The ocean can be peaceful, powerful, mysterious, and deeply vulnerable, often all at once. The Ocean Photographer of the Year awards, presented by Oceanographic and Blancpain, bring these different sides of our blue planet together through photographs ranging from intimate wildlife encounters to conservation efforts and people’s interactions with the sea. This year’s competition received more than 15,000 entries from ocean photographers worldwide.
At its core, the competition aims to highlight both the ocean’s wonder and fragility while celebrating the photographers helping tell its stories. From fleeting wildlife encounters to images documenting the threats marine ecosystems face and the work being done to protect them, this year’s winners offer a striking reminder of how much remains to discover, appreciate, and preserve beneath the surface.
Scroll down to see some of the winners and finalists of this year’s OPY Awards, and upvote the photographs that made the strongest impression on you.
More info: oceanographicmagazine.com | blancpain.com | Instagram | oceanographicmagazine.com
#1 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: French Polynesia
Description: A green turtle approaches the camera, appearing curious about her reflection in its dome port. The photographer positioned the camera just below her eye level to create and even more intimate portrait; staying within 3-10 meters of the surface kept the sunlight sharp, creating distinct rays through the water. A fast shutter speed and small aperture controlled the intense brightness, while a small amount of strobe light revealed the turtle’s details.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#2 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Benjamín Yávar
Location: Panglao, Philippines
Description: A freediver is surrounded by a vast school of sardines, which part to form a striking halo as they move around her. Captured during an unplanned morning dive, the image reveals the calm trust that can exist between people and marine life. It is a reminder that patience and respect for the ocean often lead to its most extraordinary moments.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#3 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Leighton Lum
Location: Hawai’i, USA
Description: A Hawaiian monk seal rests with her week-old pup on Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī. Mothers nurse their pups for around six weeks without feeding, losing up to a third of their body weight while the pup grows rapidly before becoming independent. Despite choosing one of Hawaiʻi’s busiest beaches to raise her pup, Kaiwi has successfully raised several pups here. It does however require the support of conservation teams and volunteers – DLNR enforcement, NOAA and volunteer groups coordinating barriers and round-the-clock patrols to ensure that tourists and locals wouldn’t get too close during such a sensitive window.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#4 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Luis Arpa Toribio
Location: Lembeh, Indonesia
Description: A Braun’s pughead pipefish (Bulbonaricus brauni) peers from between coral polyps in Lembeh, Indonesia. Its unusual features give it a curious, almost surprised expression, helping people connect with a species rarely seen outside its coral home. Some guides damage coral colonies to make these tiny fish easier to show to visitors, but this image was captured by waiting patiently and allowing the animal to appear naturally.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#5 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Andrea Michelutti
Location: Anilao, Philippines
Description: A scorpionfish consumes a lizardfish in a moment of hunting behavior, revealing the constant balance between survival and vulnerability on coral reefs. The compact composition isolates the interaction using a snoot to direct light onto the two fish while keeping the background subdued. The position of both animals makes the behavior immediately visible, showing the scorpionfish’s feeding strategy and the brief, powerful encounters that shape life on the reef.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#6 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, 1st Place Winner – Gergo Rugli
Location: Tamarama Beach, Australia
Description: Dolphins ride the waves alongside surfers at Tamarama Beach, Sydney, during a powerful swell and offshore winds. The pod stayed with the surfers for more than an hour, moving through the lineup as naturally as the people around them. Captured from the water, this image shows the ocean as a shared space, where humans and wildlife briefly move together within the same powerful coastal environment.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#7 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Daniela Tommasi
Location: Boranup, Australia
Description: Two surfers walk towards a favorite surf break on the Western Australian coast. Waves and rip currents create intricate, lace-like patterns in the water. The small figures reveal the scale of the landscape and the respect and adventurous spirit needed to enter such a powerful environment. These coastal waters are also frequented by large pods of dolphins, reminding us that this is a place shared by both people and wildlife.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#8 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, 1st Place – Thomas Pavy
Location: Rangiroa, French Polynesia
Description: A great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) is photographed at 55 meters depth in Tiputa Pass, Rangiroa Atoll, during a population survey. This image represents the moment an anonymous shark becomes a known individual. Through photo identification and laser-calibrated video photogrammetry, scientists can track sharks over time, measuring size, sex and population trends. Conducted without bait or attractants, this research helps reveal the lives of Tamataroa, a culturally respected species protected in French Polynesia.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#9 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, 2nd Place – Francesca Page
Location: Padstow, United Kingdom
Description: Thousands of juvenile European lobsters are raised at the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow, Cornwall, UK, before being released into the wild. By protecting the young lobsters during their most vulnerable stage, the Hatchery greatly improves their chances of survival. Here, these baby lobsters are being transferred into the space-efficient AquaHive system, an innovative hatchery design where each unit holds around 4,000 juveniles, safely separated across individual trays to prevent cannibalism.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#10 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, 2nd Place – Rafael Fernandez Caballero
