Submersible surface

A humpback mother helps her puppy climb to the surface to breathe. “The little one would release some bubbles as he got up, maybe because he was still learning to control his breathing, or maybe because he was just experimenting with his body,” says the photographer. “For me, this photo shows a mother’s love for her baby, as well as the fragility and beauty of our oceans.”

The photographer Álvaro Herrero López ‘Mekan’ travels to French Polynesia every year to photograph whales. Her favorite moment is the early morning, because the light is smooth and oblique, allowing her to find the perfect angle to clearly define the shape of these elegant animals. That’s what he did with this photo, and he was the winner of the Underwater Photographer of the Year in 2025.