In Photos: The Underwater Photographer of the Year

Wide Angle category winner

Gentle Giants by François Baelen (Reunion) taken off Saint-Gilles, Reunion Island

At the very end of the day, this humpback whale was resting 15 meters down and allowed me to free dive centimeters away from her tail. I told my friend I wanted him to be part of the shot, but didn’t need to ask the playful calf. He was very curious. From down there, the scene looked unreal and I’m glad that this photograph has captured this moment. Humpback whales are amazing and peaceful animals and I still can’t believe they are still being hunted by mankind today

Photograph: François Baelen/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

 

Wide Angle category runner-up

Curious Crabeater by Jessica Farrer (US) taken in Pleneau Bay, Antarctic Peninsula

As a biologist I have been working with seals for many years and traveling to the Antarctic since 2009. This is a photo from one of my favorite encounters. It was captured on a snowy dramatic day, the sky could not have been more perfect … There was a group of eight crab-eater seals cavorting around the bergs and they spent the better part of an hour spy hopping, splashing and circling around us. It was one of the most memorable experiences I have had with this species

Photograph: Jessica Farrer/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

 

Macro category winner

Fast cuttlefish by Fabio Iardino (Italy) in the Gulf of Trieste

In the first three months of the year I often go to the Gulf of Trieste in the north-east of Italy where I do night dives to take pictures of small cuttlefishes, more precisely of the species Sepiola sp … During the research I found this sepiola … Looking at his way of moving, I was reminded of the idea of trying to make a panning shot and to photograph the effect of the movement to give dynamism to the image. Using the slow sync flash technique … I managed to capture an image

Photograph: Fabio Iardino/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019