Cormorant apnea and a sea lion playing with a starfish: Izzotti's extraordinary photos awarded in India

"I was inside a huge ball of sardines when at one point, at a depth of ten meters, two freediving cormorants began to hunt the fish, trying to isolate the individuals from the uniform school, which fatally opened up as the two birds passed, creating an effect of surreal and enveloping wonder."

This is how photographer Andrea Izzotti recounts his shot "Cormorhunt," which won first place in the Birds category at the"WildSojourns Nature Awards" 2024 in Kolkata, India, in which more than 20 thousand shots participated. The photo was taken while diving in the waters of the Sea of Cortéz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, in what Jacques Cousteau called the world's aquarium for its extraordinary richness and unique biodiversity.

Izzotti also presented another extraordinary shot, titled"The offer," which ranked second in the underwater category: in the photo, he captures a young sea lion, or sea lion, approaching him carrying a starfish and - he explains - "inviting me to play." Taken during a dive in the same area of the Sea of Cortez, the photo - the photographer points out - "is an example of how, with proper care, one can approach animals in their natural environment. This colony of sea lions can be approached at certain times of the year when the pups are quite grown - the shot was taken in October - and they often interact with human visitors by carrying pieces of shells or coral branches and nibbling on parts of the diving equipment. It is a unique experience to play with these animals and watch their evolutions underwater."