Dive below to a world of wonder with this selection of breathtaking winning and commended photos from the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 awards.
The contest platforms mesmerising photography captured beneath the surface of oceans, lakes and rivers.
More than 6,700 photos were entered into this year’s competition by photographers hailing from 28 countries. Among the incredible images celebrated in this year’s awards are scenes of ‘jousting’ male fish, an ‘unfazed’ octopus and a ‘curious seal’.
However, the winner of this year’s prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year prize is Alvaro Herrero for his shot of the ‘special relationship between a mother humpback whale and her newborn calf’.
Competition judge Peter Rowlands says of the winning photo: ‘This delicate yet powerful study of a mother and calf’s bond says all that is great and good about our world. We face our challenges, but the increasing populations of humpback whales worldwide shows what can be achieved.’
Scroll down to the very bottom to see Herrero’s winning photo…
This startling image was taken in the giant kelp forests of the Falkland Islands by American photographer Patrick Webster, who describes them as ‘among the lushest algal amphitheatres anywhere in the coldwater world’. In front of the lens is an ‘exuberant’ male South American sea lion. The judges remarked: ‘Such a quality portrait! It made every one of us smile when we saw the image. Excellent capture by the photographer and very well lit.’ The photo claims third in the Portrait category
LEFT: Behold ‘The Scream’, an image of a sponge ‘with an almost human appearance’ taken by Italian photographer Pietro Cremone in Bunaken Marine Park in Indonesia. The picture is commended in the Black & White category. RIGHT: This spellbinding image, titled ‘On Approach’, was taken by German veterinarian Ronja Arnold in the deep waters of Fakarava Atoll in French Polynesia. She writes: ‘While laying flat down in an underwater cave at a depth of 30 metres, I managed to take this picture of two grey sharks approaching me in almost perfect symmetry, making it look like a scene straight from a science fiction movie.’ Her image is commended in the UP & Coming category, with the judges praising its ‘graphic simplicity’
LEFT: This shot, taken in Cancun by Korean photographer Ruruka, is titled ‘Shower of Light’ and is highly commended in the UP & Coming category. The photographer reveals that the picture is ‘the result of a lot of patience’, with the judges describing it as ‘exquisite’. RIGHT: The judges describe this shot, by French photographer Jean-Baptiste Cazajous, as a ‘classic image’. Called ‘In the Tornado’, it shows a school of fish swirling around the wreck of coal transport ship Togo, which was sunk in 1918 by a mine explosion in the bay of Cavalaire-Sur-Mer. The picture is highly commended in the wrecks category
This entertaining photo, taken by Shunsuke Nakano from Japan, is titled ‘Face Off’ and shows two male Asian sheepshead wrasse in Japan ‘jousting over spawning rights’. The fish ‘form harems and claim territories during the breeding season’ and ‘the harem king’ on the right of this image is thought to be over 30 years old, explains Nakano. The photo wins the Behaviour award
A runner-up in the wide-angle category, this incredible photo of a diver in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula was taken by Spanish photographer Alvaro Herrero. Herrero used a rebreather (which recycles air) while diving to capture this shot, explaining ‘by not emitting bubbles, we help protect the features of the cave and disturb far fewer particles, which is particularly advantageous when photographing less-frequented spots’
This captivating image of a bass shoal was taken by British photographer Rick Ayrton on a dive at the Eddystone Reef off the coast of Plymouth, Devon. Ayrton says: ‘I think the swirling kelp fronds help to set the scene and the diagonal direction of the fish creates a pleasing composition.’ The photo picks up third place in the British Waters Wide Angle category
LEFT: Coming third in the Wide Angle category, this fun shot taken by Dutch photographer Joost van Uffelen captures feeding mantas in the Maldives. Van Uffelen says: ‘While the mantas happily filled their bellies, surrounded by schools of mackerel, a small window opened to shoot them stacked upon each other in a beautiful feeding train.’ RIGHT: Swedish photographer Alex Dawson wins the Wrecks category with this captivating shot of the Gulf Fleet No 31 wreck in Egypt. Dawson explains: ‘When she sank, she got wedged between the reef wall and a small reef, so there is a swim-through under the wreck’
This mesmerising photo was taken by Autumn Martin from the U.S. in Bali, Indonesia, and was the photographer’s first time taking a camera underwater. It places third in the Up & Coming category. Martin says ‘my goal was to get a tiny nudibranch in focus’ and ‘by the fifth dive I finally spotted this perfect little creature’
The winner of the Up & Coming category, this incredible shot was taken by Korean photographer Jeungyul Park in Cancun, Mexico. Park says: ‘To capture this particular photo, I visited during the rainy summer season and worked with a local Korean guide as my model’
