Snapshots of time, passports to other worlds and instruments for change, photography is the most powerful tool. We might be biased, but underwater photography truly trumps on the nature scale; it allows us to explore the ocean's greatest (and still largely undiscovered) depths, celebrate its mysterious inhabitants and shine a spotlight on its fragility and the need for ocean conservation. We challenged photographers across the world to show us their most original diving photo, and without further ado are delighted to share the top 20 underwater photographers.
IN THEIR WORLD by David Valencia
The winner of the Original Dive Underwater Photographer of the Year, David captured the seasonal aggregation of mobula rays off the coast of Baja California in Mexico. This phenomenon occurs every May, when current changes usher in nutrients from the ocean's depths attracting tens of thousands of mobula rays.
DARTH VADER by Kathrin Landgraf-Kluge
An apt title for this red devil scorpionfish, we think you'll agree. This image was captured using a snoot - a tool placed over a strobe head that controls and directs the strobe flash - in this case, highlighting this red critter out from its mucky seabed surroundings.
SUBMERGED ME by Rahul Mitra
A simple but effective image, Rahul's mask reflects the wonders of the underwater world in the Andaman Islands, India. A selfie we can all get behind.
THE SCREAM by Enrico Somogyi
The aquatic version of Edvard Munch's famed The Scream, Enrico aimed his camera at precisely the right moment, capturing a hairy frogfish mid yawn while diving in Lembeh.
CRAB CATCHER by Nick More
Snapped in Manando in Northern Sulawesi, a porcelain anemone crab raises its feeding arms into the current. Porcelain anemone crabs compete with anemonefish for protection of an anemone, although anemonefish usually win, meaning that you'll seldom see them together.
DISCO SQUID by Enrico Somogyi
An experiment that definitely paid off (and thus earned a place in our top underwater photographers), Enrico captured this colourful squid using a slow shutter speed with two continuous lights - one red and one blue - to create this alien-like image of a squid at night.
NIGHT JEWELS by Horacio Martinez
Photographed during a blackwater dive in the Lembeh Strait in Northern Sulawesi. One of the most amazing diving experiences out there, blackwater diving involves being tethered to a boat line in the open ocean at night. Why? Because that's when all the most alien-like creatures of the deep rise to the surface to feed and breed, much like the luminescent crustacean captured here.
THE GOLDEN COMPANY by Jake Wilton
Isobel, Ningaloo Reef's resident female manta ray, rarely leaves the coral bay area so there's plenty of opportunity to snap her yourself alongside whale sharks (March to September) and humpback whales (July to October).
THE EYE OF A HERMIT CRAB by Kate Allan
This extreme close-up of an anemone hermit crab was captured in Raja Ampat in Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world - the underwater Amazon, if you will.
GIANT VACUUM CLEANER by Thomas Heckmann
We love the title almost as much as the image (almost). It was captured in the Abu Dahhan - near Marsa Alam on the Red Sea - in Egypt, where dugongs gather to hoover giant patches of sea grass.
BLUE SPOTLIGHTS by Alex Dawson
This eerie capture of a freediver under pack ice was captured in the Someriq fjord in eastern Greenland. The water averages at a chilly (understatement alert) minus two degrees Celsius and in this image she had just completed a 90-second dive to an underwater canyon under an iceberg 15 metres below the solid ice.
NUDIBRANCH ABSTRACT by Ian Kay
Taken in The Meadows dive site at Little Cayman, Ian Kay certainly has an eye for detail with this beautifully delicate macro back shot of a Lettuce Leaf Slug. Despite being the smallest island in the Cayman Islands, Little Cayman boasts some of the best diving with beautiful coral gardens, dramatic walls and colourful marine life.
GOBY ON WHITE by Nick More
Capturing a subject against a beautiful backdrop can be the biggest challenge to getting the perfect photo. Photographer Nick More will have had the patience of a saint to get this shot of a goby resting on a white encrusting sponge in Lembeh in Northern Sulawesi. Known as the 'muck diving capital of the world', Lembeh is home to some of the most extraordinary macro creatures to roam the ocean - Nick used a wide aperture to focus on the eyes of the goby for this head-on portrait.
MOUTHFUL by Sander van der Heijden
Captured in Bonaire by Sander van der Heijden, a male yellowhead jawfish protects its fertilised eggs by holding them in its mouth until they hatch. The shore diving capital of the world, Bonaire is surrounded by a fringing reef with beautiful corals and fascinating wrecks just a few fin kicks from the shore. Plus, the tiny island is outside of the hurricane belt so it can be explored year-round.
FAMILY TIES by David Valencia
Did you know that a pod of orcas is led by an older female and consists of her offspring and her daughters' offspring? This family was captured off Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Read all about Original Diver Lauren's wild encounter snorkelling with orcas here.
GLOWING STARS by Charlie Hwang
A beautiful capture of a whale shark's back taken at Doljo Point in Bohol in the Philippines. Did you know that the stripe and spot pattern on a whale shark is completely unique to the individual? Think of it as a whale shark's fingerprint. Find out our favourite places to swim with whale sharks.
DAWN PATROL by Jim Catlin
Proving that the early bird really does catch the worm, Jim captured this beautiful split shot as the sun was rising at Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman.
WATCHING FIREWORKS by Nur Tucker
Another magnificent capture from Indonesia's Lembeh, Nur Tucker used a narrow beam torch to capture the intricate detail of the seahorse, which, combined with a second shot of the sun (san strobes) created one of the most glorious double exposures we've seen.
FIERCE OR FRAGILE by Joel Wilson
Certainly fitting the 'original' brief, Joel placed a light behind the egg case to reveal an unborn swell shark to create this remarkable image.
THROUGH THE DARKNESS by Tom St George
Diving the cenotes of Mexico is a unanimous favourite among the Original Diving team, and Tom St George's eerie capture of the crystal-clear waters of Cenote Nariz in Mexico perfectly encapsulate the Mayan's belief that these freshwater sinkholes were portals to the underworld.
We'd love to see your underwater photos, just follow and tag us on Instagram @originaldiving
