25/10/2026
This is disgraceful 😔
A tiny seahorse holding a pink plastic cotton bud became one of the most unforgettable wildlife images of recent years, and photographer Justin Hofman has said he wishes the photo did not exist.
Hofman was snorkeling near Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, when a colleague spotted the seahorse drifting near the surface. At first, it moved among natural debris, grasping seagrass as it rode the current. As the tide changed, more plastic and sewage moved through the water. The seahorse eventually latched onto a waterlogged plastic cotton bud.
The image, titled “Sewage Surfer,” was selected as a finalist in the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which that year drew nearly 50,000 entries from professionals and amateurs across 92 countries. Hofman later wrote that the photo began as a chance to photograph a small seahorse, but became a moment of frustration and sadness as trash surrounded it.
Indonesia is one of the most biodiverse marine regions on Earth, and its waters are shaped by powerful currents that can carry debris from nearby communities or from far away. Plastic-stemmed cotton buds are among the single-use items targeted by environmental campaigns, with many countries replacing them with paper or bamboo alternatives.
For many Indigenous coastal peoples, ocean health is inseparable from food systems, culture, navigation, and responsibilities to future generations. Images like this help show how global waste can enter even the smallest corners of marine life, from reefs and shorelines to the animals that rely on them.
What does this image make you think about when it comes to our relationship with the ocean?
Sources: CGTNOfficial, Wildlifetrusts, Divernet, The Guardian, Biodiversity Meets Music, Justin-Hofman