After capturing unique, breathtaking interactions with marine life on camera, thousands of photographers from around the world submitted their most impressive shots to Oceanographic Magazine’s Ocean Photographer of the Year Awards 2022. The cream of the crop exemplifies the magic and majesty of the ocean.
Each year, the Ocean Photographer of the Year Award puts a spotlight on the beauty of the ocean and the threats it faces. In celebration of the diversity of the marine world, the awards comprise nine categories including several new for 2022—Wildlife, Fine Art, Conservation (Impact), Conservation (Hope), and Human Connection—and feature a plethora of provocative photographs from international artists that must be seen to be believed.
The Winner
Six judges unanimously awarded first place to French Polynesia-based photographer, Ben Thouard. His winning photo—alive with power and movement—features a surfer battling a formidable wave off the Tahitian village of Teahupo'o (meaning “place of skulls”).“This is the unseen part of surfing,” Thouard told Oceanographic Magazine. “I have so much respect for both the wave and the surfers - surfing such a heavy wave is a huge challenge.”
Thouard describes himself as “raised by the sea” on his website. Alongside surfing, he studied art and gravitated toward photography after finding an old camera in his parents’ attic. He dropped out of a Parisian photography school in 2006 in favor of real-world experience in Hawaii, eventually settling in Tahiti.
A surfer battles with the underwater turbulence created by the "heaviest wave in the world," Teahupo'o. Coutersy of Ben Thouard
Second Place
Second place in the awards went to Katherine Lu, a diver and underwater photographer from the United States, whose photo of a blanket octopus with its bold colors illuminated on a night dive in the Philippines, captured the judges’ imaginations.“I was very sick during this dive,” Lu told the magazine. “I spent a lot of time trying to equalize near the surface. When my guide frantically signaled for me to come down I hesitated for a moment, but went for it, pushing myself down. Luckily, my ears equalized, and there before my eyes was this beautiful blanket octopus.
“We swam alongside her and then, like magic, she opened up her blanket to show herself in all her glory.”
A blanket octopus shows off its beautiful patterns and colors. Courtesy of Katherine Lu
Third Place
Third place went to Brook Peterson, a photographer from the United States. Her photo captured a diving cormorant disrupting a school of fish, causing them to configure in a swirling shape that resembles a human face.“This image was made under the oil rig platform, Ellen, off Los Angeles, California,” Peterson told the magazine. “There was a large school of baitfish under the platform for several weeks and, as a result, numerous other animals there to feed off the baitfish—sea lions, bonita, and cormorants. The image depicts a cormorant hunting through a large bait ball.”
A cormorant dives through a huge school of baitfish, creating a series of shapes that mimics that of a human face. Courtesy of Brook Peterson
All winning photos from the competition can be seen here, and will also be on display for a month in a free exhibition at Tower Bridge in London, England, from Oct. 5 to Nov. 7.
Check out more of the amazing photos below:
A pod of pilot whales pose for a family portrait. Courtesy of Rafael Fernandez Caballero
A diver descends into the deep, with light beams as their guide. Courtesy of Brandi Mueller
A harp seal at sunset. Courtesy of Ellen Cuylaerts
A swarm of jellyfish around a sunken ship. Courtesy of Martin Broen
Corals off Okinawa, Japan, spawn during a full moon. Courtesy of Ishino Shota
A humpback whale rises from the Indian Ocean into the golden glow of a Western Australian sunrise. Courtesy of Jake Wilton
A freediver hovers amongst light beams in a cenote. Courtesy of Fabrice Guerin
A frame grows new coral fragments on a depleted reef. Courtesy of Joe Daniels
A Bryde’s whale trailing a huge fishing net that measures at least 12 meters. Courtesy of Judith van de Griendt
A manta ray cruises above a sandy seabed off Coral Bay, Western Australia. Courtesy of Brooke Pyke
Humpback whales enjoying the winter waters off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Courtesy of Brooke Pyke
Waves break on a misty morning in Scarborough, England. Courtesy of Michael Spencer
A seagull flies past a breaking wave in the light of the rising sun. Courtesy of Gergo Rugli
Anemone fish at home in their colorful anemone. Courtesy of Matty Smith
A pregnant leafy sea dragon. Courtesy of Matty Smith
Tannic acid creates a rainbow effect in an underwater cave system in Mexico. Courtesy of Martin Broen
A whale shark moves through a bait ball on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Courtesy of Jake Wilton
An orca mother and calf swim in the open ocean, sun rays beaming through the surface. Courtesy of Andreas Schmid
Two polar bear cubs cozy up to their mother. Courtesy of Nadia de Lange
Southern right whales gather off a remote beach. Courtesy of Sean Scott
A solitary wave breaks in the final moments before a storm rolls in. Courtesy of Ben Thouard
Polar bears make a "home" of an abandoned station on Kolyuchin Island, Russia. Courtesy of Dmitry Kokh
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