The winners of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018

A panoramic photograph of British World War Two military vehicles deep inside a shipwreck sees German photographer Tobias Friedrich named as Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018.

Friedrich’s photograph, taken off the coast of Ras Mohammed in Egypt, triumphed over 5,000 underwater pictures entered by photographers from across the world.

Tobias Friedrich/UPY 2018 Motorcycles inside the SS Thistlegorm.

‘Cycle War’ was taken in Egypt and shows Norton 16H motorbikes loaded in the SS Thistlegorm, with soldierfish schooling above.

“I’ve had this image in mind for a few years, but it is impossible to capture in one photo, because there is not space inside the wreck to photograph this scene in a single frame,” explains Friedrich. “My solution was take a series of pictures and stitch them together as a panorama.”

Chair of the judges, Peter Rowlands, added: “This is a quite extraordinary shot which must be viewed as large as possible. The artistic skill is in visualising such an image, and the photographic talent is in achieving it.”

Grant Thomas won the title of British Underwater Photographer of the Year. His image of swans, titled ‘Love Birds’, was taken in Scotland’s Loch Lomond.

Waiting in the waters of the lake, Thomas’s patience paid off. “The swans were searching for food. I just had to wait for that perfect moment of synchronicity.”

Grant Thomas/UPY 2018 Two swans feeding under the lake water.

The competition had 11 categories, testing photographers with themes such as Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour and Wreck Photography, as well as three categories for photos taken in British waters.