Ocean Art Contest 2023: 12 Images Showcasing Never-Before-Seen Behaviors, Captivating Blackwater Scenes And More

The 2023 Ocean Art Contest winners have been announced by the Underwater Photography Guide! In its 12th year, the competition received images from over 90 countries, celebrating both evolving photography skills and technological advancements.

Winning entries showcased never-before-seen behaviors, captivating blackwater scenes, inspiring messages on ocean conservation, clever lighting techniques, and stunning animal portraits. With 14 diverse categories, the contest provided a challenging platform for photographers of all levels.

Keep scrolling to witness the breathtaking images!

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12 PHOTOS

#1 Honorable Mention In Marine Life Behavior: "Giving Birth" By Todd Aki

East Coast of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

"I let my wife choose our last dive of the trip, either an unguided shore dive or a boat dive. Although she loves wide-angle sites from the boat, she picked the shore dive. It was because the house reef was on fire! Mimics and wonderpus were so common we stopped pointing them out. There was an explosion of ghost pipefish of various types. So many different types of frogfish. I saw so many hairy frogfish, that I stopped taking pictures of them. I was diving the house reef before sunrise and at night without my wife and she surprisingly, had not seen a hair the entire trip. This last dive was a quest for us to find her a hairy. The dive did not disappoint. We saw so many different types of cephalopods including a yawn, mimic. We came across a newly laid patch of squid eggs which strangely, had a seahorse attached. While shooting this unusual combination, a school of razorfish photobombed the picture. We were at the end of the dive when I spotted something that did not make sense. Why was a seahorse in the water column? I could not believe my eyes at what happened next. The seahorse convulsed and out came hundreds of babies. Shooting is always my top priority but I wanted my wife to experience this moment with me so I banged my tank with my muck stick to get her attention and missed the opportunity to fire off a couple of shots. I was able to get into position and got three shots at the male seahorse’s next release. My wife was now at my side and the current took the baby seahorses right next to her mask. There was one more release with just a few more babies then the seahorse dropped to the ocean floor exhausted. I was so happy my wife was able to experience this once-in-a-lifetime encounter with me. But we never found her a hairy frogfish."

"Although the AI revolution has quickly changed the global photographic landscape, this year’s winners are a testament to humanity’s creative perseverance over machines. With new rules against the use of regenerative AI imagery in our primary categories, these photos are 100% real," say the organizers of the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest.

#2 Best In Show And 1st Place In Portrait: "Aquatic Primate" By Suliman Alatiqi

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

"During fieldwork at Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, spanning several weeks, I focused my efforts on documenting the maritime behavior of the Crab-eating macaque with a particular focus on their water forages. The macaques have adapted very well to living around the sea and will venture into the water for various reasons including transportation, scavenging, cooling down, and playing. Highly efficient swimmers, they can dive for up to half a minute and can cover short distances faster than most humans. This photo offers a rare glimpse of the swimming movement of a male macaque."

#3 2nd Place In Macro Category: "Pygmy Poser" By Byron Conroy

Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

"I have photographed pygmy sea horses for many years, there are a few challenges to shooting them, first the eye contact. To have a relaxed specimen making double eye contact with the camera is very rare, secondly, the polyps of the coral are usually closed. To get the polyps out I had to be the first person on this sea fan in the morning, I already knew this was a playful specimen from the day before so requested to dive the site at dawn when the polyps were out. And this guy is also pregnant and about to burst, so this trifecta of eye contact, polyps out, and pregnant male made it the shot I have been after for many years. There was minimal editing, a little contrast, a slight rotation, and very minimal crop were all that was needed, the subject speaks for itself."

The top image of the year shows a special picture of a crab-eating macaque swimming in the ocean. Suliman Alatiqi took this amazing photo after spending weeks planning and documenting. According to the competition organizers, it symbolizes the passion and dedication required to capture the best underwater picture in the world.

#4 Honorable Mention In Portrait: "Belle" By Celia Kujala

Norris Rocks, Hornby Island, Canada

"As I immersed myself in the underwater world at Norris Rocks, I took my time to observe and try to understand the Steller sea lions aiming to capture more meaningful images. This image was captured when a beautiful sea lion swam up to me and stared tenderly into my eyes melting my heart. Steller sea lions are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. With this image, I hope to ignite a desire within people to protect these extraordinary beings and their ocean home."

#5 2nd Place In Portrait: "Octopus Macropus, Polpessa" By Alessandro Raho

Noli, Ligurian Sea, Italy

"This photo was taken in June 2023 at the dive site: "Sabbione delle Meraviglie" in front of Noli in the Ligurian Sea. I immediately identified this cephalopod by its characteristic spotted coat. I have met these animals other times, but they usually tend to run away, however, the defense behavior of this subject was different the animal opened its tentacles to appear more threatening by rising from the seabed with 2 tentacles and widening the other 6."

