Proficient underwater photography can inspire us, take us to a whole new world, and reveal places we don’t know. Technology and opportunity blend together to produce images that shock our readers and expand our imagination. These award-winning photos bring the underwater world to life, giving us the urge to pick up the flippers, feel the embrace of several atmospheric pressures under the sea, and keeping stable in a place that brings us endless joy. Every year, we judge the influx of thousands of submissions—those 2,590 of this year—that make us fall in love with the ocean again.
annual champion
Grand Prize Winner
Photographer: Boz Johnson
Photography location: Anilao, Philippines
Equipment: Nikon D850; Nauticam Waterproof Case; 60mm Macro Lens; Inon Z-330 Flash*2; i-Torch Focus light
settings: f/22; 1/200; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
I have been fighting the water surface reflection photos - neutral and posture are very awkward, after about five shots, any little surge on the water surface will make me feel dizzy - but this night, the water surface conditions are perfect. We found several flying fish from the boat staying on the flat and calm water surface, we quickly entered the water and found them soon. It took me several minutes to shoot and eventually found a suitable place for the focus light and flash, making up for my problem of maintaining buoyancy and stability under the water.
behavior
Behavior
Champion
Photographer: Salvatore Ianniello
Photography location: Bacoli, Italy
Equipment: Nikon D800E; Isotta D800 Waterproof Shell; Inon Z-240 Flash*2; Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens
settings: f/20; 1/160; ISO 160
Behind the Shot
This photo was taken at Mediterranean located in the Bay of Naples, Italy. When I was freed diving in , I encountered this jellyfish —Rhizostoma pulmo—which is often called a barrel jellyfish. Being stabbed by it hurts, but it is not fatal to humans. After I observed up close, I found that there were crabs joining in the jellyfish, so I took a lot of photos to capture this behavior. I chose this special from the many photos I took because I felt it was the most influential.
runner-up
Photographer: Luc Roomman
Shooting location: Antwerp, Belgium
Equipment: Nikon D810; Hugyfot Waterproof Case; Backscatter Mini Flash and Beam Bucket; Nikon 60mm Macro Lens
Settings: f/16; 1/125; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
This photo of bass eating another bass was taken at night during the Belgium Open Underwater Photography Championship held in the Tamsui Lake near Antwerp . I saw bass catching prey under the lights of my diving lights, so I was lucky enough to take a few photos as the bass circled quietly. Finally, this photo is the winner of the Belgian Open Fish Portrait Group.
third place
Photographer: Yves Guenot
Shooting location: Sulawesi, Indonesia
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D MK IV; Seacam Waterproof Case; Seacam Seaflash 150D Flash*2; Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens
Settings: f/16; 1/160; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
We are lucky to be able to take a diving liveaway to North Sulawesi at the end of 2021.During the macro dive of this trip, I took this photo of the moray being cleaned. This is not an aggressive pose, but the eel open mouth invites the little blue wrasse to start cleaning. The shutter speed of my camera makes this fleeting moment possible.
wide angle group
Wide-Angle
Champion
Photographer: Alex Dawson
Photographer: Alex Dawson
Shooting location: Greenland
Equipment: Nikon Z 9 in a Nauticam housing with a Saga port; Nikon 8-15mm @15mm; Bigblue VL15000P and AL1200 dive lights
Settings: f/5.6; 1/100; ISO 500
Behind the Shot
This photo was taken while on an ice diving adventure with my friend and freediver friend Anna Von Boetticher in the east of Greenland . When I first dived under the ice and my eyes began to adapt to the darkness, I was shocked at seeing such a complete and huge whale carcasses. Anna began diving around the whale bones, and I swam farther a little to get a certain depth of field.
Runner-up
Photographer: Valentina Cucchiarah
Shooting location: Mexico
Equipment: Sony a7R II; Nauticam Waterproof Case; Sony 16-35mm f/4 Lens; Inon Z-330 Flash*2
Settings: f/6.3; 1/125; ISO 1600
Behind the Shot
Jardin del Edén (Ponderosa) was my first natural well dive in 1998. It surprised me. Twenty years later, I am still fascinated by those light curtains and mangrove , but have not taken an unforgettable photo there. My cave diver friend Bernie Carrion and I spent the whole day there waiting for the perfect light to illuminate my new Dive-Xtras BlackTip DPV thruster.
