Sand Landing Cynthia Ariosta Into The Wild-1.jpg
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Sand Landing Cynthia Ariosta Into The Wild-1.jpg
26-03-24_7R41324.jpeg
26-03-25_7R41423.jpeg

Sandy Landing

from $850.00

Limited Edition of 25 per size

In Little Cayman, the sandy stretches between the shoreline reef and the famous Bloody Bay Wall are home to the southern sting ray. These foraging rays glide across the sand seeking out tasty crustaceans, worms and other prey. They spray water from their mouth and flap their fins vigorously to disturb the bottom and uncover hidden prey. Their wave-like locomotion often makes them look like aircraft as they settle into the sand.

How I got this shot: My dive buddy and I had been tracking this large sting ray for quite some time, waiting for it to settle and dig into the sand to suction its prey. While young sting rays can be quite flighty, the older ones are accustomed to divers in their habitat and are undisturbed by our presence. We took turns photographing the ray in leap-frog fashion, as it maneuvered around in the sand. It settled down several times, sucking up prey, then moving on. As it slowed down to start digging, I glided in front of it, far enough away to allow it space to forage, close enough for the strobes to light the foreground. It came in for a perfect symmetrical landing, like a jet landing on the tarmac.

Size:
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Limited Edition of 25 per size

In Little Cayman, the sandy stretches between the shoreline reef and the famous Bloody Bay Wall are home to the southern sting ray. These foraging rays glide across the sand seeking out tasty crustaceans, worms and other prey. They spray water from their mouth and flap their fins vigorously to disturb the bottom and uncover hidden prey. Their wave-like locomotion often makes them look like aircraft as they settle into the sand.

How I got this shot: My dive buddy and I had been tracking this large sting ray for quite some time, waiting for it to settle and dig into the sand to suction its prey. While young sting rays can be quite flighty, the older ones are accustomed to divers in their habitat and are undisturbed by our presence. We took turns photographing the ray in leap-frog fashion, as it maneuvered around in the sand. It settled down several times, sucking up prey, then moving on. As it slowed down to start digging, I glided in front of it, far enough away to allow it space to forage, close enough for the strobes to light the foreground. It came in for a perfect symmetrical landing, like a jet landing on the tarmac.

All fine art prints are paired with polished acrylic for extra depth and a high-impact, radiant display. Prints come with french cleat hanging hardware for easy, stable way to mount your print to the wall and keep it level.

Additional Pelagic prints and custom sizes available. If you’d like to see more images of a certain species, or are interested in another size, please email me at cynthia@intothewildimagery.com for options.