Location: Baja California, Mexico Description: In the Pacific waters of Mexico, this photograph captures the aftermath of a successful orca hunt. Nearly an hour after a pod separated a humpback whale calf from its mother, the orcas resurfaced carrying their prey between them. The event reveals the cooperative hunting strategies of orcas, where multiple individuals work together to isolate and subdue large prey. What the image doesn’t show is that after the hunt, other scavengers, including silky sharks, were drawn to the remains, showing how one event can influence an entire marine food web.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#11 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Abdulaziz Al Saleh
Location: Rumaithiya, Kuwait
Description: A male blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) displays his large claws above the water while protecting a female during mating in Kuwait’s Arabian Gulf. During reproduction, males guard females to reduce the risk of predation and competition. This split-level image was taken at sunrise in a shallow intertidal zone, where careful movement was essential to avoid disturbing the crabs. The female’s distinctively colored claws and her still posture contrast with the male’s defensive display.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#12 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Leighton Lum
Location: Hawai’i, USA
Description: Hawaiian green sea turtles (honu) rest together inside a sheltered sea cave on Maui at sunset. Once heavily hunted, these turtles have recovered through decades of protection, and gatherings like this show the progress made. After carefully entering the cave, the photographer watched as more turtles arrived with the rising tide, eventually counting 17 individuals sharing this quiet refuge.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#13 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, 1st Place – James Ferrara
Location: Raa Atoll, Maldives
Description: A whale shark is surrounded by divers and snorkelers in the Maldives, revealing the overwhelming pressure that crowded wildlife tourism can place on marine animals. With almost 50 people visible in the frame, this image captures the reality behind some popular wildlife encounters: an animal seeking space while people compete for a closer view. It challenges us to rethink how we experience and protect the species we admire.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#14 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Romain Barats
Location: Deception Island, Antarctica
Description: Three gentoo penguins stand beside the rusting remains of the former Hektor whaling station at Whalers Bay, Deception Island. Once a center of Antarctic whaling, the site is now being reclaimed by wildlife and the harsh polar environment. The penguins appear almost like sentinels, watching over the ruins of an industry that once exploited these waters. Today, the silence is broken not by machinery, but by the return of the wildlife that has made this place its own again.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#15 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Cuba
Description: An American crocodile moves through the mangroves of Cuba, a habitat that provides shelter for feedings, breeding, nesting, and raising young. Beneath the trees, fallen leaves break down into nutrient-rich sediment. For the crocodile moving carefully is essential to avoid disturbing the soft mud and consequently reducing visibility. As the crocodile approached, the photographer remained still and captured it in its natural environment. The animal passed within touching distance before disappearing among the mangrove roots.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#16 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Australia
Description: A male weedy seadragon carries hundreds of fertilized eggs on his tail in Tasmania’s coastal waters. Unlike seahorses, which carry eggs in a pouch, male weedy seadragons attach them directly to their tails, where they develop for around eight weeks. This species grows to about 45 centimeters long and is found only in Australia. Leaf-life appendages and detailed marking provide camouflage among seaweed and seagrass. A single brood can produce up to 250 hatchlings.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#17 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Canada
Description: A mosshead warbonnet shelters inside a discarded glass bottle during a night dive in God’s Pocket Bay, Canada. These fish normally hide in rocky crevices, but the bottle’s narrow opening provides protection from predators. Some have been recorded living in bottles for up to a year. The bottles were once used by sailors and fishermen, who discarded them during the 1800s. Today, they have become unexpected shelters for marine life.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#18 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Tonga
Description: A mother humpback whale and her calf glide through Tonga’s warm, sheltered waters. The calf stays close to its mother at first, then becomes curious, swimming in playful circles and approaching the camera. The mother remains calm and watchful, guiding her young when it comes too close. Tonga’s protected waters are an important nursery, where pregnant humpbacks give birth and calves grow stronger before beginning their long journey south towards Antarctica. This encounter captures the quiet bond between mother and calf.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#19 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Tim Burgess
Location: South Ari Atoll, Maldives
Description: A lone shark glides through the shallows at sunrise in the Maldives. This aerial view reveals a peaceful side of an animal often misunderstood and feared. While several sharks circled nearby, this individual followed its own path, mirroring the photographer’s walk along the beach. The tide patterns beneath the shark and the human tracks along the beach highlight the subtle kinship between two worlds sharing the same coastline.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#20 Human Connection Award, Finalist – Anita Verde
Location: Baja Peninsula, Mexico
Description: A giant oceanic sunfish (Mola mola) glides through the clear waters of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Encountered during the final hour of a 2025 sardine run expedition, the unusually pale fish approaches the freedivers on its own, while soft sunlight gives it a moon-like glow. The unexpected meeting is a reminder that the ocean’s most memorable moments often happen when least expected.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#21 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, 3rd Place – Suliman Alatiqi
Location: North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Description: A male Banggai cardinalfish shelters newly hatched juveniles inside his mouth, continuing the parental care that follows a three-week incubation period. After hatching, the male may brood the young for another 10 days without feeding, protecting them from predators until they become more independent. This image captures two juveniles peering from their father’s mouth, revealing the specialised mouthbrooding strategy that helps this species increase the survival of its young.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#22 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Andrea Michelutti
Location: Anilao, Philippines