third place
Photographer: Tobias Fredreich
Shooting location: Maldives
Equipment: Canon EOS-1D X MK II; Seacam Waterproof Case; Canon EF 8-15mm Fish Eye Lens; Seacam Seaflash 150D Flash*2
Settings: f/5; 1/80; ISO 1600
Behind the Shot
On the liveaboard trip to Maldives , we stayed at Thaa Atoll for one night on the route of the Shennan route. Fortunately, the lights on the boat attracted a whale shark and we had the opportunity to snorkeleton with it . I waited until the light and movement were correct to capture the picture.
card unit
Compact Camera
Champion
Photographer: Miguel Ramirez
Photography: Réunion Island
Photography: Réunion Island
Equipment: Olympus TG-6; Nauticam Waterproof Case; Inon Z-330 Flash*2
Settings: f/14; 1/60; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
When diving in Reunion Island at night, I noticed a huge Spanish dancer sea rabbit. Observe its gills carefully - Oh, there was a surprise - I saw a little shrimp! It turned out to be the imperial shrimp hidden in the gills. The shrimp is very shy, so it takes a little patience to shoot.
Runner-up
Photographer: Kathrin Landgraf-Kluge
Shooting location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
Equipment: Canon PowerShot G16; Canon WP-DC52 Waterproof Case; 5+ Macro Wet Mirror; Sea&Sea YS-03 Flash*1
Settings: f/3.5; 1/15; ISO 80
Behind the Shot
I took this photo when I first visited the Blue Bi Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, and I had just started underwater photography. I've never seen a conch before, fascinated by its eyes and its cautious but a little curious look with them. I tried to put both of its eyes in focus for a frontal shot. In order not to disturb the conch, I moved very carefully. Fortunately, I took this photo of it looking at me with both eyes, as if saying "I'm shy."
Photographer: Brenda Hill
Shooting location: Blue Heron Bridge, Floridah
Equipment: Olympus TG-6; Olympus PT-059 Waterproof shell; Bigblue 1,000-lumen Video light (handheld)
Settings: f/6.3; 1/200; ISO 200
Behind the Shot
This octopus mother bred her eggs in a pipe at the Blue Heron Bridge dive site between March 2022 and April 2022. The first time I saw her with them, it seemed that the eggs were empty. Over time, the shape of the growing baby becomes obvious. This photo was taken about three weeks after the egg development. Between week 7 and week 8, the eggs hatched overnight. It was an honor to see the mother of the octopus constantly fan the water to supply oxygen for her child and never leave.
macro group
Macro
Champion
Photographer: Yury Ivanov
Shooting location: Papua New Guinea
Equipment: Nikon D7200; Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Macro lens; SubSee +10 macro wet mirror; Sea&Sea Waterproof Case; Sea&Sea YS-D2 Flash*2
Settings: f/18; 1/160; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
I discovered this little beauty during a diving trip in Alotau, Papua New Guinea. This is a butterfly sea slug (Cyerce nigra). It "stands" on algae and scans for the molecular composition of water. The creature's body is only 15 mm long. I had to use a close-up wet mirror to get closer to the model. Originally, the background was not very good, but when I saw a leaf on the bottom of the sea, I placed it behind the sea slug to make the picture more pleasing.
Runner-up
Photographer: Volodymyr Ivanenko
Shooting location: Marsa Alam, Egyptt
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D MK IV; Nauticam Waterproof Case; Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro Lens; Inon Z-330 Flash
Settings: f/16; 1/180; ISO 200
Behind the Shot
Marsa Alam is famous worldwide in the diving world, not only for its rare dugong and big green turtles, but also for its incredible night diving and colorful species. That's what I'm going there for the first time. I was lucky enough to see a little octopus flying calmly in front of me, glittering just 7 meters deep in front of me. It's as small as a nail and it's moving all the time, so it's hard to take good photos. While filming, I was thinking that this creature really looked like an alien from space while staying visible and invisible. It's very friendly and fearless.
third place
Photographer: Angelyca Nery
Shooting location: Batangas, Philippines
Equipment: Nikon D850; Subal waterproof shell; Nikon 105mm f.2/8 lens; Backscatter mini flash
Settings: f/29; 1/160; ISO 200
Behind the Shot
Hotel The Secret Bay of Batangas has different kinds of small animals and occasional fauna, making it the perfect playground for underwater macro photographers like me. On a gloomy afternoon, my diving partner and I went to the shore diving and explored the shallower part of the diving point, with a depth of about 12 meters. When checking sea lily , we found this beautiful black and white shrimp, the disguise master! With the color of the host, the shrimp blends perfectly with the environment, allowing potential predators to run around for their money.
