The Ocean Art 2025 Winners Will Leave You Holding Your Breath

The Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest has announced its 2025 winners, and once again, it’s a reminder that the most extraordinary images on Earth are often made where breathing needs special equipment. With thousands of entries from photographers in more than 90 countries, this year’s competition delivers everything from microscopic reef life to deep-sea oddities and ice-bound freedivers. It’s a global showcase of patience, technical precision, and a willingness to spend far too long floating in places humans weren’t designed for.

Best in Show went to Steven Kovacs for Tired Fish, a blackwater dive image captured off Kumejima, Japan, after nearly two weeks of hunting a rarely documented larval goosefish. It’s exactly the kind of photograph that looks effortless until you learn the backstory of nightly dives, unpredictable subjects, and a split-second moment when the creature finally opened its mouth toward the lens. From fashion-inspired underwater tableaux to rare animal behaviour and conservation stories, the 2025 winners prove that underwater photography remains equal parts obsession, endurance sport, and visual storytelling.

Best in Show and First Place Blackwater

Steven Kovacs
“Tired fish”
Location: Blackwater dive off Kumejima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

One of my favorite subjects to encounter on blackwater dives is the goosefish, also known as the monkfish. So when I began seeing photographs of a never-before-seen species of larval goosefish taken off Kume Island, Japan, I knew I had to visit and try to find one. Blackwater diving in the very deep waters off Kumejima, Japan, is an exciting new opportunity, and although finding my target fish was a long shot, I booked an extended stay in hopes of getting lucky. After nearly two weeks of nightly searching and nearing the end of my stay, my elusive subject suddenly appeared. Unfortunately, this beautiful little fish turned out to be incredibly uncooperative and difficult to photograph. After spending some time with it, I was very fortunate that, for one brief moment, it decided to yawn while facing the camera. I somehow managed to press the shutter at that exact instant, resulting in this image.

Wide Angle

1st Place: Byron Conroy
“Last Light”
Location: Jardines Del Reina Marine Park, Cuba

Cuba is home to one of the last abundant populations of sharks in the Caribbean, this shot was taken at sunset with these surface patrolling silky sharks. I wanted to tell the story of the number of sharks and the healthy population and the movement as they patrol the shallow water. I used a slow shutter speed to burn in the ambient light coming through the partial n=snells window and a front curtain flash fore to freeze the sharks sharp in amongst the chaos of the surface movement and the sunset.

4th Place: James Ferrara
“Concise Chaos”
Location: Magdalena Bay, Mexico

In the waters off Magdalena Bay, a striped marlin carves through the blue as it locks onto a dense, swirling bait ball, the scene unfolding with a raw sense of speed and tension. By using a slow shutter, I aimed to capture the chaotic energy of the sardines as they flash, scatter, and collide in every direction, each movement driven by instinct and fear. The marlin lingers just beyond the edge of the bait ball, its long body taut and perfectly streamlined, conserving energy while studying the shifting mass of prey. Subtle changes in posture and fin position hint at the imminent strike, a moment where explosive power meets precise timing. The blurred motion of the sardines contrasts with the sharp presence of the marlin, emphasizing the predator’s calm control amid the chaos. This image reflects not just a hunt, but the delicate balance of predator and prey that defines life in the open ocean.

Macro

1st Place: Daniel Sly
“Between the Polyps”
Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Tucked deep within coral polyps above the black volcanic sand of Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait, this pughead pipefish revealed itself for only a brief moment. While not particularly uncommon, capturing a clean view of this small syngnathid’s face among the busy coral it inhabits can be a real challenge. By waiting patiently for it to edge forward into a natural gap, its wide-eyed, almost startled expression was revealed.

2nd Place: Luis Arpa Toribio
“Gliding”
Location: Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia,

This image shows a juvenile Pinnate Batfish (Platax pinnatus) photographed in the tropical waters of Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait. Using a slow shutter speed combined with a snooted strobe mounted directly above the camera at a controlled distance, along with deliberate camera panning, I aimed to create a sense of dynamic motion while highlighting the fish’s distinctive juvenile coloration. Young pinnate batfish display striking black bodies outlined with vivid orange—a pattern they lose within just a few months as they mature.

