YOU'D be forgiven for thinking these pictures were taken in the Mediterranean.

But these incredible images show the vast marine life living in the waters off Dorset. 

Scuba diving instructor Lisa Frew from Bournemouth captured the amazing photos during a dive off Swanage near Old Harry Rocks on Wednesday, May 31.

Some of the creatures spotted included cuttlefish, dogfish and what was believed to be a starry smooth-hound shark. 

Lisa started out as a graphic designer but has found her true calling as an underwater photographer.

She is now a scuba instructor for Dive South, a diving and teaching club based in Poole.

Lisa said: "It’s very much been a passion of mine to do underwater photography, mainly to share the magical marine life that not everybody can see because they’re not all divers.

It’s amazing I mean we’ve got some amazing marine life locally as well.”

Bournemouth Echo:

She added: “On a Wednesday night we go out diving in the local area on a local boat called Rocket. This time of year, the season is starting to pick up. From now on the waters starting to get a bit clearer.

“We were doing a drift dive where you get into the water, and you just dive with the current. We see whatever we can see along the way and that’s why we were able to get some nice pictures because there were these cool cuttlefish which we hadn’t really seen.”

Lisa said most people who go diving would like to see is an octopus and last year during a drift dive off Swanage, she was lucky enough to see a curled octopus.

She said: “They’re quite common in Cornwall and further west and other parts of the UK but they’re starting to move into this area a bit more.

We do have some fantastic diving in the UK as well. There are still some cool encounters to see.”

For those keen to get into diving, she said: “The best thing you can do is look up your local centre or club and get into scuba diving. Start off in a combined environment, like a pool then start building up your experience, slowly moving out at a specific open water level.”