Ocean photographer of the year 2023

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A Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment. (Image credit: Jialing Cai, Ocean Photographer of the Year)

Winner: Jialing Cai, Philippines

A beautiful image of a paper nautilus captured in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption has won the 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year award. The image, by 25-year-old photographer Jialing Cai, was taken during a blackwater dive in the Philippines. 

The paper nautilus, the species of which is unknown, was floating on a piece of debris in the ocean after the Taal Volcano erupted. “The water column filled with particles from stirred-up sediment,” Cai said in a statement.