TITLE: Sea Puppy Gaze

With irresistible puppy-like eyes, an Australian sea lion playfully engages with the camera with curiosity in South Australia’s kelp forests. Listed as Endangered, these rare sea lions face threats from habitat loss, fishing bycatch, and pollution. Protecting these gentle-eyed marine icons is vital to preserving ocean biodiversity.

AUTHOR: Remuna Beca (United States)

Rem​una is an artist, award-winning self-taught photographer, filmmaker, and passionate advocate for conservation and animal welfare. Her underwater work aims to capture the beauty and fragility of the ocean and the incredible diversity of marine life who inhabit it. Although we are all connected to the ocean, few people truly experience the world beneath the surface or witness the significant impacts we are having on it. Through her photography and film, Remuna hopes to raise awareness and inspire a deeper appreciation and will to protect these critical ecosystems and species. Her favorite subjects are sharks—one of the most misunderstood and threatened species on the planet—and advocating for their conservation by dispelling misconceptions and instilling the same love and fascination she has for them in others.