Description: A harlequin crab rests at the entrance of a tubular sponge, carefully tending her cluster of orange eggs. By positioning herself in the current, she helps aerate and protect the developing embryos while keeping them close beneath her claws. Capturing this rare moment of maternal care required several dives at the same site, waiting for the crab to emerge. A snoot light isolated her from the busy reef, revealing an intimate glimpse of life hidden within the sponge.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#23 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Bing Lin
Location: Malapascua Island, Philippines
Description: A blue-ringed octopus, smaller than a golf ball, moves across the crest of a reef wall at Malapascua Island, Philippines. This species is nocturnal, intensely secretive, and rarely seen during daylight hours – much less hunting in the open, which makes moments like this incredibly rare. Using its intricate camouflage, this tiny predator blends into the reef while searching for prey among rocks and coral. Photographed with a macro lens, the image reveals details often missed in the underwater landscape.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#24 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, 3rd Place – Ariel Mei Gliboff
Location: Washington, USA
Description: A group of 11 gunnels gathers in a colorful cluster beneath the waters of Seattle. Although gunnels are a common species in the region, finding so many together in a tightly packed group with such varied colors is unusual. Their bright patterns stand out against the darker waters typical of Pacific Northwest
diving. This image highlights the unexpected beauty found in familiar species.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#25 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Matty Smith
Location: Sealion Island, Falkland Islands
Description: Southern elephant seal pups explore shallow rock pools on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands, testing their first movements in the water after being weaned by their mothers. These young seals must quickly learn to swim and survive independently. As they climb over one another and investigate their surroundings, this scene captures a key moment in their journey from land-bound pups to ocean explorers.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#26 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Steven Lopez
Location: Avalon, California, USA
Description: A close view of a giant black sea bass reveals tiny parasitic copepods clustered around its eye in a Catalina Island kelp forest. Once misidentified on other hosts, these copepods are now known to have a specific relationship with this threatened fish. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the giant black sea bass was nearly extinct in Southern California but is now recovering through protection efforts. This image highlights how even a giant predator can support a hidden community of much smaller organisms.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#27 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Allan Cronin
Location: Goose Bay, New Zealand
Description: A New Zealand fur seal tears apart a rough skate in the waters of New Zealand, while seabirds gather for the scraps. Unable to swallow such large prey whole, the seal throws the skate repeatedly to break it into smaller pieces. Photographed from a kayak, this scene reveals the feeding strategy of a powerful predator and the chain of life that follows every meal.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#28 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Josh Blank
Location: Lady Elliot Island, Australia
Description: “Arms of Connection” captures two octopuses during courtship on a shallow coral reef at Lady Elliot Island, part of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The male extends his specialized mating arm, known as a hectocotylus, to transfer spermatophores to the female. The interaction continued for several minutes as the male approached and the female moved across the reef before eventually accepting him.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#29 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Tamara Stubbs
Location: Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Description: During a Weddell Sea Expedition in Antarctica, crabeater seals gathered around the icebreaker S.A. Agulhas II after the ship became surrounded by multi-year sea ice. Resting in the sheltered shade of the vessel, the seals floated motionless in the water, occasionally lifting their heads to breathe. This behavior was observed only once during the expedition. Crabeater seals are highly adapted to life in Antarctic pack ice, using sea ice as a platform for resting, breeding and avoiding predators.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#30 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Daniel Edmond Sullivan Jr
Location: Hawai’i, USA
Description: The photographer shot this image of a surfer, windsurfer and kitesurfer sharing the same towering wave at Peʻahi, known as Jaws, on Maui’s north shore, from a doorless helicopter. At the time there was an unusual combination of huge swell and strong wind that allowed three different forms of wave riding to happen in harmony. In the spray, a rainbow forms. It has been created by the same wind powering the riders across the wave.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#31 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Eric Wittkopf
Location: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Description: A hydrofoil board carves through the water during a high-speed turn in Tahiti, passing just centimeters from the camera. Unlike a traditional surfboard, a hydrofoil lifts above the surface on an underwater wing, reducing drag and allowing greater speed and maneuverability. The spray suspended in the foreground traces the foil’s earlier path, while the rider has already moved beyond it. The image captures both the precision and fluid motion that define this rapidly evolving water sport.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#32 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Lars Von Ritter Zahony
Location: Sermersooq, Greenland
Description: Sunlight pours through cracks in an iceberg in East Greenland, illuminating the seabed like a natural theatre. Created by a storm just days earlier, these openings allow light to reach an underwater world usually hidden in darkness. Despite its warm glow, the scene was photographed in extreme conditions, with water at -2.5°C and air temperatures of -15°C, pushing both divers and equipment to their limits.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#33 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Marc Lenfant
Location: Teahupo’o, French Polynesia
Description: Three surfers converge on the same wave at Teahupoʻo, French Polynesia, after a paddler is thrown from his board. The tow-in surfer immediately changes course, grabbing the cameraman to avoid a collision. At Teahupoʻo, where waves can become almost vertical, decisions are made in fractions of a second. This image captures the split-second judgment and teamwork needed to stay safe in one of the world’s most demanding surf breaks.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#34 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, 3rd Place – Yuta Shigeno
