Breathtaking pics of dolphins with surfers & seahorse farewell lead ocean photo contest… but which one is your winner?

NewsWorld News THE winners of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 awards have been revealed. Which one would you have chosen for the top prize? They depict awe-inducing waves crashing to shore, deep sea curiosities and terrifying predators. A seahorse and two juveniles, the photo that scored the top prize at the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 Credit: Julien Anton Dolphins ride the waves alongside surfers at Tamarama Beach, Sydney Credit: GERGO RUGLI gerirugli@gmail.com But the overall winning photo this year shows a much smaller scale wonder. French photographer Julien Anton spent hours scouring the sea in choppy conditions of the coast of Tahiti, with no guarantee of finding even a single seahorse. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The incredible photo he eventually captured – two young seahorses turning back in a dark sea, possibly in a farewell to their father in the foreground – got him named Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026. The hobbyist photographer said: “That is what made the moment so extraordinary – when the juveniles turned back towards the adult, it felt like something far beyond what I had dared to hope for.” An amazing image of a ribbonfish surrounded by a swarm of salps in the waters of Osezaki, Japan won The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds category Credit: Mitsuna Kawai A surfer races through the barrel of Teahupoʻo, French Polynesia, winning second place in the Adventure photographer category Credit: © Ben Thouard.com Julien’s shot won the Ocean Wildlife category before being elevated to the overall prize, which he called an “immense honour”. He thanked “the local residents, naturalists and fishermen of Tahiti and Mo’orea whose knowledge made this image possible”, saying: “My hope is that this image can serve as a bridge between science, conservation and a world that deserves to know what is at stake.” Adventure Photographer of the Year went to Gergo Rugli, who captured a pod of dolphins diving through the waves alongside surfers in Sydney during a powerful swell. British photographer Jenny Stock scooped up this year’s Female Fifty Fathoms Award. Most read in The Sun A sealion pup seems to pose for a picture in Jurian Bay, Western Australia Credit: Jenny Stock/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 Jenny Stock’s decorated warbonnet poking out of a glass bottle Credit: Jenny Stock She seemed to have coaxed a sealion pup to pose for a picture in Jurian Bay, Western Australia. And she captured an amazing picture of a decorated warbonnet poking out of a glass bottle, which they often sneak into for protection. A whale shark surrounded by divers and snorkelers in the Maldives Credit: James Ferrara A Cape Verde community comes together to re-float stranded short-finned pilot whales Credit: RUI DUARTE An astonishing tableau of a whale shark surrounded by divers and snorkelers in the Maldives won James Ferrara Conservation (Impact) Photographer of the Year. And a shot of a community coming together to re-float stranded short-finned pilot whales in Cape Verde brough home the Human Connection Award: People & Planet Ocean for Rui Duarte. A hammerhead shark photographed in French Polynesia Credit: Thomas Pavy A tawny nurse shark glides through the warm waters of the Maldives Credit: MATTY SMITH 2023 Winning the Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year, Thomas Pavy snapped a hammerhead shark at 55 metres depth in Tiputa Pass, Rangiroa Atoll in French Polynesia. And an amazing black-and-white photo showing a tawny nurse shark gliding through the warm waters of the Maldives won Matty Smith the Fine Art Photographer of the Year prize. A free diver descending into the depths of Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas Credit: Daan Verhoeven A diver alone in the centre of a huge school of sardines Credit: Ben Yávar Finalists in the Adventure Photographer of the Year who didn’t manage to snag the top prize included Daan Verhoeven, whose breathtaking photo showed a free diver descending into the depths of Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas during a successful world record attempt. Ben Yávar’s picture of a freediver surrounded by a vast school of sardines, taken in the Philippines, was also a finalist in the category. Comment now