Winners of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025

Last night, acclaimed photographers from around the world gathered in London, UK, for the annual Underwater Photographer of the Year ceremony, celebrating this year’s most outstanding underwater images. Founded in 1965, the competition has grown into a prestigious global event, attracting entries that showcase the beauty and diversity of life beneath the surface in oceans, lakes, rivers, and even swimming pools. The 2025 contest drew an impressive 6,750 submissions from photographers representing 28 countries, competing across 13 categories, including Macro, Wide Angle, Behavior, and Wreck photography, as well as three categories dedicated to British waters. Hosted by The Crown Estate, the ceremony revealed this year’s winners, selected by a panel of esteemed judges—Peter Rowlands, Tobias Friedrich, and Dr. Alexander Mustard MBE.

Spanish photographer Alvaro Herrero, known as Mekan, has been named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 for his stunning image, Radiant Bond. Captured in French Polynesia, the photograph beautifully portrays the intimate connection between a mother humpback whale and her newborn calf. Herrero’s image stood out among 6,750 entries submitted by underwater photographers from around the world, earning him the competition’s top honor.

“The mother is accompanying her calf to the surface, because the baby is still so small and clumsy,” explained Herrero. “The calf is releasing a few bubbles underwater showing it is still learning to hold its breath properly. For me, this photo really shows a mother’s love and communicates the beauty and fragility of life in our ocean.”

“This delicate yet powerful study of a mother and calf’s bond says all that is great and good about our world,” commented contest judge Peter Rowlands. “We face our challenges, but the increasing populations of humpback whales worldwide shows what can be achieved.”

Other winners in the International categories included Shunsuke Nakano from Japan with his photo Face Off, which shows two extraordinary looking male Asian sheepshead wrasse jousting over spawning rights. “The harem king, on the right, is over 30 years old,” said Nakano, who won the Behavior category.

Abdulaziz Al Saleh, from Kuwait, won the Portrait category with his remarkable image Hydration, offering a rare underwater perspective of camels drinking in the Kuwaiti desert. Determined to capture this unique moment, Al Saleh spent over a year and a half refining his vision. “I wanted to photograph them drinking water from the underwater perspective because I did not see any images showing this,” he explained. The process required patience, as the camels were initially hesitant to drink near his camera, but over time, they grew accustomed to his presence. Adjusting his lighting setup mid-project, he switched from fiber-optic cables to electronic sync cords for his strobes, ultimately achieving the shot he envisioned. Judge Peter Rowlands praised the image as “such a joyous image and a portrait of camels certainly took us by pleasant surprise,” highlighting its engaging eye contact, well-chosen angle, and surface distortions. He added, “The lower, childlike, cheeky mouth adds a heartwarming finale to a quality photograph, which is much more than just an eye-catching subject.” The result is a visually striking and unconventional underwater portrait that captures both the personality of its subjects and the dedication behind the shot.

Bryant Turffs, from the United States, won the Compact Cameras category with his image The Beauty of the Swamp, a striking portrait of a prehistoric Florida gar taken in the Everglades using a simple GoPro. The photograph captures the eerie beauty of this often-overlooked freshwater environment, with dappled light filtering through cypress trees and the gar perfectly framed in its natural habitat. “I captured this image at one of my favorite locations within the Everglades ecosystem,” Turffs explained. “Historically, I primarily dove in saltwater, but I have become enamored by this foreboding environment, with clear waters, light filtering through cypress trees, and the fish species, both native and introduced.” Judge Alex Mustard praised the shot as “a stunning three-dimensional composition placing this rarely seen Florida gar in its swamp habitat,” adding, “It is, quite frankly, amazing that this image is shot with a simple GoPro camera, demonstrating how many people already have all the gear that they need to capture beautiful underwater photos.” The result is a beautifully composed, award-winning image that highlights both the unique wildlife of the Everglades and the creative potential of compact cameras.

Ruruka, from the Republic of Korea, has been named the PADI Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 for his striking image, Underwater Aurora. The photograph captures a diver immersed in the vividly layered waters of a cenote in Mexico. Ruruka deliberately visited the site during the rainy season, when tannin-rich water drains into the sinkhole, creating the beautiful bands of color. “From where I live, it’s a very long way to this location, about 24 hours by plane,” he explained. “But it is worth the journey because this unique environment perfectly aligns with the type of images I am trying to create.”

“An extraordinary image,” commented contest judge Tobias Friedrich. “It is an amazing scene, with a rainbow of freshwater colors in one picture and the high technical quality combined with the golden ratio composition made it a very deserving category winner.”

The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the UK, and David Alpert has been named British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 for his image, The Curious Seal. The photograph challenges the common misconception that British waters are murky and lifeless, showcasing the vibrant marine life found off the UK’s coast. “My photo is from Lundy Island, a marine protected area since 1973,” Alpert explained. “British seals are delightfully curious, more interactive than any other species I have dived with around the world. Briefly, I become one of the privileged few, crossing the bridge, able to make a connection with a wild animal.”

“This image is truly a stunner,” commented contest judge Friedrich. “It is well framed in the sea weeds and has beautiful light beams so evocative of shallow waters. The composition is completed by the inquisitive look. An excellent portrait.”

In the same contest, German photographer, Robert Marc Lehmann, was named ‘Save Our Seas Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2025, with his photo ‘1 in 200,000,000’, taken in Indonesia. Lehmann’s photo show fishermen hauling a large tiger shark ashore. “This is just one of around 200 million sharks that lose their lives every year at the hands of humans,” said Lehman.

“The composition is immersive and the timing, capturing the fisherman’s gesture, is decisive,” said contest judge Alex Mustard. “Although an everyday occurrence and legal almost everywhere, the man reaching out to stop the photo reveals what his conscience reckons on what they are doing. A picture that takes you straight into the story.”

To see all of the winning images, visit the Underwater Photographer of the Year website.

We will have more about the competition in our upcoming regularly scheduled newsletter coming out on Sunday where the guys will share their favorite images from the competition.

About The Crown Estate

In managing the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, The Crown Estate works in partnership with customers and stakeholders to support the long-term sustainable development of the seabed. From awarding seabed rights to sharing their knowledge and data, their small expert team directly manage their relationships with customers and partners with a commitment to delivering high levels of customer service. The Crown Estate sponsor the British Waters Living Together category, host the UPY award ceremony and support an annual print display at the Go Diving show in the UK. www.thecrownestate.co.uk 

About PADI

PADI® is the largest purpose-driven diving organization with a global network of 6,600 dive centres and resorts, 128,000 professional members and more than 30 million certified divers to date. www.padi.com

About the Save Ours Seas Foundation

The Save Our Seas Foundation has funded over 425 projects in 85 countries around the globe since its inception in 2003. Focusing primarily on sharks and rays, each project strives for deeper understanding and more innovative solutions in marine research, conservation and education. The Save Our Seas Foundation are sponsors of the Marine Conservation category, which is free to enter and provides a valuable platform for these important images. www.saveourseas.com