Rafael Fernandez Caballero has been voted Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022 for his photograph of five whale sharks feasting in the Maldives.
The whale sharks are seen feasting on nocturnal plankton congregated around the lights of a boat in his photograph, Dancing with the Giants of the Night.
‘It was wonderful when one whale shark arrived to our boat - but more and more kept coming,’ adds Mr Caballero, who is from Spain.
‘I was diving with shark researcher Gador Muntaner, who couldn't believe it as the shark population expanded.’
‘That night, he counted 11 sharks - a once-in-a-lifetime encounter that no one thought was possible.’
The artwork came in first place out of 4,200 submissions from 71 nations.
According to Judge Alex Mustard: ‘Photography requires light, and even capturing these beasts in a dark ocean is a huge accomplishment.
‘It's incredible to produce this with such wonderful light and precise composition of the five sharks.
‘Travel restrictions over the last year may have prevented many photographers from accessing their favorite seas, but it hasn't hindered their creativity.’
The annual competition, founded in 1965 in the UK, celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools.
Matty Smith, now living in Australia, was named British Underwater Photographer of the Year for a portrait of a great white shark in the Neptune Islands, South Australia.
