Wow! Amazing Undersea Images

Winning Seal

Harbor seal near san Diego — (Image credit: Kyle McBurnie, California)

A harbor seal floats amidst a kelp forest in this dreamy image shot off the coast near San Diego, Calif. This image took best overall in the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science 2013 underwater photography contest, which is open to amateur photographers everywhere.

Pink on Pink

Pink anemone shrimp — (Image credit: Beth Watson, Missouri)

This image of an anemone shrimp in Puerto Galera, Philippines, took first place in the macro category of the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science 2013 underwater photography contest.

Wrestling Nudibranches

nudibranches and shrimp — (Image credit: Douglas Good, Pennsylvania)

An emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) on two nudibranches (Risbecia tryoni) at Dinah's Beach, Papua New Guinea. This photo won second place in the macro category.

Porcelain Crab

Third place in the macro competition went to this striking shot of a porcelain crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus) on an anemone at Pescador Island, Cebu, Philippines.

Blue on Black

Lionfish at night — (Image credit: Steven Kovacs, Florida)

This bright blue lionfish snagged first place in the 2013 underwater photo contest portrait category. Steven Kovacs of Florida snapped this image during a night dive in Roatan, Honduras.

Blue Octopus

Second place in the portrait category went to this shot of a colorful greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) near Malapascua island, Philippines..

Good Dad

Male banded jawfish with eggs — (Image credit: Judy Townsend)

This portrait of a good dad took third place in the portrait category. This is a male Banded Jawfish with his clutch of eggs at the Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach, Florida.

Rainbow of Fish

Lionfish at wreck with schools of fish. — (Image credit: Alex Tattersall, United Kingdom)

In the wide-angle category, this shot at a shipwreck in the Red Sea wowed -- and scored first place.

Pod of Dolphins

Bottlenose dolphins hawaii — (Image credit: Joseph Tepper, New York)

Dolphins frolic off the Kona coast of Hawaii in the second-place wide-angle image in the 2013 underwater photography contest.

Colorful Reef

Raccoon butterfly fish and angelfish on a reef in the Red Sea, near Sharm el Sheik, Egypt. This image took third in the wide-angle category.

Goliath Grouper

grouper spawning — (Image credit: Laura Rock, Florida)

Get up-close and personal with a goliath grouper in this winning image in the student category. Laura Rock caught this image at an annual grouper spawning event in Jupiter, Fla.