Location: Kagoshima, Japan
Description: A male white-spotted pufferfish creates an intricate spawning nest in the sand. The fish carefully shapes a two-meter-wide radial pattern using only his fins. Built over several days, this structure and its subtle details reveal the extraordinary effort this small fish invests in reproduction. Fine sand, shells and fragments are arranged from the center outward, each piece carried into place by the fish.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#35 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Dan Mele
Location: Virgin Islands, USA
Description: Grooved brain corals (Diploria labyrinthiformis) sit in a land-based coral nursery moments before their annual spawning. The still water, created to help researchers collect eggs and sperm for coral breeding, reflects each colony’s unique patterns. Assisted spawning is an important conservation technique, helping restore threatened coral reefs by increasing the genetic diversity of future generations.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#36 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Théo Guillaume
Location: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Description: A Halgerda willeyi nudibranch rests among research samples in the laboratory of marine biologist Ángel Valdés. After collection, these small sea slugs are photographed and identified to document marine diversity and understand the species living within our oceans. Each specimen adds to a growing picture of reef ecosystems and the many forms of life they support.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#37 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Yuta Shigeno
Location: Shikoku, Japan
Description: A pair of two-spot cardinalfish shelter above a vibrant field of Christmas tree worms in Japan. These colorful worms are actually the feeding crowns of tiny marine worms that live embedded within coral, extending their spirals to capture plankton from the water. Extremely sensitive to movement and light, they retract instantly when disturbed. This image highlights the hidden complexity of reef ecosystems and the fragile lives often overlooked beneath the surface.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#38 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Daniel Taylor
Location: Gulf of California, Mexico
Description: Two silky sharks lie side by side after being landed for their fins and meat, their bodies marked by the final struggle of capture. Taken only hours after Mexico’s seasonal shark fishing ban ended, this photograph confronts the complex reality where threatened wildlife and human livelihoods intersect. The image does not seek to condemn the fishermen, many of whom depend on sharks for income, but rather highlights the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. The pale fluid on the left shark’s face comes from its sensory organs, resembling tears.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#39 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Eduardo Santana De Vega
Location: Devon, United Kingdom
Description: An octopus peers from inside a lobster pot off the coast of southwest England. While the scene initially suggests an animal trapped, the reality is quite different. Octopuses often enter pots to feed on the crabs and lobsters inside before escaping again. Their recent population boom, linked to warming seas, is reshaping local ecosystems and fisheries. The raised skin around this octopus’s eyes is part of a remarkable display, revealing how these intelligent animals can change both color and texture in response to their surroundings.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#40 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Queensland, Australia
Description: This tiny nudibranch – commonly known as a sea slug – was photographed in Queensland, Australia. Only 1 centimeter long, it is covered in delicate cerata, branching structures that help it absorb oxygen. It’s vivid pink color is an example of aposematism; bright colors and patterns that warn predators that an animal may be toxic or unpleasant to eat. Thousands of nudibranch species live in oceans worldwide, displaying an extraordinary variety of colors, shapes, and adaptations.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#41 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Cuba
Description: A Caribbean reef shark swims through purple sea fans and porous sea rod in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba. The marine park has been protected since 1996, with limits on fishing and visitor numbers helping its reefs and wildlife thrive. Stretching for around 90 miles, the protected archipelago is known for healthy corals and abundant marine life. Caribbean reef sharks can reach three meters in length and are important apex predators, helping maintain balance within the reef ecosystem.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#42 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Browning Pass, Canada
Description: In the cold waters of Browning Pass, Canada, a giant Pacific octopus emerges from a reef covered in soft corals, sponges, and clams. Its skin changes color and pattern using specialized cells called chromatophores, which contain pigments. Tiny muscles also raise and flatten bumps called papillae, changing the skin’s texture to match its surroundings. These rapid changes help the octopus camouflage itself and can also confuse predators. The result is a remarkable display of color, pattern, and texture.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#43 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, 3rd Place – Ben Thouard
Location: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Description: A powerful wave breaks off the coast of Tahiti, its lip shaped by offshore winds as sunlight turns the spray into a glowing veil. Shot from a jet ski using a long telephoto lens, a moment of ocean chaos is transformed into a carefully balanced landscape, reminiscent of the famous print The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#44 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Ajiex Dharma
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Description: A Hingeback Cleaning Shrimp rests against a pink barrel sponge, its eye sharply focused while the surrounding colors dissolve into a soft blur. Cleaning shrimp play an important role on reefs by removing parasites and dead tissue from other animals. Using a shallow depth of field, this image isolates the shrimp’s intricate details while transforming its sponge habitat into a colorful, dreamlike backdrop.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#45 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – John Kowitz
Location: Hawai’i, USA
Description: Five spotted eagle rays glide above the sandy seabed, their dark bodies and white markings contrasting against the pale background. These rays often travel together while searching for prey, using electroreceptors to detect hidden mollusks and crustaceans beneath the sand. Photographed during a dive in search of manta rays, this formation appeared during the journey back to shore.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#46 Human Connection Award, 3rd Place – Gergo Rugli
