The contest, organised by the Underwater Photography Guide, is now in its tenth year, and looks for the world’s best photos that document marine life behavior, unique portraits of underwater species, and powerful images that advocate for conservation. The competition was judged by underwater photographers Tony Wu, Mark Strickland, and Marty Snyderman, and featured more than $35,000 in prizes.
“We were excited to see photographers continue to travel locally and internationally to capture amazing photos,” says Scott Gietler, BUnderwater Photography Guide published and Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel owner.
The overall Best in Show winning image was captured by Belgian photographer Luc Rooman, who won a dive cruise in Indonesia.
Closer to home, Australian photographer PT Hirschfield took out the compact behaviour category, with her image of two mating seahorses captured on the Mornington Peninsula.
You can see all the other category winners below, and a selection of the other finalists on the 2021 Ocean Art competition page.