source : the age
Every day at work starts at the beach for Sydney photographer Gergo Rugli, and it was no different on the warm October morning when he captured the winning frame of the 2026 Ocean Photographer of the Year Award.
The photo of dolphins cresting a wave alongside two surfers at Sydney’s iconic Tamarama Beach won in the competition’s Adventure category.
Judges said Rugli’s photograph was “a joyful collision of two worlds that share the same water”.
There was a huge swell in the surf that day, the 45-year-old recalled.
“It was five, six metres at least. So I decided to jump in the ocean and started capturing these waves. And around half an hour later, a huge pod of dolphins came and they started surfing the waves with the surfers,” Rugli told the Herald.
Having grown up in landlocked Hungary, Rugli had no access to the ocean during his childhood and said he had always been fascinated by the water.
He “fell in love” with Australia on his first visit 16 years ago, and decided to make the move to Sydney four years later.
“When I moved here, I just started focusing on the ocean … Since then, I only photograph seascapes.”
Rugli’s photo was one of more than 15,000 submissions from around the world across nine categories. The international award was announced in London.
“Winning is basically a dream come true,” he said.
The photographs captured by the competition’s 116 finalists will be on display at the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition opening at the Australian Maritime Museum on November 19.
Winners in other categories
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Emily Kaine is a national news blogger at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
