Now in its fourth year, the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition attracts thousands of entries from scores of countries. A humpback, seals, a tiger cardinal fish, a battleship, sharks and whales – all these photos will give you the information you need about the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019.

Check them out for more information and start to see our world through photos!

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

Macro category runner-up

Inside the eggs by Flavio Vailati (Italy) in Anilao, Philippines

I went to the Philippines to photograph these critters. I had already seen this nudibranch on these eggs but to make this shot I had to wait for it to position itself in the point that I had imagined. While I was waiting I prepared the snoot on my flash and my additional lens. I had only one shot because although slow, it moved quickly enough!

Photograph: Flavio Vailati/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Macro category third

Tiger Wave by Henley Spiers (Philippines) in Anilao, Philippines

The face of a tiger cardinal fish, open-mouthed, with sharp teeth protruding, and eggs within, is captured within a wave of blue. Cardinal fish are famous mouth-brooders, with the male responsible for guarding the eggs until they are ready to hatch. I have long been fascinated by this behavior and spent three dives with this particular individual, slowly earning sufficient trust to allow me the intimacy to capture this image in close confines

Photograph: Henley Spiers/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Wrecks category winner

Big Guns by René B. Andersen (Denmark) off Malin Head, Ireland

HMS Audacious, which lies at 64 meters off Malin Head, was a dreadnought battleship which struck a mine in 1914. After she capsized, the shell magazine exploded and she sank. I used a tripod and 3 Big Blue video lights to illuminate the turret with the majestic 13.5-inch guns and myself as the model … It took some time before achieving this shot and at 64 meters, the clock ticks fast. That is the challenge with deep-wreck photography

Photograph: Rene’ B Andersen/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Wrecks category runner-up

Wreck of the Chrisoula K by Tobias Friedrich (Germany) in Abu Nuhas Egypt

Because the bow sections of the Chrisoula K wreck in the Red Sea are too big to be taken in one image, my idea was to create a panoramic view from multiple images and merge them together to one big panorama to get a nice view of the whole wreck from that perspective

Photograph: Tobias Friedrich/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Behaviour category winner

The Gauntlet by Richard Barnden (UK) in Fakarava South Pass, French Polynesia

The estimated 700 sharks that patrol the mouth of the Fakarava South Pass begin to hunt at night … This unlucky parrotfish dodged in and out of the patch coral heads looking for somewhere to hide … In desperation it hurtled straight towards me as I snapped a few passing shots and curled up into a ball as the frenzy of sharks shot past, leaving only but a few falling parrotfish scales behind.

Photograph: Richard Barnden/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Behaviour category runner-up

The Heat Run by Scott Portelli (Australia) in Vavau, Tonga

The heat run is the ultimate wildlife encounter, multiple whales competing for a female, the chase can last for hours or even days. Often many dolphin species are found moving with the humpback groups … On this day we jumped in with this group of 16 whales and 50 dolphins moving at high speed, trying to position ourselves in the right place to capture something amazing that not many people have experienced. It was truly heart-thumping and adrenaline-pumping action to be a part of.

Photograph: Scott Portelli/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Behaviour category third

On the summit by Fu Liang (China)in Lembeh, Indonesia

The photo was taken in Lembeh Indonesia. The snake eel with a magnificent cleaning shrimp hanging around on it. My goal is to use strong shadow to empower the interactive behavior between snake eel and cleaning shrimp. So I shot vertically to let the subject fill the frame. I used one snoot to lighting up the eye, and another snoot with a side-back light on the shrimp to sketch the shape of the sneak eel.

Photograph: Liang Fu/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Portrait category winner

Fly high and smile by Nicholas Samaras ( Greece) in Stratoni, Chalkidiki peninsula, northern Greece

Abandoned by swimmers and divers for many years because of the gold mine just on the edge of the gulf, I visited Stratoni three times in August 2018 for a seahorse project. On my last visit I was planning to create a group photo of seahorses, when a small ray appeared on the scene. I managed to swim with him and place my camera underneath to capture a portrait of his belly with the mouth and nose looking like a smiling happy angel’s face.

Photograph: Nicholas Samaras/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019

Portrait category runner-up

Oh no, Godzilla by Bruce Sudweeks (US) in Cabo Douglas, Galapagos, Ecuador

The Galapagos islands are the only place on the planet that you can see marine iguanas in their natural habitat. This photo looks like the fictional character Godzilla smiling before starting some mischief.

Photograph: Bruce Sudweeks/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019