Young Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024, JULJAC1

3rd place Young Photographer of the Year

Julian Jacobs San Diego, California

32°51'10.4"N 117°15'43.2"W

A California moray eel pauses at the surface of its rapidly shrinking world. “The intertidal world is an ever-changing landscape,” says Jacobs. “On an early morning expedition to a pool I’ve gone to for years, I found an exciting find. A young California moray, a species rarely found in our intertidal. I spent the blue hour and the transition to dawn with this eel, framing the shot with its reflection, showing the ephemeral nature of its fleeting pool.”