Underwater puppies go for a doggy paddle in these adorable images

STOP everything you are doing and feast your eyes upon these unfathomably cute photos of puppies swimming underwater.

Dog-gone! Fancy a doggy-paddle?

STOP everything you’re doing and look at these adorable pictures of puppies underwater.

The exuberant photos taken by Seth Casteel show wide-eyed pups trying out their doggy paddle for the first time.

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The curious canines display the full range of emotion as they take their first strokes.

Their fur waves amid the bubbles caused by their aquatic activities.

The enchanting images come from Casteel’s latest book Underwater Puppies, which follows the roaring success of his best-selling debut, Underwater Dogs.

“Dogs have an incredible connection with the water that goes back thousands of years,” says the 33-year-old.

“In many homes, dogs enjoy a life of luxury — sleeping in bed with us, fancy treats, the pet salon.

“As much as they enjoy these things, dogs have wild instincts and have a need to explore them. The water is simply one of the best ways for them to do this.”

Casteel, who lives in Venice Beach, California, believes that snapping animals in the water is the best way to explore their emotions, whether playful or primal.

He started photographing homeless pets in 2007, but it was in 2010 that he first created underwater magic when a dog he was shooting named Buster jumped in a pool.

After realising how good the shots looked on a point-and-click underwater camera, he maxed out his credit card buying underwater kit designed for surfers — and the rest is history.

Underwater Puppies features 72 swimming pups from six weeks to six months old.

Casteel taught swimming lessons to over 1500 pooches to get the perfect images of “the most amazing creatures on Earth”.

His next project, Underwater Babies, takes the subject to the next level with “whimsical shots of tiny humans”.

Underwater Puppies, by Seth Casteel, is published by Hachette Australia, RRP $29.99, available 30 September. Find out more here.