With technological advancements in photography, divers and photographers can push the boundaries of exploration, resulting in underwater photography capturing the unbelievable beauty of the deep blue sea. In 2025, photographers reached new heights, capturing glimpses of the ocean’s mysteries like never before. From vibrant coral reefs to deep-sea creatures rarely seen by human eyes, these photos highlight our planet’s oceans’ diversity, awe, and wonder.
1. Radiant Bond by Álvaro Herrero
Álvaro Herrero is the overall winner of the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 award. He submitted a heart-warming photograph of a mother humpback whale and her newborn calf in French Polynesia, capturing their special bond as they rise to the surface for the calf’s first breath. Herrero visits French Polynesia annually to photograph these whales in his favorite early morning light.
2. Face Off by Shunsuke Nakano
Shunsuke Nakano won the “Behavior Winner” award this year with their photograph of two male Asian sheepshead wrasse fighting. Male wrasse form harems and claim territories during the breeding season. In the photograph, the wrasse on the left is the harem king, while the one on the right is a younger challenger. Nakano only managed to witness and capture this scene once for roughly 10 seconds.
3. Hydration by Abdulaziz Al Saleh
Abdulaziz Al Saleh’s “Hydration” won the portrait category. The photograph was taken in the Al Wafra desert in Kuwait and depicts camels drinking water from an underwater perspective, something the photographer had wanted to achieve for over a year and a half. Al Saleh tried taking the photograph for a week before the camels finally accepted him and his equipment.
4. The Beauty of the Swamp by Bryant Turffs
This year, Bryant Turffs won the compact award for his “The Beauty of the Swamp” submission. Taken in the Everglades National Park in the U.S., Turffs stated that he hadn’t paid much attention when taking this photograph as he was busy admiring the scenery. He usually shoots saltwater scenes but has recently become “enamoured by this foreboding environment, with clear waters, light filtering through cypress trees, and the fish species, both native and introduced” of the Everglades.
5. The Curious Seal by David Alpert
Winner of the British Waters Wide Angle category, David Alpert enjoys his time with the seals off Lundy Island, a marine protected area since 1973. The North Devon Sea has the second largest tide change in the world, with outgoing currents that whip up against the waves. This sets a marvelous scene that Alpert wanted to document, and he based himself for two months to capture the marine life in the area.
6. Deep Wreck by Alex Dawson
Using 8-15 fisheye lens, Alex Dawson captured this shipwreck at Shaabruhr Umm Qammar in Egypt. Winning the wrecks category, this photograph depicts a wreck sitting on the reef roughly 104 meters deep. Having been caught between the reef wall and a small reef, there is enough room for divers to swim under the wreck, as shown in the photograph.
7. Kaleidoscope of Colour by Catherine Holmes
True to its name, Catherine Holmes captured the sheer beauty of a coral reef in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, winning her the Coral Reefs Award this year. The area is known for its color, beauty, biodiversity, and abundant fish life, which is exactly what Holmes had intended to capture. Her aim with this photograph was to inspire us to preserve these beautiful and bountiful reefs.
8. Chasing Dolphins by Enric Gener
“Chasing Dolphins” took home the award for the Black & White category and showcased the whimsical nature of the dolphin species. Eric Gener traveled to the Red Sea searching for bottlenose dolphins in a free-diving expedition. He managed to capture an intimate moment during a mating ritual where four males were chasing a female, who played along happily. Tobias Friedrich, a contest judge, said that the image “shows the definition of black and white photography.”
9. Aurora Underwater by Ruruka
This underwater Aurora was captured by Korean photographer Ruruka during the rainy season in Cancun, Mexico. Ruruka states that they travel up to 24 hours to Cancun to capture the beauty and charm of its underwater landscapes. Ruruka used his local guide as a model for the photograph. Friedrich said: “Extraordinary image with a high technical standard and perfect postproduction of it!”
10. Magic Backlit by Paolo Bondaschi
A stunning example of macro photography, Paolo Bondaschi won the category with “Magic Backlit.” The photograph, taken in Secret Bay, Anilao in the Philippines, is of a hairy shrimp, a favorite of Bondaschi’s. He waited patiently for other photographers in the area to finish their shoots. With the help of a friend, his guide, and a snoot, Bondaschi was able to capture the shrimp in profile.
11. Rusty Haven by Dan Bolt
Winning two categories this year, Dan Bolt is the British Waters Living Together winner with “Rusty Haven,” which captures a crab in an iron block with a heavy chain (holding a small barge together) around it. The barge stores equipment for local scallop divers in Loch Carron in Scotland. Bolt stated that this image shows “nature’s ability to make the best of a bad situation.”
12. The Hitch-Hiker by Dan Bolt
Taking the British Waters Macro category with “The Hitch-Hiker”, Dan Bolt captured a “medusa” jellyfish (Neoturris pileate) in the open water in full detail. Bolt and his team were specifically looking to explore UK blackwater photographic opportunities. This specific shot shows a larval crustacean within the bell of this medusa with the “effect of being contained within the transparent body.”
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