In this post we’re going to take a look at another excellent round of papercrafts from under the sea. We’re talking fish, crustaceans, cephalopods and more!

First up is an absolutely beautiful dolphinfish (mahi-mahi) folded from some of the most beautiful looking origami paper I’ve ever seen.

Dolphinfish
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcolman/21547157904/

Dolphinfish (Mahi-Mahi), Designed by Winston Lee and Folded by P. Colman

Diagrams available in COS 2014

 

The Mantis Shrimp is a pretty crazy and amazing creature (pretty tasty too). This paper version is equally crazy and amazing. Just look at all those details along the bottom and believe it or not this is all folded from one sheet of paper!

Mantis Shrimp
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/119910244@N05/23858202622/

Mantis Shrimp, Designed and Folded by Kota Imai

Crease pattern available in Tanteidan Magazine #156

 

Kei Watanabe somewhat recently designed a whole bunch of really awesome looking fish including this quite realistic looking Pacific Bluefin Tuna.

Pacific Blueskin Tuna
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145614922@N07/40718623622/

Pacific Bluefin Tuna, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe

Instructions not available

 

The coolest part of these manta rays I think is all those individually folded gills on the bottom.

Manta Rays
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/63433412@N05/8530792637/

Myliobatis Aquila, Designed by Manuel Sirgo Alvarez and Folded by ВЕРЕСТУН Игорь (Iver)

Instructions not avaialble

 

This is a very well-folded, nice and clean looking lobster. It’s a really excellent design as well. This is folded from a single 30cm x 30cm square of paper!

Lobster
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/damianmalickiorigami/28668862443/

Lobster, Designed by Artur Biernacki and Folded by Damian Malicki

Crease pattern available from Artur Biernacki’s Flickr

 

Here’s a fantastic little shore crab.

Shore Crab
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/papygami/30949050411/

Shore Crab, Designed by Pham Hoang Tuan and Folded by Luc Marnat

Diagrams available in Olympiad 2016

 

This is an excellent little seahorse model. It’s not too complicated but looks great and nice and clean. There’s a video tutorial available for it too.

Seahorse
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/62572859@N08/31066270635/

Seahorse, Designed by Ta Trung Dong and Folded by Rui Roda

Video instructions available from Ta Trung Dong’s YouTube channel

 

There are a few really great sea turtle designs out there and I especially like Satoshi Kamiya’s design. The sort of plates down the back of the shell always look really cool.

Sea Turtle
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/125100933@N05/28973479040/

Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Maxi Purewal

Diagrams available in the 16th Tanteidan Convention book

 

This next image is definitely the cutest little orca I’ve ever seen. It’s folded from two squares of paper.

Cute Orca
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kobashi_san/32578533555/

Cube Orca, Designed by Yoshihisa Kimura and Folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi

Diagrams available in Origami no Hakodoubutsu

 

This next model is definitely something amazing. That whole Anemone as well as the Clown Fish is folded from a single square of paper. In this case Kevin Hutson used a 23 inch x 23 inch square on Unryu which is definitely a beautiful looking paper.

Anemone and Clown Fish
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/137460274@N07/30791640096/

Sea Anemone and Clownfish, Designed by  J.C. Nolan and Folded by Kevin Hutson

Diagrams available in Creating Origami: An Exploration into the Process of Designing Paper Sculpture

 

Ynon Toledano designed these awesome butterfly fish. The one on the left is a newer design with a slightly different body and tail.

Butterfly Fish
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/92471729@N03/30727410552/

Butterfly Fish, Designed and Folded by Ynon Toledano

Instructions not available

 

Here’s another phenomenal design by Kei Watanabe. From a distance you could definitely mistake this for the real life eel.

Giant Mottled Eel
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145614922@N07/34098899394/

Giant Mottled Eel, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe

Instructions not available

 

This puffer fish is a really great design and uses almost a tessellation pattern for the part that puffs up.

