Summer 2025 Wildlife Photography Contest Third Place Winner

In this frame, a curious group of King Penguins gathers around our zodiacs at Macquarie Island — a remote gem among Australia’s sub-Antarctic islands. As field staff aboard an expedition ship traveling from New Zealand toward Antarctica, we spent several days navigating the wildlife-rich waters of the sub-Antarctic archipelagos. But this encounter stood out.

In the frigid waters surrounding Macquarie, we came across a remarkably inquisitive raft of King Penguins. For hours they swam beneath us, circled the inflatables, and even pecked at the boats — their boldness unmistakable. In twenty years as an expedition guide, this was only the second time I’ve seen King Penguins display such persistent curiosity.

With an Aquatech surf housing encasing my Nikon D800 and 16mm fisheye lens, I leaned over the side of the zodiac for more than an hour, firing off more than 900 frames. Working solely with natural light and no usable monitor, every shutter press felt like a leap of faith — the true definition of spray and pray.

Before diving, penguins trap insulating air between layers of feathers — sleek waterproof outers with down beneath. When startled or accelerating underwater, they release that trapped air in a flurry of bubbles. In these incredibly clear waters, those bubbles became the perfect visual element, helping capture this moment of “bubbly chaos and curiosity” beneath our keel.