Stunning Scenes Dazzle in Underwater Images (Photos)

Face to face

A photographer came face-to-face with a solitary batfish at Shark Reef, a coral reef in Rash Mohamed National Park, Egypt. He found his subject lurking in a rocky crevice which the fish used as a cleaning station.

Big Red

During this dive, the photographer found a fishing net in which many living fish were trapped and struggling to free themselves. A slow shutter speed and zooming during exposure captured the lionfish's struggle and emphasized its attempts to break free of the fishing net.

I've got my eye on you!

This shot of a whip goby was taken in Mozambique with the Inon Underwater Micro Fisheye Lens, which added "a lot of character" to the goby's eye, the photographer said in a statement.

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Visitor from the deep

John Dory fish (also known as St. Pierre or Peter's fish) normally live in very deep waters. But in wintertime at night they often ascend to shallower water to feed. The photographer captured this image in waters near Sant'Agnello, Italy, at a depth of less than 32 feet (10 meters).

A migratory alewife

This image is part of a larger project to document fishes of eastern North America that are anadromous — they birth and spawn in freshwater, but grow to adulthood in saltwater. The photo shows a migratory alewife — a type of herring — barreling though the turbulent flow at the base of a fish ladder.

Under My Umbrella

"The idea for this photo came from the need to show people that freediving is not only about going down and up on a line but rather exploring, dreaming and applying it for having fun and to explore," photographer Catalin Craciun said in a statement. This photo was taken in the Philippines, during a freediving course taught in Barracuda Lake by dive school Freediving Coron.

Eye to eye

In 2011, photographer Melvin Redeker saw his first orcas in the North Sea, inspiring the Dutch photo project "In the North Sea." He captured this photo of a pod in waters near the Shetland Islands, U.K., hiding on the seabed just below the coastal rocks while the orcas hunted for seals.

Competition

Right before this photo was snapped, hundreds of gannets were circling in the air over a boat near the Shetland islands, U.K., looking for the fish that were being thrown over the side. When a single bird suddenly dove, dozens of birds quickly followed. "I could hear the birds as they hit the water right above my head, just before they appeared in front of the camera," photographer Richard Shucksmith said in a statement.

Dragon display

This cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) was spotted in waters near Cornwall, U.K., skulking behind a rock and waving its tentacles in what was either a camouflage tactic or an attempt to warn photographer Kirsty Andrews away. "The outstretched strobe-lit tentacles against a dark background bring to mind a fearsome Chinese dragon," Andrews said in a statement.

Amphipod shrimp

While exploring waters near Loch Carron, U.K., divers noticed these tiny, colorful amphipod shrimps in the hundreds among the kelp in a narrow depth band. They seemed to be feeding on Membranipora membranacea, a type of marine invertebrate known as a bryozoan, which grows on kelp fronds.