Eerie blackwater dive image shows paper nautilus floating on stick after volcanic eruption

Annie Corinne Shaink
·2 min read
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A Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment.
A Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment.
A Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment.
A Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment.

Winner: Jialing Cai, Philippines

A beautiful image of a paper nautilus captured in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption has won the 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year award. The image, by 25-year-old photographer Jialing Cai, was taken during a blackwater dive in the Philippines.

The paper nautilus, the species of which is unknown, was floating on a piece of debris in the ocean after the Taal Volcano erupted. "The water column filled with particles from stirred-up sediment," Cai said in a statement.

"Navigating through the low visibility and dense fog during a blackwater dive, I found this female paper nautilus taking a ride on a drifting wooden stick. When I pressed the shutter, the particles reflected my light. The scene felt unusually serene following the natural disaster and reminds me of a fairy tale set in a snowy night."

The competition winners were announced on Sept. 14.

Second place: Andrei Savin, Philippines

A crab sits in the center of a sea anemone as it sways in ocean current.
A crab sits in the center of a sea anemone as it sways in ocean current.

Andrei Savin's second place work showcases a crab within the medusa of a sea anemone.

Third place: Alvaro Herrero López-Beltrán, Mexico

A whale struggles on, its flukes severely damaged as a result of continued entanglement.
A whale struggles on, its flukes severely damaged as a result of continued entanglement.

A whale tries to swim for the water's surface, but it is held back due to entanglement on a stake and fishing line in this haunting third-place piece by Alvaro Herrero López-Beltrán of Mexico.

The Ocean photographer of the year competition is produced by Oceanographic Magazine, in partnership with Blancpain, Arksen and Tourism Western Australia.