The skipper of Teignmouth-based Devon Sea Safari has won the wildlife category of the South West Coast Path Photographer of the Year competition.

Rob Hughes’ shot of a dolphin and her calf breaching the water in Labrador Bay is called ‘Jumping for Joy’. He said he was shocked when he heard he had won the wildlife category as this was the first photography competition he had ever entered.

‘I'm a self-taught photographer with no formal training, and I've spent a few years learning through trial and error to try to achieve a quality photo,’ he explained. ‘It's fantastic confidence boost to win a competition with so many other entrants!’

‘I often come across local Short-beaked Common Dolphin pods,’ Rob added. ‘And occasionally I get the rare opportunity to photograph these amazing wild animals as they majestically leap out of the water in unison.’

Judges were impressed with the flow and action captured in Rob’s photograph.

South West Coast Path Association (SWCPA) director and judge Julian Gray described Rob’s photo as a ‘stunning image that clearly articulates the phrase ‘charismatic mega-fauna’.

Fellow judge, Alex Fisher, editor of Coast Magazine, said: ‘This beautiful image of dolphins leaping out of the sea reminds us of the amazing wildlife on our doorstep.’

Commenting on his winning picture, Rob said: ‘I love the way the overcast light reflects off the sea surface and the splashing water shows their motion in the split second they breach the surface.’

Rob’s photo will be displayed alongside the other South West Coast Path Photographer of the Year winners at an exhibition on platforms 8 and 9 at Paddington Station in London from May 22 to June 19.

The overall winner of the South West Coast Path Photographer of the Year 2024 was German photographer Jasmin Fernholz. Her photograph, ‘Walking on Sunshine’ of a walker on the coast path near Tintagel at sunset was judged to be the best of the 1700 entries in the 2024 competition.

Judges said they were repeatedly drawn to the photograph’s ‘serene atmosphere where the soft, low light gently highlights the wildflowers and winding path, while the woman walking evokes a sense of freedom’. This ‘embodies the very essence of what many seek when exploring the South West Coast Path’.