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Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

The world’s best underwater photographs of 2010: Our World Underwater and Deep Indonesia

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

This picture gallery showcases some of the year’s best underwater photography as chosen by the judges of two major competitions – the Our World Under Water competition and the fourth annual Deep Indonesia International underwater photo competition. Prizes for the events were worth over $120,000 (£74,000). The two competitions attracted over 5,000 entries and winners were picked from 20 countries across the world. Underwater Sadness" by Ramon Dominguez – a sea turtle caught in a net in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

A lonely diver traversing a cavernous underwater crack scooped the 2010 Deep Indonesia photography competition. The picture was taken by 45-year-old professional photographer Magnus Lundgren from Sweden as he was guided though the fissure in Thingvellir Lake, Iceland.

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

Stephen Holinski of Canada took Gold in the compact cameras category for his picture of a mantis shrimp with eggs

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

Briton, John Hill, took the Silver award in the compact cameras category for his action-packed image taken from the heart of a school of silver coated jackfish. An amateur underwater photographer, he was diving off Sipadan Island in East Borneo, Malaysia during September 2009 as part of a year he spent travelling south-east Asia with his girlfriend, Jenny. Luckily for John his prize was a week eco-diving in Monado, Indonesia, so he will be heading back to south-east Asia in May 2011.

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

Other award winning pictures included a dramatic picture of a leopard seal snapping its jaws directly at the lens of Bartosz Strozynski, landing him the gold award for animal behaviour. "I was playing with the seal," said 35 year-old Bartosz from Poznan in Poland. "They are curious and they do try to test you in the water. This one saw his reflection in my lens and must have thought I was another leopard seal. So she displayed her teeth as a warning."

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

David Barrio, 37, from Spain won Best in Show in the Our World Underwater competition for this haunting image of his girlfriend slowly rising through a cabin of a deep sea wreck off the coast of southern Gran Canaria.

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

Luc Eeckhaut of Belgium won Gold in the Macro Unrestricted category for his image, "Froggy and Shrimpfish", showing a frogfish and some shrimpfish in Indonesia

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

The competitions threw up other gems such as this picture by Lazaro Ruda of the United States, showing a male sea horse moments after he gave birth to his first born

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Inner Glow" by Ross Gudgeon – a jellyfish in Ningaloo Reef, Australia.

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Thanks to Keri" by Michele Davino – a juvenile flying fish in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Struggle for freedom" by Karel Bernard – herring inside a net in the Baltic Sea

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Leopard on ice" by Jonas Thormar – a leopard seal in Antarctic Peninsula

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

A stargazer in Blue Heron Bridge, Florida, by Keri Wilk

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Hitting Sailfish" by Alexander Safonov – a sailfish attacking schooling fish in Port St Johns, South Africa

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Multitude" by Acevedo Eduardo – schooling catfish in Indonesia

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

Sand Tiger shark in a school of fish in North Carolina, by Jeremy Kozman

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

Lion fish with schooling glassfish in Red Sea, Egypt, by Amir Stern

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Reflection" by Yigal Aharoni – lion fish in Red Sea, Egypt

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans) in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia, by Francesco De Marchi

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Women profile" by Adriano Morettin – soft coral and schooling bait fish under a pier in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"The boss and the gang" by Tamas Szabo – a lemon shark with pilot fish in Red Sea, Egypt

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Schooling Jacks" by Maria Rivarola – a diver and schooling jackfish in Indonesia

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Blue Eyes" by Michael McEvoy – a moray eel in Indonesia

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

A cowshark in Cape Town, South Africa, by Dennis Vandermeersch

Best Underwater Photographs Of 2010

"Untitled" by Jose Alejandro Alvarez – sweetlips in unspecified location

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