28 Successful Photographs from Ocean Artwork Underwater Photograph Competitors

“Octopus Assault” by Dennis Corpuz. Winner, Blackwater
Shot in Anilao, Philippines
“A hungry paralarvae octopus ambushes a larval mantis shrimp. At evening throughout this blackwater dive, we traveled a number of kilometers away from the mainland of Anilao. We arrange a buoy with a dropline hooked up with high-powered lumens gentle at 5, 10, 15, and 20 meters in roughly 200 to 1000 meters deep of water. We commonly observe the vertical migration of all deep-sea residing creatures and attempt to {photograph} their conduct.”

“Octopus Mom” by Kat Zhou. Greatest in Present and Winner, Macro.
Shot in West Palm Seashore, Florida, USA
“This picture exhibits a Caribbean reef octopus guarding her eggs, discovered off the coast of West Palm Seashore, Florida. Like all different species of octopus, this mom doesn’t eat whereas she tends to her eggs, and she is going to die after they hatch. It was a bittersweet feeling to observe her defend her eggs, figuring out that this unhappy finish was coming!”

“Cassiopea within the Blue” by Alessandro Buzzichelli. Winner, Cell Cellphone
Shot in Cala Liberotto, Italy
“In the future Lots of of Cassiopea jellyfish appeared. The water was very clear and the daylight illuminated the scene.”

“Mirror Reflection” by Kuo-Wei Kao. Winner, Portrait.
Shot in Pinglin, Taiwan
“Because the pandemic, I used to be depressed as a result of I couldn’t go diving overseas. On the possibility of going out, I went to the stream and located stunning little crabs. So, I took my images tools and went to totally different spots each week to watch and attempt to shoot the ecology of the stream. After a number of makes an attempt within the span of a number of months, I used to be in a position to seize the right reflection which was certainly one of my objectives. After I shot this picture, I knew I received it!”

“Peace” by Enrico Somogyi. Winner, Compact Large Angle
Shot in Leipzig, Germany
“Yearly on the finish of March, it’s mating time for the toads. It lasts solely few days and solely presently is it attainable to get very near them. Usually they’re very shy. I used to be making an attempt to get a break up shot with this toad, when he began to crawl on my small dome port. I received some pics from this motion and this one was my favourite pic.”

“Ribbed” by Aleksei Permiakov. Winner, Nudibranches
Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia
“Throughout the pandemic me and my spouse received caught in Bali and that was an awesome alternative for macro images. We explored Tulamben and made a collection of dives on the Drop Off dive web site the place we noticed various totally different topics. Tambja morosa is a comparatively huge nudi and often I’d shoot it and not using a moist lens, however I made a decision to focus extra on rhinophores and its wonderful texture.”

“A Unhappy Catch” by Lawrence Alex Wu. Winner, Underwater Conservation
“Huge or small, our ecosystem is a wonderful steadiness and all its inhabitants are essential to the properly being of the Earth.
Seahorses have been fished to close extinction, primarily for medicinal use… however not scientifically confirmed to have any medicinal properties.”

“Lengthy Shadows” by Martin Broen. Winner, Black and White
Shot in Cenote Dos Pisos, Riviera Maya, Yucatan, Mexico
“Getting additional away from the exit to floor and security, by way of the labyrinth of pitch-black tunnels, you get to see locations with unbelievable pristine decorations.
These tunnels received greater when the cave had been flooded and had been adorned by the gradual dripping of the calcite when the caves are dry. This occurred over a number of cycles every lasting 100,000 years! And on this case the tunnel fashioned in a bedding aircraft with 1000’s of tiny stalactites within the ceiling contrasting the few tall stalagmite within the flooring that creates a labyrinth in itself and mission these stunning lengthy shadows.”

“Wunderpus” by Regie Casia. Runner Up, Compact Macro
Shot in Anilao, Philippines
“Throughout a blackwater dive, shot at 25 meters deep over about 1000 meters of water, we waited for the vertical migration of deep water creatures.”

“Anemone Closing Time” by Sheryl Wright. Runner Up, Compact Habits
Shot in Anilao, Philippines
“In July 2022 I joined a Minke Whale liveaboard journey to Cairns and in between encounters additionally had the chance to dive many stunning coral reefs. I used to be having fun with my first dive of the journey with a brand new Olympus TG-6 digital camera and testing the settings when an exquisite purple anemone positioned on the aspect of a coral bommie caught my eye. I used to be mesmerized watching the three Skunk Anemone fish or Clownfish swimming freely out and in of their hosts protecting tentacles, when rapidly the anemone began closing. I managed to seize the confused little faces of the fish in that second earlier than the anemone began opening once more and all of us breathed a sigh of aid. I used to be very pleased with the picture straight out of the digital camera and did little or no post-production. I began to take away the sand grains from the picture in modifying however determined these small imperfections created a degree of authenticity.”

