Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025, JADHOK18

Finalist Fine Art Photographer of the Year

Jade Hoksbergen Philiippines

9°25'39.6"N 123°18'01.3"E

"This image features a tiny juvenile candy crab, measuring a mere centimetre in size and perched on her pink coral mattress, which is also her favourite source of nutrition," says Hoksbergen. "This dinky but stunning crustacean evades predators and spectators alike not only due to its miniature stature, but its camouflage. The candy crab is a true hidden gem beneath the waves of the Tañon Strait in the Philippines, where this image was taken."

BEHIND THE LENS

Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025, JADHOK18

Jade Hoksbergen Taiwan

Follow Jade On Instagram

ABOUT THE IMAGE

Morning shoot
Humid conditions topside
Moderate current
26 degrees Celsius water temperature

Jade Hoksbergen is a French-Taiwanese underwater photographer and artist based in the UK. She began scuba diving at age 9 and took up underwater photography in 2016 as a way to document the life she encountered beneath the surface. Since then, she has developed a distinctive artistic style, often working alongside her husband, Henley Spiers. Jade has co-authored two books and received multiple awards, including Fine Art Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023 and 2nd Overall in 2024. Through her imagery, she seeks to highlight both the beauty of overlooked marine life and new perspectives on familiar ocean creatures.