UPY 2025

UPY 2019 British Waters Compact - Commended
'New Years Day in a UK Lake'
Marcus Greatwood

Every year NoTanx Freediving club meets on New Years Day to dive in Wraysbury, just outside London.
It’s reasonably cold, green and most members are worse for wear however the water is always clear, partly due to the holiday season. This year 20 of us turned up to have a quick dip, after the obligatory group shots Freya found a school of Tench hanging around a shipping container. This is a still from the video blog I was making.
These red eyed fish don’t usually hang around when divers approach, so we were very lucky that most of us dived with them and we were able to set-up this shot.
The club ethos is to explore the world around us, enjoy the environment and make the most of where we live… I think this shot encapsulates these ideals.

Judge's comment: A classic "two shot" of underwater species and diver is given a fresh twist with a free diver dressed in attractive silver neoprene. We also enjoyed seeing a tench featured in the photo, as they are rarely photographed in British Waters. Creating such a crisp image in dark, winter conditions is no mean feat.
Alex Mustard