Ever wondered what marine life we have in Dublin Bay? These stunning underwater images will blow you away.
While many of us can enjoy the wildlife in the Dublin Bay area, only a few have experienced it from an underwater viewpoint.
The Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere partnership and the Irish Underwater Council want to raise awareness of our precious marine life and ran an underwater photography competition to encourage photographers to share their Dublin Bay images.
Leslie Moore, chairman of the Dublin Bay Biosphere Partnership, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Irish Underwater Council to promote awareness of the marine environment and its biodiversity. We were very impressed with all the entrants and the very high standards that the underwater photographers have produced and the diverse range of life exhibited in the UNESCO Dublin Bay Biosphere."
The winners announced on Friday, May 4, were:
1. Best photograph of a crustacean/echinoderm – 1st place ‘Oldest Lobster in the Bay’ by Nigel Motyer; 2nd place ‘Brittlestars in Dalkey Sound’ by Dave Wall; 3rd place ‘Velvet crabs’ by Padraig Keane.
2. Best photograph of a sponge/cnidarian/sea squirt – 1st place ‘Sunlit Jelly’ by Nigel Motyer; 2nd place ‘Dahlia Anemone’ by Fintan Keating; 3rd place ‘Dahlia Anemone’ by Cathy Davis.
3. Best photograph of a worm/mollusc – 1st place ‘Octopus at Night’ by Nigel Motyer; 2nd place ‘Nudis’ by Maja Stankovski; 3rd place ‘Octopus at Night’ by Sarah Tallon.
4. Best photograph of a fish or mammal – 1st place ‘Dalkey Seal’ by Nigel Motyer; 2nd place ‘Seal Pup’ by Nigel Motyer; 3rd place ‘Tom’ by Cathy Davis.
5. Best photograph of ‘Spotted in Dublin Bay’ – 1st place ‘BYOB Dalkey Sound’ by Andrew Keegan; 2nd place ‘Camoflague’ by Cathy Davis; 3rd place ‘Strictly Come Dancing Red Velvet Crabs’ by Brendan Moran.
6. Best compact camera or action camera image – 1st place ‘Goldsinny Wrasse’ by Damien McGuirk; 2nd place ‘Prawns’ by Brendan Moran; 3rd place ‘Blue-Ray Limpets’ by Ciarán Smyth.
Biospheres are internationally recognised as special places for people and nature. In 2015, UNESCO designated Dublin Bay as a Biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife.
The Dublin Bay Biosphere Partnership includes Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Dublin Port Company, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Fáilte Ireland.
To find out more about the Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere, visit www.dublinbaybiosphere.ie. Entries will be on display for the public to enjoy. Click on the selection of winning images below.
