The Outdoor Photographer of the Year has once again featured incredible images from the underwater world in the “Under Exposed” category. The book of the very best entries of the year will be available in March, but we have a sneak preview of some of the underwater images that will be featured.

Under Exposed Category Winner: Saeed Rashid (United Kingdom) Sohal surgeonfish, Fury Shoals, Red Sea, Egypt

“In the summer months, sohal surgeonfish tend to mate and lay eggs on the top of the reefs in the Red Sea. They fiercely defend their egg patch and rush upon anything that invades that area. They will often swipe their tail, which has a bony protrusion sticking from it that can be as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, towards the intruder. Because of this you need to make sure you don’t get too close as a photographer’s hands make a very easy target and often get cut.”

Judge, Fergus Kennedy had the following to say about Saeed’s winning image “Saeed’s image shows beautiful use of the low-angled sunlight and fill flash from the strobes. These surgeonfish live in very shallow water and move fast, making them a tricky subject to photograph well. With the standard of entries in the Under Exposed category higher than ever, the judges had a challenging but enjoyable task on the hands. The images showcased both the remarkable variety of photographic opportunities to be found beneath the water’s surface and the creativity of today’s top underwater photographers.” 

Here are a few more of the stunning image to whet your appetite, from tiny snails to the largest fish in the sea.

Under Exposed finalist: Andy Tibbetts (United Kingdom) Violet sea snails, Isle of Eigg, Scotland.

“These amazing creatures spend their lives suspended under the sea’s surface from a raft of bubbles. They occur mainly in the tropics, but can travel large distances on ocean currents. These individuals had possibly come several thousand miles to the somewhat cooler waters of the Hebrides, only to be washed up in Laig Bay on the Isle of Eigg, where they were found by one of the islanders. I put them in a pint glass of seawater and photographed them up against the white walls of the local teashop, before returning them to the sea.”

Under Exposed finalist: Ibrahim Roushdi (United Kingdom) Whale shark, Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

“Every year, whale sharks congregate off the coast of Isla Mujeres in Mexico to feed on bonito spawn. On a remarkably calm day the sun’s rays were forming beautiful spotlights and it was a case of waiting for a whale shark to come up towards the surface ready to ‘bottle’ and then getting into a position so it was framed by the light.”

Under Exposed finalist: Pekka Tuuri (Finland) Great white shark, Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.

“Isla Guadalupe is the world capital when it comes to observing great white sharks, but cage diving seriously limits the possibilities to take ‘fresh’ pictures. When I took this, the water close to the surface was quite milky, making photography very challenging. From out of the ‘mist’, I saw this great white shark lurking behind a school of fusiliers. I quickly focused on the shark and set a wide aperture to get focus blur on the fish, along with a fast shutter to avoid excessive motion blur. No flash was used and that was 5 key to getting this picture.”