Filipino Photographer in Winners Circle at British Underwater Contest

Much of wildlife photography relies on precise and opportune timing in order to capture the perfect shot. Seasoned photographers usually wait for that instant and only a few are able to capture an award-winning moment. This certainly was the case for Filipino underwater photographer Scott Gutsy Tuason, whose photograph featured a juvenile Trevally caught in the midst of a jellyfish, astonishingly right between its bell and its tentacles.

The photograph, which he titled “In Hinding,” earned Tuason the runner-up title for the British Underwater Photographer of the Year award, making him the sole Filipino to make it in the winners circle. Grant Thomas from Glasgow took home the Photographer of the Year title for his photograph of two swans perfectly in sync and their heads intertwined underwater, while a portrait of a hammerhead shark taken by Jacob Degee was also a runner-up.

Jack in a Jellyfish , Juv. jacks often seek protection from predators by hanging around Jellyfish that they are immune to their stings , in this case this jack has taken it to the next level by wedging between the bell and the tentacles ????#anilao #philippines #nauticam #squiresbinghamsports #jellyfish #jacks #underwaterphotography #upy2018

A post shared by gutsytuason (@gutsytuason) on Feb 12, 2018 at 6:38pm PST

Although Tuason had seen sights like this before, he was still surprised by the rare occurrence. “I shot around 20 frames and right on the last few frames, it turned toward me to give me this very unusual portrait of a behavior I had never seen before,” the photographer wrote on his description of the image. It was taken in Janos Bay, Anilao, during a Blackwater dive at the depth of 15 meters. He had been submerged for an estimated 90 minutes and was on the verge of coming up for air when a divemaster called his attention. “[I] finally got the image I had visualized, the fish head-on with this surprised look on his face.”

Tuason’s photo falls under the behavior category of the competition. Judge Alex Mustard praised him and his work: “Gutsy won the Underwater Photographer Book of the Year last year with Black Water, Open Blue, and this black water shot not only shows remarkable behavior, but also has so much character, it could have won in Portraits too!”

Having been documenting the beauty of the sea for many years, Tuason has become an ocean advocate as well. “It is not an infinite source of food and needs to be managed to that it can continue to provide sustainable sustenance for a long time,” he says.

h/t: Daily Mail