blank out the Grammys and the BAFTA Awards – the winners of the2017 Underwater lensman of the Yearhave just been announced , showcasing some of the ripe photography you ’ll see from below the water ’s surface .
Since their first competition in 1965 , this year has been the prominent and best yet , with 4,500 lensman entering from 67 dissimilar countries .
The standard of entries this year " have decidedly buy the farm up another appurtenance , ” said Peter Rowlands , chairman of the judges . “ From my own point of view , I have been enchant not only by the winning images but also by the narration behind how those image were achieved . ”
victor of the British Underwater lensman of the Year 2017 goes to Nick Blake from Dublin , Ireland , for his perspective - bending photo ( above ) “ Out Of The Blue , ” taken in a freshwater swallow hole in Mexico known as Chac Mool Cenote .
The grand victor was French diver Gabriel Barathieu for his photograph “ Dancing Octopus ” ( below ) , shoot in the shallow pee around the small island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean . He managed to wow the Book of Judges with his technological artistry , simplicity , and clear characterisation of the animal .
© Gabriel Barathieu / UPY2017
“ Both balletic and malevolent , this paradigm shows an octopus that really means concern as it hunts . The way it act is so dissimilar from any predator on ground , this truly could be an alien from another world , ” commented competition judge Alex Mustard . “It was taken in knee - rich water , show that underwater photography is open to anyone who is prepared to dip their toe in the water . ”
There are 10 categories in total , each expose a different facet of the deep blue ocean or the art of wildlife photography . The whole lot are uncommitted to view on theUnderwater Photographer of the Year website , but here are a blue-ribbon few to get you started :
