Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 Winners

Alex Dawson has been named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 for his ambient light photo of a free-diver plunging beneath the icy depths of Greenland’s ice sheet, immersing themselves in a haunting tableau of butchered minke whales. Dawson’s photograph “Whale Bones” triumphed over 6500 underwater pictures entered by underwater photographers from around the world. The image also won 1st place in the wide angle category.

“Whale Bones was photographed in the toughest conditions” explains chair of judging panel Alex Mustard, “as a breath-hold diver descends below the Greenland ice sheet to bear witness to slaughtered whales. The masterful composition invites me to consider our impact on the great creatures of this planet. Since the rise of humans, wild animals have declined by 85%. Today, just 4% of mammals are wildlife, the remaining 96% are humans and our livestock. Our way needs to change to find a balance with nature.”

Backstory from the photographer:

In eastern Greenland the local hunters bring their catch and share it among each other. From a stable population of over 100,000 minke whales in the North Atlantic the hunters of Tasiilaq typically take less than a dozen. The whale is pulled up on the beach during high tide and many families gather to cut the skin, blubber and the meat off at low tide. Almost all the whale is consumed, however the skeleton is pulled back into the sea by the next high tide and the remains can be found in shallow waters where various marine invertebrates and fish pick the bones clean.

Whales stole the spotlight in this year’s winning pictures with Spanish photographer Rafael Fernandez Caballero winning two categories. His captivating images captured the essence of these ocean giants: a close up of a grey whale’s eye and a dynamic shot of a Bryde’s whale engulfing an entire bait ball, both taken in Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico. Fernandez Caballero took ‘Grey Whale Connection’ while drifting in a small boat, holding his camera over the side in the water to photograph the curious whale. ‘The End Of A Baitball’ required Fernandez Caballero to dive down and be in exactly the right place at the moment the whale lunged. “The photo shows the high speed attack,” he said, “with the whale engulfing hundreds of kilograms of sardines in one bite — simply unforgettable to see predation on such a scale.”

Martin Broen clinched victory in the wreck category with his breathtaking photograph showcasing a pair of Chieftain tanks resting serenely in formation at the seabed of the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan. Employing a six-shot panorama technique, Broen crafted a “powerful image that works on several levels” according to judge Peter Rowlands.

Backstory from the photographer:

Together with an amazing group of photographers I had the honor to be invited to compete in the 1st Aqaba underwater photo competition in Jordan, where a highlight is the underwater military museum. An unusual sight of war machines sunk in 15 to 28 meters of water and stationed along the reefs in tactical battle formation.
 
I wanted to capture the symmetry of the Chieftain Tanks and strong presence of their 120mm guns, but the position where I could shoot that image with my fish-eye lens was occupied by a military ambulance. Therefore, I experimented with a 6 shot panorama from a point between the guns, which allowed me to recreate the virtual position further back, and achieve an elegant symmetry of the tanks, supported by the central focal point of my dive buddy in the back.

Check out an interview we had with Martin where we discuss the inspiration behind his photography and more about his winning image.

Lisa Stengel from the United States was named Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 for her image of a mahi-mahi catching a sardine, in Mexico. Stengel used both a very fast shutter speed and her hearing to catch the moment. “If you listen there’s an enormous amount of sound in the ocean,” she explained. “The action was too fast to see, so I honed in on the sound of the attacks with my camera to capture this special moment.”

“It is such an exciting time in underwater photography because photographers are capturing such amazing new images, by visiting new locations and using the latest cameras,” commented judge Alex Mustard. “Until this year I’d hardly ever see a photo of a mahi mahi, now Lisa has photographed one hunting, action that plays out in the blink of an eye.”

Backstory from the photographer:

The moment of ambush amidst a blur of evasion! This photo captures the instant of the attack.

We spent an exciting week looking for bait balls, which provided many opportunities. The season’s unique water temperatures kept the marlin farther from reach, but brought an interesting phenomenon: an unprecedented amount of mahi mahi. I chose not to wear a hood and noticed a distinct noise from the bait ball every time the mahi would attempt to hit a target. If you listen closely, there’s an enormous amount of sound in the ocean, especially surrounding bait balls. I honed in on the sound of mahi attacks and followed this unmistakable sound with my camera. This technique, coupled with serendipitous conditions gave me the window of opportunity to capture this special moment.

The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the UK, and Jenny Stock was named as British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 for her image “Star Attraction”, which finds beauty in species of British wildlife that are often overlooked. Exploring the west coast of Scotland, Stock explained “in the dark green depths my torch picked out the vivid colours of a living carpet of thousands of brittle stars, each with a different pattern. I was happily snapping away, when I spotted this purple sea urchin and I got really excited.”

Backstory from the photographer:

Loch Leven is a Scottish dive site near Oban that can be can easily be accessed via a lay-by on the A82. Once there a walk down a steep leafy track will lead you into the ‘refreshing’ water. As I descended into the dark green depths of the sea loch, on a dusk dive, I approached an area where my torch picked out the vivid colours of a living carpet of thousands of brittlestars.

Captivated by the variety of hues and patterns each star took, I felt this was an incredible encounter with a species I’d never seen before. I was happily snapping away, when I spotted this purple sea urchin and I got really excited. A dominant star next to this graphic invertebrate created a beautifully balanced pair, perfectly surrounded by an entanglement of the background brittlestars.