Ocean Art 2023 is a celebration of always-changing photography skills and new technology. Nirupam Nigam, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and a partner in Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel, supervised the competition. He said, "This year's contest focused on how judges make decisions to choose the best underwater photos of 2023. It made us think about the essence of a photo, AI, and AI tools. The winners truly represent genuine photography."

#6 2nd Place In Nudibranchs: "Cutie Guardian" By Yen-Po Huang

Tulamben, Indonesia

"Costasiella kuroshimae is one of the famous nudibranchs in Tulamben. It has a tiny cute face and beautiful eggs in a perfect circle. I spent two dives waiting for it to creep up to its eggs. It looked like it was defending eggs. If it was, it must be the cutest guardian of all nudibranchs."

#7 4th Place In Portrait: "Everything Is A-Ok" By Gabriel Jensen

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Pier, Florida, USA

"Summer brings calm seas to South Florida where a dedicated community of shore divers heads out nearly every day to survey for cool critters. I was signaled over by my friends, Dewalt and Evelyn who had spotted this lizardfish grappling with a challenge, its eyes perhaps larger than its mouth. The comically calm doctorfish steals the spotlight, displaying a remarkable defense mechanism with splayed pectoral and dorsal spines. Typically, in these images, the lizardfish is the star of the show, but in this case, I rotated the image to emphasize the doctorfish's stoic demeanor, reminiscent of the 'everything is fine' meme."

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#8 3rd Place In Blackwater: "Snowy Night" By Jialing Cai

Anilao, Batangas, Philippines

"I captured this image during a blackwater dive a few days after the Taal Volcano eruption in the Philippines in early 2020. This female paper nautilus was hitchhiking on a floating piece of wood debris in the extremely turbid water. It belongs to the octopus genus called Argonauta, one of the few octopi lineages that live in the open ocean. The females are unique in having evolved a shell for laying eggs. As I pressed the shutter, the surrounding particles reflected my flashlight in a manner that created the illusion of falling snow. For blackwater photography, we like to place the strobes at an angle and position where the light can shine directly on the subject, ensuring a clean dark background. However, when I initially attempted to capture this Argonaut, I was unaware that the strobes were placed in a “wrong” position. The light was shining on the space between the subject and my camera, which illuminated the presence of all the surrounding particles. Instead of portraying chaos in the aftermath of a natural disaster, these particles evoked an unusual sense of serenity, transforming the scene into a fairytale set on a snowy night.

Blackwater photographers are obsessed with clear water. We are drawn to the pure darkness that mirrors the vacuum of outer space. We tend to forget that the suspended particles which include sand grains, organic matter, and even miniscule organisms are an integral part of the ecosystem. These particles always fade into the background or are simply removed through editing, but they form the foundation of the complex marine food web. If the water were genuinely transparent, there’s no way the ocean could sustain such an abundance of life. The “snowflakes” in this captured scene always remind me of these tiny yet ubiquitous existences."

#9 1st Place In Nudibranchs: "After The Wedding" By Peter Pogany

Anilao, Batangas, Philippines

"In the past two years, I dove into Anilao on three separate occasions. We encountered this species on our first tour and were delighted to find that they were mating. My two diving buddies busied themselves with the nudibranchs, and by the time it was my turn, I had no air left. I hardly hoped to get a second chance to observe this special event. But on our third tour, I caught them 'in flagranti'."

#10 2nd Place In Marine Life Behavior: "Mother's Day" By Josh Raia

Crystal River, Florida, USA

"During the chilly winter months in northern Florida, West Indian manatees congregate in the crystal-clear natural spring waters to keep warm. Temperatures in the surrounding rivers can drop dangerously low so the aquifers act as safe havens where they can rest and raise their young. Manatee mums nurse their calves from just beneath their armpits until they are strong enough to strike out on their own. Over the years I have witnessed what wonderful parents they are, tending to every beck and call of the little ones. This tater tot must have been hungry because it spent most of the day attached to Mom! I have also heard that calves hang on to hitch a ride if they are tired of swimming for the time being. The juvenile manatees are very curious, often coming right up to you as long as you are calm and find a respectable distance to patiently observe. The mother will typically swim over and scoop them up if they are getting too close to divers in the water. The springs must be a whole new world for them out there to explore, and I am so thankful for the encounter this year."

#11 3rd Place In Portrait: "Fresh Start" By Jules Casey

Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia

"Every year thousands of Giant Spider Crabs come into Port Phillip Bay for their annual molt. They gather in large numbers and shed their old exoskeletons. Once molted they double in size while their new shell hardens over the next couple of days. During this time, they are vulnerable to predators, so they gather tightly in large numbers to reduce the risk of being eaten. This freshly molted Giant Spider Crab stands in front of a group of crabs yet to molt, allowing me the opportunity to take a portrait shot."

#12 4th Place In Black & White: "Shark Constellation" By Enrico Pompei

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

"We found this young whale shark during a diving trip in the south part of Raja Ampat National Park. He spent hours circling us feeding on small schooling glassfish. I took this photo a few seconds before he vanished in the blue, with the white spots of its livery drawing the silhouette like a constellation."