2nd Place Wide Angle

Nicolas Remy

 "The Sharks Cave"

The Story: Fish Rock, a rocky island off South West Rocks (New South Wales, Australia) is a habitat for the critically-endangered grey nurse shark (carcharias taurus), one of the few places where they gather in their numbers, resting during the day, feeding at night. 

Grey Nurse Sharks are usually scattered in various spots around the island, but sometimes upwelling causes the temperature to drop, in which case they will seek warmth and ascend to shallower water. In those conditions, the best spot for them will be the top entrance of Fish Rock cave (a 120 meters long ocean cave which crosses through the island). In there, sharks will find not only warmth, but also shelter from the currents, saving them energy while they swim half-asleep. 

This special Summer day, the temperature had dropped from 24 to 18 Celcius degrees, causing the tightest sharks gathering I have seen into the cave, over many visits. 

In the silence of my rebreather, I waited, motionless, a few meters into the cave, feeling very privileged to witness this tight gathering. I turned off my light, so that the sharks would barely notice my presence, as they took turns to circle through the cave. 

Interestingly, grey nurse sharks are also called sand tiger sharks and ragged-tooth sharks around the world.

Location:  Fish Rock, South West Rocks, New South Wales, Australia.

Equipment Used: Nikon D500 Camera, Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye Lens, Nauticam housing, Dual Inon Z240 Strobes

Camera Settings: 

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