We are incredibly proud to announce a monumental achievement by DIVEVOLK Brand Ambassador, Wu Zhengjie (also known as "Wai Jie"). At the prestigious vivo VISION+ Grand Ceremony, Wu’s breathtaking underwater photograph, titled "Spaceship," was awarded the competition's highest honor: "Best of the Year."
In a field filled with entries from highly respected veteran photographers, Wu's victory is a powerful statement. It's a testament not only to his unique artistic vision and years of dedication but also to the incredible creative potential of smartphone underwater photography when paired with the right tools.
The Photographer's Quest for the Unseen
A self-taught photographer, Wu Zhengjie’s passion was ignited 12 years ago by a spectacular sunrise. This moment sparked a lifelong journey to capture the "unseen" wonders of the natural world—the cosmos above a volcano, lightning striking over ancient temples, the ethereal glow of moonlight on a frozen landscape. His work is defined by a deep curiosity and a profound reverence for nature.
"Every time I shoot, I feel like I'm in a dialogue with nature," Wu explains, "trying to get closer to that world that is 'unseen but truly exists'."
Wu's passion extends to capturing all of nature's powerful, unseen moments.
From Land to Sea: A New World to Explore
In 2017, Wu became a certified diver to explore the 71% of our planet that lies beneath the waves. This transition brought new challenges. His search for a reliable and versatile underwater housing for professional smartphone photography led him to DIVEVOLK in March 2022.
"Before DIVEVOLK, I used button-operated housings," Wu recalls. "But they greatly limited the phone's photographic performance and I couldn't achieve the creative shots I needed. DIVEVOLK's patented full touchscreen structure allows me to operate my phone underwater just like on land, unlocking all its functions, including the professional modes I rely on. To this day, every time I shoot a sample for a smartphone brand, I use a DIVEVOLK full touchscreen housing."
The Blackwater Challenge: Capturing "Spaceship"
The award-winning photo was the result of a new and formidable challenge Wu undertook in February 2025: blackwater photography in Anilao, Philippines. This highly difficult genre involves diving in the open ocean at night to photograph the transparent, often microscopic planktonic creatures that migrate from the deep.
"It's the most difficult subject I've ever shot," says Wu. "You're in a pitch-black sea, searching for floating, transparent life. It's an incredibly quiet environment, with only the sound of your own breathing and the tiny creatures that occasionally appear in your focus light."
A selection of the otherworldly blackwater creatures captured by Wu with his vivo phone and DIVEVOLK housing.
Using a vivo X200 Pro and his DIVEVOLK SeaTouch 4 Max, he captured his winning image. The "Spaceship" is a Salp, a gelatinous marine organism. In the photo, it resembles an ecological drifting station, its transparent body containing passengers and alien-like structures, navigating silently through the dark sea. The deep-sea plankton in the background sparkle like distant stars, giving the image its cosmic name.
The Award-Winning Photo: "Spaceship" by Wu Zhengjie.
The DIVEVOLK Advantage: Technology for Artistry
Capturing "Spaceship" would have been nearly impossible with a button-operated housing. The extreme low-light, high-contrast blackwater environment demands absolute control. The DIVEVOLK housing's full touchscreen functionality was the key to success. It allowed Wu to:
- Precisely Tap-to-Focus on the tiny, moving subject.
- Lock Exposure and Manually Adjust EV (Exposure Value) on the fly to render the background a perfect, deep black while correctly illuminating the delicate, transparent creature with his light.
This level of control is what separates a snapshot from a masterpiece, and it's a core advantage of the DIVEVOLK system.
A Well-Deserved Recognition
Wu Zhengjie's "Best of the Year" award is a celebration of his unique talent, his adventurous spirit, and his profound connection with the natural world. On behalf of the entire DIVEVOLK team, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to him for this incredible and well-deserved honor.
His victory is also a landmark achievement for the entire smartphone underwater photography community, proving that with passion, skill, and the right tools, the creative possibilities are truly limitless. We are immensely proud to be the gear that enables such extraordinary artists to bring their visions to life.
Explore the housing that helped capture this award-winning shot.
Discover the DIVEVOLK SeaTouch 4 Max
