Divers make a splash at this year’s British Underwater Photography Championship
The British Underwater Photography Championship 2014 took place earlier this month in Portland, Dorset.
24 photographers took part in the annual competition which was held in Portland for the first time.
Competitors dived from boats supplied by Portland Marina-based Scimitar Diving, while some dived from Swanage Pier.
There were three main categories to enter: Marine Life, Mankind in the Sea and Compact Cameras. Each photographer had from midnight Friday until 6pm on Saturday to capture their winning shots.
Entries were submitted following a barbecue at the Harbour Lights.
A panel of judges featuring underwater photographers Dan Bolt, Gavin Parsons and Stuart Philpott selected the winners and runner-ups for each category.
A Humorous category was also featured in the competition, with the winner judged by the audience.
Cathy Lewis was declared the overall winner for her photo of a snakelocks anemone shrimp. She took the photo on her second dive of the day.
Cathy was also the winner of the Marine Life category with the same image. She was presented with the UnderWater Visions Trophy and a diving holiday in the Maldives among other prizes.
Terry Griffiths won the Mankind in the Sea category with an image of a diver. His entry was considered to be an ‘excellent example’, showing a diver with all his hoses neatly secured and rays of light in the background.
The Compact Cameras category was introduced for divers without expensive cameras. Colin Whyte’s image of a black-faced blenny won the category, and was taken using a Canon PowerShot G9.
The event was organised by the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP).
Formed in 1967, BSoUP has over 250 members and is the largest underwater photographic society in Britain.
Joss Woolf, chair of the BSoUP Committee, said those who took part really enjoyed the competition.
She said: “We loved the new venue.
“We thought it was time for a change. We just need more people.”
Force six winds on the day meant most divers were confined to Portland Harbour, but this didn’t stop those competing.
Joss added: “Someone can always pull something out of the bag. If people want to compete next year, check out our website bsoup.org.”
Main photo: Colin Whyte’s image of a black-faced blenny
Source: www.dorsetecho.co.uk
