From the Wildlife class. A New Zealand fur seal tears aside a tough skate within the waters of New Zealand, whereas seabirds collect for the scraps. Unable to swallow such massive prey entire, the seal throws the skate repeatedly to interrupt it into smaller items. Photographed from a kayak. | Allan Cronin / Ocean Photographer of the Year
The finalists for the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 have been introduced, a contest that honors the ocean in all its complexity — its surprise, its fragility, and the pressing want to guard it.
From the Human Connection: People and Planet class. A large oceanic sunfish (Mola mola) glides via the clear waters of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. | Anita Verde / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Fine Art class. A robust wave breaks off the coast of Tahiti, its lip formed by offshore winds as daylight turns the spray right into a glowing veil. Shot from a jet ski utilizing an extended telephoto lens, a second of ocean chaos is remodeled right into a rigorously balanced panorama, harking back to the well-known print ‘The Great Wave’ off Kanagawa by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. | Ben Thouard / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Wildlife class. A scorpionfish consumes a lizardfish. The compact composition isolates the interplay utilizing a snoot to direct gentle onto the 2 fish whereas holding the background subdued. | Andrea Michelutti / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Human Connection: People and Planet class. A harpooner within the Indonesian village of Lamalera leaps from his boat to strike an orca with a hand-thrown harpoon. With exception of the sperm whale, the orca is among the largest preys the Lamaleran catch, which isn’t frequent and regarded harmful. The orca within the picture ultimately died, but in addition capsized the boat, leaving the fishers to be rescued by different boats. For greater than 600 years, the group has relied on looking whales and different cetaceans for meals, with the meat shared all through the village. Today, using motorboats has made the hunt more and more controversial, putting conventional subsistence practices on the centre of debates about tradition, livelihoods and marine conservation. | Sirachai Arunrugstichai / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Conservation (Hope) class. A Hawaiian monk seal rests together with her week-old pup on Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī. Mothers nurse their pups for round six weeks with out feeding, dropping as much as a 3rd of their physique weight whereas the pup grows quickly earlier than turning into unbiased. | Leighton Lum / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Fine Art class. Five noticed eagle rays glide above the sandy seabed, their darkish our bodies and white markings contrasting in opposition to the pale background. These rays usually journey collectively whereas looking for prey, utilizing electroreceptors to detect hidden molluscs and crustaceans beneath the sand. | John Kowitz / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Conservation (Impact) class. An octopus friends from inside a lobster pot off the coast of southwest England. While the scene initially suggests an animal trapped, the truth is sort of totally different. Octopuses usually enter pots to feed on the crabs and lobsters inside earlier than escaping once more. | Eduardo Santana de Vega / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Conservation (Impact) class. A male orca rests immobile on the ground of a concrete tank at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, China. His severely collapsed dorsal fin is a visual consequence of extended captivity. Originally wild-caught from Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk as juveniles, these animals have been separated from their household teams and denied the social setting that defines their lives within the ocean. | Jingyi Zhang / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Adventure class. Dolphins journey the waves alongside surfers at Tamarama Beach, Sydney, throughout a strong swell and offshore winds. The pod stayed with the surfers for greater than an hour, shifting via the lineup as naturally because the individuals round them. | Gergo Rugli / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Conservation (Hope) class. This picture represents the second an nameless shark turns into a identified particular person. Through picture identification and laser-calibrated video photogrammetry, scientists can monitor sharks over time, measuring measurement, intercourse and inhabitants traits. Conducted with out bait or attractants, this analysis helps reveal the lives of Tamataroa, a culturally revered species protected in French Polynesia. | Thomas Pavy / Ocean Photographer of the YearFrom the Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds class. A shrimp carrying a clutch of eggs shelters inside the branches of a coral. The photographer used a snoot positioned behind the coral to create the fiery glow surrounding the eggs, whereas entrance lighting revealed the shrimp with out disturbing its fragile habitat. | Andrea Michelutti / Ocean Photographer of the Year
Category winners, alongside the general Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026, will probably be introduced in September. Ocean Photographer of the Year is offered by Oceanographic and Blancpain.