HIGHLY COMMENDED

SHARK BALL: “The Sardine Run along South Africa’s east coast is considered one of nature’s most awesome spectacles. As seen during our winter months, it is normally the bottlenose dolphins that herd the sardines into big bait balls,” says photographer Geo Cloete of Big Bay, Cape Town. “But in 2013 [shark researchers] witnessed for the first time a massive number of sharks [herding] a ball all by themselves.”

The event was christened “Shark Ball”. Researchers estimate that 400-plus sharks were present, says Cloete. “For over an hour and a half I watched until the whole ball was devoured,” the photographer recalls.

The judges said: A fascinating picture that is well executed.