Location: Sydney, Australia
Description: A fearless teenager stands at Bronte Ocean Pool, Sydney, as a powerful swell sends waves crashing over the closed pool. While the conditions forced beaches to shut, people watched the waves from behind the fence. A group of local teenagers climbed into the closed pool and stood on the edge, waiting for the waves to crash over them and sweep them across the pool. It was undoubtedly dangerous, but demonstrates their deep familiarity and connection with the ocean.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#47 Human Connection Award, Finalist – Rémi Conte
Location: Ambalihabe, Madagascar
Description: A football pitch sits beside the Indian Ocean on Nosy Iranja, Madagascar, where village life and the sea exist side by side. Captured from above, this view reveals more than a tropical landscape: it shows a community shaped by fishing, family and daily connection to the water. Beyond the island’s famous sandbank lies a place where the ocean remains central to everyday life.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#48 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, 2nd Place – Andrea Michelutti
Location: Anilao, Philippines
Description: A shrimp carrying a clutch of eggs shelters within the branches of a coral. The photographer used a snoot placed behind the coral to create the fiery glow surrounding the eggs, while front lighting revealed the shrimp without disturbing its fragile habitat.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#49 Ocean Portfolio Award – Miguel Serrano Ruiz
Location: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Description: On El Suspiro Beach, conservationist Israel Oblea protects eggs laid by an olive ridley sea turtle. The exhausted turtle has begun nesting too close to the water without digging a deep enough nest to protect her eggs. As the tide rises, waves threaten to wash them away. Israel prepares to move the eggs to safety, showing the hands-on work needed to protect vulnerable nests during the sea turtle nesting season.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#50 The Ocean Photographer Of The Year, 1st Place And Overall Winner – Julien Anton
Location: French Polynesia
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#51 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Henley Spiers
Location: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Description: A bottlenose dolphin bites a small fish beside a traditional bagan fishing platform in Indonesia. These dolphins have learned to associate the illuminated nets with an easy source of food, often taking discarded or unwanted fish provided by fishermen. Bagan vessels use lights at night to attract fish before lowering nets from floating platforms. This image captures the close relationship between a wild predator and a human fishing practice, while revealing how animal behavior can adapt to changing ocean environments.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#52 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Talia Greis
Location: Flinders, Australia
Description: A juvenile weedy seadragon drifts among seagrass beneath Flinders Pier, Victoria, Australia. Unlike adults, young seadragons have darker coloring that helps them disappear among the vegetation. This individual was missing the appendages on its snout, a feature some seadragons lose over their lifetime. The image shows how these delicate animals are shaped by the environment they inhabit.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#53 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Yuta Shigeno
Location: Shizuoka, Japan
Description: This photograph captures a male cardinalfish releasing the larvae he has been brooding inside his mouth. Although this species is common in Japanese waters, the image reveals a rarely noticed stage of its life cycle. The male carries and protects the developing eggs for around a week, eating little or nothing during this period. The larvae are released over several events, with the first release containing the largest number.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#54 Adventure Photographer Of The Year – 2nd Place – Ben Thouard
Location: Teahupo’o, French Polynesia
Description: A surfer races through the barrel of Teahupoʻo, French Polynesia, photographed from beneath the wave using a slow shutter speed. Rather than freezing the action, the technique blurs the rushing water while keeping the surfer as the focal point, conveying the incredible speed inside the wave. Teahupoʻo is a busy surf spot, yet the photographer has managed to capture an isolated surfer at this iconic location.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#55 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Leticia Carbajal
Location: Tulum, Mexico
Description: Deep inside Yab Yum cave, Mexico, leaves falling from the jungle above have accumulated underwater, forming a mound nearly 10 meters high. As the leaves slowly decompose, they release hydrogen sulphide, creating delicate, smoke-like veils that drift through the water. This remarkable scene reveals the hidden cycles of life and decomposition deep beneath the jungle.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#56 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Daan Verhoeven
Location: Long Island, The Bahamas
Description: Freediver Arnaud Jerald descends into Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas during a successful world record attempt at the Vertical Blue competition. Photographed from more than 30 meters below, the image captures the scale of one of the world’s deepest marine sinkholes. Crystal-clear water, sunlight and drifting sand combined to create a rare view of this remarkable moment.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#57 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Lanna Tannir
Location: Anna Paulowna, Netherlands
Description: Animal care workers perform daily physiotherapy on Norah, a juvenile harbor porpoise undergoing rehabilitation at SOS Dolfijn in the Netherlands. Rescued after stranding on the Dutch coast, Norah was treated for multiple serious conditions, including pneumonia, an infection and severe muscle spasms. This image captures the intensive care required to return her to the sea. At SOS Dolfijn, more than 50 per cent of harbor porpoise patients are successfully rehabilitated.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#58 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Celia Kujala
Location: San Diego, California
Description: A California sea lion has plastic netting tightly wrapped around her neck. This is a stark reminder of the lasting impacts of marine plastic pollution. The wound had already cut deep into her skin, yet rescuing her was impossible because of her location within a crowded colony. Images like this reveal the hidden cost of discarded waste and give a face to an often-unseen crisis. The catchlight in her eye creates an intimate connection that is difficult to ignore.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#59 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Daniel Taylor