Proficient underwater photography can inspire us, take us to a whole new world, and reveal places we don’t know. Technology and opportunity blend together to produce images that shock our readers and expand our imagination. These award-winning photos bring the underwater world to life, giving us the urge to pick up the flippers, feel the embrace of several atmospheric pressures under the sea, and keeping stable in a place that brings us endless joy. Every year, we judge the influx of thousands of submissions—those 2,590 of this year—that make us fall in love with the ocean again.
annual champion
Grand Prize Winner
Photographer: Boz Johnson
Photography location: Anilao, Philippines
Equipment: Nikon D850; Nauticam Waterproof Case; 60mm Macro Lens; Inon Z-330 Flash*2; i-Torch Focus light
settings: f/22; 1/200; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
I have been fighting the water surface reflection photos - neutral and posture are very awkward, after about five shots, any little surge on the water surface will make me feel dizzy - but this night, the water surface conditions are perfect. We found several flying fish from the boat staying on the flat and calm water surface, we quickly entered the water and found them soon. It took me several minutes to shoot and eventually found a suitable place for the focus light and flash, making up for my problem of maintaining buoyancy and stability under the water.
behavior
Behavior
Champion
Photographer: Salvatore Ianniello
Photography location: Bacoli, Italy
Equipment: Nikon D800E; Isotta D800 Waterproof Shell; Inon Z-240 Flash*2; Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens
settings: f/20; 1/160; ISO 160
Behind the Shot
This photo was taken at Mediterranean located in the Bay of Naples, Italy. When I was freed diving in , I encountered this jellyfish —Rhizostoma pulmo—which is often called a barrel jellyfish. Being stabbed by it hurts, but it is not fatal to humans. After I observed up close, I found that there were crabs joining in the jellyfish, so I took a lot of photos to capture this behavior. I chose this special from the many photos I took because I felt it was the most influential.
runner-up
Photographer: Luc Roomman
Shooting location: Antwerp, Belgium
Equipment: Nikon D810; Hugyfot Waterproof Case; Backscatter Mini Flash and Beam Bucket; Nikon 60mm Macro Lens
Settings: f/16; 1/125; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
This photo of bass eating another bass was taken at night during the Belgium Open Underwater Photography Championship held in the Tamsui Lake near Antwerp . I saw bass catching prey under the lights of my diving lights, so I was lucky enough to take a few photos as the bass circled quietly. Finally, this photo is the winner of the Belgian Open Fish Portrait Group.
third place
Photographer: Yves Guenot
Shooting location: Sulawesi, Indonesia
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D MK IV; Seacam Waterproof Case; Seacam Seaflash 150D Flash*2; Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens
Settings: f/16; 1/160; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
We are lucky to be able to take a diving liveaway to North Sulawesi at the end of 2021.During the macro dive of this trip, I took this photo of the moray being cleaned. This is not an aggressive pose, but the eel open mouth invites the little blue wrasse to start cleaning. The shutter speed of my camera makes this fleeting moment possible.
wide angle group
Wide-Angle
Champion
Photographer: Alex Dawson
Photographer: Alex Dawson
Shooting location: Greenland
Equipment: Nikon Z 9 in a Nauticam housing with a Saga port; Nikon 8-15mm @15mm; Bigblue VL15000P and AL1200 dive lights
Settings: f/5.6; 1/100; ISO 500
Behind the Shot
This photo was taken while on an ice diving adventure with my friend and freediver friend Anna Von Boetticher in the east of Greenland . When I first dived under the ice and my eyes began to adapt to the darkness, I was shocked at seeing such a complete and huge whale carcasses. Anna began diving around the whale bones, and I swam farther a little to get a certain depth of field.
Runner-up
Photographer: Valentina Cucchiarah
Shooting location: Mexico
Equipment: Sony a7R II; Nauticam Waterproof Case; Sony 16-35mm f/4 Lens; Inon Z-330 Flash*2
Settings: f/6.3; 1/125; ISO 1600
Behind the Shot
Jardin del Edén (Ponderosa) was my first natural well dive in 1998. It surprised me. Twenty years later, I am still fascinated by those light curtains and mangrove , but have not taken an unforgettable photo there. My cave diver friend Bernie Carrion and I spent the whole day there waiting for the perfect light to illuminate my new Dive-Xtras BlackTip DPV thruster.
