The annual Ocean Photography awards have done it yet again, bringing us some of the most spectacular images from below the waves.
The annual Ocean Photography awards have been known to bring us some of the most stunning underwater imagery of late and this year they did not disappoint.
Ocean Photographer of the year was awarded to Aimee Jan for her image of a green sea turtle amongst a school of glassfish. The image, taken on Ningaloo Reef in Australia, is an important nesting site for these endangered sea turtles.
Among the judges, The National Geographic photographer and conservationist Cristina Mittermaier explains why the entries are only getting better each year:
“It’s only in the past 10 years that the technology has advanced enough for us to be able to take our cameras deeper than 30 meters and the sensors now available are allowing us to see in the inky depths of the ocean things that we could not capture just five years ago.”
Kerim Sabuncuoğlu, a finalist in this year’s competition likens the experience of exploring the ocean to space travel:
“If you don’t have the technology or the funds to go to another planet, just gear up and jump into the water, that’s another planet.”
Whilst the competition showcases some beautiful images it also gives us insight into the fragile and mostly expletive relationship we have with our oceans.
Effects of the pandemic were also felt in this year’s entries with photographer Nicholas Samaras capturing the ecological impact of single-use medical equipment.
Samaras said, “I visit Santorini, a small seaside village in the Halkidiki peninsula, regularly to observe and photograph the local seahorse population…The biggest recent change is COVID waste.”
This image of seahorse dragging a mask in the waters off northern Greece, has been nominated for the ocean photography award 2021.
The image is just another reminder of the damage that ignorance inflicts on our planet. pic.twitter.com/bt5b5Be8Xu
— SPARTAN⚡️🧬 (@spartanseed) September 15, 2021
Definitely worth a longer look, you can check out the full list of entries here.
They’re sure to leave you marveling at mother nature.
The stunning winners of the 2021 Ocean #Photography Awards
https://t.co/QRgIKCgMHu pic.twitter.com/5dtmjAPaAD— Evan Kirstel the $B2B Techfluencer (@EvanKirstel) September 17, 2021
