3rd Place Blackwater

Yoichi Sato

"Gibberfish"

Yoichi Sato won a 8 Day/7 Night & 12 Dives for 2pax at Meridian Adventure Dive Resort in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

The Story:

Gibberichthys latifrons inhabits the Pacific and Indian Oceans and is distinct from Gibberichthys pumilus, which is found in the Atlantic Ocean. In August 2024, I had the rare opportunity to participate in a blackwater dive in waters 1,000 meters deep off the coast of Kumejima. At 8:20 PM, shortly after descending to a depth of approximately 10 meters, I discovered this peculiar larva. Remarkably, capturing live images of this species marked only the second recorded instance in Japan, and it was the first time high-resolution images were taken in the country. To minimize reflections from floating particles and prevent light from bouncing off the organism, I used the inward lighting technique, carefully aligning the edge of the illumination beam with the subject.

Location:

Off the coast of Kume Island, Okinawa Japan

Equipment Used:

• Canon EOS R5
• Canon EF-S 35mm F2.8 Macro IS STM
• Nauticam housing
• 2x INON Z330
• 2x RG Blue S02RE-SNC

Camera Settings:

• f/16
• 1/200
• ISO 200