1st Place Compact Wide Angle

Marco Lausdei

"Hunting in the Night"

Marco Lausdei won a 7 night liveaboard trip for one person on the Bilikiki in the Solomon Islandsfrom Bilikki Cruises.

The Story:

We are at one of the most famous night dive sites in the world: Maya Thila. I noticed a whitetip reef shark moving in cyclical patterns, visibly attracted to a cloud of silverfish positioned along the Thila drop-off. Using a nearby boulder for cover, I carefully hid and minimized my bubbles, trying to get as close as possible without disturbing the predator's behavior. Once the shark grew accustomed to my presence, I waited for one of its cyclical movements to bring it within flash range. I timed the shot to capture not only the shark but also the evasive motion of the cloud of potential prey. The shot was taken from a bottom-to-top angle, intentionally including the surface of the sea to add depth and dimension to the image. Understanding the subject's habits and behavior was essential to the success of this shot.

Location:

Maldives - Fish head dive site

Equipment Used:

• Sony RX100m5 - Seafrog housing - Seafrog dome

Camera Settings:

• ISO 200 
• F-10 
• 1/160sec