The 2023 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest winners have been announced! Each winning entry revealed previously undiscovered aquatic behaviors, gorgeous blackwater panoramas, unique lighting methods, and stunning animal portraits. The competition, which included 14 different categories, provided an excellent opportunity for photographers of all levels. This year's overall winner was Suliman Alatiq's image, entitled 'Aquatic Primate', depicting a crab-eating macaque swimming through the water. Scroll on to discover the breathtaking images below.
Related: The Creatures of the Ocean are Every Photographers Dream
1. Aquatic Primate by Suliman Alatiqi . 1st Place, Portrait, and Winner, Best in Show.
A crab-eating macaque forages in the waters around Thailand's Phi Phi Islands.
2. Circle of Life by Andrea Michelutti. Honorable Mention, Compact Behavior.
"I found this Favorinus tsuruganus, along with its eggs, on the egg ribbon of the Spanish dancer. The bright colors and intricate designs of the nudibranchs are captivating, but they hide a harsh reality. The nudibranch in the foreground is feeding of the eggs of another of its kind: The ribbon of purple eggs laid by the Spanish dancer fell prey to the Favorinus tsuruganus, which also deposited its white eggs on top."
3. Dress for the Sea by Serge Melesan. 3rd Place, Black & White.
Tursiops dolphins seen close beneath the surface in a lagoon near Mayotte, part of the Comoro Islands archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
4. Pygmy Poser by Byron Conroy. 2nd Place, Macro.
A pygmy seahorse photographed in the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.
5. Mother's Day by Josh Raia. 2nd Place, Marine Life Behavior.
A mother and calf West Indian manatee swim in Crystal River, Florida.
6. The Beauty of the Swamp by Bryant Turffs. 1st Place, Compact Wide Angle.
A beautiful, native Florida gar shot against the backdrop of a cypress dome. Photographed in Florida's Everglades National Park.
7. Pup Playtime by Celia Kujala. 2nd Place, Coldwater.
Young California sea lions share a playful moment along Mexico's Coronado Islands.
8. Giving Birth by Todd Aki. Honorable Mention, Marine Life Behavior.
A seahorse releases babies off the east coast of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
9. Fresh Start by Jules Casey. 3rd Place, Portrait.
Hundreds of gigantic spider crabs gather at Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Australia, for their yearly molt.
10. Sea Lion Playing in Sardine Ball by Joergen Rasmussen. 1st Place, Black & White.
"Each November, sardines aggregate off the Mexican west coast. This in turn attracts many predators. Working with a local fisherman, we searched the deep water offshore near the continental shelf, and we spotted a lonely sea lion. The sea lion was chasing sardines, and the ball was constantly changing shape as the sea lion broke it up."
11. Art by Steven Kovacs. Honorable Mention, Blackwater.
A larval snail spreads out symmetrically in full display in Manado, Indonesia.
12. Cutie Guardian by Yen-Po Huang. 2nd Place. Nudibranchs.
Costasiella kuroshimae is one of the famous nudibranchs (a shell-less marine mollusc) in Tulamben, Indonesia. It has a tiny, cute face and beautiful eggs in a perfect circle.
13. Eye See You by Keith Mash. Honorable Mention, Macro.
This is the eye of a large green turtle found on Bunaken Island in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
14. Backlit Blenny by Greg Sherman. Honorable Mention, Macro.
A gulf signal blenny displays its dorsal fin in Mexico's Sea of Cortez.
