The Greatest Ocean Images of the Year

You might have your personal trip photographs of rock swimming pools, seashores, and seashells out of your travels this summer season, however if you wish to see how the professionals do it, take a look at the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 awards.

Taken from the air, the shore, and beneath the waves, there are 84 picture finalists in complete, although we’ve picked out a few of our favorites beneath. From large waves to tiny sea creatures, the photographs showcase surprise and wildlife within the oceans, in addition to among the challenges that endanger these unimaginable ecosystems. The contest options 9 classes, and is run by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain.

“These photographs don’t just capture what’s beneath the surface; they surface the stories our planet most needs us to hear,” mentioned Will Harrison, Ocean Photographer of the Year founder and director, in a statement. “As the pressures on our ocean grow, so does the importance of the artists who bear witness to them.”

The Wildlife class asks photographers to seize the story of a selected creature or ecosystem. This shot of southern elephant seal pups from Matthew Smith definitely suits the temporary, taken on Sea Lion Island within the Falklands, because the seals be taught to swim and survive on their very own.

Also in Wildlife, Ariel Mei Gliboff captured this colourful shot of 11 gunnels off the coast of Seattle. While the fish are generally seen round these shores, it’s uncommon to see them bunching collectively so tightly, and displaying off so many alternative colours directly.

The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds class celebrates creatures which might be a bit more durable to identify—as with this compelling image of a pygmy seahorse by Iris Uijttewaal, taken within the reefs of Raja Ampat, Indonesia. These camouflaged hydroids are as small as a grain of rice.

Few of the shortlisted pictures are as vibrant and colourful as this one by Andrea Michelutti. You’re taking a look at a shrimp carrying a clutch of eggs, sheltering throughout the branches of a coral, with a snoot used to light up the scene from behind with out affecting the fragile habitat.

The concept behind the Human Connection: People and Planet Ocean class is to spotlight our personal place inside nature. We positively get that on this Anita Verde picture, showcasing an encounter between a free diver and an enormous oceanic sunfish (Mola Mola) in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.

This picture from Rémi Conte reveals how intently humanity and the ocean exist side-by-side, and the way a lot we rely on one another to co-exist. The image is taken from above in Nosy Iranja, Madagascar, with the Indian Ocean on the precise and a fishing village on the left, together with a part of a soccer pitch.

This Chelsea Mayer shot wouldn’t look misplaced in an artwork gallery, depicting a pod of short-beaked frequent dolphins off the California coast, beneath the reflections of a passing boat.

Black-and-white submissions are inspired within the Fine Art class, and this picture of a standard octopus by James Ferrara is an in depth instance. Taken within the waters of Blue Heron Bridge, Florida, the picture reveals off the suckers, pores and skin, and eye of the octopus, plus the siphon it makes use of to maneuver water by way of its physique.

And then there’s the Adventure class. Case in level. This Dan Sullivan picture of a surfer, a windsurfer, and a kitesurfer sharing the identical big wave on Maui’s North Shore.

Here’s an underwater journey shot by Ben Yávar: A freediver surrounded by an enormous college of sardines shifting round her. It was captured throughout an unplanned morning dive, and it provides a way of individuals and marine life co-existing peacefully.

Two of the classes concentrate on dialog. This black-and-white picture by Daniel Taylor reveals a silky shark caught by an unlawful longline off the California coast as a bunch of pilot fish look on.

This overhead shot from Lu Minqiang is of a scene from the Malé Fish Market within the Maldives. Fish waste is emptied into the ocean as rays collect beneath to feast on it—an indication of how human exercise can alter pure feeding patterns if simple meals sources can be found.

The last class seems to be at conservation with a extra hopeful angle: This picture by Francesca Page reveals juvenile European lobsters being raised at a hatchery within the United Kingdom to enhance their probabilities of long-term survival.

A hopeful picture from Leighton Lum, through which we will see Hawaiian inexperienced sea turtles (honu) resting collectively inside a sheltered sea cave on Maui, because the solar goes down. This species of turtle has recovered considerably in recent times, due to conservation efforts—for which there’s now some iconic photographic proof.

Ocean Photographer of the Year is offered by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain.

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Lead picture: Leighton Lum / Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026