Bryde’s whales—pronounced “broodus”—are part of the baleen family, which includes humpbacks and blue whales. One particularly hungry marine giant was captured by Rafael Fernández Caballero, making him the 2024 Ocean Photographer of the Year (previously).
“The image captures perhaps the most special—and craziest—moment of my life,” Caballero says in a statement, reflecting on the excitement and astonishing timing that enabled him to document the Bryde’s whale feeding on a baitball—a tight, spherical gathering that fish form to help protect themselves from predators. Caballero’s photo was chosen as the top image from more than 15,000 entries across categories from underwater to surf to drone shots.
2nd Place Overall Winner: Jade Hoksbergen. A northern gannet, one of the largest seabirds in British waters, dives into the water to catch its prey near Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland
Second place was awarded to Jade Hoksbergen, who captured a northern gannet torpedoing into the sea for a meal, and third place saw Thien Nguyen Ngoc’s aerial view of a fishing boat amid swirling smoke and its swathe of green netting.
Explore more of our favorite finalists from this year’s contest, and see the entire gallery on the competition’s website. Follow updates about forthcoming exhibitions on Instagram.
3rd Place Overall Winner: Thien Nguyen Ngoc. A fishing boat off Hon Yen, Vietnam, sends a long trail of smoke that perfectly aligns with the shape of the green nets under the surface
Winner, Ocean Portfolio Award: Shane Gross. Baby plainfin midshipman fish, still attached to their yolk sacs, in British Columbia, Canada
Second Place, Wildlife Category: Rafael Fernández Caballero. A marine iguana sits on a rock in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Unlike other iguanas around the world, these are the only ones that have evolved to swim and feed underwater, holding their breath for up to 60 minutes
Highly Commended, Adventure Category: Byron Conroy. A scuba diver explores the Silfra fissure in Iceland, the tectonic boundary between the North American and Eurasian plates
Highly Commended, Wildlife Category: Jake Wilton. In Papua New Guinea’s Conflict Islands, conservation efforts have transformed former poachers into protectors, boosting turtle hatchling numbers. Amid this success, a rare leucistic green sea turtle was found among the nests
Second Place, Human Connection Category: Romeo Bodolai. A fisherman uses a traditional fishing technique in Myanmar
Highly Commended, Fine Art Category: Pietro Formis. A juvenile African pompano, captured in Anilao, Philippines, looks very different from its adult version
Highly Commended, Adventure Category: Tobias Friedrich. Every winter, orcas and humpback whales come to Northern Norway to feed on Atlantic herring. This huge humpback filled its mouth with the small fish, before swimming past the divers closely
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