“A Completely satisfied Bunch” by Sarah Teveldal. Winner, Underwater Artwork
Shot in Non-public Residential Pool, Miami
“Underwater performer, free diver and four-time World Champion Synchronized Swimmer Kristina Makushenko and I labored collectively to get this colourful, fun-spirited picture. Balloons will be tough to work with underwater, however we’re each underwater lovers who recognize a problem! The trick to working with the balloons is attaining a virtually impartial buoyancy. To do that, you should fill them with the correct water-to-air ratio which is generally water and only a tiny breath of air.”

“Drowned in Plastic” by Caroline Energy. Runner Up, Underwater Conservation
Shot in Honduras, Roatan
“Throughout hatching season, juvenile turtles head out to sea and search shelter on something they’ll discover. Sargassum mats present ample shelter among the many seaweed in addition to meals for the younger turtles. It’s their oasis in a hostile ocean. Many spend their first years of life sheltering there. I acquired a name {that a} plastic stuffed sargassum mat was washing ashore. There have been hatchling sea turtles in it that had been changing into trapped within the thick rubbish because it hit the shoreline and had been in want of rescue. A gaggle of rescuers and I spent the higher a part of two hours wading by way of the plastic stuffed water in the hunt for any stay sea turtles. I took my digital camera with me, precariously dragging it by way of the thick plastic soup as I looked for stay hatchlings. I snapped a number of images alongside the best way not as a result of it was a reminiscence I needed to be reminded of. I took the images in hope that they may make folks understand what we’re doing to the oceans.”

“Shark Trio” by Renee Capozzola. Winner, Large Angle.
Shot in South Fakarava, French Polynesia
“Blacktrip reef sharks and butterflyfish collect round a wholesome arduous coral reef in South Fakarava, French Polynesia at sundown. It is a single, in-camera picture.”

A Male Weedy Seadragon Carries Pink Eggs On Its Tail” by PT Hirschfield. Winner, Compact Habits
Shot in Victoria, Australia
“Final yr within the judges’ feedback, it was suggested to seek out new methods to {photograph} frequent topics. Whereas undoubtedly ‘other-worldly’, male weedy sea dragons carrying vibrant pink eggs on its tail should not a very uncommon topic on the south-east coast of Australia. These gradual shifting animals are usually very comfortable to pose side-on at shut vary in solely round 4-6 meters depth. However I cherished taking part in with the ideas of images in making this picture. I noticed the ‘Rule of Thirds’ and the precept of ‘edge consciousness’, however broke the ‘guidelines’ of taking pictures the topic from the entrance with sharp concentrate on the attention. Taking pictures this dragon from the again with its eye down and never as a focus revealed an angle of this vibrant beastie that’s hardly ever seen. The egg closest to the highest proper hand aspect seems to have already hatched (which I didn’t understand till I noticed the picture at house on the pc), with virtually ninety different eggs nearing their hatching time.”

“E.T. The Additional-Terrestrial” by Eunhee Cho. Winner, Compact Macro
Shot in Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines
“I thought of filming for a short while with out strengthening the sunshine as a result of the ocean squirt, which doesn’t like the warmth, narrows the doorway immediately after I begin filming. Additionally, shrimp are delicate to sea squirts’ actions, so I attempted to movie calmly with out dashing. From the second I discovered the shrimp within the sea squirt till simply earlier than the ocean squirt entrance was closed, this cute little shrimp saved a watch on me with out a lot motion. It was as if this shrimp understood my thoughts to take footage whereas being pressed for time, and I considered E.T., the big-eyed alien within the film I noticed as a toddler. It was a fortunate day when a small sea creature was thoughtful of me and I used to be in a position to shoot.”

Cruising the Sand Patch” by Brooke Pyke. Runner Up, Black and White
Shot in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
“On the clearest day on the Ningaloo I’ve skilled to this point, our spotter pilot referred to as in a whale shark on a shallow part of reef. To see them so shallow just isn’t an on a regular basis prevalence, and with the visibility it could have been the perfect time to see one in such an space. The whale shark started to cruise slowly over an enormous white sand patch at about 15m depth. Wanting down on the large shark from above because it swam under me , made it virtually look miniature. Its good define is darkish towards the white background, displaying its form with good distinction.”

