2nd place
silver star award
Petr Polách
czech republic 
title
Mystery of flooded caves
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entry description
This series of pictures was taken during cave diving in Yucatan in 2018-2019. The uniqueness of Mexican Yucatan lies hidden underground. While the surface has no apparent water flows that would support buoying jungle, the whole peninsula is connected through a vast labyrinth of underground rivers lasting for hundreds of kilometers. Each of the caves blooms with various colours and stalactite decorations. History indicates, this magical water system conceals the secrets of the Mayan culture. In my photos I tried to capture the beauty, diversity and mystery of those hidden places. Because of the pitch black darkness that rules there, taking pictures requires a specific knowledge and skillset to grab the impressiveness of those underground chambers in their entirety. To unlock the scenery in full glamour you need to use specialized diving flashes that need to be installed with great precision. Personally, I combine five flashes: three external and two connected to the camera case.about the photographer
I come from the Czech Republic. I have been a photographer for a long time and after I started diving in 2003, I took this hobby to the underwater world. So now I shoot both "above water" and "under water". I have visited different parts of the world, from warm southern oceans and seas, to geographically temperate places, to northern areas with very cold water. In recent years I have focused on photography in flooded cave systems in the Yucatan.back to gallery
