A photograph captured at sunrise in the Red Sea during a two-week university diving expedition is now displayed on billboards across the UK as part of Falmouth University’s national advertising campaign.

Student Chloe Breheret travelled to Marsa Shagra in Egypt, and began most mornings at 5:50am with a sunrise snorkel before the heat set in. She returned to popular dive site Dolphin House each dawn, determined and hopeful.

“One morning, while quietly photographing a turtle, I caught a flicker of grey in the corner of my eye,” she recalled. “A family of dolphins appeared, gliding gracefully through the morning light, and swam right beside me for 20 unforgettable minutes.”

The arrival of freediver Marie gave Chloe the composition needed to capture the image that would define the trip and, as it turned out, reach the entire country.

"They say luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” said Chloe, who will graduate in July in marine and natural history photography. “Every one of those early starts, every sunrise in the water, led to that moment. I still well up when I think about it.

“Having my work selected to front the university’s national campaign is a reflection of both the extraordinary encounter and the years of preparation behind it.”