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In pictures: Stunning images of sea life from the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017

This is what the world looks like when you live under the sea.

These amazing images were snapped in extreme conditions by talented photographers with a keen eye.

They all feature in the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2017 competition, which showcases the best images below the surface.

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More than 4,500 photographs were submitted from 67 different countries.

The overall winner was French diver Gabriel Barathieu for his stunning photo of a hunting octopus.

It was taken in the lagoon of the tiny island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.

“I got as close as possible with a wide angle lens to create this image, which makes the octopus look huge.”

Nick Blake, from Dublin in Ireland, won British Underwater Photographer of the Year for his photo, Out of the Blue, taken in a freshwater sinkhole in Mexico.

Argentinian Horacio Martinez was named as Up and Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year for his image, Oceanic In The Sky, taken in Egypt and featuring a shark.

The title of Most Promising British Underwater Photographer went to Nicholai Georgiou for his image, Orca Pod, taken in the depths of winter in northern Norway.