Circle of lifeAlex Mustard, UKNikon D850 + 28–70mm f3.5–4.5 lens...

Circle of life

Alex Mustard, UK

Nikon D850 + 28–70mm f3.5–4.5 lens at 31mm + Nauticam Wide Angle Conversion Port; 1/60 sec at f11; ISO 500; Subal housing; two Seacam Seaflash 150D strobes

In the clear water of the Red Sea, a shoal of bigeye trevally circle 80 feet down at the edge of the reef. For the past 20 years Alex has travelled here, to Ras Mohammad—a national park at the tip of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula—to photograph the summer-spawning aggregations of reef fish. This time, it was the high numbers of bigeye trevally. Their circling behavior is a dating exercise prior to pairing up, though it also deters predators. Alex captured the shape of the shoal against the deep blue water below, the iridescent angled fish reflecting the light from the sun and his strobes.

See more beautiful pictures:

• The best wildlife photos of the year remind us that nature is amazing—and brutal (Popular Science)

-   Wildlife Photographer of the Year (The Natural History Museum)