[image: Kate Jonker / South Africa]

The finalists for the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 have been revealed.

This competition, which celebrates the ocean in all its majesty, showcases the work of some of the world’s most talented coastal, drone, and underwater photographers.

Prepare to be captivated by breathtaking images of dramatic wildlife encounters, striking depictions of human interaction with the ocean, and powerful reminders of the impact we have on our blue planet.

The category winners, the recipient of the Female Fifty Fathoms Award, and the overall Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 will be announced on 12 September.

For now, here is a selection of spectacular images from the shortlist of finalists.

First up is a hingebeak shrimp colony in the hollow of a barrel sponge in Koh Haa, Thailand. These striking shrimp, with vivid red and white stripes, display dance-like movement, swaying back and forth with their beaks pointed upwards.

A seagull rests on top of a sea turtle shortly before they both continue their own paths in the Mediterranean Sea.

Then, fishermen in coastal Fujian in China dry their nets in an intricate fashion. As they are woven with hemp fibres, they swell easily after being immersed in the water.

A giant Pacific octopus in the shallows of Russia.

The second biggest whale, the fin whale, lies waiting for its turn to be butchered at a whaling plant in Iceland before getting sent to Japan.

A group of walruses resting on a beach, surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the Arctic Circle.

The Bamsebu whaling station in Svalbard, Norway, is where hunters exclusively targeted belugas. With beluga whaling now banned in Svalbard, piles of bones scattered along the shores remind visitors of the horrors of the past and the possibility of change.

A fisherman uses a traditional fishing technique in Myanmar.

A coconut octopus found a hideout spot inside a plastic sandwich bag in the Philippines.

Baby plainfin midshipman fish, still attached to their yolk sacs in British Columbia, Canada.

The impact of rising sea levels is seen in Demak Regency, Indonesia as fisherman Abdul Latief (62) sits in his flooded home. His house flooded for the first time in 2008. Since then he has raised it twice, in 2009 and 2019. The floods are getting higher but Abdul doesn’t have enough money to raise his house again.

A puffin carries fish to feed its chicks in Saltee Islands, Ireland.

A gannet, entangled in discarded fishing gear, hangs off a cliff in the Isle of Noss, Shetland Islands.

A mesmerising spectacle beneath the waves of Israel: Like clockwork, thousands of corals spanning hundreds of kilometres synchronise their efforts to reproduce, releasing egg and sperm bundles into the open sea.

You could say that the Ocean Photographer of the Year, presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, has achieved its simple mission: to shine a light on the wonder and fragility of our blue planet and to celebrate the photographers giving it a voice.

View the full list of finalists.

[source:discoverwildlife]