Best Overall
Kyle McBurnie, California
Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) in a kelp forest at Cortes Bank off San Diego, California

The annual Underwater Photography Contest for amateur photographers which began in 2005 has awarded many promising talents throughout the years of its existence. It has more than 700 entries submitted from 23 countries in categories that included macro, wide angle, fish or marine animal portrait, and best student entry.

The picture above was taken by the Best Overall winner Kyle McBurnie of California. It shows a harbor seal swimming through what we assume is an underwater kelp forest. The result is a spectacular photo that took our breaths away.

The judges of the Underwater Photography Contest by the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science thought so as well. Though there were plenty of other vivid pictures, this one bagged it all!