The photograph is meaningful because it captures a life stage that is both visually dramatic and short-lived, documenting a moment in the species’ rapid developmental change. It also demonstrates that compelling images can be created with minimal equipment when technique and timing align. The behavior observed is typical of juveniles: highly active and frequently darting into crevices for protection from predators, which made the shot particularly challenging. Over two dives, I waited patiently for the fish to emerge long enough to align movement, light, and composition. Despite the technical difficulty and constant motion, the image was taken carefully so as not to interfere with or alter the fish’s natural behavior.

4th Place: Bruce Hall
“Giant Kelp”
Location: Catalina Island, CA, USA

In the 1980’s and early 1990’s I attended meetings of the San Diego Underwater Film Society in San Diego, CA. Meeting other more experienced UW photographers I began to learn the basics of macro photography. For decades I’ve been fascinated by the CA kelp forests, Macrocycstis Pyrifera, and strived to capture the symmetry and beauty of small sections of this amazing plant.. Focusing was always a problem for me, in early days, as I have been legally blind since birth. I can see shapes and color and contrast, but no hard lines unless I’m within 4 or 5 inches from my subject. Other photographers have always been generous helping me find “work arounds” for my visual impairment. In the early 1990’s I began using the Nikonos v with extension tubes and framers eliminating my focusing issues. However, getting the shot that I imagined took many dives and countless rolls of film. This photograph is one of my best from my early days of exploring the magic and beauty of the kelp forests.

Marine Life Behaviour

1st Place: Jeon Min Seok
“Beautiful Birth”
Location: Beaches in Kumamoto and Shinminamata, Japan

I am an underwater photographer who mainly photographs seahorses in Korea. To witness the birth of the Korean seahorse in 2022, I successfully filmed it by diving at night. However, I got to know a diving site in Kumamoto, Japan, where there are many seahorses in Japan and the climate is better than in Korea, and in July this year, I was able to contact a local guide to film the birth of the seahorse while diving at night. Among the macro subjects, seahorses are relatively large and have poor vision, so I captured the moment when a baby seahorse comes out of my father’s stomach using a 35mm macro lens with a wide field of view and a continuous shooting function. Seahorses mate and give birth several times a year, but since it is very difficult to know the date and time, I was able to shoot by diving from 00 : 00 a.m. to the next morning.

4th place: Mark Chivers
“Colorful Love”
Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

As daylight fades on the reef, a brief and extraordinary ritual begins. This photograph was taken during a dusk dive specifically planned to observe the mating behaviour of Mandarin Fish (Synchiropus splendidus)—a goal that had eluded me on several previous trips across different locations. Just after sunset, the reef takes on a quieter mood. In this low-light window, female Mandarin fish gather near the coral to observe males as they perform an elaborate courtship display. The males flash their vivid colours and dart rhythmically above the reef in an effort to attract attention. From a photographer’s perspective, this is the moment where patience is critical. Movement must be minimal, buoyancy precise, and timing exact.

When a female selects a male, the interaction changes instantly. She rests briefly on his pelvic fin, and together they rise slowly above the reef. At the peak of this ascent, the pair spawn, releasing a cloud of eggs and sperm before separating and drifting back down. The entire sequence lasts only seconds. Capturing this moment is particularly challenging. The light is fading rapidly, the subjects are small and constantly moving, and the exact instant of egg and sperm release is difficult to predict. This was the first time I had ever witnessed Mandarin fish mating, and the pressure to capture the behaviour added to the challenge. The photograph was taken largely on instinct—trusting experience to manage focus and exposure in near darkness. When reviewing the image later, it was clear the effort had paid off.

Portrait

1st Place: Galice Hoarau
“Sea Snake Knot”
Location: Anda, Philippines

During the dive, I noticed this sea snake (Hydrophis sp.) unusual behavior, at first rubbing on the sand in a vertical U, then forming a knot on itself with pieces of old skin hanging at the tail: it was shedding! Although sea snakes have been known to make these knots on themselves to help shed their old skin, this behaviour has rarely been captured in a photo.

3rd Place: Wojtek Meczynski
“Home Alone”
Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Pregnant Denise’s Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus Denise) is observing the underwater life pass by its coral fan home window. The seahorse was very calm, enjoying our quick session. What made me feel special when I looked at the scene was that the polyps of the fan coral were nicely open – not only adding to the beauty of the photo, but also proving no one was harassing it.

