Robert's picture of a Spider Crab attacking his dome port (possibly mistaking his own reflection as another crab) with his wife Paula modelling was picked by a panel of judges as this year's winner in the wide angle category.

Exceprt from Dive Magazine - for full details check the link provided below:

Peter Scoones led a team of judges who were impressed by the determination of the competing photographers. Ultimately, the prizes were dominated by a group of three serious lensmen who travel together and support each other as a team, albeit a competitive one. So, congratulations to Rob Bailey (first place, Wide-Angle), Trevor Rees (first place, Close-up) and Charles Erb (first place, Fish Portrait).

A Splash-in competition is the best picture taken on the day with a minimum amount of editing permitted. Any adjustments made to the picture must be made to the entire image. Robert admits a bit of gardeing was done on this picture before it was posted.

The conditions were less than favourable this year in Portmellon, Mevagissey in Cornwall.

The conditions were so bad all boat diving was cancelled over the weekend due to high winds, needless to say this contributed greatly to poor visibility and heavy surge on the day.

This was a true test of a photographer's abilty to make good images in adverse conditions.