Picture exhibition

THE Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017 exhibition is on at the Chavonnes Battery Museum, Clock Tower, V&A Waterfront, from May 1 to September 30, sponsored by UPY London and ORMS.

There will be 50 intriguing images in 10 categories, three exclusively British Waters, with underwater behaviour and two new categories for Portrait and Compact;100 finalists were selected from 20 countries including South Africa, Mexico, Finland, Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan, Norway, Canada, France, Italy and the UK.

Your adventure starts with a Dancing Octopus in the lagoon of the island of Mayotte between Mozambique and Madagascar in the Indian Ocean secured Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017 for Gabriel Barathieu from France.

While further south along the South Africa coast at Port St John’s we get to see Dolphins Hunting on the annual Sardine Run. Awarded Highly Commended in the behaviour category taken by Greg Lecoeur from France while on holiday in SA last year.

British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017 and Runner Up in the British Waters: Wide Angle category was awarded to Nick Blake for his image Out of the Blue taken in the Kukulkan Cenote, one of the 7 000 underground caverns below the ruins of the Mayan Temples in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

Not far away, also in Mexico at the Los Islotes Espititu Santo, Baja California, Francis Perez from Spain captured Commended in the Portrait category for this heart warming picture Sea Lion playing with Starfish, in the Pacific Ocean.

Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017 and third in the Compact category was awarded to Nicholai Georgiou for the spectacular Orca Pod in Norway.

Close to the North Sea winning Commended in the British Waters: Wide Angle, Cy Sullivan offers an eerie insight into what lies below the waters we live so close to with Lodberry Jellyfish in Shetland.

Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017 and category winner takes us to the Red Sea, Egypt for the spectacular Oceanic in the sky by Horacio Martinez from Argentina.

The Underwater Photographer of the Year is a London-based annual competition that seeks to celebrate photography beneath the surface of the sea, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools. This year the competition saw 4 500 entries taken in 67 countries. Dale Dodgen Chavonnes Battery Museum