third place
Photographer: Tobias Fredreich
Shooting location: Maldives
Equipment: Canon EOS-1D X MK II; Seacam Waterproof Case; Canon EF 8-15mm Fish Eye Lens; Seacam Seaflash 150D Flash*2
Settings: f/5; 1/80; ISO 1600
Behind the Shot
On the liveaboard trip to Maldives , we stayed at Thaa Atoll for one night on the route of the Shennan route. Fortunately, the lights on the boat attracted a whale shark and we had the opportunity to snorkeleton with it . I waited until the light and movement were correct to capture the picture.
card unit
Compact Camera
Champion
Photographer: Miguel Ramirez
Photography: Réunion Island
Photography: Réunion Island
Equipment: Olympus TG-6; Nauticam Waterproof Case; Inon Z-330 Flash*2
Settings: f/14; 1/60; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
When diving in Reunion Island at night, I noticed a huge Spanish dancer sea rabbit. Observe its gills carefully - Oh, there was a surprise - I saw a little shrimp! It turned out to be the imperial shrimp hidden in the gills. The shrimp is very shy, so it takes a little patience to shoot.
Runner-up
Photographer: Kathrin Landgraf-Kluge
Shooting location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
Equipment: Canon PowerShot G16; Canon WP-DC52 Waterproof Case; 5+ Macro Wet Mirror; Sea&Sea YS-03 Flash*1
Settings: f/3.5; 1/15; ISO 80
Behind the Shot
I took this photo when I first visited the Blue Bi Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, and I had just started underwater photography. I've never seen a conch before, fascinated by its eyes and its cautious but a little curious look with them. I tried to put both of its eyes in focus for a frontal shot. In order not to disturb the conch, I moved very carefully. Fortunately, I took this photo of it looking at me with both eyes, as if saying "I'm shy."
Photographer: Brenda Hill
Shooting location: Blue Heron Bridge, Floridah
Equipment: Olympus TG-6; Olympus PT-059 Waterproof shell; Bigblue 1,000-lumen Video light (handheld)
Settings: f/6.3; 1/200; ISO 200
Behind the Shot
This octopus mother bred her eggs in a pipe at the Blue Heron Bridge dive site between March 2022 and April 2022. The first time I saw her with them, it seemed that the eggs were empty. Over time, the shape of the growing baby becomes obvious. This photo was taken about three weeks after the egg development. Between week 7 and week 8, the eggs hatched overnight. It was an honor to see the mother of the octopus constantly fan the water to supply oxygen for her child and never leave.
macro group
Macro
Champion
Photographer: Yury Ivanov
Shooting location: Papua New Guinea
Equipment: Nikon D7200; Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Macro lens; SubSee +10 macro wet mirror; Sea&Sea Waterproof Case; Sea&Sea YS-D2 Flash*2
Settings: f/18; 1/160; ISO 100
Behind the Shot
I discovered this little beauty during a diving trip in Alotau, Papua New Guinea. This is a butterfly sea slug (Cyerce nigra). It "stands" on algae and scans for the molecular composition of water. The creature's body is only 15 mm long. I had to use a close-up wet mirror to get closer to the model. Originally, the background was not very good, but when I saw a leaf on the bottom of the sea, I placed it behind the sea slug to make the picture more pleasing.
Runner-up
Photographer: Volodymyr Ivanenko
Shooting location: Marsa Alam, Egyptt
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D MK IV; Nauticam Waterproof Case; Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro Lens; Inon Z-330 Flash
Settings: f/16; 1/180; ISO 200
Behind the Shot
Marsa Alam is famous worldwide in the diving world, not only for its rare dugong and big green turtles, but also for its incredible night diving and colorful species. That's what I'm going there for the first time. I was lucky enough to see a little octopus flying calmly in front of me, glittering just 7 meters deep in front of me. It's as small as a nail and it's moving all the time, so it's hard to take good photos. While filming, I was thinking that this creature really looked like an alien from space while staying visible and invisible. It's very friendly and fearless.
third place
Photographer: Angelyca Nery
Shooting location: Batangas, Philippines
Equipment: Nikon D850; Subal waterproof shell; Nikon 105mm f.2/8 lens; Backscatter mini flash
Settings: f/29; 1/160; ISO 200
Behind the Shot
Hotel The Secret Bay of Batangas has different kinds of small animals and occasional fauna, making it the perfect playground for underwater macro photographers like me. On a gloomy afternoon, my diving partner and I went to the shore diving and explored the shallower part of the diving point, with a depth of about 12 meters. When checking sea lily , we found this beautiful black and white shrimp, the disguise master! With the color of the host, the shrimp blends perfectly with the environment, allowing potential predators to run around for their money.
