Por el Planeta interviewed this year’s People’s Choice Award winner and underwater photographer, Luis Javier Sandoval. In the interview, Sandoval explains how he captured the winning shot and his inspiration to become an underwater photographer.

“The cormorants began to hunt sardines underwater while I tried to chase them, which was useless because they are surprisingly quick and skillful underwater,” Javier wrote about his experience to capture the image above. “I discovered an area where they repeatedly swam regularly and in a somewhat predictable manner, so I made myself comfortable behind a group of rocks near the place, trying to capture an image of the birds hunting. After a while, I started to earn the trust of these curious cormorants and theses were starting to get curious about my camera. There came a point where even one of them took a bite on the cover of my gear!”

Luis Javier Sandoval took home the people’s choice award and $10,000 US. He is a professional underwater photographer based out of Cancun.

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