Arzucan Askin
Passenger in the Gill
Remora rides in a tiger shark’s gills, Maldives, 2025
Category - Ocean
Most people see a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) and notice its teeth, stripes, and strength. I try to capture the details of predators others might miss – the hidden worlds that reveal themselves when you look more closely. In this photo, a remora (Echeneidae) rests tucked inside the shark’s gills, a silent passenger carried through the open ocean. The survival of this little fish depends not on power, but on subtlety, patience, and perfect adaptation alongside one of the sea’s most formidable predators. In this quiet partnership, the shark glides with calm authority, largely unaware of its companion, while the remora thrives, feeding on scraps and hitching a ride among the currents off the island of Fuvammulah in the far south of the Maldives.
HONOURABLE MENTION
65 mm f/2.8 Lens - 1/800 sec at f/10 ISO 400