Two underwater photos from Bonaire reach final of prestigious Ocean Photographer of the Year

KRALENDIJK – Two remarkable underwater photos taken on Bonaire have reached the final of the international photography competition Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026. The images were made by underwater photographer and naturalist Lale Alev Ozten Low, who lives on Bonaire, and have been selected in the new category The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds.

The achievement is remarkable, as this year more than 15,000 photos from around the world were submitted for the competition. The organisation announced the finalists on 13 August. Ozten Low is among the finalists in this category with two separate images — a category that focuses on the often invisible and difficult-to-observe life beneath the surface.

Ozten Low has lived on Bonaire since 2014 and focuses her photography primarily on the underwater life around the island. After moving there, she began working as a so-called citizen scientist, identifying and documenting fish, and subsequently developed herself further as an underwater photographer.

Reproduction of tubeworm captured

One of the selected photos shows a female Christmas tree worm, a colourful tubeworm, during reproduction. The animal releases a stream of tiny eggs above the coral it lives on during a night dive. The photo was taken on a night when corals were also spawning.

The animals reproduce by releasing their reproductive cells into the water. Males release sperm and females release eggs, with fertilisation only taking place when they meet under favourable conditions in the water.

According to Ozten Low, it is precisely this vulnerability that makes the moment special. The small animal depends on currents and chance for its reproduction, while the larvae must subsequently also find a suitable hard surface on which to develop.

Surprise during night dive

Her second finalist photo also revolves around a rare reproductive moment. It shows a chocolate-lined top snail releasing eggs into the water. This snail species also uses so-called broadcast spawning.

Ozten Low had photographed the species before, but during a night dive unexpectedly observed the animal releasing eggs. In particular, the small eye and the appendage through which the eggs emerge give the photo a personal quality, she says.

While a snail might at first glance seem to have little character due to its hard shell, the photographer wanted to show that it is a living animal trying to produce the next generation. Capturing the moment is special, as such behaviour lasts only briefly and is rarely observed.

Bonaire on the international stage

With the two nominations, the underwater world of Bonaire also receives international attention. The category The Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds is this year part of the Ocean Photographer of the Year and focuses on animals, behaviour and phenomena that normally remain hidden from most people.

For Ozten Low, the finalist place therefore represents not only personal recognition. Her photos simultaneously show what extraordinary events take place at night and on a very small scale on the reefs around Bonaire.

Whether one of the two images ultimately wins a prize will be announced on 10 September.

View more underwater photos by Alev Ozten Low on Bonaire here.