“Chew With Your Mouth Closed!” by Bryant Turffs. Runner Up, Marine Life Habits.
Shot in Florida, USA
“I captured this picture whereas exploring a freshwater spring and river. Though I set out on the lookout for manatees, my consideration was captured by this frequent snapping turtle. I spent a number of hours observing her at a respectful distance and shifting in to make pictures every so often. This particular person is outwardly blind and didn’t appear to thoughts my presence. She went about her enterprise alternately resting, respiratory, and foraging. Ultimately, she got here throughout a useless flatfish, generally referred to as a hog-choker. The fish’s title comes from the tendency for its spines to get caught in pigs throats when scavenged. The spines, nevertheless, had been no match for this turtle. She positioned the fish in her mouth and commenced to scrape away the spines together with her forelimbs, as depicted right here. As soon as happy she swallowed the remaining fish entire. Widespread snapping turtles play an essential function, scavenging carrion from aquatic ecosystems within the South Jap United States. The species is, nevertheless, omnivorous, and can devour vegetation and stay prey too.”

“Coral Spawn” by Chris Gug. Runner Up, Cell Cellphone
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia
“The dive supervisor/naturalist Sabine at Misool gave me an insider’s tip the evening earlier than this picture was taken. Whereas it is not well-documented or studied, she had witnessed a coral spawn occasion on this moon cycle in previous years, and believed there was an opportunity that corals would possibly spawn throughout the subsequent day or three. So my spouse & I sat out on the dock all evening, skipping dinner, a presentation, and a few sleep. However lastly, a really fishy stanky scent stuffed the calm air. Wanting down into the water under with the telephone flashlight confirmed egg packets starting to pop as much as the floor. I slipped off the dock to doc the occasion, however not figuring out if we’d have seconds, minutes, or hours, the telephone that was already in my hand was the perfect digital camera for the job, which I feared could be over earlier than I may even get in. But it surely did go on for fairly some time – greater than half-hour on two consecutive nights. The gametes fashioned a slick on the calm floor, and the scent was like opening unrefrigerated week-old fishy cheese, which appeared to cling to my physique (and my spouse’s lengthy, curly hair) for the subsequent day. However what an unbelievable expertise it was, watching the coral do it is factor, and the bounty that it supplied the remainder of the reef’s inhabitants on that evening from crabs filtering as a lot of a meal as attainable, as much as the black-tip sharks quickly cruising by way of making an attempt to reap the benefits of a smaller fish busy gorging themselves – I will gladly get lined in that coral stank any time!”

“Dolphin Formation” by Felix Beck. Runner Up, Compact Large Angle
Shot in Sataya Reef, Egypt
“This curious group of dolphins was taking part in with us as we had been snorkeling in Sataya Reef, Egypt. Dolphins are generally discovered right here however attributable to their quick actions it was fairly tough to take a great image. With a quick shutter pace and quite a lot of persistence, I lastly managed to get this shot of the entire group passing by.”

“Shark Portrait” by Gabriella Luongo. Runner Up, Portrait.
Shot in Azores, Portugal
“I’ve at all times dreamed of taking images of sharks within the blue and at last received a possibility this summer time within the Azores. No concern, no stress of any type – solely peace and a way of neighborhood with nature. These animals are so clever and curious. As soon as accepted by them of their setting, you are able to do nothing however admire their class. Diving amongst them is a privilege and a reminiscence I’ll always remember.”

“The Climb” by Veronika Nagy. Runner Up, Nudibranch
Shot in British Columbia, Canada
“This scene combines so many issues I really like – a kelp forest, turquoise waters, and a hooded nudibranch. Hooded nudibranchs are very distinctive with an oral hood that appears like a venus-flytrap and paddle-shaped cerata fantastically displayed by this particular person. I used to be drawn in by its distinction towards the darkish forest background and the best way it gave the impression to be on a journey to the floor.”

“Staker” by Julian Nedev. Runner Up, Underwater Artwork
Shot in Faenza, Italy
“The mannequin, Jessica Avellaneda Aristi, is an actual skateboarder and she or he prompt we do that underwater. The sneakers was once bolted to the skateboard.
I did this picture manipulation to match the beautiful mannequin with a extra dramatic background. The mannequin can also be remoted from the black background of the unique picture and shines with radiance.”

