Discover the breathtaking beauty and fragility of our blue planet at the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition at Seaworks in Williamstown, Victoria

“While photographing the shallow coral reefs along the coastline of Hon Yen, Phu Yen province in Vietnam, I noticed a long trail of smoke coming up from a local fishing boat operating not far from the coast,” says Nguyen Ngoc. “I decided to fly my drone to take a look and coincidentally took this image from above. It shows the soft light of a new day, illuminating the long trail of smoke from the boat’s chimney, while it perfectly aligns with the shape of the green nets moving under the surface. Many local fishing families along this coastline will follow the near-shore currents to catch anchovies during peak season. Salted anchovy is the most important raw material to create traditional fish sauce - the spirit of Vietnamese cuisine."

Here at SWS we love a good photograph…. and when that photograph is related to our playground, the Ocean, then its doubly enticing. So we were delighted to find out that one of the world’s major marine imagery exhibitions is opening this week in little old Williamstown, Melbourne’s original seaport.

From the Publicity Document.

The Ocean Photographer of the Year is a celebration of our beautiful blue planet, as well as a platform to highlight the many plights it is facing. Featuring 118 extraordinary images by world-renowned photographers, this exhibition celebrates the wonders of our oceans and highlights the urgent need for their protection.
Curated by a panel of expert judges, the collection showcases excellence across multiple categories, including The Ocean, Wildlife, Fine Art, Adventure, Conservation (Hope & Impact), Human Connection, Young Photographer of the Year, and the Ocean Portfolio Award.
Experience the beauty, drama and power of OPY in person! Following on from several hugely successful years exhibiting winning images in an outdoor gallery by Tower Bridge, London, OPY moved indoors in 2023, opening a spectacular lightbox exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. Sydney will be back again in 2024, along with some new venues.

One of those venues is Melbourne and the exhibition opens on the 29th January at SEAWORKS in Williamstown. Its on until 13th July so you have plenty of time to get over there.

And if you are wondering about the quality of what you are going to see, check out last years winners. It might just be worth the trip across the West Gate Bridge!