Some 35 entrants dealt with the challenging conditions to find some stunning images of the rich marine life at the reserve on Saturday 23 August. The swell and the recent heavy rain contributed to reduced underwater visibility.

Despite that, some stunning images were captured in all three categories - Marine Life Portrait, Reserve Atmospheric and Most Humorous Shot. The winning images were selected by an audience on Sunday 24 August.

The 2008 winners are:
• Marine Life Portrait category and overall winner - David Stephen with an image of a velvet swimming crab and a dahlia anemone.
• Reserve atmospheric category - Cathy Lewis, with a shot of a diver looking at a sunstar on a reef.
• Most Humorous Shot - Mike Clark with his image of an underwater gardener.

The lucky winners took home nearly £1,500 worth of prizes including meals for two and dive equipment. All prizes were generously donated by local, national & international businesses.

Marine Ranger, Liza Cole said:

“The Splash In not only provides a fantastic opportunity to promote the work that has been going on in the Voluntary Marine Reserve for over two decades, but also highlights the beauty of the underwater world to those who are not able to go and see it for themselves. Participants come to St Abbs from all over the country and the event is an enjoyable weekend for participants and locals alike.”

“The unique thing about the St Abbs Splash In, compared to similar competitions, is that young beginners like Robert compete alongside experienced photographers, some of whom have won national competitions. And because the winners are chosen by the audience of the Sunday night slide show rather than expert judges, images that are pleasing to the eye have as much chance of winning as those that are technically excellent.”