| Prev - | Back to 2026 Winners | - Next |
UPY 2026 Behaviour - Highly Commended
'Connected'
JingGong Zhang
A mating pair of pelagic nudibranchs, Phylliroe bucephala. Their reproductive organs meet and lock together as they drift through the black water. On most Florida blackwater dives, I encounter only a few scattered Phylliroe, if any at all. But that night, as soon as I descended, I realized I was surrounded. I had never seen so many. Some were already extending their reproductive organs while swimming, actively searching for a partner in the darkness. During that single dive I found at least five mating pairs. By the next day, they had vanished completely. Moments like this are why I love blackwater diving: you can plan everything, yet you can never predict what the ocean will reveal. It never ceases to amaze me.
Judge's comment: Graphic simplicity, exquisite pin sharp subjects, soft lighting and obvious behaviour make a judge’s job much easier. This was a no brainer for all of us.
Peter Rowlands
You can use the Prev/Next buttons or left and right cursors to go to the previous or next image.
