First place within the Wide-Angle class and DPG Grand Master 2025 – ‘A pair of humpback whales swims in synchronicity off the French Polynesian island of Mo’orea. Every yr, migrating humpback whales from the Southern Hemisphere journey to Mo’orea to make use of its heat waters as a nursery and resting floor. These two humpbacks are all the time seen collectively, and I used to be lucky to seize this uncommon second during which they mirrored one another’s place and motion nearly completely.’ | Yuka Takahashi / UnderwaterCompetition.com
The winners of the Dive Photo Guide (DPG) Masters Underwater Imaging Competition 2025 have been introduced. The contest invited submissions to 9 picture classes and one video class, and greater than 2,000 entries have been obtained from underwater photographers and filmmakers from around the globe.
This yr’s general winner is Yuka Takahashi, who topped the Wide Angle class together with her breathtaking picture of two humpback whales swimming facet by facet in synchronicity. Captured whereas snorkeling off the island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia, the profitable picture earns the Japanese photographer the celebrated title “DPG Grand Master 2025.”
The winners of the opposite classes are: Sunbong Jung (Macro), Chris Gug (Traditional), Karyll Gonzalez (Unrestricted), Anton Sorokin (Over-Under), James Ferrara (Conservation), Francesco Visintin (Cold Water), Manuel Wüthrich (Compact), Tom Shlesinger (Portfolio), and Fabien Michenet (Short Film).
First place within the Traditional class – Indonesia: ‘On the way back up a deep, sandy muck slope, at 25 feet, I saw my 30th tube anemone of the dive, and I habitually—obsessively—inspect each and every one for symbionts. The prize I was looking for wasn’t simply current however perched within the excellent spot, wanting just like the ruler of its area. Before starting to shoot, I knew I needed a blue background quite than black, so I slowed the shutter pace. Since I needed to be fairly far again for this composition with my 105mm macro lens, I moved my strobes all the best way ahead to attempt to reduce backscatter. Then the problem was getting a crisp shot at 1/25s (since I’m an ISO noise snob) because the anemone swayed backwards and forwards within the present. So, a lot to the chagrin of my housing’s already-gritty O-rings, I braced the housing within the sand as a poor excuse for a tripod. I checked this anemone every time I repeated this web site over the subsequent few weeks, and the crab was by no means there once more, so I’m glad I devoted on a regular basis I may when the possibility introduced itself.’ | Chris Gug / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Cold Water class – ‘This freshwater crayfish displays an extraordinary blue coloration caused by a rare genetic mutation. While the species is normally camouflaged in hazel or olive tones to blend with the riverbed, a disrupted bond between carotenoid pigments and specific proteins reveals this striking blue hue, an exceptionally uncommon phenomenon in nature. Beyond its unusual appearance, this species is a sensitive indicator of ecosystem health, surviving only in pristine freshwater environments with stable temperatures, high oxygen levels, and minimal human disturbance. Today, its populations are in severe decline due to habitat fragmentation and degradation, the spread of pathogenic agents such as crayfish plague, and increasing pressure from invasive alien predators, including raccoons.’ | Francesco Visintin / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Conservation class – ‘While on an expedition in Sri Lanka, we encountered an olive ridley turtle ensnared in ghost fishing nets, drifting amid the active gear of a nearby fishing boat. After speaking with the fishermen and receiving their permission, we entered the water to help free the animal. As we worked, we discovered the turtle was already missing a front flipper, likely the result of a previous entanglement. Carefully cutting away the ropes, we released its trapped back flipper and watched as it swam free—now relying on only two flippers on one side of its body. The turtle disappeared into the blue, its ultimate fate remaining unknown.’ | James Ferrara / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Macro class – ‘A bluestriped fangblenny repeatedly scoops up sand from its burrow with its mouth and spits it out. At first glance, the behavior appears random, almost playful, but closer observation reveals a precise and purposeful routine. The fish follows a systematic three-step excavation process, carefully clearing its home grain by grain. This image captures the final and most dramatic stage—the moment the fangblenny launches itself upward from the burrow at roughly a 45-degree angle, forcefully ejecting the remaining sand as far away as possible. The brief burst of motion, frozen in time, highlights both the intelligence and determination hidden within this tiny reef dweller.’ | Bruce Jung / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Compact class – ‘In Mexico’s Cenote Dos Pisos, earth, water, and time merge right into a single, respiratory organism. Roots break by the ceiling of the cave and attain deep into the water. Light filters by the earth, bathing the scene in a mysterious glow. Millennia have formed these formations, and but every little thing feels alive. When I dove there, it was the silence that struck me.’ | Manuel Wuthrich / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Over/Under class – ‘In the spring, in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, streams fed by snowmelt circulate chilly and clear. Remarkably immune to the chilly temperatures, Sierra newts take to the water to breed, spending weeks within the stream. During this time, they may discover a mate and lay their eggs on the underside of boulders underwater in deeper swimming pools. From above the water’s floor, a newt seems as a golden-orange shimmer on the underside of the fast-flowing stream; one has to surprise how usually throughout California’s gold rush prospectors mistook the amphibians for valuable metals.’ | Anton Sorokin / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Unrestricted class – ‘This composite image was created during a multi-week trip to Lembeh, Indonesia. Our dive guide found a black sand patch with multiple snake eels, but this was the only one that had cleaner shrimp associated with it. With the dive guide assisting by holding my snoot, the shrimp moved along the snake eel and I managed to capture this shot with the crustacean over its eye. The sun ball that forms the background was shot later on the trip.’ | Karyll Gonzalez / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Portfolio class – ‘In a breathtaking spectacle, thousands of corals spanning vast reef expanses release their reproductive material simultaneously—a fleeting moment that unfolds within minutes, once a year. A vibrant, upside-down snowstorm ensues as billions of colorful eggs and sperm disperse through the currents, converging to create new life. This photographic project, part of an ongoing scientific journey, chronicles the unique reproductive phenomena of corals, shedding light on the intricacies of their underwater world and the challenges they face in an ever-changing environment.’ | Tom Shlesinger / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Portfolio class | Tom Shlesinger / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Portfolio class | Tom Shlesinger / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Portfolio class | Tom Shlesinger / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Portfolio class | Tom Shlesinger / UnderwaterCompetition.comFirst place within the Portfolio class | Tom Shlesinger / UnderwaterCompetition.com
“We would like to thank this year’s hard-working judges—Nicolas Remy, Jennifer Hayes, Álvaro Herrero (Mekan), Jill Heinerth, Aaron Wong, and Kate Jonker—who pored over hundreds of short-listed photos in private before getting together to select the winners and runners-up during an hours-long virtual meeting,” DPG says.
“We would also like to offer a very special thanks to our generous sponsors for contributing an amazing pool of trip and gear prizes.”
15% of entry proceeds are set to be donated to marine conservation efforts. See under for the total set of profitable entries or head over to UnderwaterCompetition.com.