anemonefish
a killer whale
bigeye trevally
a whale shark
blacktip sharks
a humpback whale
giant cuttlefish
a diver
manta rays
flying fish
sperm whales
a tarpon
a hairy frogfish
a turtle
a whale shark
a murrelet
a manta ray
a nurse shark
Atlantic spadefish
a great white shark
a jawfish
anemonefish
humpback whales
reef sharks and yellowtail snappers
an American crocodile
a whale shark
a hammerhead shark
1 of 27
Orange anemonefish. Sipadan Island, Malaysia
Photograph by Marc Hornig, National Geographic Your Shot

Magnificent Pictures of Life Under the Sea

We've combed through pictures of underwater worlds entered to our Nature Photographer of the Year contest to bring you a selection of gems.

ByNational Geographic Staff
October 17, 2017

“We go to the ends of the earth, and then we go underwater.” —National Geographic photographer David Doubliet

Exploring the world beneath the waves is something National Geographic is known for. We have taken readers to marine environments on all parts of the earth, from the icy waters of the Arctic to the surprisingly vibrant coral reefs of Cuba, illuminating both the beauty and the vulnerability of our oceans.

In the spirit of this storytelling tradition, we decided to create a special category for Underwater Photography in this year’s Nature Photographer of the Year contest. We are excited to see the diversity of creatures and environments that have been submitted so far and are looking forward to seeing what comes in before the contest comes to an end on November 17. In the meantime, we have chosen a selection of amazing creatures to share with you.

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