12 award-winning underwater photos give rare glimpses beneath the world's oceans

A crested sculpin hides in the tentacles of a lion's mane jellyfish.
A crested sculpin in Alaska.Shane Gross/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024
  • The Ocean Photographer of the Year awards announced the winners of its 2024 contest.

  • Winners were chosen in categories such as Wildlife, Human Connection, and Ocean Conservation.

  • The overall winning image showed a whale about to devour a large ball of fish.

The Ocean Photographer of the Year awards announced the winners of its 2024 contest on Thursday.

Presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain Ocean Commitment, the contest highlights the work of underwater photographers to help raise awareness for ocean conservation work and scientific research protecting these delicate ecosystems.

Winning photos were chosen out of 15,000 submissions across eight categories: Young Photographer, Wildlife, Portfolio, Human Connection, Fine Art, Conservation — Impact, Conservation — Hope, and Adventure. The contest also chose a Female Fifty Fathoms Award winner in a special category recognizing the work of female ocean photographers, as well as first, second, and third-place winners of the overall competition.

Take a look at this year's most remarkable works of ocean photography.

A California moray eel pauses at the surface of its rapidly shrinking world as the tide goes out.
A moray eel in California.Julian Jacobs/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

In the Wildlife category, Manuel Castellanos Raboso's photo of a mahi-mahi won first place.

A triumphant mahi-mahi or common dolphinfish proudly displays its catch amidst a feeding frenzy.
A mahi-mahi in Baja California Sur, Mexico.Manuel Castellanos Raboso/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Raboso's image shows a mahi-mahi displaying its catch during a feeding frenzy in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Shane Gross won the Portfolio category with a series of photos highlighting various creatures, including a crested sculpin.

A crested sculpin hides in the tentacles of a lion's mane jellyfish.
A crested sculpin in Alaska.Shane Gross/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Gross took a photo of a crested sculpin hiding in the tentacles of a lion's mane jellyfish in Alaska.

Zhang Xiang took the top prize in the Human Connection category with a photo of a traditional fisherman in China.

A beach reflects the golden haze of the sunset, while a traditional fisherman wades through the water.
A fisherman in China.Zhang Xiang/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Xiang's photo shows a fisherman walking along the beach at sunset.

Henley Spiers captured Munk's devil rays swirling through the ocean, winning first place in the Fine Art category.

Juvenile Munk's devil rays are attracted by a green light, seemingly flying through the water.
Munk's devil rays in Baja California Sur, Mexico.Henley Spiers/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Spiers spotted the rays in Baja California Sur, Mexico, where they were drawn to the green light shining through the water.

Frederik Brogaard captured a sobering image of a whaling plant in Iceland, winning first place in the Conservation — Impact category.

A fin whale lies waiting for its turn to be butchered at a whaling plant in Iceland before getting sent to Japan.
A fin whale in Iceland.Frederik Brogaard/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Brogaard's photo shows a fin whale, the second-largest species of whale, awaiting slaughter at a whaling plant.

Gross won again in the Conservation — Hope category with a photo of a green sea turtle in the Seychelles.

A green sea turtle in Seychelles.
A green sea turtle in the Seychelles.Shane Gross/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Researchers accidentally caught the sea turtle while studying sharks. They measured and tagged the turtle before releasing it back into the wild.

Tobias Friedrich's image of a diver exploring a shipwreck won first place in the Adventure category.

A scuba diver swims around a shipwreck.
A shipwreck in the Bahamas.Tobias Friedrich/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

The shipwreck was located in the Bahamas.

The Female Fifty Fathoms Award celebrating women in ocean photography went to Ipah Uid Lynn.

A whale shark surrounded by a swirling school of fish at night.
A whale shark in the Maldives.Ipah Uid Lynn/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Lynn's award-winning portfolio included this image of a whale shark surrounded by a school of fish in the Maldives.

The contest's overall third-place winner was Thien Nguyen Ngoc with a photo of a fishing boat in Vietnam.

A fishing boat off Hon Yen as its long trail of smoke perfectly aligns with the shape of the green nets under the surface.
A fishing boat in Vietnam.Thien Nguyen Ngoc/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

The green fishing nets were visible under the surface of the water off the coast of Hon Yen.

The contest's second-place winner, Jade Hoksbergen, photographed a northern gannet diving through the water in the Shetland Islands.

A northern gannet, one of the largest seabirds in British waters, dives into the water to catch its prey.
A northern gannet in the Shetland Islands.Jade Hoksbergen/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

The northern gannet dove to capture its next meal in waters surrounding the Isle of Noss.

Rafael Fernández Caballero was the competition's overall winner with a photo of a feasting Bryde's whale.

A Bryde's whale about to devour a heart-shaped baitball.
A Bryde's whale in Baja California Sur, Mexico.Rafael Fernández Caballero/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Caballero's photo shows a Bryde's whale about to devour a baitball in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

"The image captures perhaps the most special — and craziest — moment of my life," Caballero said. "It fills me with joy having lived this moment — and to have captured the image."

Caballero added that winning the title of Ocean Photographer of the Year "drives me to keep believing in what I do and to continue showcasing the ocean's wonders."

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