94 Breathtaking Photographs Celebrated At The 2026 Ocean Photographer Of The Year Awards

Location: Kagoshima, Japan
Description: A male white-spotted pufferfish creates an intricate spawning nest in the sand. The fish carefully shapes a two-meter-wide radial pattern using only his fins. Built over several days, this structure and its subtle details reveal the extraordinary effort this small fish invests in reproduction. Fine sand, shells and fragments are arranged from the center outward, each piece carried into place by the fish.

Location: Virgin Islands, USA
Description: Grooved brain corals (Diploria labyrinthiformis) sit in a land-based coral nursery moments before their annual spawning. The still water, created to help researchers collect eggs and sperm for coral breeding, reflects each colony's unique patterns. Assisted spawning is an important conservation technique, helping restore threatened coral reefs by increasing the genetic diversity of future generations.

Location: Anna Paulowna, Netherlands
Description: Animal care workers perform daily physiotherapy on Norah, a juvenile harbor porpoise undergoing rehabilitation at SOS Dolfijn in the Netherlands. Rescued after stranding on the Dutch coast, Norah was treated for multiple serious conditions, including pneumonia, an infection and severe muscle spasms. This image captures the intensive care required to return her to the sea. At SOS Dolfijn, more than 50 per cent of harbor porpoise patients are successfully rehabilitated.

Location: San Diego, California
Description: A California sea lion has plastic netting tightly wrapped around her neck. This is a stark reminder of the lasting impacts of marine plastic pollution. The wound had already cut deep into her skin, yet rescuing her was impossible because of her location within a crowded colony. Images like this reveal the hidden cost of discarded waste and give a face to an often-unseen crisis. The catchlight in her eye creates an intimate connection that is difficult to ignore.

Location: Queensland, Australia
Description: This tiny nudibranch - commonly known as a sea slug - was photographed in Queensland, Australia. Only 1 centimeter long, it is covered in delicate cerata, branching structures that help it absorb oxygen. It's vivid pink color is an example of aposematism; bright colors and patterns that warn predators that an animal may be toxic or unpleasant to eat. Thousands of nudibranch species live in oceans worldwide, displaying an extraordinary variety of colors, shapes, and adaptations.

Location: Jurien Bay Marine Park, Australia
Description: In Western Australia's Jurien Bay Marine Park, curious sea lion pups approached the photographer in the water. The playful animals chased, gently nipped and twisted around the camera, fascinated by their reflections in its curved dome port. They also appeared to copy the photographer's movements, turning as she spun in the water. One pup even brought a starfish. This encounter reveals the intelligence, curiosity, and playful behavior of these young marine mammals.

Location: Bali, Indonesia
Description: A Hingeback Cleaning Shrimp rests against a pink barrel sponge, its eye sharply focused while the surrounding colors dissolve into a soft blur. Cleaning shrimp play an important role on reefs by removing parasites and dead tissue from other animals. Using a shallow depth of field, this image isolates the shrimp’s intricate details while transforming its sponge habitat into a colorful, dreamlike backdrop.

Location: Hawai'i, USA
Description: Five spotted eagle rays glide above the sandy seabed, their dark bodies and white markings contrasting against the pale background. These rays often travel together while searching for prey, using electroreceptors to detect hidden mollusks and crustaceans beneath the sand. Photographed during a dive in search of manta rays, this formation appeared during the journey back to shore.

Location: Sydney, Australia
Description: A fearless teenager stands at Bronte Ocean Pool, Sydney, as a powerful swell sends waves crashing over the closed pool. While the conditions forced beaches to shut, people watched the waves from behind the fence. A group of local teenagers climbed into the closed pool and stood on the edge, waiting for the waves to crash over them and sweep them across the pool. It was undoubtedly dangerous, but demonstrates their deep familiarity and connection with the ocean.

Location: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Description: On El Suspiro Beach, conservationist Israel Oblea protects eggs laid by an olive ridley sea turtle. The exhausted turtle has begun nesting too close to the water without digging a deep enough nest to protect her eggs. As the tide rises, waves threaten to wash them away. Israel prepares to move the eggs to safety, showing the hands-on work needed to protect vulnerable nests during the sea turtle nesting season.

Location: Flinders, Australia
Description: A juvenile weedy seadragon drifts among seagrass beneath Flinders Pier, Victoria, Australia. Unlike adults, young seadragons have darker coloring that helps them disappear among the vegetation. This individual was missing the appendages on its snout, a feature some seadragons lose over their lifetime. The image shows how these delicate animals are shaped by the environment they inhabit.

Location: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Description: A Halgerda willeyi nudibranch rests among research samples in the laboratory of marine biologist Ángel Valdés. After collection, these small sea slugs are photographed and identified to document marine diversity and understand the species living within our oceans. Each specimen adds to a growing picture of reef ecosystems and the many forms of life they support.

Location: Ambalihabe, Madagascar
Description: A football pitch sits beside the Indian Ocean on Nosy Iranja, Madagascar, where village life and the sea exist side by side. Captured from above, this view reveals more than a tropical landscape: it shows a community shaped by fishing, family and daily connection to the water. Beyond the island’s famous sandbank lies a place where the ocean remains central to everyday life.

Location: Kralendijk, Caribbean
Description: During a coral spawning night dive, a Christmas tree worm releases a stream of tiny eggs from the coral surface where it lives. Christmas tree worms are tube-dwelling marine worms that use colorful feeding crowns to capture plankton from the water. This image captures a brief reproductive event that takes place across coral reefs after dark.

Location: French Polynesia

Location: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Description: A hydrofoil board carves through the water during a high-speed turn in Tahiti, passing just centimeters from the camera. Unlike a traditional surfboard, a hydrofoil lifts above the surface on an underwater wing, reducing drag and allowing greater speed and maneuverability. The spray suspended in the foreground traces the foil's earlier path, while the rider has already moved beyond it. The image captures both the precision and fluid motion that define this rapidly evolving water sport.

Location: Gulf of California, Mexico
Description: Two silky sharks lie side by side after being landed for their fins and meat, their bodies marked by the final struggle of capture. Taken only hours after Mexico's seasonal shark fishing ban ended, this photograph confronts the complex reality where threatened wildlife and human livelihoods intersect. The image does not seek to condemn the fishermen, many of whom depend on sharks for income, but rather highlights the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. The pale fluid on the left shark's face comes from its sensory organs, resembling tears.

Location: Devon, United Kingdom
Description: An octopus peers from inside a lobster pot off the coast of southwest England. While the scene initially suggests an animal trapped, the reality is quite different. Octopuses often enter pots to feed on the crabs and lobsters inside before escaping again. Their recent population boom, linked to warming seas, is reshaping local ecosystems and fisheries. The raised skin around this octopus's eyes is part of a remarkable display, revealing how these intelligent animals can change both color and texture in response to their surroundings.

Location: Alimathaa Island, Maldives
Description: A tawny nurse shark glides through the warm waters of the Maldives as the setting sun filters through the ocean surface. Beneath it, remoras travel alongside their host, illustrating a common partnership in which the smaller fish gain transport, protection and feeding opportunities. Often perceived as fearsome predators, nurse sharks are slow-moving, bottom-dwelling animals that play an important role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. The shark's direct gaze creates a sense of connection with the viewer.

Location: Skomer Island, Wales
Description: Two razorbills touch beaks during the breeding season on Skomer Island, Wales, reaffirming the pair bond that helps them raise their chick. After spending time at sea, one bird returns to its lifelong partner on the nesting ledge. This brief greeting is part of the strong social connection that allows these seabirds to successfully share the challenges of life between land and ocean.