I am very excited to be able to say that I have won the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2012 competition. One of my images of Atlantic gannets, Morus bassanus diving for a fish was selected by the judges to win the Coast and Marine category and the Overall competition prize. I took the image whilst in Scotland with the help of my wife Polly and good friend and last year’s winner Richard Shucksmith. We wanted to achieve a gannet image that was something a little different to the norm so we took to the water with high hopes and a bucket of fish. It didn’t take long to attract a few hungry gannets and we took turns in the water while the others threw fish into the sea.

The action was super fast and we had a lot of fun capturing several different images. The second image shown has also been highly commended in the competition. The gannet entering the water was travelling at around 50 mph so I had to be quick to get the shot. It was just by luck that another was leaving in the place at the same time.

This is the third year in a row where a Coast and Marine image has won the Overall prize in the BWPA competition and serves to highlight the fantastic beauty and diversity of the seas surrounding our small island.