Incredible Winners in Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest

By Miriam Stein Battles  |  September 2024

Though this maneuver doesn’t always work out for the fish, underwater photographers love baitball photos for their visual appeal and there have been some outstanding ones, even award winners. However, none of them hold a candle to Caballero’s stunning shot of an entire Bryde’s whale, mouth wide-open, the moment before it devours a baitball. 

Bryde’s whales usually come up from below to gulp the baitfish so it’s incredibly unusual for a photographer to get a photo of a Bryde’s whale’s whole 50-foot-long body, let alone one in such an interesting position at such a pivotal moment. Icing on the cake is that the baitball is heart-shaped. 

For his efforts, Caballero was named Oceanographic Magazine’s Ocean Photographer of the Year, a prestigious title in the world of underwater photographers. You can see a full gallery of the winners here.

Reflecting on his win, Caballero says, “This is a dream come true. Spectacular. Being a part of the best compilation of ocean photography this year – and receiving the top recognition – drives me to keep believing in what I do and to continue showcasing the ocean’s wonders.” 

Caballero’s image was chosen from 15,000 images across the varied disciplines of not just underwater photography but surf and drone photography as well.

Caballero writes about the experience, “I was lucky to witness this show off Baja California Sur at the end of 2023. Due to El Niño and warmer temperatures, different species joined the party and I witnessed huge numbers of beautifully colored dorados and large groups of sea lions that were attracted by the baitballs. The highlight was this whale coming out of nowhere with its mouth wide open.” 

Oceanographic Magazine, along with Blancpain as a co-presenter, launched the Ocean Photographer of the Year competition in 2020 and in just four years, it’s become one of the most sought-after titles for underwater photographers. With ten categories, including two that are conservation-focused, photographers have numerous opportunities to enter their best works. 

Created in 2021, the Female Fifty Fathoms Award celebrates pioneering and boundary pushing women in ocean photography.  The recipient of this year’s Female Fifty Fathoms Award is Malaysian photographer Ipah Uid Lynn. Unlike other categories, the recipient of this award is nominated by her peers.

Reflecting on her nomination and win, Lynn says, “It’s a recognition that goes beyond personal achievement; it highlights the importance of storytelling through photography and the voices of women in this field. I’m truly humbled and inspired to continue pushing the boundaries of what I can capture and share with the world.” 

One of Lynn’s mesmerizing images (above) captures a tiny goby fish perched on a delicate sea whip, blending seamlessly into its vibrant surroundings. A shallow depth of field focuses sharply on the goby while throwing the sea whip’s colors into an abstract, pastel rainbow background.

 “This creative approach highlights the goby’s natural camouflage and transforms a simple marine subject into a stunning piece of underwater art, merging nature with visual artistry,” says Lynn.

A finalist in the “Fine Art” category, Enric Gener caught a once-in-a-lifetime photo (below) of a seagull riding a sea turtle in the Mediterranean, a place we don’t often see outstanding photos from. After the photo was posted by OPY as a finalist, Gener shared a video of the hitchhiker which now has 150k views on Instagram. Although he didn’t take home the “Fine Art Photographer of the Year” title, Gener remains thrilled with capturing the incredible scene. 

“Spotting pelagic life in the Mediterranean Sea can be tough, because you usually spend hours without seeing a single splash,” Gener writes. “After about five hours of searching, we spotted this seagull and noticed that its legs weren’t underwater. We approached slowly with the boat and suddenly realized that it was standing on a sea turtle. I decided to jump into the water, thinking I would find the turtle dead because it wasn’t moving. When I got close enough, I saw its face underwater and realized that the sea turtle was alive. What a surreal scene!” 

Edwar Herreno took home the second-place prize in the “Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year” category with a wonderful split-level photo (below) showing a whale shark and a former Japanese fishing ship turned research vessel, aptly named Sharkwater.

Says Herreno, who was on a shark-tagging expedition, “When we got back from one of our dives, the crew spotted a friendly whale shark. We jumped in to install an acoustic tag, took tissue samples and measured the individual, while I was documenting everything. After the researchers went back on the boat, I stayed in the water with the shark for almost an hour, trying to take an image of the endangered species below the scientific vessel. It all came together, and the moody light and the rough sea add to the image’s special appeal.”   

Herreno’s beautiful photo demonstrates hope and conveys an important conservation message in that the ship that once pillaged the ocean’s resources is now being used to research an endangered species.  

Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists of this prestigious competition!

Top photo: © Rafael Fernandez Caballero

Author Bio

Miriam Stein Battles

Miriam Stein Battles has been a conservation photo editor and visual storyteller for over two decades. She has worked for numerous conservation organizations as well as National Geographic and most recently Ocean Geographic Magazine.