FIRST PLACE & OVERALL COMPETITION WINNER
WILDLIFE & UNDER WATER
Let Me Out
WEXFORD HARBOUR QUAYFRONT, CO. WEXFORD
"A regular talking point with people getting their "5k" exercise on Wexford’s Marina during lockdown in 2021 was this Otter. I was there most days each week over a 6-week period, and this shot with a shore crab in his mouth was one of my better photo's."
PHOTOGRAPHER DECLAN ROCHE
SECOND PLACE
WILDLIFE & UNDER WATER
Compass by Cave Light
DONEGAL POINT CAVE, KILKEE, CO. CLARE
"I asked my club mates if I could enter the cave at Donegal Point first, to setup and photograph them as they entered the cave from the east side. I setup just inside the entrance just under the surface to take advantage of the light and waited. One by one they all followed Ger Haugh into the depths of the Cave - into the darkest place. - with no hope of lighting them up. I noticed this large Compass jelly in the perfect spot and framed the shot against the cave wall instead."
PHOTOGRAPHER MIKE ORTH
THIRD PLACE
WILDLIFE & UNDER WATER
Birds of a Feather
IRELAND'S EYE, CO. DUBLIN
"A friend and I set off on a summer afternoon in a boat to see if we could get photos of some of the fabulous wildlife to be seen around the Howth coastal area. We went around the back of Ireland's Eye and I was lucky enough to see five cormorants standing in a line, all facing the same way on top of a large rock near the island. With the motion of the boat and the distance we were away from the rock, it was a miracle that the photo came out as well as it did."
PHOTOGRAPHER CONOR O'BRIEN
Breaching Common Dolphin
REEN PIER, UNION HALL, CO. CORK
"Common dolphins love to play and this photo captures the breaching aspect of their behaviour perfectly. The dolphin was racing toward the boat to bow ride and I managed to capture it at the height of its breach. The photo captures the energy involved in the breach. The tail is still flexed after the animal has used it to explode clear of the water and the splash as it exits adds to the energetic feeling of the photo."
PHOTOGRAPHER DAN LETTICE
My Bubble
BARLOGUE, BALTIMORE, CO. CORK
"This was the first dive in 2020 that I could organize for Cork Sub Aqua Club away from our local waters. A brisk cold morning with clear skies in Baltimore Barlogue Pier where all divers were taking extra care to ensure best practice for Covid19 pre-cautions. With that in mind seeing this small fish hiding inside the jelly dome instead of outside the dome really brought home how Covid19 was affecting so many."
PHOTOGRAPHER DEREK BOLTON
Gannets and the Skelligs
SKELLIG ISLANDS, CO. KERRY
"On a boat trip to the Skellig Islands in July 2021, the legendary cliff faces were blanketed by thousands of Gannets. The seabirds were everywhere - nesting, flying, fishing. They certainly put on a show. Little Skellig is home to the second largest colony of Gannets in the world, and it was certainly evident that day."
PHOTOGRAPHER GARY IBBOTSON
Caught on the Hop
SLOBLANDS, CO. WEXFORD
"I’ve wanted to get a shot of this beautiful speckled bush cricket for two years and after much searching finally got a shot. Many people don’t even know this magnificent tiny little creature exists."
PHOTOGRAPHER GRAHAM MURPHY
You Can't See Me
MALINBEG BAY, MALINBEG, CO. DONEGAL
"This photograph was taken during a night dive, I noticed a scorpionfish was in the seaweed. Shining my touch at it, scorpionfish became curious and slowly moved towards me. This helped me capture this photo."
PHOTOGRAPHER MAJA STANKOVSKI
Kingfisher
DODDER RIVER, RATHFARNHAM, CO. DUBLIN
"I am very grateful to this beautiful kingfisher. For much of the lockdown period, he appeared regularly to fish at a location on the Dodder within my 5k. Using a 150-600mm lens, I could photograph unobtrusively from a distance using a fast shutter speed like 1600th of a second to capture his incredible speed and agility."
PHOTOGRAPHER ROBBIE O'LEARY
