UPY  Behaviour - Commended}

UPY  Behaviour - Commended
'Mating at the Cleaning Station'
Renee Capozzola

In Hawaii, sea turtles are legally protected so they thrive in the marine environment. These turtles can also be regularly found at known underwater cleaning stations where yellow or black tang fish remove parasites from their shells or skin. On this particular morning, I was photographing a green sea turtle getting groomed by a number of black tangs when all of a sudden, another turtle landed on its back and they started to mate. To my amusement, one of the black tangs didn't seem to notice or care, continuing to clean the turtle during this act while the rest of the tangs swam away!

Judge's comment: Wonderful behaviour, excellent exposure with a blue water background to match. It's a very tight fit but the author has made full use of the space.
- Martin Edge