Photo of dolphin smiling in the Amazon wins world photography competition

The photograph of a pink river dolphin taken in the Amazon took first place in the “Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023”. This award highlights the best photographers underwater world. The image of pink dolphin smiling was taken by the American photographer Kat Zhou and the photograph was named “Enchanted Boto”.

Underwater Photographer Of The Year 2023 winning image

The photo was taken during an evening. Neither the river nor the Brazilian city where the photo was taken were disclosed.

In the image, the animal appears with a part of its beak out of the water and practically gives a “smile” to the camera, creating the perfect opportunity for Kat to take the photo.

The American Kat Zhou, said the following: "This dolphin gave me a perfect pose and smile."

Kat Zhou also pointed out that the pink dolphin species is threatened with extinction and even remembered the famous legend of Brazilian folklore, which says that the pink river dolphin turns into a very handsome and flirtatious man at the night.

The photographer who captured the image of the pink dolphin said: "Although locals generally revere these dolphins as creatures of legend, with magical powers, if we continue on the current path of environmental destruction in the Amazon, I fear they will really become nothing more than human beings. mythical”.

The image of the Brazilian pink river dolphin won more than 6 thousand images that were sent from 72 countries. The photograph was considered by the contest judges as the best photo they have ever seen of a pink river dolphin, within the contest.

Another contest winner

Another photograph that also won the Underwater Photographer Of The Year 2023, was the sad image of a humpback whale slowly dying, with its tail trapped in ropes and a buoy. The image of the whale won the “Marine Conservation” category, from the Save Our Seas Foundation.

Spanish photographer Álvaro Herrero, who captured the sad image of the whale, had this to say about his photograph: “Taking this photograph was the saddest moment I have ever had. I experienced it in the ocean", "But I'm at least happy to be able to capture this moment and now be able to share it with the world and hopefully drive some real change", he stated.