The winners of the 2025 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition have been announced.

Spanish photographer Alvaro Herrero captured the winning image, Radiant Bond, which shows a mother humpback whale and new-born calf. The photo was taken in French Polynesia and triumphed over 6,750 underwater pictures entered by photographers from around the world.

“The mother is accompanying her calf to the surface, because the baby is still so small and clumsy,” explained Herrero. “The calf is releasing a few bubbles underwater, showing it is still learning to hold its breath properly.

"For me, this photo really shows a mother’s love and communicates the beauty and fragility of life in our ocean.”

Judge and underwater photographer Peter Rowlands said, “This delicate yet powerful study of a mother and calf’s bond says all that is great and good about our world. We face our challenges, but the increasing populations of humpback whales worldwide shows what can be achieved.”

Other winners in the international categories included Shunsuke Nakano from Japan with his photo Face Off, showing two male Asian sheepshead wrasse fish jousting over spawning rights.

Abdulaziz Al Saleh, from Kuwait, won the portrait category with a unique shot showing camels drinking in the desert from below the water.

Bryant Turffs from the US won the compact camera category with The Beauty of the Swamp, a picture of a prehistoric gar fish taken in the Everglades with a simple GoPro camera.

Entries for the Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2025 included Esperanza, an image showing work to protect sharks in the Sea of Cortes, Mexico, taken by Giacomo Rossi.

David Alpert, was named as British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 for The Curious Seal, which challenges misconceptions that British waters are murky and lifeless.

Underwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition, based in the UK, that celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools.

Winners were announced in an award ceremony in central London, hosted by The Crown Estate.