UPY 2025

UPY  British Waters Macro - Commended
'Searching for a Lady Dragon'
David Alpert

The common dragonet spends most of its time on the seabed buried beneath the sand. I was fortunate to find this one perched on a piece of shale rock deep in a narrow gully. I was diving the North Devon coast, one of the most tidal stretches of water in the world and the tide had just turned. Perhaps like me, the dragonet had dropped into this protected space to avoid being swept out into the Bristol channel and wider Atlantic beyond.
Its eyes and gills are situated high up on its head and body to facilitate a life partially buried. This behaviour helps it to both evade predators and ambush prey. The feint blue markings beginning to show up on its torso leads me to believe this is possibly a young dragonet male… perhaps he is searching for a lady dragon?

Judge's comment: An appealing pose from one of the UK’s most charismatic characters. Well lit with great eye contact and the delicate pastel shades in the background lifted this image into the winners’ enclosure.

Peter Rowlands