Dive Pacific 171 Oct- Nov 2019

Circle of life by Alex Mustard, UK
Highly commended 2019, Black and White
In the clear water of the Red Sea, a shoal
of bigeye trevally circle 25 metres down at
the edge of a reef. For the past 20 years Alex
has travelled to Ras Mohammad, a national
park at the tip of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula,
a no fishing marine reserve. Their circling
behaviour is a dating exercise prior to pairing
up, though it also deters predators. Using a
lens system with a 130‐degree angle of view,
Alex captured the shape of the shoal against
the deep blue water below, the iridescent
angled fish reflecting the light from the sun
and his strobes.
Nikon D850 + 28–70mm f3.5–4.5 lens at
31mm + Nauticam Wide Angle Conversion
Port; 1/60 sec at f11; ISO 500; Subal housing;
two Seacam Seaflash 150D strobes.
Beach waste by Matthew Ware, USA
Highly Commended 2019, Wildlife Photojournalism
From a distance, the beach scene at Alabama’s
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge looked
appealing: blue sky, soft sand and a Kemp’s
ridley sea turtle. But as Matthew and the
strandings patrol team got closer they could
see the fatal noose around the turtle’s neck
attached to the washed-up beach chair. The
Kemp’s ridley is not only one of the smallest
sea turtles just 65 centimetres long, it is also
the most endangered.
Canon EOS 700D + 18–55mm f3.5–5.6 lens at
18mm; 1/1250 sec at f4.5; ISO 100.
44 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific