Dive Into a Dazzling Collection of Award-Winning Underwater Photography

Rafael Fernández Caballero won the 2024 Ocean Photographer of the Year competition with this image of a Bryde's whale about to devour a heart-shaped bait ball, taken in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The contest is presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain.

Underwater photography is a specialized field, to be sure, but it can inspire land-bound shutterbugs as we refine our techniques and upgrade our gear, even if it's just a smartphone camera we're using.

Jade Hoksbergen came in second overall in the contest, for this image of a northern gannet, one of the largest seabirds in British waters, diving in to catch its prey. Hoksbergen captured the moment off the Isle of Noss in the Shetland Islands.

Thien Nguyen Ngoc came in third place with this image of a fishing boat off Hon Yen, Vietnam, as its long trail of smoke perfectly aligns with the shape of the green nets under the surface.

Ipah Uid Lynn won the Female Fifty Fathoms Award, which celebrates pioneering and inspirational women in ocean photography. This is one of her images, and it shows a tiny goby perched on a delicate sea whip off of Romblon Island, Philippines.

A member of the Bajau people holds a fishing spear in a traditional wooden boat in the waters off of Selakan Island, Malaysia. Photographer Ipah Uid Lynn won the Female Fifty Fathoms Award for this and other images.

A skeletal shrimp consumes its prey in the waters of Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. Photographer Ipah Uid Lynn won the Female Fifty Fathoms Award for this and other images.

Benjamín Yávar was highly commended for this photo of a freediver amid a shoal of sardines in the waters off Bohol, Philippines.

Shane Gross won the Ocean Conservation (Hope) category with this image of a green sea turtle in Seychelles being released by a researcher after she was accidentally caught while the researchers were trying to capture sharks. Acting quickly, they untangled the turtle, took measurements, and tagged her before letting her go.

Frederik Brogaard won the Ocean Conservation (Impact) category for his image of a fin whale waiting for its turn to be butchered at a whaling plant in Iceland before getting sent to Japan. The fin whale is the world's second-largest whale, after only the blue whale.

Henley Spiers won the Ocean Fine Art category with this image of juvenile Munk's devil rays seemingly flying through the water off Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Zhang Xiang won the Human Connection Awards: People and Planet Ocean, for this image of a Chinese beach that reflects the golden haze of the sunset while a traditional fisherman wades through the water. 

Shane Gross won the Ocean Portfolio Award for a collection of images that includes this photograph of baby plainfin midshipman fish, still attached to their yolk sacs, in the waters off British Columbia, Canada.

A critically endangered Cuban crocodile mouths photographer Shane Gross' camera dome in the waters off Cuba.

Andrey Shpatak took third place in the Wildlife category for this image, captured off the coast of Russia, of a giant Pacific octopus in the shallows.

Rafael Fernández Caballero not only won the overall Ocean Photographer of the Year award, but he also came in second in the Wildlife category, for this image of a marine iguana sitting on a rock in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Unlike other iguanas around the world, these are the only ones that have evolved to swim and feed underwater, holding their breath for up to 60 minutes. 

Jacob Guy won the Young Ocean Photographer of the Year award, honoring photographers under age 25. This image shows an elusive algae octopus showing off its fluorescence under ultraviolet light in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

João Pontes took second place in the Young Ocean Photographer of the Year competition with this image of a perfectly camouflaged lizardfish with prey in its mouth, taken in the waters off Hawaii.

Julian Jacobs took third place in the Young Ocean Photographer of the Year category for this image of a California moray eel pausing at the surface of its rapidly shrinking world as the tide goes out.

Tobias Friedrich won in the Adventure category for his photograph of a scuba diver being dwarfed by a shipwreck off the Bahamas.

A diver swims through the waters off Iwo Jima in this photograph by Daisuke Kurashima. Iwo Jima is a volcanic island with hot springs. When the water from the hot springs flows into the sea, the shallower the water is, the more red or orange it turns. 

A marine biologist tends to the coral restoration project at COMO Cocoa, a resort in the Maldives.

Julien Anton took this close-up shot of a nurse shark's eye in the waters off Tahiti.

Ajiex Dharma captured this photograph of a peacock mantis shrimp in a stunning display of vibrant blue, green and orange hues against a dark background in Bali, Indonesia.

A seagull rests on top of a sea turtle in the Mediterranean Sea shortly before they both continue along their own paths, in this photograph by Enric Adrian Gener.

Mizael Palomeque Gonzalez captured this image of a spotted eagle ray's natural pattern in the waters off Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Pietro Formis took this photograph of a juvenile African pompano in Anilao, Philippines.

Tanya Houppermans took this photo of scientists conducting an ultrasound on a female tiger shark off the coast of Grand Bahama. The shark was discovered to be pregnant, and a groundbreaking device called a birth tag was inserted into her uterus, which doesn't harm the mother or pups.