7 - Underwater Photographer of the Year

UPY Up & Coming - Highly Commended
'Manatees Sheltering in a Spring on a Starry Night'
Joseph Ricketts

An aggregation of manatees seek shelter on a cold, starry night in the thermal refuge of a freshwater spring in Florida. Manatees are susceptible to developing life-threatening cold stress in water that is 20C and below. However, Florida's springs maintain a constant temperature of near 22C year-round. When temperatures plummet during winter, manatees will gather in large numbers in the springs - even if just for a night. This image is the result of two years of effort, spending many long and cold nights in a remote Florida spring with my underwater housing precariously balanced on a tripod. As far as I know, it is the first-ever, single-exposure, splitshot image of manatees and the night sky.

Judge's comment: Highly inventive and sensitively taken capturing the manatees undisturbed beneath a starry sky.

Alex Mustard

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