Ocean Art 2025 underwater photography competition winners announced

The winners of the 14th annual Ocean Art Underwater Photography Competition have been announced, showcasing the best underwater images from thousands of entries taken by photographers from more than 90 countries.

The overall Best in Show award was presented to Steven Kovacs for his photograph ‘Tired Fish’, taken during a blackwater dive off Kumejima, Japan. The image shows a rarely documented larval goosefish species and was captured after nearly two weeks of targeted diving.

Awards were presented across 14 categories, with more than $60,000 in prizes received this year by the winners, including dive trips to some of the world’s top resorts and liveaboards, plus a range of gear from underwater imaging manufacturers.

The judging panel for 2025 included underwater photographers and industry figures Tony Wu, Marty Snyderman, Mark Strickland and Ipah Uid Lynn, who highlighted particularly strong entries in the macro and underwater fashion categories.

Winning photographs also documented a range of rarely observed behaviours and environments, including the birth of a seahorse and a sea snake tying itself in knots while shedding.

‘These images are the result of obsession, patience, and exploration,’ said Nirupam Nigam, president of Bluewater Photo and editor-in-chief of the Underwater Photography Guide. ‘Many of this year’s winners spent weeks – or even years – chasing moments most people will never witness.

‘While all great photography demands dedication, underwater photography requires a uniquely intense combination of patience, persistence, and technical skill.’

The complete list of winning images and honourable mentions can be found on the Underwater Photography Guide’s Ocean Art 2025 Ocean Art web pages.

Best in Show and winner, Blackwater Category

Steven Kovacs – ‘Tired Fish’

The Story: One of my favourite 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.

Location: Blackwater dive off Kumejima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

Equipment Used: Nikon D500; Nikon 60 mm macro; Ikelite housing with dual Ikelite DS230 strobes.

Camera Settings: f22, 1/250s, ISO 250

1st Place Wide Angle

Byron Conroy – ‘Last Light’

The Story: 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 Snell’s window and a front curtain flash to freeze the sharks sharp in amongst the chaos of the surface movement and the sunset.

Location: Jardines del Reina Marine Park, Cuba

Equipment Used: Sony A7R V; Nauticam housing; Backscatter HF-1 strobes; Canon 8-15 mm fisheye

Camera Settings: ISO 160, f/18, 1/5 s

1st Place Macro

Daniel Sly – ‘Between the Polyps’

The Story: 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.

Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Equipment Used: Nikon Z8; Nauticam housing; two Retra Pro Max strobes; Nikon 105mm macro lens

Camera Settings: ISO 64, f/11, 1/160s

1st Place Marine Life Behavior

Jeon Min Seok – ‘Beautiful Birth’

The Story: 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 the 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 12 am to the next morning.

Location: Beaches in Kumamoto and Shinminamata, Japan

Equipment Used: Canon EOS R7; Marelux Canon R7 housing; Sea & Sea 250pro, Weefine wfs07 strobe/light; EFS 35 mm macro lens

Camera Settings: 1/200s, f/11, ISO 200

1st Place Portrait

Galice Hoarau – ‘Sea Snake Knot’

The Story: 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 shedding their old skin, this behavior has rarely been captured on photo.

Location: Anda, Philippines

Equipment Used: Sony a7r v; Nauticam housing; 2x Retra pro max strobes; Sony 90mm lens with EMWL 160

Camera Settings: ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/160s

1st Place Cold Water

James Ferrara – ‘Lake Huron Cathedral’

The Story: Beneath the frozen surface of Lake Huron, I found myself surrounded by a shifting cathedral of ice. Freediving in these conditions means there’s only one exit point, and every breath and movement carries weight.

I wanted to capture the stillness of the moment and the contrast between the crystalline world above and the deep blue below. This image is a reminder of the beauty and mystery that exists even in the coldest waters on Earth.

Location: Lake Huron, Great Lakes

Equipment Used: Canon EOS R6; Nauticam housing; 8–15mm fisheye

Camera Settings: ISO 400, f/8, 1/125s

1st Place Nudibranchs

Paolo Bausani – ‘True Colors’

The Story: 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 emphasised the vivid colouration of its livery.

Location: Giannutri Island, Mediterranean Sea, Italy

Equipment Used: Nikon D500, Isotta housing, Nikkor 60mm lens, Backscatter Mini Flash 2, Backscatter optical snoot

Camera Settings: ISO 100, f/22, 1/200s

1st Place Underwater Conservation

Elio Nicosia – ‘Please Free Me’

The Story: 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.

Location: Syracuse, Sicily, Italy

Equipment Used: Nikon D300s, Isotta housing, 2 SEACAM 150 digital flashes, Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8G ED Micro lens

Camera Settings: ISO 250, f/36, 1/200s

1st Place Underwater Digital Art

Michal Štros – ‘Mysterious Pufferfish’

The Story: 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 colourful 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 colour of the wavy smoke.

Location: Bunaken Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Equipment Used: Canon 80D, Ikelite housing, Two YS-D2 Sea & Sea strobes, Canon 60mm lens

Camera Settings: ISO 100, f/16, 1/160s

1st Place Black & White

Patrick Désormais – ‘Méduse’

(Photo: Patrick Désormais/Ocean Art 2025)

The Story: 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 50 cm jellyfish specimen. The black and white processing highlights the animal’s texture against the murky, dark water, creating a black background.

Location: Pays-Bas, Zélande, site Den Osse

Equipment Used: Canon 5D Mark IV, Seacam housing, 2x Seacam flashes, 16 mm fisheye lens

Camera Settings: ISO 200, f/16, 1/200 s

1st Place Underwater Fashion

Bruce Campbell – ‘Angel Flying Over Water’

The Story: 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. Angel Flying is a photographic work created largely in-camera during a single underwater encounter, with minimal and deliberate post-processing, preserving the qualities shaped by water, light, and movement at the time the image was made.

Location: Waterbear exhibit pool, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Equipment Used: Nikon Z8, Nauticam housing, Nikon 24–50 mm at 50 mm with Nauticam WWL-C wet lens, scrim modifiers using natural light

Camera Settings: ISO 220, f/4, 1/320s

1st Place Compact Wide Angle

Haemi Cho – ‘Green Turtle and Snorkelers’

The Story: 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.

Location: Shark Point, Komodo, Indonesia

Equipment Used: Sony RX100 V, Nauticam housing, Sea&Sea YS-D2J strobe, Inon UWL-H100 lens

Camera Settings: ISO 125, f/11, 1/100s

1st Place Compact Macro

Andrea Michelutti – ‘Dancing on eggs’

(Photo: Andrea Michelutti/Ocean Art 2025)

The Story: 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 millimetres, 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.

Location: Anilao, Mabini, Batangas (Luzon), Philippines

Equipment Used: Sony RX100 M7, Marelux housing, 2 x Inon Z330 strobes, AOI +23 macro lens

Camera Settings: ISO 100, f/11, 1/1000s

1st Place Compact Behavior

Jo Taylor – ‘Misfire’

The Story: 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 and exciting opportunity whilst diving in the Lembeh Strait. Owing to the flexibility of compact photography, I was able to capture this special moment.

Location: Lembeh, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Equipment Used: Canon G7x Mak II, Isotta housing, one Inon S-220 strobe

Camera Settings: ISO 125, f/7.1, 1/250s

For more information about the Ocean Art contest and the Underwater Photography Guide, head to www.uwphotographyguide.com

The post Ocean Art 2025 underwater photography competition winners announced appeared first on DIVE Magazine.