Underwater Awards - Australasia 2025
International Category - Bronze award
Sydney - 2025 September 6th
Emerald Sanctuary
Sheltered inside the folds of a green tunicate, a translucent shrimp glows like a jewel under the lens - its golden eyes shining in the dark, its spotted body almost dreamlike.
This is the magic of muck diving waters - a world where the rarest creatures live unnoticed. In Tulamben’s black volcanic sand seabeds - a place I dive several times a year in search of hidden wonders - tunicates become underwater sanctuaries, offering shelter and camouflage that protect the fragile lives within.
To capture this moment and emphasize both texture and glow, I used a continuous light positioned to the side and slightly behind the tunicate. This subtle backlighting made the shrimp shine from within, as if the tunicate itself were revealing its secret. For just a few seconds, the hidden became visible - offering a glimpse of the delicate beauty found in the less glamorous corners of the ocean, and a reminder of why protecting these fragile underwater ecosystems matters.
Tulamben - Bali - Indonesia in June 2025
Refocus Awards - Colour photography contest
Underwater Category - Silver award
July 2025
Dance of the Sardines
In Moalboal, Philippines, the Sardine run is a mesmerizing phenomenon where millions of sardines move as one, creating powerful currents and fluid shapes. A freediver’s subtle gestures ripple through this living mass, revealing the fragile choreography between the individual and the collective
Underwater Glow
A reef squid lights up the night dive with vibrant colors, creating a mesmerizing underwater glow in the darkness of the reef