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Winners of the 2019 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest (24 photos)

The judging for the eighth annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, has wrapped up, and the winning images and photographers have been announced. Greg Lecoeur took Best in Show with his image of a crabeater seal in Antarctica. The contest organizers have shared with us some of the winners and honorable mentions below, from the 16 categories of underwater photography. Captions were written by the individual photographers and have been lightly edited for content.

Crabeater Seal: Best of Show and First Place, Coldwater. “During an expedition on a small sailboat, we explored the Antarctica Peninsula by diving below the surface. Although the conditions were extreme with a temperature of -1°C, we documented extraordinary marine fauna at home in a fragile ecosystem, such as on this image: crabeater seal. Despite the name, Crabeater Seals don’t eat Crabs. Krill make up to 95 percent of a Crabeater Seal’s diet. Crabeater seals have developed a sieve-shaped tooth structure that filters krill, much like whale baleen. They suck up water containing krill, close their jaws, and push the water between their specialized teeth, trapping the krill inside.” (© Copyright Greg Lecoeur / Ocean Art)
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2020/01/winners-2019-ocean-art-underwater-photo-contest/604891/