An image of a seemingly smiling octopus encountered in a Highland loch has earned recognition for the photographer who ventured deep below the water’s surface and was carried along by a rapid for the shot.
The photograph - Curled octopus (Eledone cirrhosa) with soft coral - was taken in Loch Carron near Plockton, Wester Ross, and won photographer Simon Temple the runner up prize in the British Waters Wide Angle category at in prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 awards, which are considered the best in the world.
Several images depicting the underwater world off the Scottish coastline were honoured.
Mr Temple said his encounters with octopuses in the UK were “usually unplanned” with this award-winning meeting no exception. He took the shot in early May with poor visibility and a plan to drift along the reef with the flood tide to capture what he could among the soft corals. Midway through the dive, the current unexpectedly surged turning the drift into a “rapid ride”.
“Then I saw it: an octopus perched high on the reef wall. I kicked hard against the current, raising my camera as it observed me calmly,” Mr Temple said.
He added: “The tide was relentless, and I managed only four shots before it pulled me away. As I drifted, I glanced back for one last look. The octopus remained, seemingly unfazed by our encounter, but out of range.”
An image taken in Loch Fyne, Argyll, led to photographer James Lynott taking the runner up prize in the British Waters Macro category at the awards.
Mr Lynott took the image on a “wonderful night dive” at the loch, a site known for being home to many beautiful firework anemones at shallow depths. An old pipe covered in concrete blocks also sustains much life below the water’s surface - including the squat lobster.
Mr Lynott said: “These squat lobsters are usually found clinging upside down on boulders/overhangs and disappear the instant the camera shutter is pressed.
“However, on this night dive they were wandering about in the open and didn’t seem to mind having a few pictures taken. These squat lobsters show the brightest fluorescence I have seen in crustaceans and I was really pleased on this dive to be able to capture the whole animal in frame.”
A shot taken of the rare jellyfish ‘Neoturris pileata’ in Scottish waters - at a precise location undisclosed - earned photographer Dan Bolt also earned photographer Dan Bolt recognition in the British Waters Macro category.
He said: “Occasionally in my time under the water I have come across this medusa ‘Neoturris pileata’ in the open water but had not taken a decent photo of one. On this occasion however, my buddy and I were specifically targeting them and other similar creatures to try to explore the idea of UK ‘blackwater’ photographic opportunities.”
The shot stood out to judges given it captured a larval crab or lobster, which seemingly appeared to sit perfectly within the medusa’s bell. On closer inspection, the crustacean is sitting on the outside of the creature with the photo named ‘The Hitch Hiker’.
The statement from the judging panel said: “This is a beautiful and rarely seen jellyfish, but the wow moment really comes when you spot the hitchhiking shrimp through the transparent bell.”
Photographer won the British Waters Living Together category for his shot of a crab nestled among the heavy ironware keeping in place a scallop dredger on Loch Carron. The photo, he said, showed the ability of nature to make the best of a bad situation.
1. Curled octopus with soft coral in Loch Carron by Simon Temple
This octopus looks so conten among the coral that it is as if he is smiling. The image, which was taken deep in Loch Carron in Wester Ross, earned photographer Simon Temple the runner-up prize in the British Waters Wide-Angle category in the Underwater Photographer of the Year awards. | Simon Temple Photo: Simon Temple
2. Fluo Spiny Squat Lobster Country in Loch Fyne, Argyll, by James Lynott
This shot was captured during a "wonderful" night dive in Loch Fyne by Inveraray, Argyll. The waters are home to lots of life, particularly around an old pipe covered in concrete blocks, where the spiny squat lobster can be found. That night, they didn't seem to mind getting their picture taken with James Lynott taking the runner up prize in the British Waters Macro category. | James Lynott Photo: James Lynott
3. Rusty Haven by Dan Bolt
Taken in Loch Carron, Wester Ross, this photo won the British Waters Living Together category. Photographer Dan Bolt said the image showed "nature’s ability to make the best of a bad situation". The iron block and heavy chain hold a small barge in-place on the surface where scallop divers store their equipment. The equipment below the water's surface has become a reef all of its own. | Dan Bolt Photo: Dan Bolt
4. This rare and beautiful jellyfish 'Neoturris pileata' was taken by Dan Bolt in Scottish open water, with its precise location undisclosed. Judges were impressed with the larval crustacean which seemingly appears in the bell of this medusa, but closer inspection shows that it sits on the outside of the creature with the photo named 'The Hitchhiker' as a result. The image was the winner in the British Waters Macro category.
This rare and beautiful jellyfish 'Neoturris pileata' was taken by Dan Bolt in Scottish open water, with its precise location undisclosed. Judges were impressed with the larval crustacean which seemingly appears in the bell of this medusa, but closer inspection shows that it sits on the outside of the creature with the photo named 'The Hitchhiker' as a result. The image was the winner in the British Waters Macro category. | Dan Bolt