Making a Splash: Check out Ocean Photographer of the Year winning pics

Get ready to dive into some of the most amazing pictures from beneath the waves.

The winners of the Ocean Photographer of the Year competition have been revealed, featuring everything from incredible sea creatures to conservation projects.

The overall winning image was selected from thousands of entries taken by photographers all over the world.

There were winners across several categories, but who took the main crown this year? Keep reading to find out.

The overall winner of this year's competition went to this stunning black-and-white picture. It shows an adult seahorse swimming with tiny baby seahorses in the shallow, seaweed-filled waters of Moorea in French Polynesia. Sadly, seahorses are now rare there, so the photographer had to search for a long time to find them.

The winner of the Adventure Photographer of the Year category went to the snapper of this photo of a pod of dolphins joins surfers in the waves at Tamarama Beach in Sydney, Australia. According to the photographer, the pod stayed with the surfers for more than an hour For a short time, people and dolphins shared the same ocean playground.

In the dark waters of Osezaki in Japan, this photo of a ribbonfish gliding upwards through the deep sea was captured. The fish is surrounded by a swarm of tiny, jelly-like animals called salps. With its long, shiny body and delicate fins, it looks like something from another world!

This photograph was captured in the warm waters of Tonga in the southern Pacific Ocean. Here a mother humpback whale can be seen bonding with her calf. According to the photographer, the calf stayed close to its mother at first, but then became curious, swimming in playful circles and approaching the camera. Tonga's protected waters are an important nursery for humpback whales, as it's a place where calves grow stronger before beginning their long journey towards Antarctica.

This photo took second place in the Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year category. It was taken in Padstow in Cornwall, where thousands of tiny European lobsters can be seen being given a helping hand before they are safely released into the wild. Each baby lobster is kept apart from the others, because young lobsters may eat each other if they get too close!

The winner of the Conservation Hope category went to this picture. At 55 metres below the surface in Rangiroa, French Polynesia, this shark was spotted as part of a scientific survey. Scientists can use the shark's unique features to recognise the protected species and track how it grows and changes over time, helping them learn more about these amazing sharks and protect them for the future.