Honorable Mention Blackwater

Lureen Ferretti

"Pretty as a Peacock"

The Story: The deep dark ocean, a relatively unexplored treasure chest.  This larval tripod fish is one of the treasures I photographed during a blackwater dive off the coast of Palm Beach Florida.  They’re referred to as “denizens of the deep” because when they mature they live on the ocean floor in very deep water (in depths between 2,800 to 15,400 feet).

They have also been called "stilt walkers" because they use three elongated appendages to perch on the sea floor while waiting for prey.  When standing still, they resemble a tripod, hence the name. 

The scientific name "Bathypterois grallator" originating from Greek and Latin literally means "deep" ("bathy"), "feathery" ("pterois") "one who walks on stilts" ("grallator").

 Location:  Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Equipment Used:  Canon 70D Camera, Canon 60mm Macro Lens, Nauticam Housing, Inon Z330 Strobes, BigBlue Focus Light

Camera Settings: 1/200, F32, ISO 250

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