PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Andrea Izzotti | The Haunted Wreck

Name: Andrea Izzotti
Picture title: The Haunted Wreck
Category: People’s Choice
Nationality: Italy
Occupation: I am a self-employed photographer. I have been photographing since my childhood and have developed a great passion for nature and underwater photography over the past twenty years.

Technical information
Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: Nion fisheye 8/15 mm @15 mm
EXIF: F/13 1/3 sec Iso 200 -0,3 EV

Easydive Leo 3 underwater housing 
2x One UW strobes

Andrea Izzotti says:

After arriving in La Paz, Baja California, Mexico, to dive in the biodiversity-rich waters of the Sea of Cortez, the area was hit by Hurricane Norma, which churned up the sea and the coast with very strong winds, forcing me to take shelter for two days in a safe location. It wasn’t possible to dive until a few days later, and the consequences of the powerful storm were evident, even underwater: destroyed corals and visibility reduced to just a few meters, with the sea turned green and full of suspended particles.

I attempted a wreck dive, and the sunken ship suddenly appeared to my eyes, as if shrouded in fog. When we encountered a turtle relaxing on the deck of the submerged wreck, I realized it was time to use a creative technique before the animal surfaced to breathe.

I chose a slow shutter speed and a backward camera movement, hoping to convey the eerie atmosphere I was experiencing—a nearly haunted wreck, where the turtle seemed like a phantom guardian of the deep.