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A Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment.
(Image credit: Jialing Cai, Ocean Photographer of the Year)
Winner: Jialing Cai, Philippines
A beautiful image of a paper nautilus captured in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption has won the 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year award. The image, by 25-year-old photographer Jialing Cai, was taken during a blackwater dive in the Philippines.
The paper nautilus, the species of which is unknown, was floating on a piece of debris in the ocean after the Taal Volcano erupted. "The water column filled with particles from stirred-up sediment," Cai said in a statement.
"Navigating through the low visibility and dense fog during a blackwater dive, I found this female paper nautilus taking a ride on a drifting wooden stick. When I pressed the shutter, the particles reflected my light. The scene felt unusually serene following the natural disaster and reminds me of a fairy tale set in a snowy night."
The competition winners were announced on Sept. 14.
Second place: Andrei Savin, Philippines
A crab sits in the center of a sea anemone as it sways in ocean current.
(Image credit: Andrei Savin, Ocean Photographer of the Year)
Andrei Savin's second place work showcases a crab within the medusa of a sea anemone.
Third place: Alvaro Herrero López-Beltrán, Mexico
A whale struggles on, its flukes severely damaged as a result of continued entanglement.
(Image credit: Alvaro Herrero López-Beltrán, Ocean Photographer of the Year)
A whale tries to swim for the water's surface, but it is held back due to entanglement on a stake and fishing line in this haunting third-place piece by Alvaro Herrero López-Beltrán of Mexico.
Annie is the production editor at Live Science. She has a background in writing and digital media and studied English and Anthropology at Fordham University in New York City.
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