UPY 2025

UPY 2018 Wide Angle - Commended
'Tannic water at Cenote Carwash'
Tom St George

Maybe once a year due to prolonged and heavy rainfall the water at Cenote Carwash can become very tannic; meaning the water is stained a reddish brown by the tannins from decaying leaf and other organic matter in the run-off from the jungle. As soon as we dropped down through the water it was clear that things were very different from a usual dive at Cenote Carwash. It was extremely dark due to the tannic water filtering out a lot of the light (hence the high iso). The light coming through the water was very red and a bit like diving on Mars! I knew immediately that I wanted to take the classic 'Cenote Carwash entrance' shot but with this very different background with the intense shades of red.

Judge's comment: I really like this image. There are so many layers of interest to stimulate the viewer. The vivid colour of red, the depth perspective combined with good use of the dive light. It certainly is a classic Cenote image and one to be remembered.
Martin Edge