Honorable award
Honorable Mention
Photographer: Tom Shlesinger
Photography location: Floridah
Equipment: Sony a7 RIII; Nauticam h waterproof shell; Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens; Retra Flash Pro Flash*2
Settings: f/16; 1/15; ISO 50
Photographer: Yury Ivanov
Shooting location: Tulamben, Indonesia
Equipment: Nikon D850; Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Macro lens; Nauticam waterproof case; Inon Z-330 Flash*2
settings: f/14; 1/250; ISO 320
Photographer: Michael Angelo "Tacio" Bautista
Shooting location: Panglao Island, Philippines
Equipment: Sony RX100 M3; Salted Line Waterproof Case
Settings: f/11; 1/250; ISO 250
Photographer: Gabriel Barathieu
Shooting location: Mayotte Lagoon
Equipment: Canon 5D MK IV; Canon 15mm fisheye lens; Seacam waterproof shell; Seacam Seaflash 160 flash
Settings: f/18; 1/200; ISO 200
Photographer: Grant Augustine
Photography location: Utila, Honduras
Equipment: Canon 5DsR; 100mm macro lens; Nauticam waterproof case; Light & Motion Sola Video Pro 12K Video light*2
Settings: f/9; 1/320; ISO 400
Photographer: Kathrin Landgraf-Kluge
Photography location: Makadi Bay, Egyptt
Equipment: Canon G7X MK III; Nauticam Waterproof Case; Sea&Sea YS-D2 Flash*2; Overlay 5+ and 15+ Macro Wet Mirror
Settings: f/11; 1/100; ISO 160
Photographer: Jean-Siegfried Louis
Photography location: Réunion Island
Equipment: Hybride Panasonic GX80; Panasonic Leica 45mm macro lens; Nauticam waterproof case; Inon Z-240 flash*2
Settings: f/16; 1/160; ISO 200
Photographer: Alex Dawson
Photography location: Schmallenberg, Germany
Equipment: Nikon Z7 II in a Nauticam housing with a Saga port; Nikon 8-15 at 15mm; Bigblue VL15000P and VL65000P dive lights
Settings: f/5.6; 1/50; ISO 40
Photographer: Shota Ishino
Shooting location: Japan
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D MK IV; Nexus waterproof case; Sigma 70mm f2.8 DG Macro Art lens; Inon Z-330 flash*2; RGBlue System02 Premium Color Focus light
Settings: f/14; 1/200; ISO 100
Photographer: Enrico Somogyi
Photography location: Leipzig, Germany
Equipment: Sony RX100 VII; Fantasea Waterproof Case; Fantasea UWL-09F wide-angle converter; Backscatter Micro flash*3
Settings: f/8; 1/2000; ISO 160
Photographer: Suliman Alatiqi
Photography location: Kuwait
Equipment: Nikon D850; Nauticam Waterproof Case; AF-S Fisheye Nikkor 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED Lens; Sea&Sea YS-D3 Flash
Settings: f/11; 1/200; ISO 500
Photographer: Tobias Friedrich
Photography location: Anilao, Philippines
Equipment: Nikon D850; Nikon 60mm macro lens; Seacam waterproof case; Seacam Seaflash 150D flash*2
Settings: f/16; 0.3 sec; ISO 400
Photographer: Reiko Takahashi
Photographer: Aguni Island, Japan
Photographer: Massimo Giorgetta
Photographer: Wai Eco Resort, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Photographer: Rowan Dear
Photographer: Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, Shelly Beach, Australia
Photographer: Efren De Los Santos
Photographer: Anilao, Philippines
Photographer: Paul Prudhomme
Photographer: Dauin, Philippines
Photographer: Yann Toso
Photographer: Yann Toso
Photographer: Unprovided information
Days when you can't go out to dive, you can see the world-famous underwater photography master Alex Mustard's ⬇️ "Underwater Photography" ⬇️ This book will improve your photography skills.Next time I go diving, you will be the one who takes underwater blockbusters!
Statement: This article was originally compiled and compiled by Youqian YouDive from the Scuba Diving magazine website, and the copyright of the photo belongs to the original author. Welcome to forward, please contact us for reprinting.
Statement: This article was originally compiled and compiled by Youqian YouDive from the Scuba Diving magazine website, and the copyright of the photo belongs to the original author. Welcome to forward, please contact us for reprinting.
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