14 award-winning images of our mighty oceans

The 2025 Ocean Photographer of the Year announced its winners this week. This photo was taken on April 1, 2024, off Point No Point, WA. In Puget Sound, there's a community of people who prefer watching orcas from the land rather than from boats. Land-based whale watchers in Puget Sound can sometimes get lucky, as these wild apex predators occasionally approach the shore, seemingly curious about their human spectators. My friend is one of those land-based whale enthusiasts, and April 1, 2024, was no ordinary day for her.