Jυstiп Hofmaп was leading an expedition through Borпeo when a small group split off to do some impromptu snorkeling near the town of Sυmbawa Besar. “The reef was actually in a surprisingly good state. There were no big fish, but the corals were thriving,” Hofmaп says. “After about an hour of swinging, the tide started to turn. My boat was full of life.” Friend and expert wildlife watcher, Richard White, spotted this tiny seahorse floating near the surface.”

Seahorses ride the ocean currents, grabbing floating objects with their tails. What started as fun watching tiny fish grab bits of sea grass that washed up on the tide turned into anger as plastic and other natural debris began to invade the scene. As the old growth splashed water onto his seahorse and caused both the camera and the seahorse to sway, Hofma stood firm and captured this image along with several others.

“This is the photo I wish didn’t exist but now I want everyone to see it,” she wrote on Instagram. “What started as an opportunity to photograph a beautiful seahorse turned into frustration and sadness as the harsh tide brought with it invaluable pieces of trash and sewage. This photo serves as an allegory for the current and future state of our oceans.”

This image of a seahorse holding a cotton swab at the top of this page has been selected as a finalist in the Museum of Natural History’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Hofma is a member of the SeaLegacy Collective.

This image of a delicate seahorse dragging its mask through the waters off the coast of Greece has been nominated for the 2021 Ocean Photography Award. Greek photographer Nicholas Samaras captured the viral photo.