Many of us amateurs already find snapping the perfect sunset selfie a challenge. So imagine trying to capture a clear shot of a moving marine creature underwater. That's precisely why we leave it to the professionals to bring us these extraordinary glimpses of life beneath the waves.
Oceanographic Magazine's Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025 competition has once again delivered a stunning collection of images of the ocean and the lives within. Among this year's standout entries are a couple of breathtaking shots taken in Asia – proof of the region's rich marine biodiversity and natural beauty. Showcasing everything from vibrant coral reefs to elusive sea creatures, here are the finalist images taken in Asia:
Fine Art Photographer of the Year
This image of a young Pinnate Batfish in Indonesia was captured by Barcelona-based biologist and photographer Luis Arpa Toribio. Known for its jet-black body and almost neon-orange outline, the fish was sharply rendered using a slow shutter speed, snooted lighting, and deliberate camera panning – a technique Luis adopted to add a sense of motion and drama to the shot.
Beneath the waves of the Tañon Strait in the Philippines, French-Taiwanese underwater photographer and artist Jade Hoksbergen captured this tiny young candy crab, measuring just a centimeter in size, perched delicately on a bed of pink coral.
No, it's not a turtle floating in the sky. Hitomi captured this image near Mount Iwo on Satsuma-Iojima Island, where an "underwater aurora" effect appears thanks to iron-rich substances released by the nearby volcano. Beyond its visual beauty, Hitomi hopes the image will spark conversations about the urgent need for marine conservation.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Marine researcher Takumi Oyama captured this remarkable moment in Japan – a yellow pygmy goby releasing freshly hatched larvae from her mouth into the water. Unlike most gobiid species, this particular one stands out for its shared parental care, with both males and females involved in the hatching process.
French marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer Alexis Chappuis captured this fascinating image of thousands of skeleton shrimps completely colonizing a gorgonian coral in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Photography instructor and marine project consultant Suliman Alatiqi's image features a lone Komodo dragon in Indonesia's coastal shorelines, half submerged in the waters as it rests and regulates its body temperature.
Conservation (Impact) Photographer of the Year
German underwater photographer Daniel Flormann aims to raise awareness about shark conservation through his image taken in West Papua. The solemn scene shows three sharks that perished in a net intended for anchovies, while a whale shark with a partially severed caudal fin swims around them.
It might take a moment to decipher what’s happening in this image, but it actually shows a tiny paper nautilus clinging to a plastic bottle cap in the open ocean off the coast of the Philippines. Italian underwater photographer Giancarlo Mazarese captured this striking contrast – a species that typically attaches itself to floating organisms like jellyfish is seen here gripping a piece of human-discarded plastic instead.
Noam Kortler sheds light on the phenomenon of whale sharks repeatedly approaching tourist boats to be fed in Oslob, Philippines. His drone image, capturing nine whale sharks circling the boats, reflects what he sees as a shift from appreciating wildlife to exploiting it for show.
Thai travel photographer Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn captures an everyday moment at sunrise, as fishermen offload their catch from a wooden boat. The focus of the image is a man carrying a massive fish across a narrow plank, carefully balancing over the water. Through this photo, Natnattcha hopes to highlight the need to care for our oceans, and not only for the creatures that live in them, but also for the communities that depend on them.
Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year
Thai photojournalist and marine biologist Sirachai Arunrugstichai captures an intimate moment as Pongsathorn Bauer, a Thai aquarist from Aquaria Phuket that’s also known as “Shark Dad”, releases a young Indo-Pacific leopard shark into a sea pen off Maiton Island, Thailand.
To capture this shot, Australian underwater photographer Catherine Holmes travelled to the Blue Caves at Maalhos Thila in the Maldives’ North Ari Atoll, where lush corals were in full bloom – thriving with vibrant hues and teeming with life.
Admittedly, this isn’t your typical wildlife photograph. Thai photojournalist and marine biologist Sirachai Arunrugstichai features an aquarist from Aquaria Phuket holding a glass jar containing an early-stage embryo of an Indo-Pacific leopard shark – part of the aquarium’s breeding programme aimed at reintroducing the species into the wild.
Hungarian underwater photographer and scuba diving instructor László Földi captured this image of a squid egg resting on the seabed during an early morning dive at Gatto Island in the Philippines. Measuring just 2-3-cm wide, the egg had drifted away from its nest and the cluster of other eggs.
South Korean underwater photographer Kim Hyeon Min captured this mesmerising scene at the end of a dive – a school of young fish circling a dome-shaped coral in sunlit, shallow waters. To him, the moment resembled a miniature planet, with the vibrant coral still untouched by bleaching and covered in a rich tapestry of marine life.
Experienced photographers know that the reflective skin of anchovies often causes blowouts under flash photography. Yet, wildlife documentary filmmaker and underwater photographer Jenny Stock managed to capture a large school of glittering anchovies at Puri Pinnacle, as they swam rapidly to flee hunting jacks nearby.
Japanese underwater photographer Sho Otani captured a rare moment of cardinal fish spawning at night in Japan. Describing the scene to be “like a volcano bursting with life,” he managed to photograph it by carefully approaching the fish and positioning himself directly above them.
British underwater photographer and filmmaker Aaron Sanders captured a brief and extraordinary moment as a giant barrel sponge released a large cloud of gametes during spawning on a coral reef, while Midnight Snappers fed on the drifting particles.
Human Connection Award: People and Planet Ocean
Thai photojournalist and marine biologist Sirachai Arunrugstichai captured this striking image of Fuji 268, one of Taiwan’s last remaining fire fishing boats, as a fisherman ignites a fireball to drive sardines through the coastal waters of New Taipei, illuminating the night with flickering light.
Captured by Chinese photographer and author Jianping Li, this image shows a group of fishermen working along the tidal flats in China, where the deep blue sea meets golden sands in a striking contrast of colour. Look a little closer, and you’ll notice the fishermen using their red nets not just for work, but as props in a carefully choreographed performance.
Thai travel photographer Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn documents the early morning rituals at Tam Tien Beach, where groups of wooden fishing boats anchor offshore to deliver fresh seafood catches to people waiting onshore to sort, sell, and buy the day’s haul.
Chinese photographer Shi Xiaowen ventured into the coastal waters of Xiapu to photograph a fisherman hard at work, surrounded by endless rows of laver cultivation poles stretching across the sea.
This striking split-shot image by Australian diver Wendy Mitchell shows a man in Indonesia paddling a wooden canoe through calm, mangrove-lined waters. And just below the surface, a vibrant coral reef teems with life and rich biodiversity.
Thai travel photographer Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn captures the striking scene of fishermen in Vietnam harvesting Sargassum seaweed with translucent nets, as they work from their traditional round wooden boats.
Austrian underwater photographer and dive resort manager Max Holba photographs the descent of a handwoven bamboo basket into the depths of Alor’s waters.
View the full list of the finalists here.
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