An amateur wildlife photographer has won an international oceans photo contest.
Richard Wylie, also a marine biologist and Southern Cross University research candidate, beat professional photographers to win the prize - a $27,000 photographic expedition to Alaska.
He photographed a weedy seadragon at Flinders Pier on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.
"I only got into underwater photography a little while ago," said Mr Wylie.
"I've been diving for 22 years but I could never afford to get a proper camera.
"I made the leap a little while ago and bought a digital SLR, that's the cheapest part, then I had to buy the housing to take it underwater and get a big flash.
"It's an expensive hobby but it's well worth it when you get those sorts of prizes."
Weedy seadragons (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) are unique to the temperate and sub-temperate waters of southern Australia (from Newcastle in NSW to Tasmania through to Geraldton in Western Australia).
"They're a really interesting animal, completely unique to Australia and to me, as a marine biologist, they're as iconic as a koala or platypus," said Mr Wylie.
"And they're very very cute."
The CSIRO now wants Mr Wylie to photograph more weedy seadragons for posters being distributed nationally.
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