Prepare yourself for a cute-overload, courtesy of the underwater world. These images, all submitted to Scuba Diving's Photo Contest, showcase juvenile critters big and small — from pilot whales to sea turtles to nudibranchs and more.

Image names and caption information courtesy of photographers.

Pilot Whales
by Eduardo Acevedo

Photographed in the crystal-clear open waters off the island of Tenerife.

Location: Canary Islands (Spain)

Category: Wide Angle

Fire & Ice
by Jett Britnell

An Opalescent nudibranch (sometimes called a Flame-tipped nudibranch) laying a ribbon of eggs.

Location: Browning Passage, British Columbia, Canada

Category: Behavior

The Good Father
by Raffaele Livornese

Anemonefish guarding its eggs on the reef

Location: Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, Red Sea

Category: Behavior

Daddy
by Mark Fuller

A male cardinalfish rotates the eggs brooding in his mouth — giving oxygen to his next offspring

Location: Eilat, Israel, Red Sea

Category: Behavior

Casino Royale
by Robin Bateman

Love these juvenile trunkfish — they look like a dice in a casino. Just happened to catch this one as it popped out for a view.

Location: Orange Canyon, Grand Cayman

Category: Macro

Mother’s Love
by Yen-Yi Lee

After laying her eggs, a female octopus cares for her babies until they hatch. She sits guard and forgoes foods the entire time, which ranges from weeks to several months. She blows currents across her eggs to keep them clean and protects them from predators. As her babies grow safely within the eggs, she becomes more and more weak. The great mother dies after her eggs hatch.

Location: Long Dong, Taiwan

Category: Behavior

Shine Like a Diamond
by Matteo Visconti

Red goby with its eggs on a blue tunicate. Photo taken with snoot.

Location: Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

Category: Macro

The Long Journey
by Marcello Di Francesco

In this amazing Indonesian island the miracle of life repeats almost every night. Year-round, green sea turtles come to lay their eggs on this beach, and for them the long journey starts here. The female turtles will return to this same beach to make their own nests.

Location: The Celebes Sea off Sangalaki Island, Indonesia

Category: Wide Angle

A Lot of Babies
by Els Van Den Borre

Among yellow-head jawfish it's the male that carries the eggs in his mouth until they hatch.

Location: Statia, Dutch Caribbean

Category: Behavior

Eggs carrier #1
by Alan Lo

Taken by a single-snooted strobe: A male cardinalfish with a mouthful of eggs.

Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Category: Behavior

Eggs Carrier #2
by Alan Lo

Taken by a single-snooted strobe: Banggai cardinalfish with eggs.

Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Category: Behavior

Juvenile Spotted Drumfish
by Karin Laurel

These fish get their name from the repetitive throbbing or drumming sound they make.

Location: Bonaire

Category: Macro

Yellow-head Jawfish with eggs
by Heidi Thoricht

Male yellow-head jawfish taking care of its eggs. Like cardinalfish, these fish are mouthbrooders.

Location: Blue Heron Bridge, Riviera Beach, Florida

Category: Macro

New Life Is Coming
by Raffaele Livornese

Jawfish with his mouth full of eggs, which have started hatching.

Location: Philippines

Category: Behavior

Breaking Formation
by Sebastian Åkerblom

Juvenile blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) gracefully swimming over the sand.

Location: Aow Leuk Bay, Koh Tao, Thailand

Category: Wide Angle

On Guard
by Alan Lo

I found this yellow goby taking care of its eggs inside a broken beer bottle.

Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Category: Behavior

Larval Flounder
by Jeff Milisen

For many marine organisms, the journey of life starts off a little weird. This juvenile flounder will spend its infancy drifting through the open ocean, so it must do everything possible to avoid an ocean full of predators. This includes turning all of its organs and muscles perfectly clear.

Location: Blackwater Night Dive, Kona, Hawaii

Category: Macro

Nudi Resting on Eggs
by Patty Woo

These eggs do not belong to this doto nudibranch. I did not know whether it was feeding or just resting.

Location: Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

Category: Behavior

Hermit Crab & Babies
by Alexia Dunand

Hermit crab releasing larvae.

Location: Alternatives, Red Sea

Category: Behavior