Underwater Photographer of the Year winners revealed for 2025

Friday, February 21st, 2025

Leisure Marine

Radiant Bond. Image courtesy of Alvaro Herrero/UPY2025.

Spanish photographer Alvaro Herrero has been named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 for his image Radiant Bond, which captures the connection between a mother humpback whale and her newborn calf. Taken in French Polynesia, the photograph was selected from 6,750 entries submitted by photographers worldwide.

“The mother is accompanying her calf to the surface, because the baby is still so small and clumsy,” explains 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.”

Contest judge Peter Rowlands describes the image as “a delicate yet powerful study of a mother and calf’s bond,” adding, “we face our challenges, but the increasing populations of humpback whales worldwide show what can be achieved.”

Face Off. Image courtesy of Shunsuke Nakano/UPY2025 — *Face Off*. Image courtesy of Shunsuke Nakano/UPY2025.

Other category winners include Shunsuke Nakano from Japan, whose photograph Face Off captures two male Asian sheepshead wrasse competing for spawning rights. “The harem king, on the right, is over 30 years old,” says Nakano.

'Hydration'. Image courtesy of Abdulaziz Al Saleh/UPY2025. — *Hydration*. Image courtesy of Abdulaziz Al Saleh/UPY2025.

Abdulaziz Al Saleh from Kuwait won the Portrait category for Hydration, a perspective of camels drinking in the desert from beneath the water. Bryant Turffs from the United States won the Compact Cameras category with The Beauty of the Swamp, a photograph of a gar fish taken in the Everglades using a GoPro.

Underwater Aurora. Image courtesy of Ruruka /UPY2025 — *Underwater Aurora* Image courtesy of Ruruka /UPY2025.

The ‘Padi’ Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 title was awarded to Ruruka from the Republic of Korea for Underwater Aurora, an image of a diver in the multicoloured waters of a cenote sinkhole in Mexico. “From where I live, it’s a very long way to this location, about 24 hours by plane,” says Ruruka. “But it is worth the journey because this unique environment perfectly aligns with the type of images I am trying to create.”

Contest judge Tobias Friedrich says that it’s “an extraordinary image. It is an amazing scene, with a rainbow of freshwater colours in one picture and the high technical quality combined with the golden ratio composition made it a very deserving category winner.”

David Alpert was named British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 for The Curious Seal, an image taken at Lundy Island, a marine protected area since 1973. “British seals are delightfully curious, more interactive than any other species I have dived with around the world,” says Alpert. “Briefly, I become one of the privileged few, crossing the bridge, able to make a connection with a wild animal.”

Judge Friedrich describes the image as “well framed in the seaweeds with beautiful light beams evocative of shallow waters. The composition is completed by the inquisitive look. An excellent portrait.”

‘The Curious Seal’. Image courtesy of David Alpert/UPY2025. — *The Curious Seal*. Image courtesy of David Alpert/UPY2025.

Robert Marc Lehmann from Germany was named ‘Save Our Seas Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2025 for his image ‘1 in 200,000,000,’ taken in Indonesia. The photograph shows fishermen bringing 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,” says Lehmann.

“The composition is immersive and the timing, capturing the fisherman’s gesture, is decisive,” says 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.”

1 in 200,000,000. Image courtesy of Robert Marc Lehmann/UPY2025. — *1 in 200,000,000*. Image courtesy of Robert Marc Lehmann/UPY2025.

The Underwater Photographer of the Year competition, based in the UK, celebrates marine photography beneath the surface of oceans, lakes, and rivers. In 2025, it received 6,750 entries from photographers across 28 countries. The contest has 13 categories, including Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour, and Wreck photography, as well as three dedicated to British waters. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony in London, hosted by The Crown Estate. Judges for this year’s competition were Peter Rowlands, Tobias Friedrich, and Dr Alexander Mustard MBE. The contest was first held in 1965, with Phil Smith as its first winner.