Articles

A mother and calf humpback rise towards the surface together in a tender moment, Mo’orea, French Polynesia
 

Chances are, if you are reading this, you are familiar with Yuka Takahashi’s name already as the grand prize winner in the 2025 DPG Masters Competition. When she isn’t busy winning major international underwater photo competitions, Yuka is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student, pursuing a dual degree alongside a Master in Public Health. Her goal is to integrate veterinary medicine and visual storytelling to advance wildlife conservation medicine.

Yuka hails from Gunma, Japan, and grew up landlocked and surrounded by mountains. Her connection to the ocean began during childhood trips to Okinawa, where she developed a deep curiosity about the underwater world. During her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, she was introduced to Mo’orea, in French Polynesia and learned about its biodiversity, culture, and environmental regulations. Since then, during whale season in Mo’orea, she has worked as an on-board photographer with a whale-watching tour company, contributing imagery to marine mammal photo-identification research in collaboration with a local NGO.

Within veterinary medicine, she is particularly interested in regions where people and wildlife live in close proximity, the traditions and cultures that shape these relationships, and how they are affected by climate change. Through visual storytelling, she hopes to inspire audiences worldwide and help them connect more deeply with the natural world through her lens.
 

A tower of bigeye trevally school together, Okinawa, Japan
 

A mother and calf humpback race to get away from males in a heat run, Mo’orea, French Polynesia
 

A manta comes by to grace the camera with a close pass, Okinawa, Japan
 

Rough-toothed dolphins and humpbacks seemingly play together, Mo’orea, French Polynesia
 

A sea lion pup gives the camera a cheeky look back, Baja, Mexico
 

A hawksbill turtle pauses while munching on coral to take a look at the photographer, Mo’orea, French Polynesia
 

Sea lions chase a baitball. The main sea lion has a scar from prior entanglement in fishing gear, Baja, Mexico
 

A clownfish keeps a watchful eye over a clutch of eggs, Mo’orea, French Polynesia
 

A tiny seahorse, quite out of place, floating far offshore in the deep, Baja, Mexico
 

A sea lion and a striped marlin crash through a baitball together, Baja, Mexico
 

Baitfish so dense it’s difficult to even see the sea lions! Baja, Mexico
 

Sea lions scramble to get out of the way as a Bryde’s whale prepares to inhale what’s left of a baitball, Baja, Mexico
 

A head-on look at one of the world’s strangest fish, the Mola mola, Baja, Mexico
 

To see more of Yuka’s wonderful underwater work, please give her a follow on Instagram.