Winners Gallery
3rd place Ocean Portfolio Award
Kat Zhou Magdalena Bay, Mexico
"Every year, Baja California is home to one of the largest sardine runs in the world, attracting predators like sea lions, whales, and striped marlin," says Zhou. "On this occasion, several striped marlin circled below, taking turns rushing up into the baitball to hunt. I dove down when I saw one of the marlin starting to make its way toward the baitball and captured this photo."
All of Kat's Collective Portfolio Award entry
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BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Shortly after sunrise
- Sunny overhead
- Walk-in location
- Good underwater visibility
“Lemon shark pups spend the first few years of their lives in shallow mangrove environments, where they are more protected from predators,” says Zhou. “I think shark pups are adorable, and I also love the vibrant colours of mangrove backdrops. I particularly loved the look of these red mangrove roots, especially when reflected against the shallow surface. Not pictured: the thousands of mosquitos that kept flying into my snorkel!”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Late afternoon shoot
- Calm day
- Small swell
- Taken on scuba
“This photo was taken during a trip to photograph diving Northern gannets in Shetland,” says Zhou. “I was lucky that, on the final day of my trip, we had beautiful calm conditions, bright sunlight, and just enough wind and current for great photos. Northern gannets can dive at speeds of up to 60mph from heights of over 100ft, reaching depths as deep as 70ft. Like many other diving birds, gannets have tiny air sacs under their skin which both act like an airbag, protecting them from the impact of the water, and help them easily float back up to the surface.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Windy condiitons
- Slight swell
- Taken at sunset
- Site accessed by boat
“This photo shows a Southern Right Whale fin-slapping the surface,” says Zhou. “Whales exhibit this kind of behaviour for a variety of reasons, including communicating or attracting a mate while courting. Southern Right Whales were almost driven to extinction by commercial whaling operations. With their numbers greatly depleted, they are now protected by all countries with known breeding populations.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Taken on snorkel
- Sunset
- Walk-in location
- Blackwater river
“There’s a legend among locals in the Amazon that pink river dolphins, or ‘botos’, can transform into handsome men known as ‘boto encantado’ at night to seduce women,” says Zhou. “Though I did not witness this elusive boto transformation, at dusk I was enchanted by these beautiful dolphins in a very different way.
After seeing how botos would sometimes bring their beaks above water, I wanted to try for a sunset split shot. The water was so dark I was shooting blind, but this dolphin gave me a perfect pose.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Morning shoot
- Taken on scuba equipment
- Site walk-in
- Sunny conditions
“This photo shows a Caribbean reef octopus mother protecting her eggs.” says Zhou. “Like all other species of octopus, this mother does not eat while she tends to her eggs, and she will die after they hatch. I spent five dives photographing this octopus over the course of a month – it was fascinating to observe and document the development process of her young inside the eggs. It was a bittersweet feeling observing and photographing this octopus, knowing that she would soon pass away.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Clear skies
- Taken after sunset
- Captured on scuba equipment
- Site accessed by boat
“Silky sharks are one of the most common sharks in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba,” says Zhou. “This was taken a little after sunset as one silky shark swam up to the surface. I didn’t bring my housing out of the water high enough to capture a split shot, so I ended up getting this reflection instead. I ended up liking this accidental shot more than any of my actual split shots.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Late afternoon
- Hot and humid conditions
- Coastal walk-in
- Taken on scuba equipment
“This photo shows a Banggai cardinalfish brooding eggs in its mouth,” says Zhou. “When these cardinalfish reproduce, the female releases eggs into the water, which the male fertilises and then sucks into his mouth, where he incubates them for about a month. White incubating, the males will usually aerate the eggs every 10-20 minutes – often not facing the camera, unfortunately. I was lucky to catch this one with its mouth partly open while it was actually facing me.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Afternoon shoot
- Calm seas
- Sunny overhead
- Taken while freediving
A sperm whale mother and her calf off the coast of Dominica. “I took this photo while floating on the surface of the ocean, while the whales slowly cruised past below me,” says Zhou. “The mother is swimming upside-down, which gives her a better view of the snorkelers above her. This pair was quite curious, and on this day we ended up spending two hours in the water interacting with this pair and the rest of their pod.”
BEHIND THE LENS
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Nighttime
- Taken on scuba equipment
- Site accessed by boat
- 4ft swell
A colourful arrow squid photographed during a blackwater dive off the coast of West Palm Beach, Florida. “Though these arrow squids are not particularly rare, I still love their vibrant colours and mesmerising patterns, and I always shoot them when I find them,” says Zhou. “This one happened to be especially cooperative, giving me a beautiful pose for a few minutes!”
BEHIND THE LENS
Kat Zhou United States (US)
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Little swell
- Midday shoot
- Captured while freediving
- Site accessed by boat
Reconnect. Immerse yourself. Be inspired.
Enjoy the vibrancy, beauty and impact of each year's finalist photography, celebrated in our Ocean Photographer of the Year coffee table book collection.