Cold Water

1st Place: James Ferrara
“One Way out”
Location: Tobermory, Ontario, Canada

From the surface, Lake Huron’s frozen expanse appears plain and unremarkable. A vast, glimmering sheet of ice stretches as far as the eye can see, seemingly still and lifeless. Yet beneath this frozen surface lies an entirely different world—a cathedral of shifting shapes, delicate textures, and intricate patterns that shimmer in the filtered light. Weather, wind, and waves constantly fracture, shift, and refreeze the ice, sculpting formations that are never the same twice. Every hole we cut into the surface revealed a new spectacle, a fleeting glimpse of an underwater landscape that feels almost otherworldly.

My goal was to capture the freediver as though they were suspended between two worlds. Every descent demanded meticulous planning, with both of us diving on a single breath. Having proper spacial awareness was crucial, as we only had one way in and one way out. As I watched the diver glide through the water, their movements contrasted the geometric patterns of the ice itself. Beneath Lake Huron’s unassuming surface lies a world that is truly mesmerizing—one that invites exploration yet commands profound respect.

Nudibranchs

1st Place: Paolo Bausani
“True Colors”
Location: Giannutri Island, Mediterranean Sea, Italy

I photographed this nudibranch of the species Cratena Peregrina while it was feeding on its preferred prey. It feeds on the stinging cells of a hydrozoan without suffering the venom. The ambient light combined with the strobe flash emphasized the vivid coloration of its livery.

4th Place: Franco Tulli
“Eating”
Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

In August 2024, I was lucky enough to encounter this beautiful Trinchesia yamasui nudibranch while diving in Lembeh. It was feeding on its favourite food, the stinging white hydrozoan Hydroid aglaophenia, which provides nourishment and serves as a defence mechanism. Its position above the hydrozoan enabled me to take a close-up shot with a limited aperture, while still isolating the background. This resulted in a particularly detailed and clean image that required very little post-production editing.

Underwater Conservation

1st Place: Elio Nicosia
“Please free me”
Location: Syracuse, Sicily, Italy

The moray eel was trapped in an abandoned trap. When it saw me, it put its nose in one of the meshes to ask for help. It was an incredible emotion. The story had a happy ending; after taking the photos, I freed it.

Underwater Digital Art

1st Place: Michal Štros
“Mysterious Pufferfish”
Location: Bunaken Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The original photograph of the “Valentini pufferfish” was taken near the reef off Bunaken Island. Using the Fractalius plug-in, a fractal of the pufferfish’s head was created from this image, which was then further edited with smoke brushes in Photoshop. The colorful smoke behind the fish highlights its dynamic movement and signals to potential predators that the fish is poisonous. The reflections on the water’s surface mirror the color of the wavy smoke.

Black & White

1st Place: Patrick Désormais
“Méduse”
Location: site Den Osse, Pays-Bas, Zélande

During a dive in Zeeland, I encountered this beautiful Rhizostoma pulmo near the surface. It was a sunny day, and I was able to play with the sunlight to capture this photo, which showcases this magnificent 50cm jellyfish specimen. The black and white processing highlights the animal’s texture against the murky, dark water, creating a black background.

2nd Place: Jack Berthomier
“In the River at Night”
Location: Ouenghi’s River, New Caledonia

This picture was taken at Ouenghi’s River in New Caledonia, where I live. After big floods in the mountains, the river has branches and leaves floating everywhere. I got in the water at the sunset while holding a tree because of the strong current. I got lucky and saw palm trees in front of me with New Caledonian Carps under it.

Underwater Fashion

1st Place: Bruce Campbell
“Angel Flying Over Water”
Location: Waterbear exhibit pool in Gainesville, Florida, USA

Angel Flying was made during a brief encounter when movement, light, and position aligned without warning. The subject’s form and motion resolved naturally in the water, offering a fleeting sense of lift and quiet that existed only for a moment before passing. There was no opportunity to adjust or repeat the scene. The image emerged through stillness and restraint—by allowing the encounter to unfold rather than attempting to direct it.

In a space, this photograph introduces calm and elevation. Its presence draws the eye upward while maintaining a grounded sense of balance, creating an atmosphere of quiet attentiveness rather than spectacle. Angel Flying is a photographic work created largely in-camera during a single underwater encounter. Post-processing is minimal and deliberate, preserving the qualities shaped by water, light, and movement at the time the image was made.

