What's your photograph of the day 1097?

Baby plainfin midshipman fish

Conservation efforts have transformed former poachers into protectors. Amid this success swims the rare leucistic green sea turtle.

SHANE GROSS - OCEAN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

Why do many women wear sleeveless shirts, more so than men?

With their dramatic marine wildlife encounters, gorgeous examples of our species’ connection with the ocean and stark reminders of the human impact on our seas, underwater photographers bring the best of our ocean planet to life and highlight the many perils it faces.

“The (African pompano) juveniles look very different from adults,” says Pietro Formis. “They are very thin, with a silver body and very long appendages on their fins. Usually, the filaments stretch out behind them, making it almost impossible to capture the whole fish. The long fins created circles around the silver fish, looking like neon lights at night.”’

JAKE WILTON - OCEAN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

What is your twin flame story?

A marine iguana sits on a rock. Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

A spotted eagle ray’s natural pattern

PIETRO FORMIS - OCEAN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

Do women lack the mental strength to succeed at STEM? There seems to be few women at STEM and more women leave STEM after a time of working at it. How can it be just sexism if women aren't banned from entering?

A crested sculpin hides in the stinging tentacles of a lion’s mane jellyfish. “The tentacles provide both shelter and food for the cryptic fish in Alaska’s Prince William Sound,” explains Shane Gross.

A spotted eagle ray’s natural pattern is on as-if-by-designer display. “On one of my dives, this beautiful eagle ray caught my eye,” says Palomeque Gonzalez. “It swam calmly across the sandy bottom as it exposed its intricate back to us all. I was amazed that nature inspires the most revolutionary creations. Its skin pattern reminds me of a binary code.”

MIZAEL PALOMEQUE GONZALEZ, MEXICO - OCEAN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

Why does my 5-year-old daughter keep repeating the words 'they will come for us, they will find us and touch us'? I'm quite scared.

‘“As we gaze at this marine iguana, with half of its body submerged in the waters and the other half emerging above the surface, it's impossible not to marvel at the uniqueness of these creatures,” says Fernandez Caballero. “Without a doubt, marine iguanas are living dinosaurs, a testament to the countless stages and transformations life on our planet has undergone.”

RAFAEL FERNANDEZ CABALLERO - OCEAN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

Philippines

I dreamt my mother had died and I cried so much in my dream. What does it mean?

The hunt, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A crested sculpin hiding

Baby Plainfin Midshipman fish, still attached to their yolk sacs, are hidden under a rock in an intertidal zone in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

What do you like about McDonald's?

A 7 Image Gallery of Marine Photos Shortlisted For The Ocean Photographer Of The Year Contest. Just Awesome! Do Enjoy 🤍

MERCHE LLOBERA - OCEAN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

Papua New Guinea's Conflict Islands

How did you cope when someone you love, dealing with hyper-independence and trauma, felt they needed space to heal alone? Were you able to support them without overstepping, and did you eventually reconnect? How did that journey unfold?

SHANE GROSS - OCEAN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

With many thanks to:

Portfolio Award, British Columbia, Canada

Do you suck dicks with no reciprocation?

Above, pelicans in the sea off Mexico’s Baja California Sur dive from the sky in a well-coordinated dance. Underwater, mahi-mahi dart around at top speed, chasing sardines. “The surface was murky from the feast, with sea lions also joining the action,” says Merche Llobera. “Whales passed by, but none went for the sardines.”