Award-winning underwater photographers share their love of seas

Award-winning underwater photographers share their love of seas Fewer still, you'd imagine, are willing to do that while worrying about running out of air, dicing with strong currents - and the odd predator passing by trying to find a quick bite. "I saved my friend from a sea snake going right up his shorts,"?he says. "When I pointed down, he almost had a heart attack. "I got a shot of a scorpion fish yawning that I actually waited an hour for - watching him, concentrating on my breathing - while he was staring me out. "It's about so more than simply getting your composition right. It might have been a lot more nasty," recalls Clayton, adding that they were able to carefully coax the venomous critter out before he took a bite. "You've got to think about buoyancy, you have the current to deal with then you have got to deal with things like whip corals. "I got 'narced' a little from being down too long and holding my breath," he says referring to nitrogen narcosis, the feeling of being drunk or lightheaded that is brought about by nitrogen entering the bloodstream at higher than atmospheric pressure. Apart from getting the opportunity to explore an alien world and capture breathtaking imagery, the sub-aqua documenters hope their work will serve a greater purpose - revealing the beauty of sea life that is so desperately in need of protection, in the UAE and across the globe. "He just would not yawn and when he eventually did I had cut the corner out of the shot and I didn't realise until I saw the photo topside. Jonathan Clayton (pictured), who captured the prize for best amateur photographer at the fourth annual awards, admits that his commitment to getting the perfect shot has seen him gamble with his safety. "Dubai's coast was destroyed quite a long time ago when they started dredging for The World and the Palms," says Clayton. "The other big problem here is shark finning (removing shark fins and discarding the rest of the body). "I spotted this sea snake starting to go up his shorts leg, so I had to very carefully lift him up. "Quite often we can come back from a dive from Musandam, or on the East Coast, where you may not have seen any sharks and coming back in to the harbour the only sharks that you have seen are those ones left there dead on the jetty. Award-winning underwater photographers share their love of seas Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 06/06/2012