“The Hunt” by Daniel Nicholson. Runner Up, Large Angle.
Shot in Ningaloo Reef, Australia
“A gray reef shark elements the tide of bait fish. In a really uncommon prevalence, a big shiver of sharks had herded this college of bait fish into the shallow passageways of the Ningaloo Reef. With the fish trapped right here, practically 100 sharks spent hours in a feeding frenzy. After swimming round this bait ball for practically an hour, I lastly plucked up the braveness to dive into the center of it. Being in its midst was electrifying, with sharks darting in each path while searching. I had solely fractions of a second to seize this shot, because the shark sped previous me lower than a meter away, intent on its subsequent mouthful of fish.”

“Jaws” by Yannick Gouguenheim. Runner Up, Coldwater
Shot in South East of France
“I made this image in the one pond of the south-east of France the place the species is current.
I’m captivated with urodeles and this species is in my view essentially the most stunning marbled newt.
The photographs are fairly tough as a result of this animal is quick and the water may be very chilly throughout the copy interval. It took me many hours of ready underwater to reach capturing this image.
This species has a really big selection and continues to be domestically frequent, nevertheless it has skilled a really robust regression and has grow to be kind of uncommon in most of its vary. The essential rarefaction of the nice crested newt is because of a number of components: intensive agriculture and agricultural consolidation, urbanization of plains, highway growth, water air pollution, decreasing of the water desk and initially the filling of ponds or their artificialization as fishing areas. It disappears fairly shortly from ponds the place fish have been launched.”

“Nest” by Galice Hoarau. Winner, Marine Life Habits.
Shot in Saltstraumen, Norway
“A Wolfish (Anarhichas lupus) pair on the finish of the arctic summer time. The feminine lay a ball of eggs in a small cave within the autumn earlier than leaving the nest, leaving the male to observe over them. The male will deal with them till the top of spring after they hatch. Wolfish are essential species in Norwegian fjords, holding the ocean urchins from overgrazing the kelp forest. Sadly, though they’re overexploited, they don’t have any safety in Norway.”

“Cleared for Takeoff” by Josh Raia. Runner Up, Blackwater.
Shot in Florida, USA
“This picture was taken in June of 2022, on a flat calm evening within the Gulfstream off of Palm Seashore, Florida. I at all times attempt to reserve half an hour on the finish of every blackwater dive to spend time on the floor, on the lookout for critters in floating mats of sargassum (an enchanting mini ecosystem!). With the situations being so serene, it was a wonderful alternative to attempt to snap reflection images slightly below the floor. Sargassum flyingfish are consistently swimming, and an unintentional startle will see them disapear into the evening sky above. This explicit topic was utilizing my lights to hunt among the many sargassum strands, and turned to face me for one picture with its reflection above. It then swam straight at my masks and took off instantly over my head! We lovingly confer with them as “Fu Manchu flyingfish”, as a result of mustache-like protrusions over their mouths.”

“The Uncommon Noticed Hand-Fish from Tasmania” by Nicolas Remy. Winner, Coldwater
Shot in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
“The noticed handfish is a critically-endangered sort of anglerfish which is discovered solely in elements of Tasmania. It owes its title to its pectoral fins which resemble arms, and the truth that it “walks” on the seafloor.
It’s believed that there are lower than 3000 of them remaining within the wild. They had been as soon as frequent in Tasmania’s waters, however are these days discovered solely in a number of rivers, solely in Tasmania. Their decline is because of air pollution of their setting, but additionally the invasive Northern Pacific Seastar, which feeds on their eggs.
Throughout final Tasmanian winter, I spent 9 hours diving a patch of the Derwent River (Hobart, Tasmania) the place I knew a number of noticed handfish lived. The water was darkish and silty with about 2 meters visibility, and I used two strobes with snoots to light up solely the handfish and fewer of the floating particles.”

“The Woman in Pink” by Matthew Sullivan. Runner Up, Macro.
Shot in Florida, USA
“I have been lucky to see quite a lot of Striated Frogfish from numerous locations all over the world however I might by no means seen a purple flavored one. I discovered this huge and spectacular feminine resting towards a dock piling at nighttime. Pink is the quickest coloration to fade underwater so till lit by strobe gentle we had no thought what she actually appeared like. My jaw hit the bottom after I checked out my LCD and noticed her true coloration. She is my favourite frogfish I’ve seen.”