Orcas, humpback whales and stingrays… A deep dive into our oceans
The winning images from this year’s Ocean Photographer of the Year competition, presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, are out, and we can’t sit still. Here are some of our favourites from the contest
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Curious grey whales inspect a boat. Image Courtesy: Kaushiik Subramaniam/Ocean Photographer of the Year
A tiny juvenile candy crab, measuring a mere centimetre in size, perches on a pink coral. Image Courtesy: Jade Hoksbergen/Ocean Photographer of the Year
Two amphipods from the Cyproideidae family, each only measuring around 3 millimetres in body length, rest on a coral. Commonly called ‘ladybugs of the sea’, these tiny creatures display striking colouration and symmetry. Image Courtesy: Yury Ivanov/Ocean Photographer of the Year
An aquarist handles a glass jar to display an embryo of an Indo-Pacific Leopard shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) with a protective egg case removed for a rearing experiment for a shark breeding program at Aquaria Phuket, one of the largest aquariums in Thailand operated by a private sector, Phuket Province, Thailand. Image Courtesy: Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Ocean Photographer of the Year
A diver is surrounded by a pod of sperm whales. "We saw 15 whales socialising,” says Barats. Image Courtesy: Romain Barats/Ocean Photographer of the Year
Tiny cuttlefish eggs reveal the developing embryo within. One egg, illuminated using a backlit snoot, highlights the anatomy and developmental stages of the embryo. Image Courtesy: Giancarlo Mazarese/Ocean Photographer of the Year
People try to rescue a stranded humpback whale. “For 15 hours, they worked tirelessly,” says Parry. “Sadly, she could not be saved, but the compassion shown is powerful reminder of what can be achieved when people come together." Image Courtesy: Craig Parry/Ocean Photographer of the Year
A female yellow pygmy goby releases newly hatched larvae into the water column from her mouth. Image Courtesy: Takumi Oyama/Ocean Photographer of the Year
A pair of humpback whales. "These two humpback whales are always seen together, and I was fortunate to capture this rare moment of synchronicity,” says Takahashi. Image Courtesy: Yuka Takahashi/Ocean Photographer of the Year
With a powerful sweep of its pectoral fins, a stingray vanishes into the blue, leaving behind a swirling cloud of sand. “This dramatic burst isn’t just beautiful—it’s a survival tactic.” Image Courtesy: Ysabela Coll/Ocean Photographer of the Year
A one-year-old Bigg’s orca catches a harbor seal. Image Courtesy: Yifan Ling/Ocean Photographer of the Year
This photo was taken in April 2024, off Point No Point in Washington. In Puget Sound, there is a community of people who prefer watching orcas from the land rather than from boats. Land-based whale watchers in Puget Sound can sometimes get lucky, as these wild apex predators occasionally approach the shore, seemingly curious about their human spectators. Image Courtesy: Yifan Ling/Ocean Photographer of the Year