This amusing photo of ‘drinking camels’ was taken by Kuwaiti photographer Abdulaziz Al Saleh in the Al Wafra desert in Kuwait. Al Saleh used an underwater fisheye lens to capture the shot and reveals: ‘The first week, the camels were a bit hesitant to drink water while my camera was under the water… but after several days the camels accepted me and my equipment.’ The photo is the winner of the Portrait category
Swedish photographer Alex Dawson comes third in the Wrecks category with this snap of the Kas Coast Guard SG115 shipwreck in Turkey. The wreck lies 35m/114ft below the surface
This enchanting image was taken in Jordan by Polish photographer Wojciech Dopierala. It features freediver Carlos Diesel perched on top of a wreck. Dopierala reveals: ‘We only made one attempt at this shot. Fortunately, Carlos did an amazing job’
A runner-up in the Behaviour category, this incredible snap of a blue marlin was taken by Spanish photographer Eduardo Acevedo in Baja California in Mexico. Acevedo says: ‘Getting strong images of these fish among wildlife is very difficult because they attack the sardines and mackerels at very high speed, making it extremely difficult to capture this behaviour in a photo’
This startling image of an ‘interaction’ between a trout and a salmon was snapped in Lake Grublsee in Austria by Hungarian photographer Lorincz Ferenc Lorinc. It places third in the Behaviour category
This colourful photo of a crab was taken by UK photographer Dan Bolt in Loch Carron in Scotland. Bolt explains: ‘This image shows nature’s ability to make the best of a bad situation. The iron block and heavy chain are actually holding a small barge in place on the surface where local scallop divers store their equipment. The barge itself is a floating reef system all of it own, and the anchor blocks have attracted many species, too.’ The photo snaps up the British Waters Living Together award
UK photographer Simon Temple took this enchanting snap of a curled octopus in Lochcarron in Scotland. Temple explains that his ‘encounters with octopuses in the UK are usually unplanned’ and he spotted this creature during an unexpected current surge. He adds: ‘The tide was relentless, and I managed only four shots before it pulled me away. As I drifted, I glanced back for one last look. The octopus remained, seemingly unfazed by our encounter, but out of range.’ It’s a runner-up in the British Waters Wide Angle category
The winner of the Compact category, this mesmerising image of a Florida gar was captured by U.S. photographer Bryant Turffs in the USA’s Everglades National Park. Turffs explains: ‘Historically, I primarily dove in saltwater, but I have become enamoured by this foreboding environment, with clear waters, light filtering through cypress trees, and the fish species, both native and introduced’
British photographer Catherine Holmes wins the Coral Reefs category with this spectacular image taken in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. She describes the spot as a ‘magical destination where the colour, beauty, biodiversity and dense fish life can almost be an overload on the senses’. This image depicts ‘schooling baitfish swirling’ among the coral
A runner-up in the British Waters Living Together category, UK photographer Guy Trees snapped this shot in Balaclava Bay in Portland, an island in the English Channel. Trees says: ‘For many people, the ocean provides a place to find peace. With no prior set-up and only ambient lighting, this photo captures a freediver in a moment of tranquillity as she weaves her way through the kelp’
German photographer Robert Marc Lehmann is the winner of the ‘Save Our Seas’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year award with this heartbreaking image of a captured tiger shark in Indonesia. Lehmann says: ‘This tiger shark is just one of around 200million sharks that lose their lives every year at the hands of humans. Every time I take a photo like this, it hurts, but through imagery I can inspire millions of people to understand sharks and their situation and make a difference’
This incredible image of a ‘curious seal’ was snapped by UK photographer David Alpert in Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel. Alpert picks up the gong for British Underwater Photographer of the Year award for this photo. He reveals: ‘This shot shows a grey seal off Lundy Island, a marine protected area since 1973. Seals are delightfully curious creatures, more interactive than any other species I have dived with around the world’
This image, commended in the Save Our Seas Foundation Marine Conservation category, shows a California sea lion pup off the coast of Mexico roaring with apparent frustration as it suffers from the pain of a fishing line wrapped around its neck. The picture was taken by Briton Henley Spiers, who reveals that the animal was thankfully freed by Mexican NGO Rescate De Lobos Marinos. Henley comments: ‘This image was realised during an assignment to cover the life and threats facing Mexico’s population of sea lions’
Spanish photographer Alvaro Herrero wins the Underwater Photographer of the Year award for this beautiful wide-angle photo of a humpback whale and her calf taken in French Polynesia. Herrero says: ‘For me, this photo is one that shows a mother’s love for her calf, communicating both the fragility and beauty of our oceans and revealing one of the amazing species with whom we share our home world’