Today, there are photography competitions on almost every subject imaginable, so it's not surprising that the world's vast oceans also get their own special attention. The Ocean Photographer of the Year competition has been held for the fifth time since 2020, and the images we've seen thanks to it are simply extraordinary! They expose us to an entire world hidden from our eyes, one we would never have encountered without such a photography competition. That's why we've chosen to share these images with you so that you, too, can enjoy and be impressed by them. Here are 18 winning and selected photos from the 2024 Ocean Photographer of the Year competition.
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#1 Rafael Fernandez Caballero – First place in the competition
A Bryde's whale opens its mouth, preparing for a sardine meal, as the sardines gather due to the plankton in the waters of Southern California, Mexico.
#2 Jade Hoksbergen – Second place in the competition
A Northern gannet dives into the waters of Noss Island in the Shetland Islands, Scotland, to catch prey.
#3 Thien Nguyen – Third place in the competition
Drone shot of a fishing boat with a smoke stack in the shallow waters of a coral reef off the coast of Hon Yen, Vietnam.
#4 Henley Spiers – First place in the "Fine Arts" category
Bentfin devil rays in green plankton-filled waters illuminated by a boat from above, Southern California, Mexico.
#5 Julien Anton – Second place in the "Fine Arts" category
Close-up of an intermediate bramble shark's eye in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
#6 Mark Williams – Third place in the "Fine Arts" category
Killer whale releasing a stream of water in the Broton Archipelago, Canada.
#7 Shane Gross – First place in the "Conservation – Hope" category
A green sea turtle released in the Seychelles by researchers after being caught while trying to escape sharks.
#8 Edwar Herreno – Second place in the "Conservation – Hope" category
A whale shark swims in the waters of Costa Rica alongside a boat that was once used for hunting but is now used for research.
#9 Matty Smith – Third place in the "Conservation – Hope" category
A rare endangered white seahorse photographed in Sydney, Australia.
#10 Jacob Guy – First place in the "Young Photographers" category
A walking octopus – a rare and elusive creature that lives around the coasts of Indonesia.
#11 Joao Pontes – Second place in the "Young Photographers" category
A perfectly camouflaged lizardfish with prey in its mouth, captured in the waters of Hawaii, USA.
#12 Julian Jacobs – Third place in the "Young Photographers" category
An eel almost emerges above the water and meets its reflection in the waters of San Diego, California, USA.
#13 Shane Gross – First place in the "Ocean Portfolio" category
Young frogfish still attached to their yolk sac in British Columbia, Canada.
#14 Katherine Lu – Second place in the "Ocean Portfolio" category
A venomous ocellated octopus, only 2 cm in size, in the waters of Anilao, Philippines.
#15 Filippo Borghi – Third place in the "Ocean Portfolio" category
Leopard seal – one of the most ferocious predators on the shores of Antarctica.
#16 Manuel Castellanos Raboso – First place in the "Wildlife" category
A blue-striped grunt showing off its prey in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
#17 Rafael Fernandez Caballero – Second place in the "Wildlife" category
A marine iguana peeks above the water in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
#18 Andrey Shpatak – Third place in the "Wildlife" category
Giant Pacific octopus in the shallow waters off the coast of Russia.