Location: The Gulf of California, Mexico
Description: A silky shark circles helplessly after taking bait from an illegal longline, its fate sealed by a steel hook and heavy line designed to prevent escape. Photographed less than 48 hours after Baja California’s seasonal shark fishing ban ended, the image reveals a hidden reality unfolding far from shore. A small group of pilot fish remains beside the shark, highlighting how the loss of one animal can ripple through an entire ecosystem.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#60 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Henley Spiers
Location: South China Sea
Description: A sicklefin devil ray (Mobula tarapacana) struggles in a drift net during a night fishing operation. Although often caught unintentionally, these rays can face devastating consequences when fishermen remove them while protecting their nets. With slow reproduction and small litters, this species is highly vulnerable to fishing pressure and is now classified as Endangered by the IUCN. Taken during weeks spent aboard a fishing vessel, this image documents the hidden reality of offshore fishing, where survival in the net does not always mean escape.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#61 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Jingyi Zhang
Location: Zhuhai, China
Description: A male orca rests motionless on the floor of a concrete tank at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, China. His severely collapsed dorsal fin is a visible consequence of prolonged captivity. Captured as part of an investigation into captive cetaceans, this image reveals the contrast between the public display of “adorable animals” and the physical and psychological challenges faced by captive orcas. Originally wild-caught from Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk as juveniles, these animals were separated from their family groups and denied the social environment that defines their lives in the ocean.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#62 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Ysabela Coll
Location: Magdalena Bay, Mexico
Description: A shark’s severed head lies among seagrass in Baja California, Mexico, after the animal’s body was removed. Hundreds of similar remains were found along one beach, revealing the scale of shark exploitation in this region. The surrounding seagrass meadow is a reminder that even thriving marine habitats can exist alongside human pressures that threaten ocean wildlife.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#63 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, 2nd Place – Karsten Michels
Location: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
Description: During a Grindadráp in the Faroe Islands, a pilot whale lies on the shore as hunters carry out the final stages of the hunt. Children watch a tradition that has been passed between generations. The visible wounds and hunting tools show the injuries caused during a process that can last for hours. Whole pods of pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins are driven onto beaches by boats and are killed for their meat and blubber. More than 1,000 whales are typically unalived each year, despite ongoing concerns over high levels of heavy metals in the meat.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#64 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Scotland
Description: During a dusk dive in a Scottish sea loch, a torch reveals thousands of brittle stars covering the seabed. Their delicate arms form a striking pattern around a purple sea urchin. UK seas are cold, with strong tides and changing visibility, but their nutrient-rich waters support abundant marine life. Rocky reefs can be covered with kelp, anemones, sponges, and soft corals, while fish, seals, and sharks also visit.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#65 Female Fifty Fathoms Award – Jenny Stock
Location: Jurien Bay Marine Park, Australia
Description: In Western Australia’s Jurien Bay Marine Park, curious sea lion pups approached the photographer in the water. The playful animals chased, gently nipped and twisted around the camera, fascinated by their reflections in its curved dome port. They also appeared to copy the photographer’s movements, turning as she spun in the water. One pup even brought a starfish. This encounter reveals the intelligence, curiosity, and playful behavior of these young marine mammals.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#66 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, 1st Place – Matty Smith
Location: Alimathaa Island, Maldives
Description: A tawny nurse shark glides through the warm waters of the Maldives as the setting sun filters through the ocean surface. Beneath it, remoras travel alongside their host, illustrating a common partnership in which the smaller fish gain transport, protection and feeding opportunities. Often perceived as fearsome predators, nurse sharks are slow-moving, bottom-dwelling animals that play an important role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. The shark’s direct gaze creates a sense of connection with the viewer.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#67 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, 2nd Place – James Ferrara
Location: Florida, USA
Description: A common octopus reveals its intricate suckers, textured skin and watchful eye in the waters of Blue Heron Bridge, Florida. Known for its rich marine life, this shallow dive site provided the setting for a close encounter with one of the ocean’s most intelligent animals. Focused lighting highlights the octopus’s anatomy, including its open siphon, which moves water through its body for breathing and movement.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#68 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – James Ferrara
Location: Baja California, Mexico
Description: A striped marlin hunts sardines in the waters of Magdalena Bay, Mexico. Using a slow shutter speed, the photographer captured the marlin’s controlled movement against the blur of thousands of fleeing sardines. The image reveals the contrast between the predator’s precision and the frantic struggle of its prey.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#69 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Marko Dimitrijević
Location: Costa Rica
Description: A superpod of spinner dolphins swims through deep water 20 miles off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. While spinner dolphins are often seen in small groups, they can also gather in schools of hundreds of animals. Living in large groups helps protect them from predators and supports their highly social behavior. Although they move as a coordinated pod, each dolphin has unique markings and can be identified as an individual within the group.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#70 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Rachel Bigsby
Location: Skomer Island, Wales
