Earth Day is an important occasion not just for discussing about life on land. It is also a golden chance to discover the organisms inhabiting the oceans.
Recently, an annual photo contest for best snapshots of life under the sea has been hosted by the University of Miami's Rosenstiel of Marine and Atmospheric Science and gathered more than 600 images from international photographers.
The prize for Best Overall Photo of this competition belongs to German photographer Tobias Friedrich with a snapshot of two transparent gobies in MarsaAlam, Egypt.
British photographer Michael Gallagher wins the first prize in the contest's "Marco" category with the photo of a pyhmy seahorse.
The photo of two cuttlefish mating off in the Oosterschelde estuary by Luc Rooman earned the top prize in the "Wide-Angle" category.
Steven Kovacs receives the top prize in the "Fish or Marine Animal Portrait" category with the photo of a brightly colored jellyfish in Lake Worth Lagoon.
The shot of two transparent gobies in MarsaAlam, Egypt that was taken by German photographer Tobias Friedrich is prized the best overall photo of the competition
This snapshot of a pyhmy seahorse, also called Hippocampus bargibanti, earns the first prize in the contest's "Marco" category. British photographer Michael Gallagher found it difficult to spot the image and capture how well the pyhmy seahorse blends into its environment and the fact that these creatures don't grow any larger than an inch
The shot of a vibrantly colored nudibranch (Cratena peregrina) spotted in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain by photographer Jordi Benitez takes the second prize in the contest's "Marco" category
The photo of two cuttlefish mating off in the Oosterschelde estuary near the town of Zeeland, Netherlands gets the top prize in the "Wide-Angle" category. It was posed by Belgium’s photographer Luc Rooman
The photo of a brightly colored jellyfish taken in Lake Worth Lagoon, Riviera Beach, Florida by Steven Kovacs wins the top prize in the "Fish or Marine Animal Portrait" category
The photo of a web burrfish (Chilomycterus antillarum) was also spotted in Lake Worth Lagoon, Riviera Beach, Florida by Susan Mears. It receives the second prize in the portrait category
The snapshot of an orange spotted filefish (Oxymonacanthus longirostris) in the water of YasawasIslands, Fiji takes home the top prize in the "Student" category. It is posed by photographer Laura Rock
Best Underwater World Photos