Photography

A Photo Appreciation of Life in Our Oceans

A collection of images showcasing some of the incredible marine biodiversity across our blue planet

By Alan Taylor
A bottlenose dolphin swims beneath a crashing wave.
George Karbus Photography / Image Source / Getty
A bottlenose dolphin swims beneath waves near the village of Doolin, in County Clare, Ireland.
A close view of a colorful and spiky sea slug
A. Martin UW Photography / Getty
A close view of a Mediterranean sea slug near La Herradura, Spain
A walrus rests on a shoreline, its tusks in the sand, as a wave crashes over it
Mike Korostelev / Getty
A sleeping walrus on the shore, Chukotka, Russia
A shark, photographed from an overhead perspective, swimming past flowing aquatic plants.
Abstract Aerial Art / Getty
A shark swims, photographed from an overhead perspective, in Western Australia.
A tern chick calls out on a sandy beach.
Sven-Erik Arndt / Arterra / Universal Images Group / Getty
A tern chick calls out on a sandy beach.
A clownfish swims in a sea anemone.
Travel Trend / iStockphoto / Getty
A clownfish swims in a sea anemone in the Philippines.
A sea turtle rests on a coral reef.
Travel Trend / iStockphoto / Getty
A sea turtle rests on a coral reef near the Philippines.
A large flock of seabirds takes flight.
Dan Kitwood / Getty
Waders flock together, seeking new feeding grounds during the incoming tide at the RSPB's Snettisham Nature reserve on September 9, 2013, in Snettisham, England.
A spider crab walks on the seafloor.
George Karbus Photography / Image Source / Getty
A spider crab walks on the seafloor off Ireland’s Aran Islands.
An underwater view, looking down toward a pod of sperm whales that are resting in vertical positions.
Alexis Rosenfeld / Getty
A group of sperm whales, seen in the sleeping phase in a position called candle, on November 16, 2011, near Mauritius Island, in the Indian Ocean
Two sea otters swim together.
Laura Hedien / Getty
Curious sea otters swim together near Kodiak, Alaska.
A leafy sea dragon—similar to a seahorse, but covered in leaf-like appendages.
Alastair Pollock Photography / Getty
A leafy sea dragon swims under the jetty at Rapid Bay, in South Australia.
A small fish peeks out from a reef
Dave Fleetham / Design Pics Editorial / Universal Images Group / Getty
A blenny peeks out from a reef near the island of Bonaire.
A close profile view of a seabird with black feathers and blue eyes.
Kevin Carter / Getty
A Brandt’s cormorant stands along the La Jolla coastline above the Pacific Ocean on May 8, 2025, in San Diego, California.
A cormorant dives into a ball of baitfish.
Brook Peterson / Stocktrek Images / Getty
A cormorant dives into a ball of baitfish, off of Southern California.
A mobula ray jumps out of the water.
USO / iStock / Getty
A mobula ray jumps out of the water.
An octopus, seen against a backdrop of black water.
Subaqueosshutterbug / iStockphoto / Getty
An octopus hunts at night.
A puffin perches on a clifftop.
Tim Graham / Getty
A puffin perches on a clifftop on Skomer Island, in Wales.
An anemone flows in a current on the seafloor.
Mehtap Ciftci / Anadolu / Getty
An anemone flows in the current in Izmit Bay, in Kocaeli, Turkey, on August 10, 2024.
A polar bear jumps on drift ice.
Sven-Erik Arndt / Arterra / Universal Images Group / Getty
A polar bear jumps on drift ice in the Arctic Ocean along the Svalbard coast.
A colorful collection of coral, on the seafloor.
Little Dinosaur / Getty
A colorful collection of coral, on the seafloor off Japan
A huge manta ray swims with several smaller fish.
Luis Javier Sandoval / VWPics / Universal Images Group / Getty
A giant oceanic manta ray swims off San Benedicto Island, Revillagigedo, Mexico.
Penguins leap out of the water with icebergs in the background.
David Merron / 500px Prime / Getty
Penguins leap out of the water in Argentina.
A lanternfish, illuminated by a remotely-operated underwater vehicle in the background
3dsam79 / iStockphoto / Getty
A lanternfish, illuminated by a remotely operated underwater vehicle in the background
A crab rests in an anemone.
Reinhard Dirscherl / Ullstein Bild / Getty
A porcelain crab rests in an anemone near Alam Batu, Bali, Indonesia.
A jellyfish swims.
Reinhard Dirscherl / Ullstein Bild / Getty
A mauve stinger jellyfish swims near Cap de Creus, Costa Brava, Spain.
A humpback whale breaches.
Luis Robayo / AFP / Getty
A humpback whale breaches in Uramba Bahía Málaga National Natural Park, off Colombia, on July 16, 2013.

About the Author

Alan Taylor is a senior editor at The Atlantic.