Description: Two razorbills touch beaks during the breeding season on Skomer Island, Wales, reaffirming the pair bond that helps them raise their chick. After spending time at sea, one bird returns to its lifelong partner on the nesting ledge. This brief greeting is part of the strong social connection that allows these seabirds to successfully share the challenges of life between land and ocean.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#71 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Richard Condlyffe
Location: Komodo, Indonesia
Description: A ladybug amphipod (Cyproideidae sp.), only 3mm long, rests on a blue sea squirt in the coral reefs of Komodo, Indonesia. These tiny crustaceans are easily overlooked, yet their intricate forms reveal the hidden diversity of reef life. Using a super-macro lens, the photographer isolated the amphipod against the soft coral background, revealing details invisible to the naked eye, including its delicate translucent legs.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#72 Human Connection Award, 1st Place – Rui Filipe Caroso Duarte
Location: Boa Vista, Cape Verde
Description: Volunteers, surfers, lifeguards and conservation groups work together to refloat stranded short-finned pilot whales. While many animals initially returned to the sea, the pod stranded again further along the coast, highlighting the complexity of mass strandings. The image captures compassion in action, but it also reflects how wildlife rescue continues to evolve. In the months that followed, international experts trained the local community in safer, science-based stranding response techniques, strengthening future rescue efforts.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#73 Human Connection Award, Finalist – Francesca Page
Location: Isle of White, UK
Description: A volunteer from Project Seagrass surveys a healthy seagrass meadow in the Solent, off the Isle of Wight. Seagrass supports marine life, stores carbon and helps protect coastlines, yet the UK has lost around 92 per cent of these underwater meadows. Through the Solent Seascape Project, volunteers and scientists are restoring this vital habitat, showing how community action can help bring damaged marine ecosystems back to life.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#74 Human Connection Award, Finalist – Lin Yongxuan
Location: Xiapu, China
Description: Four fishermen stand in the shallow waters of Xiapu’s intertidal zone, using traditional push nets that spread across the surface like colorful sails. Water movement has carved patterns into the tidal flats, creating a transition from warm golden tones to cool teal waters. The fishermen and their nets create a striking contrast against the textured landscape, reflecting the relationship between coastal communities and the changing rhythms of the sea.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#75 Human Connection Award, Finalist – Liu Xuzhong
Location: Jiangsu, China
Description: As the tide returns across the mudflats of the Yellow Sea, shellfish collectors make their way home carrying the morning’s harvest. The exposed seabed is difficult to cross, each step sinking into the soft mud, yet the fishermen walk together, talking as they go. This image celebrates the enduring connection between coastal communities and the rhythms of the sea, where daily life and livelihoods continue to be shaped by the rise and fall of the tide.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#76 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, 1st Place – Mitsuna Kawai
Location: Osezaki, Japan
Description: A ribbonfish rises vertically through the dark waters of Osezaki, Japan. Its long, silver body and delicate fins are adapted for life in the open ocean. This image was captured during a winter blackwater dive. Around the ribbonfish, a swarm of salps – small, jelly-like animals that feed on tiny particles in the ocean – creates a glimpse of life moving through the deep sea.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#77 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Iris Uijttewaal
Location: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Description: A pygmy seahorse, no larger than a grain of rice, clings to a delicate hydroid in the reefs of Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Perfectly camouflaged, these tiny animals are rarely seen, even by experienced divers. Photographing them requires patience and careful buoyancy to protect their fragile habitat, reminding us that some of the ocean’s most remarkable wildlife is also its most vulnerable.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#78 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Lale Alev Ozten Low
Location: Kralendijk, Caribbean
Description: During a coral spawning night dive, a Christmas tree worm releases a stream of tiny eggs from the coral surface where it lives. Christmas tree worms are tube-dwelling marine worms that use colorful feeding crowns to capture plankton from the water. This image captures a brief reproductive event that takes place across coral reefs after dark.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#79 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Lale Alev Ozten Low
Location: Kralendijk, Caribbean
Description: A chocolate-lined top snail releases egg packages into the water during a night dive. This gastropod is a broadcast spawner, meaning males and females release sperm and eggs into the surrounding water, where fertilization occurs by chance. Close inspection reveals the snail’s eye and the curved appendage used to release the eggs, offering a detailed view of reproduction in a small reef inhabitant.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#80 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Maryline Renualt
Location: Tulamben, Indonesia
Description: A translucent shrimp glows within the folds of a green tunicate in the volcanic waters of Tulamben, Indonesia. These small marine animals create shelter for tiny creatures living in the muck diving habitats often overlooked by divers. Using careful backlighting, the photographer revealed the shrimp’s golden eyes and delicate body, transforming a hidden reef resident into a jewel-like portrait.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#81 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, 3rd Place – Romona Robbins Reynolds
Location: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Description: A cave diver follows a yellow guideline through the winding passages of a Mexican cenote. Formed over thousands of years as limestone dissolved and caves flooded, these submerged systems preserve spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. In the darkness, careful buoyancy is essential to avoid disturbing fine silt, allowing the cave’s remarkable clarity and geological history to remain undisturbed.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#82 Adventure Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Stefan Mathers
Location: Nazaré, Portugal
Description: Eighteen-year-old surfer Luke Smith rides a powerful wave at the end of the surf season. The swirling foam and the crashing white water behind the surfer resemble a snow avalanche. The size of the wave highlights the ocean’s raw power and the bravery of the surfer. Luke was towed into these large waves by his brother, who also acted as his safety partner, which is essential in these conditions.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#83 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Daniel Edmond Sullivan Jr
