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After yet another tumultuous 12 months—a year in which many of us had few opportunities to indulge our passion for diving and underwater photography—we’ve again drawn great enjoyment and inspiration from the incredible images gracing our Photographer of the Week column. Despite the regular feature being eight years old, we’re still uncovering amazing new talent (as well as adding the few well-known names that have yet to appear).

So, as we begin 2022, we’ve once again compiled a “best of” to celebrate another year of fabulous portfolios. The following 20 images sum up not just the impressive skills of 20 special photographers, but also the amazing beauty and diversity of life in our oceans.

In case we haven’t said it enough, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank every photographer who shared their work in the column in 2021. We can’t wait to show you our next stunning collection of inspirational photographs over the coming year.
 

Laurent Ballesta: Gray reef sharks quartering a grouper (depth: 100 feet), South Pass, Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia
 

Gerald Nowak: Portrait of a peacock mantis shrimp, Philippines
 

Giacomo Marchione: The sardine shoals are like thunder clouds, obscuring the sun, off Paganagsama Beach, Moalboal, Philippines
 

Filippo Borghi: John Dory motion blur, Italy
 

James Ferrara: Sperm whales sleeping, Dominica
 

Matt Testoni: A weedy seadragon bathes in afternoon sunlight as it cruises through the calm and protected waters of Westernport Bay, Australia
 

Vladimir Mladenovic: A fly fisherman catching trout in the Gradac River, Serbia
 

Michael Gallagher: Hairy frogfish, Lembeh, Indonesia
 

Andrey Shpatak: Japanese warbonnet, Sea of Japan, Russia
 

Marco Gargiulo: Jellyfish under the Vesuvius volcano, Castellammare di Stabia, Italy
 

Stefano Scortegagna: A ribbon eel poses for the camera, Anilao, Philippines
 

Gabriel Guzman: Parrotfish smile, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
 

Chris Doherty: Beluga whales, Churchhill, Canada
 

Katherine Lu: Squid with ink, Anilao, Philippines
 

Kristian Laine: It must be love! Mating green sea turtles put on a show
 

Irene Orozco: A sailfish and sea lion hunting on a sardine baitball, Baja California Sur, Mexico
 

Jay Clue: A pygmy seahorse in Lembeh, Indonesia
 

Gerald Rambert: The famous wall of sharks in Fakarava, French Polynesia
 

Jane Morgan: Anemonefish, Maldives
 

David Valencia: Great white sharks, Isla Guadalupe, Mexico