Puffer Fish
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcolman/21013965625/

Puffer Fish, Designed by Jang Yong Ik and Folded by P. Colman

Diagrams available in Raison d’etre 2014

 

Winston is a master at designing origami fish as you can see with this next model. I especially like the little folds and curves on all the fins. It was apparently difficult to design with the colour changes and 3D-ness.

Clownfish
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blackterror/20743582341/

Clownfish, Designed and Folded by Winston

Instructions not available

 

These Pennant Coralfishes are really beautiful. There’s technically no colour changes in this model but the folder cheated a bit and painted the paper. Each fish is folded from a single sheet of paper.

Pennant Coralfish
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcolman/25102995840/

Pennant Coralfish, Designed by Yoshimasa Tsuruta and Folded by P. Colman

Crease pattern available from Yoshimasa Tsuruta’s Flickr

 

Here’s another bunch of amazing and realistic looking fish by Kei Watanabe.

Giant Trevally
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145614922@N07/34778218312/

Giant Trevally, Designed and Folded by Key Watanabe

Instructions not available

 

Kota Imai also designed a regular shrimp that’s just as detailed as that Mantis Shrimp. This model is also folded from a single square of paper.

Shrimp
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/129124623@N05/26519398125/

Shrimp, Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by Kyoung Su Kim

Crease pattern available from Kota Imai’s Flickr

 

This next model is definitely a really cool and unique idea, even if it technically isn’t a real-life creature. This was folded for a French contest called “Under the Sea” so it definitely fits in with this post. This is folded from a single 50cm x 50cm square of paper starting with a Kite Base.

Dead Mans Chest
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/-sebl-/14624492167/

Dead Man’s Chest, Designed and Folded by Sebastien Limet

Instructions not available

 

Satoshi Kamiya came up with this awesome octopus design.

Octopus
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kobashi_san/26711023478/

Octopus, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi

Video instructions available from Mariano Zavala B.’s YouTube channel

 

Here are some more of Kei Watanabe’s fantastic fish.

Largehead Hairtail
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145614922@N07/41275652201/

Largehead Hairtail, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe

Instructions not available

 

This is a great Swordfish with a very nice colour change on the underside.

Swordfish
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kobashi_san/40955023542/

Swordfish, Designed by Takuro Kashiwamura and Folded by Hiroaki Kobayashi

Diagrams available in Tanteidan Magazine #167

 

The details and individually folded scales on this Red Seabream are incredible.

Red Seabream
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145614922@N07/39811923801/

Red Seabream, Designed and Folded by Kei Watanabe

Instructions not available

 

This hermit crab is folded from a single square of paper and you end up with different colours on the shell and the crab itself which is awesome.

Hermit Crab
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/126754280@N06/36439425401/

Hermit Crab, Designed By Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Jaran Darra

Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2, 2002 – 2009

 

Here’s a couple of beautiful Chinese-style goldfish.

Goldfish
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lihaha/6887858846/

Goldfish Ryukin, Designed by Ronald Koh and Folded by lichangzhenba

Instructions not available

 

This incredible shark was photographed at a display by the International Collegiate Origami Association.

Shark
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kobashi_san/35814993903/

Designed and Folded by Masato Kikuchi (Photo by Hiroaki Kobayashi)

Instructions not available (unless you can make out the crease pattern in the photo there)

 

P. Colman always folds such beautiful models and takes such beautiful photos.

Orca
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcolman/21004061932/

Orca, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by P. Colman

Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 1995-2003

 

Our final model for this post is this absolutely phenomenal octopus by Brian Chan. I don’t know for sure but I strongly suspect this is folded from one sheet of paper.

The colour changes here and all the individual suction cups on the tentacles are incredible!

Octopus
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/m_fung/19589949556/

Octopus, Designed and Folded by Brian Chan (Photo by Michelle Fung)

Instructions not available

 

That’s it for this post. Let us know which one of these sea creatures was your favourite in the comments!

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