Location: Maui County, Hawai’i
Description: Thirty days after the 2023 Lahaina wildfire claimed 102 lives, thousands gathered off West Maui for a traditional Hawaiian paddle-out ceremony. Surfers and families formed a circle on the ocean, linking hands and releasing leis in memory of those lost. Photographed from above, the image captures a community transforming grief into a shared expression of love, remembrance and connection to the sea.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#84 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Lix Yongxuan
Location: Nanri Island, Fujian
Description: At sunrise, a traditional fishing village shares the coastline with rows of offshore wind turbines stretching across the sea. The yellow stone houses represent generations shaped by the ocean, while the turbines illustrate modernity. Calm water and clear conditions reveal both landscapes in harmony, inviting viewers to consider how renewable energy and maritime heritage can coexist within the same seascape.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#85 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Talia Greis
Location: Tasmania, Australia
Description: A young giant kelp rises among mature fronds in one of Tasmania’s last remaining kelp forests. Once widespread along the coast, more than 95 per cent of these underwater forests have disappeared due to warming seas and changing ocean conditions. These underwater forests are biodiversity hotspots, providing food, shelter and nursery grounds for countless marine species. Today, each young kelp represents a glimmer of hope. Through restoration projects, kelp cultivation, planting programs and ongoing research, scientists and conservationists are working to rebuild what has been lost.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#86 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, 3rd Place – Lu Minqiang
Location: Malé, Maldives
Description: An aerial view of Malé Fish Market showing a fisherman emptying a barrel of fish waste into the sea as a swarm of rays gathers below. Rather than a natural feeding event, this behavior is driven by human activity. The discarded remains provide an easy food source, altering where and how these rays feed.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#87 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Théo Guillaume
Location: Tetiaroa, French Polynesia
Description: Inside this unhatched green sea turtle egg lies an embryo that passed away during its development. On Tetiaroa Atoll, researchers at Te Mana O Te Moana examine turtle nests and look carefully at unhatched eggs to understand survival rates and threats facing turtles. This hidden view reveals how rising sand temperatures caused by climate change can affect developing embryos, providing important evidence for protecting future generations.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#88 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Chelsea Mayer
Location: Baja California, Mexico
Description: A pod of short-beaked common dolphins swims beneath the bow of a ship off the coast of Baja California. Dolphins are known to ride the pressure wave created by moving vessels, using it to travel with little effort in a behavior known as bow riding. Calm seas and exceptional water clarity reveal the dolphins’ markings, while the reflection of the white, yellow and blue paint from the National Geographic Venture creates a psychedelic, abstract image.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#89 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist – Rafael Armada
Location: Tarragona, Spain
Description: Yellow-legged gulls swarm around fish thrown from a boat off the coast of Tarragona, Spain, their wings and bodies merging into a blur of movement. This image captures more than feeding chaos; it reflects the relationship these birds have developed with human fishing activity. Discards from fishing vessels are largely responsible for the population growth of several gull species in the Mediterranean, so as well as being a beautiful image this shows us how dependent these birds have become on human activity.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#90 Human Connection Award, 2nd Place – Sirachai Arungrugstichai
Location: Lamalera, Indonesia
Description: A Lamafa, the lead harpooner in the Indonesian village of Lamalera, leaps from his boat to strike an orca with a hand-thrown harpoon. For more than 600 years, the community has relied on hunting whales and other cetaceans for food, with the meat shared throughout the village. Today, the use of motorboats has made the hunt increasingly controversial, placing traditional subsistence practices at the center of debates about culture, livelihoods and marine conservation.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#91 Human Connection Award, Finalist – Chen Lin
Location: Yunnan Province, China
Description: An Atlantic puffin swims past an underwater viewing window at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall. In 2024, the sanctuary became the first place in the UK to provide permanent care for rescued puffins that could not survive if returned to the wild. The underwater habitat allows visitors to observe behaviors rarely seen above the surface, helping to build a greater understanding of these vulnerable seabirds and the challenges they face in the wild.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#92 Human Connection Award, Finalist – Sun Qingsheng
Location: Fujian Province, China
Description: Thousands of fish-farming cages stretch across the sea, connected by floating walkways and small wooden huts to form a vast floating community. Extending for kilometers, this carefully organized aquaculture network supports local livelihoods while transforming the coastal landscape.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#93 Human Connection Award, Finalist – Vanessa Torres Macho
Location: Tufi, Papua New Guinea
Description: Two children play outside their family home in the fjords of Tufi, Papua New Guinea, where daily life revolves around the water. These sheltered waterways are the community’s roads and meeting place, connecting villages by canoe and providing food and livelihoods. The image celebrates a relationship with water that is both practical and deeply rooted in culture.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
#94 The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds Award, Finalist – Ajiex Dharma
Location: Tulamben, Bali
Description: A tiny urchin shrimp (Stegopontonia commensalis) hides among the venomous spines of a sea urchin. The shrimp has adapted to align itself vertically, mimicking the shape and orientation of the sea urchin’s spines. This remarkable camouflage allows the shrimp to live safely within its host, gaining protection while leaving the urchin unharmed. Look closely and you may spot the shrimp’s translucent eye, almost invisible against the striped body.
Image source: Oceanographic Magazine
Follow Us
