Bognor Regis man, 30, named British Underwater Photographer of the year

It’s a hugely prestigious award, which saw Ollie’s work come out on top against thousands of photos taken by talented photographers from all parts of the British isles.

His winning piece, The Swarm, was snapped in the Ningaloo Reef, Australia, and depicts a shark fending off a swarm of smaller fish called a bait-ball.

"The shark almost looked as if it was getting fed up with the small fish and it was attempting to shake off the swarm,” Ollie, from Bognor Regis, said. “It would make steep dives and then ascend again right away thrashing its tail, but the fish would just swirl even more densely around the poor shark, who would have barely been able to see through the bait-ball! I was hoping to spend a bit of time photographing this shark, but after some ups and downs, he disappeared into the depths of the Indian Ocean, an encounter I'll never forget.”

A competition judge, Alex Mustard, added: “Ollie’s stunning image is perfectly timed as the shark pounces, switching from benign escort to hunter, mouth gulping down its prey.”

Mr Clarke said he was ‘amazed’ by the big win: “I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t really. I’ve been chasing this for a while, so it feels amazing to have won”

For him, photographing the undersea world is all about bringing the tranquil beauty of marine life to as many people as possible. He’s acutely aware of the privileged access he has to these animals and wants to share their most private moments with the world, in the hopes of inspiring future generations to protect them.

"Pretty much all of the animals I photograph are endangered,” he said. And 90 per cent of people will never get a chance to experience one or swim with one. So I’m just trying to inspire people to protect this fragile world. I want to make people excited about this stuff that they never get to see.”

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