UPY 2025

UPY  Black & White - Winner
'El Blanco - The White One'
Don Silcock

The image was taken on the last morning of a five-day trip to Peninsula Valdés in Argentina, in August 2022, under a special permit to enter the water with the Southern Right Whales that gather there between June and December each year.
The mother, who can be seen in the background, accepted our presence and allowed the calf to interact with us. It was very playful but careful not to hit us with it’s tail and seemed to be really enjoying it all – almost as much as we were!
White calves are very rare and referred to locally as “El Blanco” or the white one!
Peninsula Valdés is an incredibly important safe haven and breeding ground for the Southern Right Whales of the southern Atlantic and Argentina has done an excellent job of managing it.
It was, without doubt, my best ever underwater experience!

Judge's comment: This is an absolutely amazing example of how black and white images should be used. I can't imagine it done much better actually - also the encounter must have been truly stunning! Well deserved winner of this category!
Tobias Friedrich