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
