Honorable Mention Blackwater

Steven Kovacs

"Dinner Time"

The Story: Sargassum Swimming Crabs are a fairly common subject found on blackwater dives off Florida. They are more commonly found when Sargassum seaweed is floating on the surface since they use it for protection.  Interestingly, during blackwater dives, they can be commonly found leaving their Sargassum homes and diving quite deep in their hunt for food. They are veracious predators and can usually be found capturing and feeding on different types of prey.  

During one particular dive I was lucky enough to come across this crab feasting on a Filefish at about 30 feet.  Unfortunately I was unable to ascertain whether it skillfully captured its prey alive or simply scavenged an already dead corpse.

Location:  Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Equipment Used:  Nikon D500, Nikon 60mm Macro Lens, Ikelite Canon D500 Camera, Dual Ikelite DS-160 Strobes

Camera Settings: 1/250, F29, ISO 250

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