UPY 2025

UPY 2019 British Waters Wide Angle - Third
'Fish soup'
Rick Ayrton

I was on the MV Salutay liveaboard cruising around the Channel Islands in September 2018. Diving a mix of wrecks & reefs, one of the wrecks was the SS Shockland which sank in 1943 after hitting a reef. She is on the southern side of Jersey and had the best visibility of the whole week. A 1500 ton steam powered ship lying between 20m-30m. When I arrived on the wreck it was covered with fish and marine life. This shot was taken close to the triple expansion engine (the dark shadow behind the shoal) I was able to position myself under some superstructure without disturbing the fish (using a rebreather helps) and my buddy then came around the engine adding a bit of back lighting to the scene, low power strobe light has really made the fish (bib or pouting) stand out, framed by the jagged wreckage.

Judge's comment: This impressive composition was an immediate hit with all the judges. It is a well lit example of the profuse life which wrecks attract in UK waters. The background diver provides scale and subtle but very important additional lighting.
Peter Rowlands