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Posted On: June 5th 2026, 02:50 pm
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My underwater portfolio is shortlisted for People’s Vote in the Nat Geo Traveller UK Photography Competition, and I thought I’d use this opportunity to share some of the stories behind these images, as I was told many of you find them just as fascinating as the photos themselves.
Of the four featured images here (from the ten submitted), two were taken in the cenotes of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. These freshwater sinkholes are unlike anything else I've experienced. There are hundreds of them, each with its own character, from cathedral-like enclosed caverns to mangrove-covered open-air channels, some with crystal clear water and others filled with fishes and lush underwater meadows.
The first image was taken in a cenote called Maravilla. It was a modest-looking "hole in the ground", which opens up to a large cave system underwater.
We were there for a freediving depth training session - of course, knowing the scenery would be beautiful, I also planned to do some fun diving and spontaneous shoot.
To capture this image, I had to take a breath, freedive down into the darkness, let my eyes adjust while I dive further into the cave under the limestone ceiling with stalactites (meaning I could not just pop up and surface if I need to as I'd just hit my head). This was a big challenge - even more psychologically than physically as my freediving skills were more than enough to handle it but mentally it felt very scary at the beginning.
Then when I felt I was far enough into the cave, still holding my breath and already starting to feel the first sign of urge to breathe, I had to turn around, frame, and wait for the freediver to come down in the light beam, praying they wouldn’t take too long.
And then of course I'd aim to come back out and up without blacking out (I survived).
This was overall quite a challenging shoot, but so satisfying and worthwhile when I saw the results!
Do let me know what you think and if you have any questions. I’ll share the stories for the other images another day.
Thank you to everyone who has voted so far. Voting is open while all finalists are displayed in the free open air exhibition at Granary Square in London until 12 July.
Of the four featured images here (from the ten submitted), two were taken in the cenotes of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. These freshwater sinkholes are unlike anything else I've experienced. There are hundreds of them, each with its own character, from cathedral-like enclosed caverns to mangrove-covered open-air channels, some with crystal clear water and others filled with fishes and lush underwater meadows.
The first image was taken in a cenote called Maravilla. It was a modest-looking "hole in the ground", which opens up to a large cave system underwater.
We were there for a freediving depth training session - of course, knowing the scenery would be beautiful, I also planned to do some fun diving and spontaneous shoot.
To capture this image, I had to take a breath, freedive down into the darkness, let my eyes adjust while I dive further into the cave under the limestone ceiling with stalactites (meaning I could not just pop up and surface if I need to as I'd just hit my head). This was a big challenge - even more psychologically than physically as my freediving skills were more than enough to handle it but mentally it felt very scary at the beginning.
Then when I felt I was far enough into the cave, still holding my breath and already starting to feel the first sign of urge to breathe, I had to turn around, frame, and wait for the freediver to come down in the light beam, praying they wouldn’t take too long.
And then of course I'd aim to come back out and up without blacking out (I survived).
This was overall quite a challenging shoot, but so satisfying and worthwhile when I saw the results!
Do let me know what you think and if you have any questions. I’ll share the stories for the other images another day.
Thank you to everyone who has voted so far. Voting is open while all finalists are displayed in the free open air exhibition at Granary Square in London until 12 July.
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