Hidden beneath churning ocean waves is a world teeming with unknown creatures. In the waters off Madeira in the North Atlantic Ocean, fluorescent lizardfish light up the dark sea. Off the Scottish coast, an hour’s drive east of Edinburgh, thumbnail-sized long-clawed porcelain crabs delicately scuttle along a muted, yellow coral nicknamed dead man’s fingers. Swimming along California’s shifting tides are the deep water plainfin midshipman fish that travel from the ocean depths to the rocky shorelines where males “hum” to attract a mate. (Their humming, which people can hear from shore, even prompted “generator-like” noise complaints in Sausalito, California.) Earth’s oceans are full of such creatures, and thanks to some daring photographers who aren’t afraid to get a little wet, we can all catch a glimpse of these underwater wonders.

Plunging into chilly waters isn’t the only thing that makes capturing these aquatic animals difficult. U.K.-based photographer James Lynott had to swim at night with a water-resistant LED blue light and a heavy underwater camera to find and photograph a glow-in-the-dark lizardfish. In Indonesia’s northern Lembeh Strait, photographer Katarzyna Battenfeld carefully searched for a colorful Coleman’s shrimp scurrying around the venomous fire urchins that the crustaceans call home. As Battenfeld put it, “there is a lot of luck involved.”

Recognizing the patience, work, and luck it takes to capture a stunning underwater image, British underwater photographers Peter Rowlands, Dan Bolt, and Alex Mustard launched the “Underwater Photographer of the Year” competition in 2014/2015. The competition awards multiple winners each year in various categories, such as shipwreck images, portraits, black and white photography, and more. From stunning pink coral-scapes to mating coconut octopuses, Atlas Obscura selected some of our favorite images from this year’s finalists and winners: Welcome to the wonderful world beneath the ocean’s waves.

A fluorescent lizardfish stares into the camera lens in the waters near Madeira, an archipelago made up of four islands off the northwest coast of Africa. Scientists aren’t sure why lizardfish glow in the dark; it could help them camouflage or communicate with other lizardfish.
A fluorescent lizardfish stares into the camera lens in the waters near Madeira, an archipelago made up of four islands off the northwest coast of Africa. Scientists aren’t sure why lizardfish glow in the dark; it could help them camouflage or communicate with other lizardfish. © James Lynott/UPY2023
Fan worms, like the one pictured here, are sessile, meaning their base is attached to the ocean floor's rocks and sand. To eat small plankton and other organic matter, the worms extend beautiful, delicate feeding tubes. This close-up was captured in Plymouth Sound on England’s southern coast.
Fan worms, like the one pictured here, are sessile, meaning their base is attached to the ocean floor’s rocks and sand. To eat small plankton and other organic matter, the worms extend beautiful, delicate feeding tubes. This close-up was captured in Plymouth Sound on England’s southern coast. © Malcolm Nimmo/UPY2023
A golden damselfish swims in front of a backdrop of bright pink coral in Chris Gug's "Pinkaboo.” It’s a photograph that Gug had tried to capture over the course of multiple trips to the South Pacific before finally clicking this image. The term damselfish applies to about 250 different species of small, primarily tropical marine fish, many of which are brightly colored in shades of blue, yellow, red, and orange.
A golden damselfish swims in front of a backdrop of bright pink coral in Chris Gug’s “Pinkaboo.” It’s a photograph that Gug had tried to capture over the course of multiple trips to the South Pacific before finally clicking this image. The term damselfish applies to about 250 different species of small, primarily tropical marine fish, many of which are brightly colored in shades of blue, yellow, red, and orange. © Chris Gug/UPY2023

Two coconut octopuses mate in the waters off the coast of Bali, Indonesia. After more than 30 night dives to try and capture the mating octopuses, photographer Yury Ivanov finally “got lucky,” as he put it. The octopuses got their name because they use coconut shells to build defensive dens to hide in.
Two coconut octopuses mate in the waters off the coast of Bali, Indonesia. After more than 30 night dives to try and capture the mating octopuses, photographer Yury Ivanov finally “got lucky,” as he put it. The octopuses got their name because they use coconut shells to build defensive dens to hide in. © Yury Ivanov/UPY2023

Photographer Kat Zhou captured this close-up of a nurse shark's eye off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas. During the night dive, this particular shark, nicknamed “Relentless,” followed Zhou and the other divers around, “perching herself on the sand next to us every time we stopped and swimming after us when we moved,” Zhou recalls. “Since she was so calm around us, I took this opportunity to take a few close-up shots of her eye.”
Photographer Kat Zhou captured this close-up of a nurse shark’s eye off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas. During the night dive, this particular shark, nicknamed “Relentless,” followed Zhou and the other divers around, “perching herself on the sand next to us every time we stopped and swimming after us when we moved,” Zhou recalls. “Since she was so calm around us, I took this opportunity to take a few close-up shots of her eye.” © Kat Zhou/UPY2023
A tiny lobster relaxes inside its crinoid home. Nicknamed “sea lilies,” crinoids are echinoderms similar to starfish and sea urchins. The ancient marine animals first appeared in Earth's oceans during the mid-Cambrian, about 300 million years before the dinosaurs.
A tiny lobster relaxes inside its crinoid home. Nicknamed “sea lilies,” crinoids are echinoderms similar to starfish and sea urchins. The ancient marine animals first appeared in Earth’s oceans during the mid-Cambrian, about 300 million years before the dinosaurs. © Ilaria Mariagiulia Rizzuto/UPY2023
A cluster of embryonic plainfin midshipman fish nestle together beneath a rock. These fish will live the majority of their adult lives on the ocean floor some 1,200 feet beneath the surface. A nocturnal species, the fish bury themselves in the sand during the day and hunt at night, displaying hundreds of glowing spots called photophores to attract prey.
A cluster of embryonic plainfin midshipman fish nestle together beneath a rock. These fish will live the majority of their adult lives on the ocean floor some 1,200 feet beneath the surface. A nocturnal species, the fish bury themselves in the sand during the day and hunt at night, displaying hundreds of glowing spots called photophores to attract prey. © Shane Gross/UPY2023
Photographer Cathy Lewis captured this image of a long-clawed porcelain crab at St. Abbs marine reserve in Scotland. Nestled in the soft coral species <em>Alcyonium digitatum</em>, colloquially called dead man's fingers, the crab uses fan-like mouth parts to filter the water for tiny bits of food.
Photographer Cathy Lewis captured this image of a long-clawed porcelain crab at St. Abbs marine reserve in Scotland. Nestled in the soft coral species Alcyonium digitatum, colloquially called dead man’s fingers, the crab uses fan-like mouth parts to filter the water for tiny bits of food. © Cathy Lewis/UPY2023