Photo credit: 'Star Attraction' - © Jenny Stock/UPY2024
Britain’s cool, temperate seas have been revealed in all their beauty thanks to this year’s winners of the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.
The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the UK and Jenny Stock was named as British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 for her image ‘Star Attraction’, which finds beauty in species of British wildlife that are often overlooked.
Exploring the west coast of Scotland, Jenny explained:
In the dark green depths my torch picked out the vivid colours of a living carpet of thousands of brittle stars, each with a different pattern. I was happily snapping away, when I spotted this purple sea urchin and I got really excited.
Global competition winner
A stunning and emotive photograph showing a freediver examining the aftermath of whaling made Alex Dawson from Sweden overall winner of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024. Dawson’s photograph ‘Whale Bones’ triumphed over 6,500 underwater pictures entered by underwater photographers from around the world.
UK winning photographs highlight beauty of British waters
BSAC member Sandra Stalker took the accolade for Most Promising British Underwater Photographer 2024 for her image 'Midnight raver', while SCUBA Magazine columnist Kirsty Andrews won in several shortlists, including the British Waters Living Together and British Waters Wide Angle categories.
You can view the complete list of award winners on the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 website.
Here’s a selection of some of the winning images which showcase the best of UK scuba diving:
