The winners of a competition which not only showcases the island’s photographic talent but also displays amazing wildlife around the Manx coast have been revealed.

The ninth annual Isle of Man Splash In Competition 2025 received some amazing images, most taken around the Isle of Man, but with the addition of a Worldwide category this year.

Snorkellers and divers from all over the Island submitted images for judging in six categories: Worldwide; Any Manx Image; Macro; Scenic; Novelty and a Biodiversity Portfolio of four images from Manx waters.

The competition prizes were sponsored by Discover Diving and the Splash In trophy for overall winner was sponsored by Biosphere Isle of Man.

The winner of the Biosphere award this year was Lara Howe, who won the Novelty, Worldwide and Any Manx Image categories. Lara’s Worldwide image was taken in Scottish waters.

Her Novelty class entry portrayed a cute picture of a tom pot, while her photo of a cuckoo wrasse, taken in Manx waters, won her the Any Manx Image class.

Lara was awarded the Biosphere trophy by Dr Michelle Haywood MHK, Director of Discover Diving and herself a keen diver.

Dr Haywood said: ‘Every year this competition is more keenly fought than the last. This year’s images certainly show off the skills of the photographers, as well as the incredibly beautiful marine life that we are so privileged to be able to observe.’

Winner of the Biodiversity portfolio was former director of the Manx Wildlife Trust Leigh Morris, who captured a range of species, demonstrating the biodiversity in Manx waters. The runner up was Karolina Urbaniak for a set of images taken while snorkelling.

Winner of the Scenic category was Pauline Berrie with an image of a snakelocks anemone. She also won the Macro category for a stunning image of a nudibranch, a type of sea slug, called Coryphella lineata.

The awards were made at the Festival of the Sea in Port Erin during an evening reception hosted by OceanWeb on behalf of the Manx Wildlife Trust.