First encounter by Brian Skerry
© Brian Skerry / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008
The winning entry for the Underwater World category was American photographer Brian Skerry’s amazing photo of a curious right whale investigating his dive buddy 22 metres below the surface off the Auckland Islands south of New Zealand.
“Swimming along the ocean bottom with a 14-metre long, 70-tonne whale”, recalls Brian, “was the single most incredible animal encounter I have ever had”.