UPY 2025

UPY  Up & Coming - Commended
'Larval ribbonfish'
Kat Zhou

This photo depicts a larval ribbon fish, found on a blackwater dive off the coast of West Palm Beach, Florida. Though I love all forms of diving, blackwater diving remains my favoriteI love the thrill of finding these beautiful critters swimming in the water column and the challenge of having to constantly reposition yourself to get a good angle with subjects that can swim erratically. When I first swam up to this fish, its had all of its fins tucked in, but, as I followed it, it opened up for a split second, allowing me to get this shot. Though this species of larval ribbon fish is seen once in a while in South Florida, this one has the prettiest decorations of any that I have seen!

Judge's comment: Blackwater diving has created a whole new raft of amazing subjects and a surfeit of entries so images have to be special to please the weary judges’ eyes and this one certainly did.
Peter Rowlands