The Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025 competition has unveiled its finalists in the Wildlife category, showcasing breathtaking images that capture the remarkable diversity and behavior of marine life across the globe. From the volcanic shores of the Galápagos Islands to the icy waters of Antarctica, these stunning photographs reveal intimate moments in the lives of ocean creatures that few humans ever witness.
Among the standout entries is Arturo de Frias's captivating image of a marine iguana on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos. The photographer describes these endemic reptiles as "like miniature dragons, especially in low-angle portraits at eye level like this one." De Frias captured the precise moment when the iguana expelled excess salt after a foraging dive, a completely normal behavior that creates a dramatic visual effect. Using a 600mm lens from a safe distance, he ensured the animal remained undisturbed while documenting this split-second natural phenomenon.
Romain Barats contributed a mesmerizing underwater scene featuring gentoo penguins near Port Charcot on the Antarctic Peninsula. During their three-day anchorage in this protected bay surrounded by mountains and icebergs, Barats and his team entered the water daily to observe these curious birds. "Clumsy on land, these birds are fast and agile in the water," Barats notes, highlighting the remarkable transformation these creatures undergo when in their aquatic element.
From the tropical waters of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Alexis Chappuis documented an extraordinary symbiotic relationship gone potentially awry. His photograph shows thousands of skeleton shrimp completely colonizing a gorgonian coral. These creatures, technically amphipods of the genus Caprella rather than true shrimp, typically feed on plankton without harming their host. However, Chappuis observed that the overwhelming number of these creatures had caused the coral's polyps to retract completely, raising questions about whether this mass colonization might affect the soft coral's ability to feed.
Yifan Ling's remarkable image captures a pivotal moment in the life of a one-year-old Biggs orca known as "Rook" near Bird Rocks, Washington. Photographed on July 13, 2024, the image shows the young orca proudly displaying a seal it had found while its family patrolled nearby. "At this age, orcas are usually still dependent on milk and rarely hunt alone, making this moment particularly impressive," Ling explains. The photograph serves as testament to the ecological richness of the Salish Sea, where both seal and Biggs orca populations have recovered thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
Takumi Oyama's scientific documentation reveals the unusual parental care behavior of the Yellow Pygmy Goby. While paternal broodcare is common among gobies, this species uniquely involves females in the care process. Oyama's image captures a female releasing freshly hatched larvae from her mouth into the water column, demonstrating rare maternal behavior in this fish family.
Richard Smith's photograph showcases the incredible camouflage abilities of a dwarf seahorse encountered during a conference break in Florida. Despite years of research on true pygmy seahorses, Smith notes that Hippocampus zosterae, while equally small, doesn't share the extreme specializations of its cousins. Endemic to Florida and Gulf of Mexico waters, these tiny seahorses require a trained eye to locate. Smith found this female at a depth of 12-24 inches, where her coloration perfectly matched the emerald green Halimeda algae to which she clung.
Andrey Shpatak's rare encounter with a pea crab represents a once-in-a-lifetime sighting after more than 40 years of diving in Rudnaya Bay. These small crustaceans spend most of their lives inside gray mussels in a symbiotic relationship that only ends when either the mussel or crab dies. Shpatak speculates that this individual was likely searching for a new home when he captured the image.
Daniel van Duinkerken's dynamic photograph of a rakali, a semi-aquatic rodent native to Australia, required hours of patient waiting across multiple nights. Using a panning technique with long exposure times and flash synchronization, he created a stunning image that contrasts the animal's orange belly against the bluish wet sand and water, perfectly capturing the creature's movement toward the ocean in search of food.
The competition also features dramatic interactions between species, including Matthew Watkinson's image of a great black-backed gull aggressively pursuing a puffin carrying fish for its chicks. Watkinson humorously notes, "I would have definitely dropped the fish. I probably would have given this great black-backed gull my money, my watch, and my keys too – so loud and determined was her attack." The image captures the reality of coastal wildlife, where gulls regularly patrol nesting sites to harass and rob returning parent birds.
Kat Zhou's photograph documents the rare strand-feeding behavior of dolphins in South Carolina, where an opportunistic pelican attempts to steal fish from a dolphin. This specialized hunting technique involves dolphins driving schools of fish to shore, with pelicans often lurking nearby hoping for an easy meal. Zhou explains that while approximately 350 dolphins call South Carolina home, this rare strand-feeding behavior is performed by only a few members of a single pod, making such images exceptionally valuable for documenting marine mammal behavior.
These finalist images collectively represent the pinnacle of marine wildlife photography, combining technical excellence with profound insights into ocean life. Each photograph tells a unique story of adaptation, survival, and the intricate relationships that exist within marine ecosystems, offering viewers a window into the hidden world beneath the waves.
