UNESCO Dublin Bay Biosphere – Underwater photography competition

Ever wondered what marine life we have in Dublin Bay? While many can enjoy the wildlife in the Dublin Bay area only a few have experienced the life underwater. Dublin Bay Biosphere Partnership and the Irish Underwater Council want to raise awareness of our marine life and ran an underwater photography competition to encourage photographers to share their Dublin Bay images.

Photographs from as far back as the 1980s to 2017 were entered. Images varied from commonly recognised species such as lobster, seal and jellyfish to the more unusual dahlia anemone and nudibranch.

“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” – Leslie Moore, Chairman of the Dublin Bay Biosphere Partnership.

Entries will be exhibited and available to view in numerous locations around the Dublin Bay Biosphere throughout the coming year. See our Facebook and Twitter profiles for updates and venues at https://www.facebook.com/dublinbaybiosphere https://twitter.com/dublinbiosphere

The winners announced on the 4th of May 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

7. Biodiversity Officers Staff Favourites – “Sea Trotter” and “Stardust” by Marco Salino

All the wonderful photos can be seen on this link here

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. To find out more about the UNESCO Dublin Bay Biosphere visit www.dublinbaybiosphere.ie