{"id":41229,"date":"2024-08-15T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/57968d7b-4e69-458c-ae64-b42ffb00e0e5"},"modified":"2024-08-15T19:27:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T17:27:47","slug":"bizarre-fish-kaleidoscopic-coral-and-majestic-whales-35-astonishing-images-from-ocean-photographer-of-the-year-2024","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/bizarre-fish-kaleidoscopic-coral-and-majestic-whales-35-astonishing-images-from-ocean-photographer-of-the-year-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Bizarre fish, kaleidoscopic coral and majestic whales: 35 astonishing images from Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover the wonder and fragility of our blue planet with a selection of breathtaking photos from this year\u2019s Ocean Photographer of the Year shortlist. <\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 15 August 2024 at 17:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The finalists for the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 have been announced.<\/strong><\/p>

Celebrating all things ocean, the competition includes work from some the planet’s finest coastal, drone and underwater photographers.<\/p>

Expect stunning images of dramatic wildlife encounters, beautiful examples of how humans interact with the ocean, as well as stark reminders of the impact we have of our blue planet.<\/p>

Category winners, the recipient of the Female Fifty Fathoms Award, and the overall winner of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024<\/a> will be announced on 12 September.<\/p>

For now, here is a selection of spectacular images from the shortlist of finalists.<\/p>

Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 finalists gallery<\/h2>
A hingebeak shrimp colony in the hollow of a barrel sponge. These striking shrimp, with vivid red and white stripes, display dance-like movement, swaying back and forth with their beaks pointed upwards. Koh Haa, Thailand. Credit: Nataya Chonecadeedumrongkul<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Katherine
Numerous jellyfish have been isolated in this saltwater lake without predators for thousands of years. Over time, they have lost their ability to sting. Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Credit: Katherine Lu<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Zhang
Fishermen in coastal Fujian dry their nets in intricate fashion. As they are woven with hemp fibres, they swell easily after being immersed in the water.\u00a0China. Credit: Zhang Xiang<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Manuel
A triumphant mahi-mahi or common dolphinfish proudly displays its catch amidst a feeding frenzy.\u00a0Baja California Sur, Mexico. Credit: Manuel Castellanos Raboso<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Andrey
A giant Pacific octopus in the shallows.\u00a0Russia. Credit: Andrey Shpatak<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Rafael
A marine iguana sits on a rock. Unlike other iguanas around the world, these are the only ones that have evolved to swim and feed underwater, holding their breath for up to 60 minutes.\u00a0Gal\u00e1pagos Islands, Ecuador. Credit: Rafael Fernandez Caballero<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Michael
A group of walruses are resting on a beach, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The Arctic Circle. Credit: Michael Haluwana<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Kristiyan
The Bamsebu whaling station in Svalbard where hunters exclusively targeted belugas. With beluga whaling now banned in Svalbard, piles of bones scattered along the shores remind visitors of the horrors of the past and the possibility of change.\u00a0Svalbard, Norway. Credit: Kristiyan Dimitrov Markov<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Laura
A fever of mobula rays from above. When the photographer\u2019s drone inched closer, some rays started to jump out of the water.\u00a0Baja California Sur, Mexico. Credit: Laura Leusko<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Pietro
A coconut octopus found a hideout spot inside a plastic sandwich bag. Philippines. Credit: Pietro Formis<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Shane
Western toad tadpoles migrating from the deeper part of a lake to the sunlit shallows to feed on algae and other organic matter.\u00a0British Columbia, Canada. Credit: Shane Gross<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Filippo
A school of sardines swirls in unison, while predators such as sea lions, dorado and diving seabirds hunt them from above and below.\u00a0Baja California Sur, Mexico. Credit: Filippo Borghi<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Kate
A curious octopus looks out from its hiding place.\u00a0South Africa. Credit: Kate Jonker<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Shane
Baby plainfin midshipman fish, still attached to their yolk sacs.\u00a0British Columbia, Canada. Credit: Shane Gross<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Filippo
An elusive and captivating Rhinopias scorpionfish. North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Credit: Filippo Borghi<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Benjam\u00edn
A freediver amidst a shoal of sardines.\u00a0Bohol, Philippines. Credit: Benjam\u00edn Y\u00e1var<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Filippo
An anglerfish, also known as monkfish, preys on a torpedo ray.\u00a0Italy. Credit: Filippo Borghi<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Zhang
A beach reflects the golden haze of the sunset, while a traditional fisherman wades through the water.\u00a0China. Credit: Zhang Xiang<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Shane
A critically endangered Cuban crocodile mouths the photographer\u2019s camera dome.\u00a0Cuba. Credit: Shane Gross<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Tanya
Scientists conduct an ultrasound on a female tiger shark off the coast of Grand Bahama.\u00a0She was discovered to be pregnant, and a groundbreaking device called a birth tag was inserted into her uterus which does not harm the mother or pups.\u00a0The Bahamas. Credit: Tanya Houppermans<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Romeo
A fisherman uses a traditional fishing technique.\u00a0Myanmar. Credit: Romeo Bodolai<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Ren\u00e9e
A mother and calf humpback whale pair in the waters off Tahiti where these whales migrate to from Antarctica to mate and give birth.\u00a0Tahiti, French Polynesia. Credit: Ren\u00e9e Grinnell Capozzola<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Merche
A puffin carries fish to feed its chicks. Saltee Islands, Ireland. Credit: Merche Llobera<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Enric
A seagull rests on top of a sea turtle shortly before they both continue their own paths. Mediterranean Sea. Credit: Enric Adrian Gener<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Rebecca
A gannet, entangled in discarded fishing gear, hangs off a cliff.\u00a0Isle of Noss, Shetland Islands. Credit: Rebecca Douglas<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Giacomo
The impact of rising sea levels: Fisherman Abdul Latief (62) sits in his flooded home. His house flooded for the first time in 2008. Since then he has raised it twice, in 2009 and 2019. The floods are getting higher but Abdul doesn’t have enough money to raise his house again. Demak Regency, Indonesia. Credit: Giacomo d Orlando<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Shane
Nurse sharks cross on a shallow sand flat as part of a days-long courtship ritual.\u00a0The Bahamas. Credit: Shane Gross<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Frederik
The second biggest whale, the fin whale, lies waiting for its turn to be butchered at a whaling plant in Iceland before getting sent to Japan.\u00a0Iceland. Credit: Frederik Brogaard<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Tom
A mesmerising spectacle beneath the waves: Like clockwork, thousands of corals spanning hundreds of kilometres synchronise their efforts to reproduce, releasing egg and sperm bundles into the open sea. Israel. Credit: Tom Shlesinger<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Remuna
A Southern stingray patrols a healthy seagrass meadow in the Bahamas. Seagrass beds are among the world\u2019s most productive and ecologically important ecosystems, playing a pivotal role in mitigating climate change by capturing and storing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere at a rate much faster than forests.\u00a0The Bahamas. Credit: Remuna Beca<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Edwar
A whale shark swims alongside the\u00a0Sharkwater\u00a0research vessel, a ship that was initially used by the Japanese fishing fleet but is now used for research. Cocos Island, Costa Rica. Credit: Edwar Herre\u00f1o Parra<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"S\u00e9bastien
A surfer rides an epic wave, a bright rainbow forming behind it.\u00a0New South Wales, Australia. Credit: S\u00e9bastien Bachellereau<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Byron
A scuba diver explores the Silfra fissure in Iceland, the tectonic boundary between the North American and Eurasian plates. Iceland. Credit: Byron Conroy<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Tobias
A scuba diver is dwarfed by a shipwreck. The Bahamas. Credit: Tobias Friedrich<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Tobias
Every winter, orcas and humpback whales come to Northern Norway to feed on Atlantic herring. This huge humpback filled its mouth with the small fish, before swimming past the divers closely.Norway. Credit: Tobias Friedrich<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The Ocean Photographer of the Year, presented by Oceanographic Magazine<\/a> and Blancpain<\/a>, has a simple mission: to shine a light on the wonder and fragility of our blue planet, and to celebrate the photographers giving it a voice.<\/p>

The first Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024<\/a> exhibition will open at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, on 28 November, followed by several additional venues in early 2025.<\/p>

View the full list of finalists<\/a>.<\/p>

More amazing wildlife galleries<\/strong><\/p>