Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024, ANDSHP6

3rd place Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Andrey Shpatak Russia

44°20'12.0"N 135°50'12.0"E

A giant Pacific octopus in the shallows. “In late autumn, when the water temperature drops sharply to 5 degrees Celsius, giant Pacific octopuses rush to shallow water," says Shpatak. "Nobody really knows why yet but it has been happening for many years. Here, I met such an octopus at a shallow depth near the thickets of Zostera algae and I managed to take several pictures of this beautiful giant.”