2nd Place: Cassie Pali
“Goddess of the Night”
Location: Maui, Hawaii, United States

This image was created in a moment of letting go. Once submerged, neither the photographer nor the Goddess holds control. The intent is set on land, outfits chosen, breath prepared, meaning agreed upon, and then the water takes over. What follows cannot be directed, only witnessed.

In this instance, the rain arrived unexpectedly, forming an ethereal ceiling above her. Bubbles and falling light creating texture where emptiness had been. The descent became dialogue. Gravity, water, and chance shaped the frame, while presence replaced precision. The photograph is not a record of a pose, but of surrender. What remains is a quiet truth: some power reveals itself only when we let go.

Compact Wide Angle

1st Place: Haemi Cho
“Turtle and Snorkelers”
Location: Shark Point, Komodo, Indonesia

I captured this image during a check dive at Shark Point in Komodo, Indonesia. Ironically, despite the site’s name, there were no sharks to be found that day. Instead, I spotted a sea turtle rising toward the surface to take a breath. Above the surface, a group of snorkelers was watching the scene unfold. I instinctively captured this moment, highlighting the peaceful connection and coexistence between the marine life and the human observers.

2nd Place: Enrico Somogyi
“Klunzigerś Home (Klunziger Wrasse)”
Location: Marsa Alam, Red Sea, Egypt

While diving in the vibrant waters of the Red Sea, I spotted a stunning Klunziger’s wrasse, known for its vivid colors and lively behavior. The fish, about 20 cm long, had a striking body adorned with bright greenish-blue scales that shimmered under the sunlight filtering through the water. Its face was marked by a bold yellow stripe running from the snout to the gill, creating a sharp contrast with its teal body. The tail was slightly forked and tinged with a brilliant pinkish hue.

Compact Macro

1st place: Andrea Michelutti
“Dancing on Eggs”
Location: Anilao, Mabini, Batangas (Luzon), Philippines

While diving in the waters of Anilao, Philippines, I found this super tiny sea snail (Cystiscus minutissimus) on a ribbon of nudibranch eggs. It measures barely 2 millimeters, almost invisible to the naked eye, one of those miniature creatures that easily escape attention. What caught my attention was the contrast between its translucent, purple‑tinted shell and the soft texture of the egg spiral beneath it. A small, quiet moment that reveals how much beauty hides in the micro world of the reef.

Honorable Mention: Enrico Somogyi
“Zoom ( Peackock Mantis Shrimp)”
Location: Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

When I was in one of the Top Spots for Muck Diving in Tulamben, Bali i was lucky to find this Peackock Mantis Shrimp with eggs. The Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) is a vibrant and striking marine creature known for its incredible speed and strength. With a body length of about 7 inches, it features bright colors, including shades of blue, green, and orange. This shrimp has powerful, club-like appendages used for hunting, capable of striking with the force of a bullet, often breaking the shells of its prey. It has a highly specialized vision, with 16 color receptors compared to humans’ 3. Found in tropical and subtropical waters, it is both admired for its beauty and feared for its ferocity.

Compact Behavior

1st Place: Jo Taylor
“Misfire”
Location: Lembeh, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

After being relentlessly pursued by two male stallions, this large yellow female seahorse anxiously attempts to transfer her eggs to her chosen mate at the height of a copulatory rise as the contender falls away.
Mating is difficult for inexperienced seahorse pairs to accomplish successfully and many of her bright eggs were spilt in the process. I had this rare & exciting opportunity whilst diving in the Lembeh Strait. Owing to the flexibility of compact photography, I was able to capture this special moment.

Honorable Mention: Marco Lausdei
“Alien Invasion”
Location: Baa Atoll, Hanifaru Bay, Maldives

Be part of a massive feeding time in Hanifaru Bay is something really hard to forget. Due to a combination of conditions, including the time of year, tide, moon phase, and currents, Hanifaru Bay transforms into a vast plankton buffet for dozens, sometimes hundreds of reef manta rays.

During aggregation season, the weather is almost always rainy or overcast, the light is dim and flat, and the water is green and full of particles. This makes the photographer’s job quite difficult. I attempted to capture in natural light a dynamic moment in which a dozen individuals headed straight for me, using the classic train formation to channel the plankton and maximize the amount ingested. I used low ISO and a shutter speed of 1/160 to avoid blurry shots, compensating with an aperture of f/3.5. They were very emotional moments, and I’m truly happy that this photo was chosen among the many in the competition.

All of the other winners and runner’s up can be seen on the award website.

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