Winners Gallery
3rd place Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Alexis Chappuis Indonesia
Thousands of Skeleton shrimps have entirely colonised a gorgonian coral in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. "These crustaceans are actually not true shrimps but amphipods of the Genus Caprella," says Chappuis. "As these animals feed on plankton, they should not impact their host. However, in this case, there were so many of them that they may be the reason why the Gorgonian's polyps were all retracted. Could this impact the feeding efficiency of their soft coral host?"
BEHIND THE LENS
Alexis Chappuis France
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Midday shoot
- Slight current
- Shot on Closed Circuit Rebreather
- F/22, 1/125s, ISO 3200
Alexis Chappuis is a French marine biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and technical scientific diver working in Indonesia since 2014. In 2018, he founded UNSEEN Expeditions, an NGO focusing on exploring and documenting mesophotic coral ecosystems – at depths of 100 to 160 metres – in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Believing that we best protect what we know, Alexis's work involves collaborating with local and international scientists to study these poorly known and poorly protected deep-reef habitats, using closed-circuit rebreathers. Images play a crucial role in his expeditions, showcasing the unseen and the unknown. Driven by genuine curiosity, Alexis’s efforts aim to improve scientific knowledge and raise awareness about the importance and urgent necessity of marine conservation in a context of dramatic biodiversity decline and destruction of natural ecosystems.
