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Photos Capture Stunning Underwater Life

Spectacular Underwater Views

The 2013 University of Miami Underwater Photo Contest has revealed its winners.

No aquariums. No pools allowed. These photos were all taken by amateur photographers underwater capturing gorgeous sea creatures in the wild.

This is the eighth year for the underwater photo contest, which is supported by the university's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Click here to see the spectacular images.

Best Overall

Photographer Kyle McBurnie's photo of a harbor seal in a kelp forest at Cortes bank, near San Diego, Calif., took the top prize. McBurnie is from California.

Macro: First Place

Photographer Beth Watson from Missouri snapped this photo of an anemone shrimp in Puerto Galera, Philippines.

Macro: Second Place

Photographer Douglass Good from Pennsylvania captured this incredible shot of an emperor shrimp on two nudibrances at Dinah's Beach in Papua New Guinea.

Macro: Third Place

Italian photographer Frederica Bambi took this vibrant shot of a porcelain crab on an anemone at Pescador Island, Cebu, Philippines.

Wide-angle: First Place

New York City photographer Alex Tattersall snapped a lionfish on the Thistlegorm wreck in Egypt's Red Sea. The photo earned him first prize in the wide-angle category.

Wide-angle: Second Place

Photographer Joseph Tepper of New York City took this gorgeous shot of spinner dolphins in a small inlet off the coast of Kona, Hawaii.

Wide-angle: Third Place

Italian photographer Pietro Cremone found vibrant colors among raccoon butterfly fish and angelfish on a reef in the Red Sea, near Sharm el Sheik, Egypt.

Fish or Marine Animal Portrait: First Place

Florida photographer Steven Kovacs snapped this colorful juvenile lion fish during a night drive in Roatan, Honduras.

Fish or Marine Animal Portrait: Second Place

(Marcello DiFrancesco, University of Miami)

Photographer Marcello DiFrancesco from Italy gets up close and personal with this greater blue-ringed octopus near Malapascua Island in the Philippines.

Fish or Marine Animal Portrait: Third Place

Florida photographer Judy Townsend shows a male Dusky Jawfish with his clutch of eggs at the Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach, Fla.

Best Student Entry

Photographer Laura Rock from Florida won the top prize among student entries for her photo of a goliath grouper during the annual spawning event in Jupiter, Fla.

Student Entry: Second Place

Student photographer Laura Rock also took second place in the student submission catergory by capturing this underwater shot of a great hammerhead in Bimini, Bahamas.