It’s time to unveil the Underwater Photographer of The Year! With over 6,000 images entered ranging from angry fish to silly camels, the competition showcases the best underwater photographers have to offer across 13 categories, including Macro, Wide Angle, Behavior, and Portrait.
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The title of Underwater Photographer of The Year 2025 was scooped up by Spanish photographer Alvaro Herrero for his photograph of a mother humpback whale and her calf, taken in French Polynesia. Entitled “Radiant Bond”, the image showcases the relationship between the mother and her newborn.
The winning image of Underwater Photographer of The Year 2025.
Image credit: © Alvaro Herrero/UPY2025
“The mother is accompanying her calf to the surface, because the baby is still so small and clumsy,” explained Herrero in a statement sent to IFLScience. “The calf is releasing a few bubbles underwater showing it is still learning to hold its breath properly. For me, this photo really shows a mother’s love and communicates the beauty and fragility of life in our ocean.”
Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2025 was awarded to German photographer Robert Marc Lehmann for his powerful image of a tiger shark being carried into shore. The photograph was taken in Indonesia and highlights some of the more difficult aspects of the relationship between humankind and the ocean.
“This is just one of around 200 million sharks that lose their lives every year at the hands of humans,” said Lehman.
Image credit: © Robert Marc Lehmann/UPY2025
“The composition is immersive and the timing, capturing the fisherman’s gesture, is decisive,” said contest judge Alex Mustard. “Although an everyday occurrence and legal almost everywhere, the man reaching out to stop the photo reveals what his conscience reckons on what they are doing. A picture that takes you straight into the story.”
Abdulaziz Al Saleh from Kuwait captured a humorous and unexpected image of a group of camels drinking. His composition and patience during the process were enough to scoop him the top prize in the Portrait category. “The first week the camels were a bit hesitant to drink water while my camera was under the water and only a few gathered to drink, which is not what I wanted. But after several days the camels had already accepted […] me and my equipment,” Al Saleh explained.
“The frames either side of this capture actually show that the larval crab (or lobster) is actually on the outside of the bell, but in this instant it was perfectly on the opposite side from me and hence the effect of being contained within the transparent body.”
Image credit: © Dan Bolt/UPY2025
The winner of the British Waters Macro category was Dan Bolt, awarded for his extraordinary image of a Neoturris pileata jellyfish. Though it seems that the creature at the top of the image is within the body of the jellyfish, it is instead perfectly framed to appear that way, while the creature is actually outside.
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A striking photograph of a blue marlin hunting caught the attention of the judges and scooped the runner-up prize in the Behavior category. Photographed in Magdalena Bay in Baja California, these are some of the fastest fish in the ocean, which makes getting this shot all the more impressive.
Bad day to be in the view of this marlin!
Image credit: ©Eduardo Acevedo/UPY2025
“This photo is all about moment, as the blue marlin pounces and the terrified school scatters. We loved that the photographer was mindful to include such a beautiful reflection in the composition, despite the briefness of the photographic opportunity,” said Mustard.
You can check out the rest of this year’s winners here.
Source Link: Camels Drinking, Marlins Pouncing, And Mother-Calf Bonding: Spectacular Underwater Photographer Of The Year 2025 Winners
