Oceanographic magazine has just announced the winners of the Ocean Photographer of the Year, with a stunning image of a Bryde’s whale by Rafael Fernández Caballero the overall winner.


Rafael Fernández Caballero was named Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 for this image of a Bryde’s whale feeding on a heart-shaped baitball. © Rafael Fernández Caballero.

The winning shot, which was chosen from more than 15,000 images by ocean photographers across all disciplines, was taken in Baja California Sur, Mexico, during the Mexican sardine run. Photographer, Rafael Fernández Caballero, who has been visiting the area for many years, hoping to witness a whale feeding on a baitball, said: ‘Due to El Niño and warmer temperatures, different species joined the party and I witnessed huge numbers of beautifully coloured dorados and large groups of sea lions that were attracted by the bait balls. The whale came out of nowhere with its mouth wide open, and the sight was nothing short of surreal. The Pacific waters were calm that day, making it a perfect opportunity to capture this once-in-a-lifetime moment.’


A whale shark surrounded by a swirling school of fish, photographed in The Maldives by winner of this year’s Female Fifty Fathoms Award, Ipah Uid Lynn. © Ipah Uid Lynn.
The recipient of this year’s Female Fifty Fathoms Award, an award created to celebrate pioneering and boundary-pushing women in ocean photography, is Malaysian photographer and mother of six Ipah Uid Lynn. The Ocean Adventure Photographer of the Year is Tobias Friedrich, with a photograph of a large humpback whale with a mouth full of fish, taken in Northern Norway, while the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year was won by Shane Gross, with a shot taken in the Seychelles of a green sea turtle being released by a researcher after being caught while trying to catch sharks. Photographer, Frederik Brogaard, was the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (Impact) winner with a disturbing image of a fin whale, lies waiting for its turn to be butchered at a whaling plant in Iceland before getting sent to Japan.

Click here to view all the winning and runner-up images in this year’s competition. A selection of the images entered in the competition will be on display in a gallery at the Australian National Maritime Museum beginning on November 28th, 2024.