the wonders of the underwater world in pictures

The prestigious Ocean Art underwater photo competition, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, has announced the results of its underwater photo competition. It was the photographer Eduardo Labat who won over the jury with his photo of white tip sharks in Mexico.

In total, 14 categories were rewarded. Fascinating macro shots, marine births, spectacular wide shots of cenotes and reefs… The winning photographs highlight the beauty, fragility and diversity of underwater ecosystems while inspiring international conservation efforts . “These images do more than win prizes, they captivate hearts and minds, touch millions of people around the world and remind us of our shared responsibility to protect the beauty of the ocean,” said Nirupam Nigam, organizer of the competition and editor of the Underwater Photography Guide.

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The 15 winning photos

Overall winner of the competition: Edward Only.

“At Roca Partida (Mexico), most whitetip sharks congregate in small groups on rock formations. One afternoon, large numbers of sharks began to arrive. They did not hunt or exhibit aggressive behavior. That’s where I took this photo. From above, the sharks appeared to be swimming in synchronization in a circular motion. It was magnificent to see.”

“Grand Angle” category: Hwanhee Kim.

“Light is nature’s greatest gift. The week before I took this photo, heavy rain had fallen in Cancun (Mexico). Sediments and nutrients present in the area were carried into the cenote, creating amazing colors. Rain is usually a challenge in underwater photography, but in this case it produced vibrant hues. The sunlight, with its strong vitality, pierced the reddish waters, revealing a magical moment.”

“Macro” category: Adam Martin.

“This young batfish was found at a depth of 25 meters in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia. I used a snoot (light modeler Editor’s note) to direct the flash towards him, without illuminating the background too much. The lighting highlights the texture and structure of the fish’s body, emphasizing its graceful lines and vivid coloring.

Category “Behavior of marine life”: Yoichi Sato.

“I had the chance to capture the unforgettable moment of the hatching of a tiny creature. One summer night, when most animals were sound asleep, a male Ostorhinchus properuptus gathered all his energy and, with a trembling movement, released a swarm of larvae from his mouth. At the time of hatching, I used red lighting with a special setting so as not to disturb the animal.”

“Portrait” category: Stefano Cerbai.

“I was on my honeymoon in Australia and among the many incredible places we visited was the south, where I had the chance to dive and search for the elusive sea dragon, an animal I dreamed of seeing for years. I was incredibly lucky not only to find and observe it, but also to photograph it, with its eggs, which it protected on its back near its tail. It was an unforgettable experience.”

“Cold water” category: James Emery.

« While diving in Monterey, California, I was photographing the Metridium fields when I noticed a cormorant swimming toward us. To my surprise, he started pecking my wife’s head. I quickly swam over to take a few photos, then the cormorant’s attention shifted to the reflection of the dome of my camera. He stayed with us for about 20 minutes, coming up to breathe before coming back to watch us again. It was a unique moment.”

Category “Nudibranchs”: Borut Furlan.

“It was during my first visit to Vancouver Island, Canada, in October. I didn’t have much knowledge about the area. So when I reached the kelp forest with hooded nudibranchs, I was simply shocked. I had never seen so many nudibranchs in one place. There were several thousand of them and they were everywhere, on the bottom, on the kelp, suspended in the water. I took hundreds of different images and this one is part of that series.”

Category “Dark Waters”: Kyungshin Kim.

“I took this photo during a night dive in Anilao (Philippines) last November. At first I noticed two squid stuck together and thought they were mating. However, upon closer inspection, I realized that they were not mating: one of the squid was eating the other. Squid are known to engage in cannibalism, but it is rare to see small specimens eating each other while diving. I followed them and observed them carefully. After about ten minutes, the color of the smaller one, which was being consumed, began to fade.”

“Underwater conservation” category: Kimber Greenwood.

“This image was created as part of an awareness project for the Florida Springs Council on the impact of refilling water bottles on local springs. More than 300 bottles of water are produced every minute in these bottling plants. Not only do bottles end up in landfills and introduce microplastics into our environment, but bottling spring water causes water loss from the Florida aquifer. Snowball effect: this leads to the deterioration of springs and rivers.”

Category “Underwater digital art: Unkoo Kim.

The Seogwipo Sea (South Korea) is a place that is close to my heart. However, it is far from an ideal environment for underwater photography. The water is often cloudy and the currents are strong. I wondered how I could take photos that truly captured the beauty of the sea creatures that inhabit these waters. The idea of ​​using light as a background to highlight these creatures came to mind. I then spent countless hours approaching a Ptereleotris hanae. Then I imagined a dynamic interaction of this fish with bokeh lights and a vintage lens.”

“Underwater Mode” category: Lucie Drlikova.

“This photo is part of my personal project “Once Upon a Dream in Waterland”, which I have been working on for seven years. I was inspired by the story Snow White. It represents a return to my childhood dreams. All costumes and props were handmade by myself.”

“Wide angle, compact camera” category: Marco Lausdei.

« We are on one of the most famous night diving sites in the world: Maaya Thila (Maldives). I noticed a whitetip reef shark moving cyclically, visibly attracted by a cloud of silver fish. I tried to approach it without disturbing its predatory behavior. Once the shark got used to my presence, I waited for one of its movements to bring it within range of the flash. Understanding my subject’s habits and behavior was essential to making this photo successful.”

“Macro, compact camera” category: Naomi Springett.

“For my honeymoon, I took part in a diving cruise on the Great Barrier Reef. Perched proudly on the coral (Tubastraea micranthus), this longnose hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) was not too concerned by my presence and, to my great joy, it remained still long enough for me to take a few photos.”

Category “Behaviors, compact device”: Naomi Springett.

This cleaner wrasse (Labroids halved) and this lizardfish (A variegated synod) have been seen in the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. These fish are an example of symbiosis. The first nibbles on the dead skin and parasites of the larger fish, which offers it food, and in fact leaves the second fish in good health. Usually lizardfish are quite skittish, not tolerating photographers getting too close, but this individual was quite happy to pose for photos.”