As deep swells from an offshore hurricane were further empowered by king tides in Southern California over the past several days, residents experienced firsthand the impacts of human-generated climate change. Erosion is an innate process along coastlines, where waves and wind constantly shift the sand and gnaw away at bluffs.

Jenny Stock, winner of the Female Fifty Fathoms Award. In Western Australia’s Jurien Bay Marine Park, curious sea lion pups approached the photographer in the water
Gergo Rugli. A teenager stands at Bronte Ocean Pool, Sydney, as a powerful swell sends waves crashing over the closed bathing site
Matty Smith, finalist in the Wildlife category. Southern elephant seal pups explore shallow rock pools on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands, testng their first movements i
Jenny Stock, winner of the Female Fifty Fathoms Award. During a dusk dive in a Scottish sea loch, a torch reveals thousands of brittle stars covering the seabed
Gergo Rugli, winner of the Adventure category. Dolphins ride the waves alongside surfers at Tamarama Beach, Sydney, during a powerful swell and offshore winds
Steven Lopez. A close view of a giant black sea bass reveals many parasitic copepods clustered around its eye in a Catalina Island kelp forest, Southern California
Rui Filipe Cardoso Duarte, winner of the Human Connection category. Volunteers, surfers, lifeguards, and conservation groups in Boa Vista, Cape Verde, work together to re-float
Sun Qingsheng, finalist in the Human Connection category. Thousands of fish-farming cages stretch across the sea, connected by floatng walkways and small wooden huts to form a v
Andrea Michelutti, finalist in the Wildlife category. A scorpionfish consumes a lizardfish in a moment of hunting behavior near Anilao, Philippines, revealing the constant balan