In the same contest, Portuguese photographer, Nuno Sá, was named ‘Save Our Seas Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2024, with his photo ‘Saving Goliath’, taken in Portugal. Sá’s photo shows beachgoers trying to save a stranded sperm whale. The picture gives us hope that people do care and want to help the oceans, but also warns us that bigger changes are needed. “The whale had been struck by a ship and its fate was sealed,” explains Sá. “An estimated 20,000 whales are killed every year, and many more injured, after being struck by ships-and few people even realise that it happens.”

Backstory from the photographer:

The golden beaches of Costa da Caparica, just across the river from Lisbon were packed with sun seekers on this sunny day. And then something unusual caught their attention on the horizon. A massive sperm whale seemed to be struggling to swim as it slowly moved towards the coast. Soon its giant wounded body was passing by surfers and swimmers and reaching the shallow waters of the beach. But suddenly dozens of sun seekers start running towards the whale. Together they push and chant trying to help the giant back into the sea, as it slowly slaps its tail back and forth, and breathes heavily. Several hours later the whale takes its last breath, its body crushed by gravity as it lays on the sand. An estimated 20,000 whales are killed every year, and many more injured, after being struck by ships-and few people even realise that it happens.

Macro Category Winner: Talia Greis

Backstory from the photographer:

I was drawn to this particular seahorse because it had especially distinguished markings around the eye, and the jaw-dropping colour palette made a striking contrast with the surrounding coral. Whilst seahorses are not rare on Sydney dive sites, photographing one that can really stand out has always been a dream for me. I chose to open the aperture all the way down to f/3.5 which transformed the coral into an out of focus cloud-like effect, but also embraced the ominous green waters of Sydney summer diving. To me the seahorse's striking red eye, and posture conveys power and strength, arising from the smoky underbelly of the ocean. 

Black & White Category Winner: Jasmine Skye Smith

Backstory from the photographer:

This image was from a creative shoot from my first underwater portrait exhibition "Underneath" (held in August 2023). I challenged myself to be outside of my comfort zone and push myself creatively. I approached some girls from the synchronised swimming team to do a shoot and I booked the heated dive pool as it was our winter. I was expecting to be using the 3m depth side but at last minute they said we would be using the 5m end which was amazing to play with in such a controlled environment- but also came with the challenge of a slanted edge down the bottom which proved very difficult to keep my black backdrop in place with my usual weights. The two 6x3m backdrops only held in place for a few minutes before coming apart -and this was one of the magical captures in that short window.

Compact Category Winner: Enrico Somogyi

Backstory from the photographer:

This picture of a nudibranch (Hypsolodoris apolegma) with a emperor shrimp on the head was taken in Tulamben. To create the fire-like background I built a special tool which took me a long time to get it to work. But in the end I got the picture I was looking for.

British Waters Wide Angle Category Winner: Kat Zhou

Backstory from the photographer:

I took this photo during a trip to dive with Northern Gannets in Shetland. The experience of being amidst dive-bombing gannets is both chaotic and adrenaline-fueled, and it was hard to choose where to aim my camera! I tried to photograph any bird that zoomed by, and I was pleasantly surprised when I later saw how this shot was able to depict the dynamic motion of the experience.

British Waters Living Together Category Winner: Kirsty Andrews

Backstory from the photographer:

Butterfly blennies naturally choose abandoned whelk shells as their home but it seems they can get creative.  On the seabed of the river Fal, amongst beautiful pink maerl, many have chosen to use discarded glass bottles as a shelter.  Waste not want not.

British Waters Compact Category Winner: Jonathan Bunker

Backstory from the photographer:

The bootlace weed can sometimes completely blanket the pebbles overlooking the reef at Chesil Cove in the summer. Scores of catshark, cuttles, young conger and other night time predators patrol this seasonal ‘jungle’ slope, happy to snack on whatever comes their way. This sleepy catshark was, as you can see, unsure what to make of me, poking its head tentatively through the weed to establish if I was either threat or food. Whilst it was considering this, I managed to play around with my strobes a little in an attempt to diffuse some of the light through the tresses of early summer algae. My subject let me to take three shots before swimming off into the night.

We’ve only shown the category winners but there are many other fantastic images that placed or were commended. To see the full set of photographs, head on over to the Underwater Photographer of the Year website and checkout the yearbook.

About Underwater Photographer of the Year

Underwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition, based in the UK, that celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools, and attracts entries from all around the world. The contest has 13 categories, testing photographers with themes such as Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour and Wreck photography, as well as four categories for photos taken specifically in British waters. The winners were announced in an award ceremony in Mayfair, London, hosted by The Crown Estate. This year’s UPY judges were experienced underwater photographers Peter Rowlands, Tobias Friedrich and Dr. Alexander Mustard MBE.

About The Crown Estate

The Crown Estate is a category sponsor of UPY, hosts the award ceremony and has supported the competition since 2018. It is a significant national landowner with a diverse £16bn portfolio that includes urban centres and development opportunities; one of the largest rural holdings in the country; Regent Street and St James’s in London’s West End; and Windsor Great Park. We also manage the seabed and much of the coastline around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, playing a major role in the UK’s world leading offshore wind sector. We are a unique business established by the Crown Estate Act 1961, operating independently, and tasked with growing the value of the portfolio for the nation and returning all of our net profit to the Treasury for the benefit of the nation’s finances. This has totalled £3.2bn over the last ten years.

About the Save Our Seas Foundation

The Save Our Seas Foundation sponsor the Marine Conservation category of UPY. Since 2003, the Foundation has been dedicated to protecting life in our oceans, especially sharks and rays. We support passionate and innovative researchers, conservationists and educators around the globe by funding their projects and helping them to tell important scientific and environmental stories. Our centres in South Africa, Seychelles and the USA are dedicated to learning about sharks and rays and sharing that knowledge.