UPY 2025

UPY  Compact - Commended
'Seven baby seahorses and a baby leatherjacket'
Mel Wu

Home town diving is cool water, especially through the colder months, but as the water warms up the big-belly seahorse fry start hatching. On the same day, on one dive you can see hundreds, and then an hour later you will see none. On this day I was surrounded by baby seahorses clinging to sea grass near the surface, hunting. They are challenging subjects at 2cm long, moving around in surface swell and current. You can’t get too close as the bubbles from your reg easily influence their movement. This photo is a result of specifically going on dives to look for the baby seahorses; about a month after I started doing underwater photography. I fell in love and have now wracked up countless hours underwater - always dreaming of the next dive!

Judge's comment: A herd of young seahorses have found something solid to cling to in the open sea and are accompanied by a young filefish. A fascinating and balanced composition that must have been very difficult to frame and focus.
- Alex Mustard