Honorable Mention TOKYO-2019 Nature / Underwater

Dugong Encounter

  • Photographer
    Michele Hall
  • Agency / Studio
    Howard Hall Productions
  • Technical Info
    Shutter Speed 1/160, Iso 640, F5.6, Cropped Sensor; Shutter Speed 1/160, Iso 320, F10, Cropped Sens
  • Photo Date
    June 10, 2017; June 13, 2017

I photographed this dugong on the island of Aban Aban Island, Bushuanga in the Philippines. Remoras have a symbiotic relationship with dugongs, using the sucking disks on the top of their heads to attach to the large sea animals. They clean dugongs' skin of parasites. But when I saw and photographed this one, he seemed to be trying to rid himself of the small fish. I was also able to photograph cinematographers Howard Hall and Jonathan Bird as they captured digital cinema footage of the 6-foot long herbivorous marine mammal, which is related to manatee.