11 extraordinary underwater photographs that bring the depths to you

Marine scientists admit we've "barely scratched" the surface of the Earth's oceans, but patient, talented, fearless photographers give us a beautiful glimpse of it each year.

The winners of the annual Underwater Photographer of the Year competition have been announced, annually diving into the dark depths to introduce us to a world beneath the surface of oceans, pools, rivers, and lakes.

Celebrating underwater photography since 1965, the UK competition features 13 categories including wrecks, portrait, wide angle, macro, behaviour, and marine conservation.

SEE ALSO: 20 underwater photos that illuminate creatures dwelling in the dark depths

This year's winner, beating 4,200 entries from 71 countries, is Spain's Rafael Fernandez Caballero with a stunning wide angle photograph of a shiver of whale sharks in the Maldives' Ari Atoll. "It was already incredible when one whale shark came to our boat,” said Fernandez in a press statement. "But more and more kept arriving. I was diving with Gador Muntaner, a shark researcher, who couldn’t believe it as their numbers grew. He counted 11 sharks that night — a once in a lifetime encounter that nobody thought was possible."

Head to the website to learn more about the stories behind these images, and enjoy the view below.

Check out last year's winners here.