Rafael Fernandez Caballero has been named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022 for his image of five whale sharks feeding together in the Maldives.
RAFAEL FERNANDEZ CABALLERO/UPY2022
In his picture, Dancing with the Giants of the Night, the whale sharks are seen feeding on nocturnal plankton gathered around the lights of a boat.
"It was incredible when one whale shark came to our boat - but more and more kept arriving," Mr Caballero, from Spain, says.
"I was diving with shark researcher Gador Muntaner, who couldn't believe it as their numbers grew.
"He counted 11 sharks that night - a once-in-a-lifetime encounter that nobody thought was possible."
The picture came first out of 4,200 images from 71 countries.
Judge Alex Mustard says: "Photography needs light - and simply recording these giants in a dark ocean is a massive achievement..
"To do this with such beautiful light and careful composition of the five sharks is outstanding.
"Restriction on travel over the last year may have stopped many photographers visiting their favourite waters - but it hasn't stifled their creativity."
The annual competition, founded in 1965 in the UK, celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools.
Matty Smith, now living in Australia, was named British Underwater Photographer of the Year for a portrait of a great white shark in the Neptune Islands, South Australia.
The image, Great White Split, was produced with a dome around the camera, a carbon pole and a remote trigger to give it the striking perspective.
"I designed and constructed my own equipment to get the camera exactly where I wanted," Smith says.
"Surprisingly, the sharks were instantly attracted to the camera
"In fact, it was a battle to stop them biting it."
Other category winners discuss their work below.
See the posted article by the BBC for the rest of these amazing pics. at:
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