The Natural History Museum published a new book which showcases some of the most amazing underwater photographs taken over the last few decades in its annual wildlife photographer of the year competition.

You will be impressed by the stories behind the pictures. From a blue whale with its throat pouch expanded to hundreds, possibly thousands, of sperm whales that were twirling and twisting through the water, bumping and rubbing against each other, these photos will leave you breathless.

Check them out for more information and start to see our world through photos!

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

The insiders by Qing Lin

‘Peeping out of the tentacles of a magnificent sea anemone, off North Sulawesi, Indonesia, are clown anemone fish. They live within the confines of the anemone, immune to its stings, thanks in part to a thick covering of mucus. The social arrangement is such that, not only does their host protect them, but they feed on debris among the tentacles and may even snack on a tentacle. In return, they eat parasites, may drive off harmful fish and aerate the water with their fins; it could even be that they attract fish which the anemone stings and eats.’
Photograph: Qing Lin/Unforgettable Underwater Photograph/NHM

The startling warning by Darryl Torckler

‘Illuminated, this is the world’s most spectacular sea urchin, yet it remained undiscovered until 1965. That’s partly because the fiery sea urchin only inhabits deeper reefs off northern New Zealand and southern Australia. But it is also because it hides away in the day, and in deeper water, where red wavelengths are filtered out, it appears black or deep brown rather than fiery red. Its obvious defence, of course, is its needle-like spines.’
Photograph: Darryl Torckler/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

The beauty of gender-bending by Alexander Mustard

‘This is a moment of ecstasy, seconds before spawning, in the extraordinary mating ritual of shy hamlets. The male is calling out as he caresses the female, who is curved around him, head-down, about to extrude her eggs. He is fanning his pectoral fins to create a current, which will draw the eggs towards him as he releases his sperm. This coral-reef fish, possibly the most beautiful of the 13 Caribbean species of hamlets, spawns at dusk – a dangerous time, when the most predators are about.’
Photograph: Alexander Mustard/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

Turtle in trouble by Jordi Chias Pujol

‘The photographer spotted a floating mass of netting holding a still-living loggerhead turtle, completely entangled. Though a loggerhead spends most of its life at sea, it has to surface to breathe. As this net was floating, the turtle could just about stretch up to breathe. The photographer tried to cut it free but eventually the netting was hauled on board and after 20 minutes the turtle was set free. The ocean is littered with such “ghost” fishing gear, and this was not the first time the photographer had rescued a snared animal.’
Photograph: Jordi Chias Pujol/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

Giant killer by Ralph Pace

‘If a fish can express emotion with its eyes, this ocean sunfish surely can. The youngster was desperate to dive, and the California sea lion was equally determined that it shouldn’t. The resulting thrashing at the surface attracted seabirds, which in turn brought the photographer to the scene, over Nine Mile Bank, way off the coast of California. … This photograph was taken in 2015, when the extreme El Niño event meant much of the sea lions’ usual fish prey had moved north to cooler waters, making the sunfish a prize worth struggling for.’
Photograph: Ralph Pace/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

The ornate and the magnificent by Jeff Rotman ‘

Peeping out of the gloom, a shrimp perches on its fortress-like refuge – a magnificent sea anemone, at up to a metre (3ft) wide, the second-largest of all sea anemones. It’s a powerful picture created by an extreme low angle and gentle lighting that adds polish to the structure and a glow to the 2cm ornate anemone shrimp. The magnificent sea anemone is indeed the shrimp’s citadel, providing shelter and protection from predators, which won’t try to catch it when it’s tucked in among the umbrella of tentacles with their stinging cells.’
Photograph: Jeff Rotman/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

The fish that walks on its hands by Fred Bavendam

‘Rather than swim, a red handfish waddles on its “hands” and “feet” over rocky reef off south-east Tasmania, Australia – the species’ only known location. Its hands are actually highly modified pelvic fins. Numbers have significantly declined from an estimated 1,000 in the 1990s. Handfish can’t walk far, so the populations that exist remain isolated. Its preferred coastal habitat is being silted up, dredged by trawling and smothered by fast-multiplying animals. The increasing water temperature is also affecting it.’
Photograph: Fred Bavendam/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

Rig diver by Alexander Mustard

‘The legs of a giant oil rig off the coast of California form the structure for this swirling scene of hunted and hunter. Flying through the shoal of Pacific chub mackerel is a Brandt’s cormorant. During the day, the fish make use of the rig as shelter. But larger predators such as sea lions, porpoises and dolphins also learn that rigs can be prime fishing grounds. In this case, Brandt’s cormorants use the rig as both an underwater larder and a platform for roosting and for drying their wings after diving.’
Photograph: Alexander Mustard/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM

Giant gathering by Tony Wu

‘The first indication that something extraordinary was going on were the blows, huge numbers of them – the exhalations of huge numbers of whales. Entering the water, the photographer witnessed an extraordinary scene. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of sperm whales were twirling and twisting through the water, bumping and rubbing against each other, and there was a cacophony of sound – the pulsation, buzz, creak and crackle of whale communication. The picture shows just a fraction of the scene, with the whales stacked up below. Undoubtedly, this was a clan gathering.’
Photograph: Tony Wu/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM