Here are some of my favorite photos among the winners of Underwater Photography Guide’s 2014 Ocean Art Contest (for all the winners, go here; and if you want the details, click on “story of the shot” beneath each photo).
First prize for “Marine Life Behavior” went to Borut Furlan. As The Big Blue notes, it shows a rarely seen event:
One of the more remarkable events in nature is the spawning and incubation process of the Mediterranean cardinal fish [Apogon imberbis] whereby the female transfers her eggs to the mouth of the male in the blink of an eye. [JAC: The eggs have obviously been fertilized beforehand, probably by an intromittent organ of the male. The link above says that there are about 20,000 eggs, and that the male clearly can’t eat until they hatch.]
The male then broods up to 90 eggs in its mouth for 30 days, during which time it doesn’t eat.
Photographing the egg transfer is nearly impossible, since it can occur in less than two seconds. So it is understandable that underwater photographer Borut Furlan had no idea what he had shot in a semi-dark cave of the Adriatic Sea off Croatia—until he reviewed the photo on the camera’s screen.
This one, “Underwater—Kirra Point”, by Ray Collins, which won the Best of Show, is pretty amazing. His story:
I love to make images underwater. The sand on the Gold Coast reflects light really well so it is one of my favourite local places to shoot. On this morning I was trying to show the clarity and surroundings while composing for the wave to go past me.
“Follow me,” by Montse Grillo, was shot off Tenerife, and took fourth place in the wide-angle category:
“Tiny refuge”, by Ron Watkins, was taken off Kona, Hawaii, and shows some fascinating biology. It won first place in the Macro category. Note: a pyrosome is a colonial tunicate, so this fish is inside an invertebrate for protection.
While in Kona, I went out on a Black Water Dive with Kona Honu Divers where we were attached to a 40′ vertical line in over a thousand feet of water at 10PM. While suspended in the black water you observe life forms that you have never seen before or even imagined that surface in the shallows. Every dive is an adventure and full of life. This juvenile carangids seeks the refuge of a tiny pyrosome as a temporary commensalism for protection against predators in the dark. After viewing the image on the computer, I also noticed that the fish had a few room mates in the pyrosome.
“Eyes”, by Uwe Schmolke, won honorable mention in the Portrait category, and shows one of this website’s favorite invertebrates, a mantis shrimp:
Finally, here’s “Eyes bigger than the stomach,” which won Jack Berthomier a first place in the Compact Marine Life Behavior (?) category. It was shot off New Caledonia, and here’s the story:
I was able to see this scene three times in three years time. The first time, it was a big Hydrophis (about 130 cm) – took a few shots and one of which was selected 2nd at Ocean Art in 2013. The second time I saw one Hydrophis, it was a smaller one but unfortunately all botched shots because it bit my swimfin twice… The third time I was able to shoot one (the selected photo) measured approximately 60 cm. When I first saw it, it was at the surface and was just beginning to swallow its prey. Very few divers were lucky enough to watch this kind of scene, and apparently no other shot of this kind has been taken. This sea snake is very poisonous and can be murderous and also very agressive. (sic)
The site has many other outstanding underwater photos, and the quality of these photos has increased year by year, perhaps due to an improvement in equipment. Go have a look at the other good snaps I didn’t have room to show.
I wonder if that snake got it down. Are venomous snakes as flexible as constrictors?
Based on experience with similar-sized terrestrial elapids, I’d be very surprised if it didn’t, and it would only fail due to disturbance (e.g. by the photographer). Hydrophis is a recently-evolved but highly speciose clade with a lot of variation in head:body size ratio, presumably related to prey size (e.g. some tiny-headed species feed mainly on burrowing sand-eels). The one in the pic seems to be near the middle of the range, a ‘generalist’, but the out-of-shot rear half of the body might be much thicker than the part we see.
Here’s the earlier shot of the same subject the photographer mentions, which I prefer.
Thanks a bunch, much appreciated. 🙂
Need to start saving for a new camera and housing.
One of the most annoying things in amateur UW photography is that every small increment of a camera model requires a completely new housing.
Every time I look at the question, I think of a generic double – bagging arrangement with pressure balance and stickies to allow access to the camera controls. “If only”.
The egg transfer shot is incredible. Not that the other shots are unimpressive.
Agreed, I was wondering if it was a single shot or a video frame. From personal experience video lights sometimes frighten fish away more so than a strobe flash on a dark or semi-dark dive. In any case, an impressive photo.
I don’t see that shot on the site. Checking the “Marine Life Behavior” category, it’s not there, and 1st goes to Ilan Ben Tov. Anyone know what’s up? I can’t see an explanation on the site.
I love the turtle picture. It’s like the photographer just said something that required the first two turtles to contemplate his words while the guy in the back can’t hear what he said. 🙂
They’re all such wonderful photos – makes me long to get back underwater right now just to look. There’s so much beauty under the sea.
I imagine the mantis shrimp photo was the last thing that camera saw before it was smashed by this awesomely powerful invertebrate.
I was thinking myself that that is the one position you would not be wanting to take a photo of a mantis shrimp from! 😨
Indeed, there is a danger of getting one of the famous Mantis punches, which has smashed some glass already, are real. And it is in a photographers mind (at least at mine) while taking this image. But the eyes are that amazing to see when they focus to the camera. So I dare the risk 😉
“Compact marine life behaviour (?)”
I can see why as a biologist you’d be confused. Compact doesn’t refer to the marine life, but to the camera that the picture was taken with. There are similar categories for pics taken with DSLRs.
It makes sense to have these categories given the different capabilities of the equipment – giving everyone a fair chance, so to say.
“unfortunately all botched shots because it bit my swimfin twice…”
Just reading that makes my toes start to curl… if one of those started taking an interest in me I would NOT be trying to take pics of it…
As a diver for over 30 years, I’ve been very close to sea snakes numerous times. They are neither “murderous” nor “aggressive”. Most people who die from their venom are fishermen who are trying to get the hooked snake off their fishing line. They are not known to bite unless provoked. Sea snakes have fairly poor vision but a good sense of smell/taste (in water those two senses blend together). I’ve had them behave as if they were fascinated by my dive fins, nosing around and sniffing them. When a snake approaches me I stay still and let it investigate. It always swims off without either of us being harmed. I guess you could label this “murderous” behavior because the snake is poisonous, and “aggressive” because the snake approached me, but I wouldn’t call it either.
As always, I can’t imagine how shots as beautiful and astounding as these can possibly be ranked! I’d make a lousy art judge.
As I scrolled down the linked page I kept coming up with one “favorite” after another. I’ll have to go back sometime and read more of the descriptions.