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2014 Underwater Photography Contest: Eye See You!

By Scuba Diving Partner | Published On August 1, 2014
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2014 Underwater Photography Contest: Eye See You!

By Schyler Cox

Go eye to eye with 20 of the ocean's most curious creatures in this incredible photo gallery compiled from Scuba Diving Magazine's 2014 Underwater Photography Contest submissions. The eye is the focus here, and like most animals, these sea creatures can convey a stunning range of expression and emotion through their eyes. From the mantis shrimp's complex visual system to the friendly, gazing eyes of sea turtles, this gallery seems to look into the souls of a variety of sea creatures.

Winners of the 2014 Through Your Lens Photo Contest will be announced with the release of our September/October print issue.

To see all of the contest entries, go to scubadiving.com/photocontest.

This might possibly be the cutest photo we have ever seen! Shot during a night dive, this tiny, 10mm baby golden octopus fearlessly stares at the camera, as if ready to play.

Location: Anilao, Batangas, Philippines

Jeffrey de Guzman

A lesser weever shows off its bright, colorful eyes in this eerie macro photo.

Location: Chalkidiki, Greece

Nicholas Samaras

The mantis shrimp possesses one of the animal kingdom's most complex eyes, so it is only fitting that its eyes be the focus of this shot. These amazing creatures can see UV, visible, and polarized light; perceive depth with one eye and move each eye independently.

Location: Anilao, Philippines

Lynn Wu

A very friendly pair of gobies stare at the photographer.

Location: Philippines

Raffaele Livornese

In this amazing shot, a pygmy seahorse peers shyly at the camera, almost indiscernible from the coral it perches on.

Location: Lembeh, Indonesia

Jeffrey de Guzman

Shrimp and photographer participate in a stare-down in this spectacular night diving image.

Location: Lembeh, Indonesia

Martin Klein

The crazy eyes of a gray moray eel pop out behind the intricately detailed face of a scorpionfish.

Location: Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Goos Van Der Heide

Three goatfish gaze lazily at the camera as they line up for their nightly cleaning.

Location: Kona, Hawaii

Jim Squires

Dozens of eyes stare back at the camera in this amazingly detailed macro shot.

Location: Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

Raffaele Livornese

This blenny only has eyes for the camera!

Location: Red Sea

Dmitry Starostenkov

"Good afternoon. We're gonna have a great jump today. OK, first crank a hard cutback as you hit the wall. There's a screaming bottom curve, so watch out. Remember: rip it, roll it, and punch it!" — Squirt.

Location: Komodo, Indonesia

Jeff LaFrenz

This shy crab was found hiding beneath a sea urchin.

Location: Sacatoso, Ixtapa, México

Christian Vizl

This squid's shimmering colors pop against the dark ocean background.

Location: Blue Heron Bridge, Florida

Henry Mather

A crab faces off with the photographer; its cross-eyed stare adds to the drama!

Location: Anilao Batangas, Philippines

Johnny Chiou

A thorny seahorse faces the photographer head-on in this iconic photo, a rare sight for these shy creatures.

Location: Puerto Galera, Philippines

Goos Van Der Heide

A small, but curious, fish looks through the spines of a sea urchin at the camera.

Location: Sacatoso, Ixtapa, México

Christian Vizl

This eye-catching shot of a male cardinalfish shows him rotating the eggs brooding in his mouth, giving oxygen to his next offspring.

Location Eilat, Red Sea

Mark Fuller

This humorous photo of a secretary blenny shows how expressive these tiny fish can be — this one seems to be looking for a fight!

Location: Grand Cayman

Peter de Maagt

This spectacular shot of an argonauta argo, more commonly known as the "paper nautilus," showcases its unique physical features.

Location: Marina Grande Sorrento, Italy

Marco Gargiulo

This moray eel looks out at the photographer almost desperately as it is subjected to cleaning by two shrimp, lysmata seticaudata.

Location: Bergeggi, Ligurian Sea, Italy

Alberto Gallucci

By Schyler Cox

Go eye to eye with 20 of the ocean's most curious creatures in this incredible photo gallery compiled from Scuba Diving Magazine's 2014 Underwater Photography Contest submissions. The eye is the focus here, and like most animals, these sea creatures can convey a stunning range of expression and emotion through their eyes. From the mantis shrimp's complex visual system to the friendly, gazing eyes of sea turtles, this gallery seems to look into the souls of a variety of sea creatures.

Winners of the 2014 Through Your Lens Photo Contest will be announced with the release of our September/October print issue.

To see all of the contest entries, go to scubadiving.com/photocontest.