ANMM to host Oceanographic Magazine’s

Widia Jalal, Dugongs, sharks and a ‘paper nautilus’ — The winning images from the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023 competition, ABC News, 22 September 2023

Jialing Cai’s winning photograph of a paper nautilus drifting on a piece of ocean debris.(Supplied: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/Jialing Cai).

The judges in the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023 competition have spoken.

This year’s title goes to marine biologist and amateur photographer Jialing Cai.

Her stunning image of a paper nautilus — a type of octopus — floating on a piece of ocean debris came up top among the 8,000 entries submitted.

The competition called on drone, underwater and coastal photographers “to showcase the beauty of our planet” and “dazzle the world”, a spokesperson from Oceanographic Magazine said.

The fourth of its kind since 2020, the competition saw photographers compete across nine categories:

Ocean Photographer of the Year
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Fine Art Photographer of the Year
Adventure Photographer of the Year
Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year
Human Connection Award: People & Planet Ocean
Young Photographer of the Year
Ocean Portfolio Award
Female Fifty Fathoms Award

Here are the stand-outs — and your nature fix — in pictures.

The Ocean Photographer of the Year

The judges were on the hunt for pictures that evoked an emotional connection and embodied a deep sense of storytelling.

Cai’s photograph was taken during a blackwater dive following a volcanic eruption in the Philippines, and she clearly delivered.

The 25-year-old said her professor was her inspiration, telling her: “The deep sea was within my reach, that it would come to me”.

“That realisation was mind-blowing,” Cai said. “It’s why [I’ve become] so obsessed with blackwater photography.”

Providing the backstory for the winning image, Cai said:

“As underwater photographers, we aim to shoot in clear water but this image reminds us that grains of sand, organic matter, or tiny organisms are integral parts of the underwater environment.

“I aim to accept their presence and seek non-disruptive ways to incorporate them into my images.”

A sea anemone, a crab and plankton came together for this work of art to take second place, also shot in the Philippines.

Photographer Andrei Savin said: “It’s insanely interesting to watch the same creatures day after day, and I love to study them as they evolve.”

A red crab sits in the centre of a sea anemone as it sways in ocean current. — A red crab sits in the centre of a sea anemone as it sways in ocean current in the Philippines.(Supplied: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/Andre Savin).

Coming in third place, was this emotional image of a dying humpback whale.

Photographer Alvaro Herrero Lopez-Beltran captured this image after the whale became entangled in ropes and buoys.

It was a conflicting moment for Lopez-Beltran as he felt “great sadness and hopeless” but he was also “glad … to show the world what we’re doing”.

“The image is a sad metaphor for the slow and painful death that we are causing to our planet and the oceans,” he says.

A humpack whale swimming in the ocean with buoys and ropes entangled in its tail — A whale struggles in waters off Mexico, its flukes severely damaged due to continued entanglement.(Supplied: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/Alvaro Herrero Lopez-Beltran).

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Fine Art Photographer of the Year

A whale shark and its entourage of remoras are attracted by the bright lights of fishermen in the Maldives.(Supplied: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/Jade Hoksbergen).

Adventure Photographer of the Year

Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year

Human Connection Award: People & Planet Ocean

Black and white image of multiple fishing fences in the sea — Artisanal fishing fences stand proudly in the sea in China.(Source: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/ Jinyi Wang)).

Young Photographer of the Year

A bodyboarder paddles out to sea, while big storm clouds block the sun and create an electric blue colour effect on the wave — A bodyboarder paddles out to sea while big storm clouds block the sun and create an electric-blue colour effect on a wave in Western Australia.(Source: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/ Jarvis Smallman).

Ocean Portfolio Award

Thai photographer Sirachai Arunrugstichai snagged the award with a confronting portfolio that showcases the treatment of deep-sea species.

Here are a few haunting images from the gallery of 10 images.

A young grey reef shark is hooked by an angler at night at Burma Bank, an offshore plateau in the Andaman Sea.(Source: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/ Sirachai Arunrugstichai).

A living streaked spinefoot is entangled alongside a dead one in a large ghost net that covers an underwater pinnacle.(Source: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/ Sirachai Arunrugstichai).

Sirachai Arunrugstichai Ocean Portfolio Award 3 — Gill rakers from endangered spinetail devil rays, a highly prized wildlife product, are laid onto a drying board at a ray-processing factory.(Source: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/ Sirachai Arunrugstichai).

Female Fifty Fathoms Award

Four Chilean devil rays glide through the ocean.(Supplied: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023/Merche Llobera).

All photography will be showcased at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.

The exhibition will be open to the public for five months from November 17.