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This gray whale would have cast a friendly look in the direction of his boat, says Rafael Fernandez Caballero. He photographed the animal from there. Gray whales are known to be friendly, curious creatures. Nevertheless, the jury noted in their commentary, few people have ever looked into the eye of a whale. "But through this remarkable image many will catch a glimpse of this intelligent soul," it says. “A groundbreaking underwater portrait.” Caballero won in the “Portrait” category.
The image is one of the winning photos of the “Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024”. Here you can see a selection of the award-winning images.
Photo: Rafael Fernandez Caballero / UPY2024
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Photographer Talia Greis reports that she was drawn to the seahorse. The reason: its particularly striking markings around the eye. The “breathtaking color palette” created a striking contrast to the surrounding corals. “Seahorses are not rare at the dive sites in Sydney, but photographing one that really stands out has always been a dream for me,” she says about her picture. Through a wide open aperture, the corals in the foreground blur. »For me, the striking red eye and posture of the seahorse convey power and strength that emerge from the smoky underbelly of the ocean.«
Photo: Talia Greis / UPY2024
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A beach day in Portugal, the sun is shining, suddenly something unusual appears on the horizon: a huge, injured sperm whale was having difficulty swimming, according to a message accompanying the picture. The beachgoers ran towards him when he reached the shallow water. Together they tried to push the whale back into the deeper sea. He slowly flapped his tail and breathed heavily. However, the rescue operation was unsuccessful and the whale died. Ships repeatedly strike whales and injure them, costing many their lives.
Photo: Nuno Sá / UPY2024
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Attention gannets: The birds spot their prey from the air and plunge vertically into the water from a height of several meters to catch it. “The experience of being in the midst of plunging gannets is both chaotic and adrenaline-filled,” says photographer Kat Zhou. It was difficult to decide where to point her camera. “There is an astonishing determination in the eyes of these gannets when they dive into the cold water in search of food,” the jury said.
Photo: Kat Zhou / UPY2024
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Visit from above: A shrimp has made itself comfortable on a slug. “To create the fire-like background, I built a special tool that took me a long time to get to work,” says photographer Enrico Somogyi. “But in the end I got the picture I was looking for.” In any case, it worked for the jury: “This shot seems to have everything,” says one comment.
Photo: Enrico Somogyi / UPY2024
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“I was lucky enough to experience this unique spectacle in the open waters of the Pacific at the end of 2023,” says Rafael Fernandez Caballero. The spectacle? A number of sardines form themselves around a Bryde's whale - and live dangerously with it. “This photo shows the moment of the attack, when the whales open their abdominal folds wide and filter the prey out of the water,” says Caballero. Quite a few sardines are devoured in this way.
Photo: Rafael Fernandez Caballero / UPY2024
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This catshark was unsure about what to think of the photographer nearby. He carefully poked his head through the seaweed, says Jon Bunker. While the animal was still thinking about whether Bunker was a threat or potential food, he experimented with a flash and pulled the trigger. “My subject let me take three shots before swimming out into the night.”
Photo: Jon Bunker / UPY2024
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The tide pushes the remains towards land, and at low tide hunters gather to cut off the skin and flesh. Eventually, what's left finds itself in shallow waters - now various fish and marine animals benefit from the remains. “The masterful composition invites me to think about our influence on the great creatures of this planet,” said the jury.
Photo:
Alex Dawson/UPY2024
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“I was fascinated by the variety of colors and patterns of each individual star,” says Jenny Stock about her picture. “I was happily snapping away when I discovered this purple sea urchin.” She was very excited. She took the photo during a dive at dusk at a Scottish dive site. The jury said: "This is in many ways a celebratory British picture - a full-screen tapestry of vibrant, healthy sea life with complementary colours, well composed and very original."
Photo: Jenny Stock / UPY2024
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No escape: Lisa Stengel captured the moment when several mahi mahi swim around a larger fish, a defensive strategy. In this case, she is not completely successful - at least one small fish becomes food.
Photo:
Lisa Stengel/UPY2024
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