UPY 2025

UPY  British Waters Wide Angle - Highly Commended
'Cuckoo in the blue (male cuckoo wrasse with kelp)'
Simon Temple

This image was taken at around 20m on a reef to the east of the Eddystone Lighthouse in September last year. The day’s diving was arranged by Devon Searchsearch and was my first invitation with that group. I went prepared to shoot using a Tokina 10-17 and a Kenko 1.4 teleconverter thinking this would give me lots of possibilities depending on the group’s chosen dive sites and a variety of conditions. Luckily, the conditions underwater turned out to be exceptional! The visibility was in excess of 18m and with a little sunshine, the water appeared a wonderful shade of blue. Overwhelmed with possibilities I decided to take advantage of the common and very obliging cuckoo wrasse who, by defending their territory, return again and again to the camera. I wanted to capture the rare deep blue of this offshore site so opted for low strobe power and a higher ISO.

Judge's comment: It is hard to succeed in competitions with subtle pictures like this, which can get overlooked in favour of more obvious thrills. But this picture is beautifully crafted, the rich colours of the wrasse glow like a jewel against the muted hues of the kelp fronds.
- Alex Mustard