, light streaming through from above and the video lights illuminating the walk ways to give a sense of scale. The light bursting through the gantry like the ‘rising sun’ seemed fitting.

Judge's comment: Peter Rowlands: As a keen wreck photographer the subtlety of this shot really appealed to me. Everything had been carefully chosen. Camera position, time of day and additional lighting. When we judged this image we had no idea or inclinations how deep it was. 45 metres. Wow!