Photos from the Ocean Photographer of the Year awards show the beauty and fragility of underwater wildlife

• The Ocean Photographer of the Year contest announced the finalists in its 2024 competition.
• Photos show underwater wildlife including sea turtles, sharks, whales, and coral reefs.

Presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain Ocean Commitment, the Ocean Photographer of the Year contest celebrates the beauty of the world's oceans and highlights the fragility of underwater wildlife.

Finalists in the contest were chosen in eight categories: Young Photographer, Wildlife, Portfolio, Human Connection, Fine Art, Conservation—Impact, Conservation—Hope, and Adventure.

The full gallery of 2024 contest finalists can be viewed on the Ocean Photographer of the Year contest's official website. The category and overall winners will be announced on September 12.

Take a look at a selection of finalists from the Wildlife, Human Connection, and Conservation—Hope categories.

Andrey Shpatak photographed a Pacific octopus swimming in Russia.

A Pacific octopus in Russia.      Andrey Shpatak/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Clayton Harris caught the moment a humpback whale emerged from the ocean in New South Wales, Australia.

A humpback whale in Australia.      Clayton Harris/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Florian Ledoux took an aerial photo of a polar bear lounging on a patch of ice in Svalbard.

A polar bear in Svalbard.      Florian Ledoux/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Jake Wilton got lucky with a rare sighting of a leucistic green turtle in Papua New Guinea.

A leucistic green sea turtle in Papua New Guinea.      Jake Wilton/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Kate Jonker's photo, taken in South Africa, shows an inquisitive octopus peeking out of its hiding place.

An octopus in South Africa.      Kate Jonker/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

When Laura Leusko took this photo of mobula rays in Mexico, some of the rays started jumping out of the water as the drone approached.

Mobula rays in Baja California Sur, Mexico.      Laura Leusko/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Manuel Castellanos Raboso's photo shows a mahi-mahi in the midst of a feeding frenzy in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

A mahi-mahi in Baja California Sur, Mexico.      Manuel Castellanos Raboso/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Merche Llobera's photo captures the circle of life as pelicans, sea lions, mahi-mahi, and sardines seek their next meal in Mexico.

Pelicans in Baja California Sur, Mexico.      Merche Llobera/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Walruses rest on the beach in the Arctic Circle in this photo taken by Michael Haluwana.

Walruses in the Arctic Circle.      Michael Haluwana/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Nataya Chonecadeedumrongkul provided a glimpse inside a hingebeak shrimp colony in the hollow of a barrel sponge in Koh Haa, Thailand.

A hingebeak shrimp colony in Koh Haa, Thailand.      Nataya Chonecadeedumrongkul/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Marine iguanas, like the one Rafael Fernandez Caballero photographed in the Galápagos Islands, can hold their breath for up to an hour.

A marine iguana in Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.      Rafael Fernandez Caballero/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

Shane Gross spotted peppered moray eels searching for food at low tide on D'Arros Island in the Seychelles.

Peppered moray eels in D'Arros Island, Seychelles.      Shane Gross/Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

João Rodrigues visited a rehabilitation center in Portugal where a leatherback turtle was nursed back to health.

A leatherback turtle in Algarve, Portugal.      João Rodrigues/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

In Papua New Guinea, Noam Kortler photographed a fisherman in a traditional canoe catching sardines.

A school of sardines in Papua New Guinea.      Noam Kortler/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

A whale-watching boat encountered a dead sperm whale in a moment captured by Seán O'Callaghan in Norway.

A dead sperm whale in Norway.      Seán O'Callaghan/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Tanya Houppermans photographed scientists conducting an ultrasound on a pregnant tiger shark in the Bahamas.

A tiger shark in the Bahamas.      Tanya Houppermans/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Scientific divers photographed by Ulrika Larsson encountered rough seas in Bab al-Mandab Strait, Djibouti.

Divers in Bab al-Mandab Strait, Djibouti.      Ulrika Larsson/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Yue Hongjun captured a freediver swimming with a school of sardines in the Philippines.

A diver in Moalboal, Philippines.      Yue Hongjun/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

A fisherman in Fujian, China, hung nets woven with hemp fibers to dry in a photo by Zhang Xiang.

Fishermen in Fujian, China.      Zhang Xiang/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Brook Peterson documented the stunning colors of a coral reef in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

A coral reef in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.      Brook Peterson/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

A photo taken by Dillys Pouponeau shows rays resting in the shallows of a protected area in the Seychelles.

Juvenile rays in the Seychelles.      Dillys Pouponeau/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Edwar Herreño Parra's photo shows a whale shark swimming under a research ship appropriately named the Sharkwater in Costa Rica.

A whale shark in Costa Rica.      Edwar Herreño Parra/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

A clownfish hatchery in Indonesia, photographed by Giacomo d'Orlando, aims to revive the clownfish population impacted by overfishing.

Clownfish in Jakarta, Indonesia.      Giacomo d'Orlando/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Henley Spiers photographed a marine biologist working on a coral restoration project in the Maldives.

Coral restoration in Kaafu Atoll, Maldives.      Henley Spiers/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Megan Hassa also visited a coral restoration site in Bali, Indonesia.

Coral restoration in Bali, Indonesia.      Megan Hassa/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Matty Smith documented a White's seahorse swimming in Australia's Sydney Harbor.

A White's seahorse in Sydney, Australia.      Matty Smith/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

A Southern stingray photographed by Remuna Beca swam through a seagrass meadow in the Bahamas.

A Southern stingray in the Bahamas.      Remuna Beca/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Shane Gross documented the release of a green sea turtle after researchers accidentally caught it while working with sharks in the Seychelles.

A green sea turtle in the Seychelles.      Shane Gross/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

Tobias Friedrich took a close-up shot of clownfish eggs in Lembeh, Indonesia.

Clownfish eggs in Lembeh, Indonesia.      Tobias Friedrich/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024

In this photo by Tom Shlesinger, corals released egg and sperm bundles into the sea in Israel.

A coral reef in Israel.      Tom Shlesinger/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024