PHOTOS: See the Best of the Ocean’s Breathtaking Beauty From the Winners of ‘Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023’

Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

The skill of the world’s best in ocean photography is being showcased by Oceanographic Magazine’s Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023 contest along with the breathtaking beauty of our oceans and the life that they sustain.

Out of thousands of drone, underwater, and coastal photos submitted by ocean photographers worldwide, first place was awarded to 25-year-old amateur photographer and marine biologist Jialing Cai, who won the judges over with her image of a paper nautilus floating on a piece of ocean debris. The shot was taken on a blackwater dive after the Taal Volcano eruption in the Philippines.

Jialing Cai won first place for this image of a paper nautilus floating on a piece of ocean debris. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

Ms. Cai began taking photos during blackwater dives after learning about the phenomenon of diel vertical migration, where zooplankton move upward from the depths of the ocean to the surface at nighttime. When her professor explained that the deep sea was “within reach,” Ms. Cai found it mindblowing and could not resist exploring. She then became “obsessed” with blackwater photography.

Describing the dive that secured her winning photo, she told Oceanographic Magazine, “Navigating through the low visibility and dense fog during a blackwater dive, I found this female paper nautilus taking a ride on a drifting wooden stick. When I pressed the shutter, the particles reflected my light. The scene felt unusually serene following the natural disaster, and reminds me of a fairytale set in a snowy night.”

Although underwater photographers aim to shoot in clear water, Ms. Cai said this particular image reminds us that the grains of sand, organic matter, or tiny organisms are integral to the underwater environment.

“I aim to accept their presence and seek non-disruptive ways to incorporate them into my images,” she said.

Andrei Savin of Russia won second place for an ethereal photo of a crab sitting in the middle of a sea anemone. He snapped the picture while scuba diving in the Philippines.

Mr. Savin views a large anemone “like an apartment building with many different inhabitants, establishing different relationships, and relying on each character.” He finds it interesting to watch the same creatures come and go, day after day, and to study them as they evolve.

“On this day I took dozens of shots of an anemone with different settings. Suddenly, as if by magic, a crab came out and sat right in the center,” he said. “I just had to press the button.”

The third place was awarded to Alvaro Herrero Lopez-Beltran for his distressing but thought-provoking photo of a humpback whale with a broken spine, entangled in ropes and buoys, that was captured while freediving off the coast of Mexico. The photographer said that the whale’s “slow and painful death” is a sad metaphor” that we are inflicting upon our ocean planet.

Andrei Savin won second place for a crab sitting in the center of a sea anemone as it sways in the ocean current. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

Ocean Photographer of the Year aims to showcase the beauty of our oceans as well as highlight their plight and champion conservation. Photo entries include stunning seascapes, perfectly timed wildlife encounters, and moving snapshots of humans interacting with the ocean.

The contest, produced by Oceanographic in partnership with Blancpain, Arksen, and Tourism Western Australia, will be showcasing all entries in a five-month-long exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, which will open to the public on Nov. 17.

This photo of a gentoo penguin, the fastest penguin species in the world, charging across the water in Antarctica was shot by Craig Parry. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

This image of a polar bear walking across a glacier adorned by a waterfall is illuminated by the Arctic sun. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

A super pod of spinner dolphins swims in unison in Costa Rica in this shot by Merche Llobera. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

Below are some more images from the contestants of the competition:

In this shot by Henley Spiers, a blue-footed booby rises amongst vast sardine shoals with a fish in its beak in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

As the afternoon sun sets, a pair of king penguins draw a striking pose against the pink sky in the Falkland Islands in this shot by Scott Portelli. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

An image of rarely photographed juvenile prowfish hiding behind a curtain of a lion’s mane jellyfish’s stinging tentacles in the North Pacific Ocean was shot by Shane Gross. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

A rare encounter: four green sea turtles serenely swim together in Hawaii in this shot by Renee Capazzola. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

A group of humpback whales and their calves feed amongst a stunning backdrop of icebergs in Greenland in this shot by Michael Haluwana. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

Gergo Rugli shot a surfer braving a big swell while the setting sun paints the sky red in Sydney, Australia. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

A manatee enjoys the crystal-clear waters of the Homosassa River in Florida in this shot by Sylvie Ayer. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

A small part of Ganvié, a floating village in Benin with about 30,000 inhabitants. Shot by Ioannis Pavlos Evangelidis. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

In this shot by Jeroen Hoekendijk, a horse rider meets one of the victims of a mass stranding of whales on a stormy, grey morning in The Netherlands. Courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year

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