The Most Memorable Underwater Photographs

Big blue mouthful by Doc White

‘This picture was the first ever to show, full frame, a blue whale with its throat pouch expanded, the pleats forced open by the engulfment of a gargantuan amount of water and shrimp-like krill. Having lunged through the krill swarm, the whale is expelling the water, forcing it through the massive sheets of hair-like baleen material, which hang from its mouth. To find large enough aggregations of krill, a blue whale is forced to travel great distances. But when a large swarm is located, the lunge-feeding technique is highly energy-efficient.’
Photograph: Doc White/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

Big fish fight by Jordi Chias Pujol

‘These two huge dusky groupers are in a violent struggle. The prize, overlying an undersea volcanic pinnacle off the Azores, is a strip of prime spawning territory into which the owner can attract females. It encompasses a rocky retreat, but the key aspect is that a strong current runs overhead – ideal for carrying away fertilised eggs. Males start out as females, but when they get to be 10-15 years old, and if there aren’t too many males around, they change sex.’
Photograph: Jordi Chias Pujol/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

Snapper party by Tony Wu

‘Sperm and eggs cloud the sea as a multitude of two-spot red snappers swirl in a fast-moving frenzy of synchronised spawning. It’s a drama that takes place over a few days each month off the Pacific island nation of Palau, coinciding with the full moon, when tidal currents are strong. These reef-dwelling snappers gather together to engage in an oceanic orgy that gives the normally solitary fish the best chance of successfully exchanging genes at a spot and time that gives the fertilised eggs the greatest probability of being swept into the open ocean.’
Photograph: Tony Wu/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM