A photo of one of Cayman’s famous stingrays has featured in New Scientist magazine’s seven best animal photos of the year.
British underwater photographer Alex Mustard captured the shot, titled ‘A southern stingray’, at Stingray City in January.
He told the Compass he was visiting Grand Cayman on a scuba diving holiday and “photographed lots of subjects – beautiful reefs, colourful fish and the Kittiwake wreck”.
Mustard described Stingray City as “the most amazing wildlife spot”.
The popular weekly science-and-technology publication said the photo was among its “favourite wildlife shots of the year”.
“As the sun rises off the coast of the Cayman Islands, a southern stingray (Dasyatis americana) prowls the sandy seabed in this striking split-level snap,” the article read.
Mustard has been taking underwater photographs since he was 9 years old and has worked full time as an underwater photographer since 2004.
He has a PhD in marine ecology, occasionally publishes peer-reviewed papers, and dives all around the world.
Mustard’s photographs have won many awards including Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
He is also a six-time category winner in the British Wildlife Photography Awards.
On his website, he explains that he currently shoots with Sony cameras in Nauticam housings.
Cayman connection
Mustard spoke to the Compass in 2018 after he found out he was to be awarded an MBE for services to underwater photography.
At the time, he explained why he keeps returning to the Cayman Islands.
“I first visited and dived here in 1992 and started coming regularly in the late 1990s, bringing out my first groups of underwater photographers to dive in 2003,” he said.
“In September 2004, I was here to photograph coral spawning and just a few days after the spawn we were in the hurricane shelter in Gun Bay during [Hurricane] Ivan.
“That experience further strengthened my ties to the island. I’ve brought one or two groups down each year since.
“My own photos from the Cayman Islands have been on many magazine covers and have won me awards in major photo contests like Wildlife Photographer of the Year.”
He said the “clear waters and perfect diving conditions” make Cayman ideal for mastering the techniques of underwater photography.
“The dive centres are world class and Grand Cayman has first-class infrastructure on so many fronts,” he said.
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