First marine photography
UIM F1 Grand Prix covered
Awarded ARPS
UIM medals, 2009
If it happened in powerboat racing during the last forty years, the chances are that Chris Davies was there, either photographing it or writing about it. During that time he has travelled the globe covering both offshore and circuit racing for series promoters, race teams, PR companies, and a wide range of publications.
Chris Davies ARPS first started marine photography in 1987 at the Needles Trophy race held in Poole, Dorset. He went on to supply UKOBA with their Powerboat Championship pictures before venturing overseas, soon beginning a long association with the Dubai Victory Team as they pursued the Class One Offshore World Championship.
Career
Between 1992 and 2001, Chris was the Official Photographer to the UIM Formula One World Championship, attending over 95 Grand Prix at venues as diverse as Finland, Thailand, China, Russia, Turkey, and the UAE. His clients during that period included Castrol International, Mercury Racing, Singha Beer, and Waterford Crystal, alongside various boating publications.
From 1997 to 2001, he wrote, edited, and photographed the UIM Formula One Powerboat Championship Yearbook, F1 H2O. In 2002 he became the Official Photographer to the UIM Pro-Vee Offshore European Cup, covering a championship that in 2005 staged a race inside the Arctic Circle, the Midnight Sun Grand Prix in Bodø, Norway.
In March 2004, he was awarded the Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain. Between 2006 and 2010 he joined Oceania Group International, the New Zealand publishing company behind H2O Full Throttle magazine, progressing from Chief Photographer to overall Editor of what became one of the sport’s leading publications.
In 2008 he was the Official Photographer for the Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race. His images from that event appeared in national and regional titles including The Scotsman, the London Evening Standard, and the Portsmouth News. In 2009 he was awarded five medals by the Union Internationale Motonautique in their annual Photographic Competition, including Image of the Year, a record haul. That same year he became Official Photographer for the inaugural ZapCat Racing season.
In 2010 he covered the British Powerboat Festival, marking the 50th running of the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes race, the longest consecutively-run offshore powerboat race in the world. Between 2012 and 2022 he developed a media strategy with the UIM Formula Two Teams Association, during which the championship recorded its largest-ever competitor entry in any UIM circuit series.
In 2021 he became Contributing Editor of the Powerboat Racing World website, working alongside Norwegian businessman Frode Sundsdal and The Race Factory in Tønsberg. He also supplied images and video to UKOPRA during this period. In 2025 he was invited to contribute to Powerboat News, where his work is now regularly published.
Needles Trophy, Poole, Dorset. Began supplying UKOBA with Powerboat Championship pictures.
Covered more than 95 Grand Prix across Finland, Thailand, China, Russia, Turkey, and the UAE.
Produced the official UIM Formula One Powerboat Championship annual for five consecutive years.
Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.
Joined Oceania Group International as Chief Photographer, becoming overall Editor of one of the sport’s leading publications.
A record haul in the Union Internationale Motonautique annual Photographic Competition.
Grew the championship’s global presence to its largest-ever competitor entry in any UIM circuit series.
Invited to contribute photography and writing to Powerboat.News.