Breathtaking images of Underwater Photographer of the Year. Check out the winner!

'Boto encantado' by Kat Zhou (United States)

Thanking the organisation for recognising her photograph as the winner of the year 2023, Zhou shared her experience of clicking pictures of Amazon River dolphins. 

She said that the biggest challenge she faced was the darkness of the water, she said that it was like taking pictures in a 'black tea.' Zhou said that as she was not able to see anything, she was shooting totally blind but also had strokes at their highest. She was clicking pictures every second or two.

"These dolphins are endangered, so it was a great experience to get to see them up this close. There are only six acent speciies of river dolphins around the world. All other are either engandered or crticially endangered."

River dolphins are mainly threatened by mercury pollution.

(Image courtesy: underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com)

'The swarm' by Ollie Clarke (Australia)

"I've been dreaming of this for years, I still can't believe it."

Clarke told that he took the photograph at Ningaloo Reef in Australia where he works as a whale shark photographer. 

This moment was special because this whale shark was surrounded by a huge ball of fish swirling fishes."

"I knew I won't be getting many shots. This was it."

(Image courtesy: underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com)

'An island's wild seas' by Theo Vickers (United Kingdom)

Expressing his gratitude for the award, Theo said that he captured his photograph at the Isle of Wight while exploring the chalk reefs of the needles of the marine conservative zone.

"On that evening, conditions were absolutely perfect, amazing visibilty and fantastic natural lightning coming down through the forest."

(Image courtesy: underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com)

'Hopeless' by Alvaro Herrero (Mekan) (Spain)

"This is a very difficult photograph for me because it had two very clear sides. The first one is said, ist the saddest moment I have lived in the ocean and probably of my life too. I spent two or three days without sleeping after caputring that photograph. Its sad becuase seeing a whale was dying especially after spending so much time with me."

On the other hand, it was happy that I will be able to show the world what we're doing to our planet and oceans, what we won't do to ourselves."

(Image courtesy: underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com)

'Fade' by J. Gregory Sherman (United States)

"My dive partner and I chartered a boat to arrive at Stingray City on Grand Cayman before dawn so as to capture the morning light and undisturbed sand ripples. Just as the sun broke the horizon, a line of southern stingrays headed straight for me and I captured this image as they glided across the sand," Sherman said. 

(Image courtesy: underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com)

 'Unsung' by Shane Gross (Canada)

"Walking along a rocky shoreline we would peer under rocks using a probe lens and my camera's LCD screen to check for plainfin midshipman nests. Once found I would lay on top of the barnacle-covered rocks, cutting my elbows, trying to compose images of fish most people have never heard of despite having one of the most interesting lifecycles of any animal. Plainfin midshipman are deep water fish that travel to the intertidal zone to spawn. The males sing to attract females and she will lay as many eggs as his singing deserves before moving on to the next singer. Now, the male has a chance to fertilize the eggs, but only if he is not beaten to the punch by a sneaker male who looks like a female. The singer male will then guard the nest never knowing the kids may not be his. Drama!" underwaterphographer reported. 

(Image courtesy: underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com)