The judging for the 12th annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, recently concluded, and the winning images and photographers have been announced. Suliman Alatiqi was awarded Best in Show for an image of a crab-eating macaque foraging among Thailand’s Phi Phi Islands. The contest organizers have once again shared some of the winners and honorable mentions, shown below, from 14 categories. Captions were written by the individual photographers and have been lightly edited for style and clarity.
Winners of the 2023 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest
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Circle of Life. Honorable Mention, Compact Behavior. Andrea Michelutti: "I found this Favorinus tsuruganus, along with its eggs, on the egg ribbon of the Spanish dancer. The bright colors and intricate designs of the nudibranchs are captivating, but they hide a harsh reality. The nudibranch in the foreground is feeding of the eggs of another of its kind: The ribbon of purple eggs laid by the Spanish dancer fell prey to the Favorinus tsuruganus, which also deposited its white eggs on top." #
© Andrea Michelutti / Ocean Art -
Dress for the Sea. 3rd Place, Black & White. Tursiops dolphins, seen just below the surface in a lagoon off Mayotte, part of the Comoro Islands archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. #
© Serge Melesan / Ocean Art -
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Backlit Blenny. Honorable Mention, Macro. Greg Sherman: "I came across this gulf signal blenny displaying frequently on a dive in Mexico's Sea of Cortez. After approaching slowly, I positioned my snoot so as to backlight the fish when its dorsal fin was fully unfurled." #
© Greg Sherman / Ocean Art -
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The Beauty of the Swamp. 1st Place, Compact Wide Angle. Bryant Turffs: "In this frame, I sought to capture a beautiful, native, Florida gar against the backdrop of a cypress dome with light rays filtering through the trees. As a fish nerd, observing the many beautiful species that call this environment home is another joy. This image also features native largemouth bass in the background." Photographed in Florida's Everglades National Park. #
© Bryant Turffs / Ocean Art -
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Fresh Start. 3rd Place, Portrait. Jules Casey: "Every year thousands of giant spider crabs come into Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Australia, 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." #
© Jules Casey / Ocean Art -
Ms. Elegant. Honorable Mention, Nudibranchs. Cédric Péneau: "Bornella anguilla is a very elegant nudibranch, well known for its capacity to swim like an eel, hence its name. It is not common where I live, so I was delighted to find it during a night dive, seeing it moving and raising its head as is pictured in this shot." Photographed off Réunion Island. #
© Cédric Péneau / Ocean Art -
Sea Lion Playing in Sardine Ball. 1st Place, Black & White. Joergen Rasmussen: "Each November, sardines aggregate off the Mexican west coast. This in turn attracts many predators. Working with a local fisherman, we searched the deep water offshore near the continental shelf, and we spotted a lonely sea lion. The sea lion was chasing sardines, and the ball was constantly changing shape as the sea lion broke it up." #
© Joergen Rasmussen / Ocean Art -
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Baby Shark. Honorable Mention, Portrait. Kat Zhou: "This photo shows a baby lemon shark cruising through red mangroves in the Bahamas. Lemon-shark pups spend up to the first four years of their lives in shallow mangrove environments, where they are more protected from predators." #
© Kat Zhou / Ocean Art -
Art. Honorable Mention, Blackwater. Steven Kovacs: "I have seen many larval snails over the course of several years of blackwater diving, but on one particular dive in Manado, Indonesia, this particular gastropod caught my eye. I had never seen one so colorful and dazzling before. The snail was in constant motion, but occasionally it would spread out symmetrically in full display for just a brief moment, displaying like a piece of underwater art." #
© Steven Kovacs / Ocean Art -
Spotlight Nudibranch. 3rd Place, Nudibranchs. Jenny Stock: "I captured this spotlight nudibranch as a silhouette on the back of a fallen leaf in the beautiful warm waters of Tulamben, Bali." #
© Jenny Stock / Ocean Art -
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Into the Flames. Honorable Mention, Compact Macro. Miguel Ramirez: "During a night dive on Réunion Island, I saw a huge Spanish dancer. And when I looked closer, I noticed that there was an emperor shrimp hidden in its gills!" #
© Miguel Ramirez / Ocean Art -
Eye See You. Honorable Mention, Macro. Photographed with a 90-mm macro lens off Bunaken Island in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Keith Mash: "I spotted a large green turtle nestled in a wall. It seemed to be observing us from afar and showed no signs of swimming off. With slow movements, I managed to get within macro range and cautiously maneuvered my camera into position waiting for the right moment. To my surprise the turtle turned its head and gazed directly into the camera as if to check me out. As its eye came into focus, I paused; me looking at the turtle, the turtle looking at me—click—it was done." #
© Keith Mash / Ocean Art
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