UPY 2026 British Waters Wide Angle - Winner

UPY 2026 British Waters Wide Angle - Winner
'A Meeting of Giants'
Evan Johnston

What started out with 2 large sharks feeding at the surface turned into 3, then 4, then 5 over the course of the day. At some point most of the sharks had gone, and after watching the last tail fade away, I turned around and was greeted with the image here. These sharks had stopped feeding and formed a tight shoal, before breaking off and swimming in slow rhythmic circles, eventually spiralling off into the deep. This behaviour is known as a Torus and is thought to be a courtship behaviour and the precursor to mating - although that remains a mystery. Over the course of the summer we observed multiple toruses from the boat, with close to 20 sharks slowly circling for hours at a time. It felt like an ancient ritual that happens out of sight from the world and was an incredible moment to witness and capture.

Judge's comment: The sea still reveals it’s secrets slowly and the discovery of these toruses is the latest revelation. Traditionally, single basking shark shots were celebrated but now images of several of these large sharks, not feeding but possibly building up to a mating ritual, are a most exciting phenomenon visually and biologically. A first in UK waters.

Peter Rowlands