Natural or Constructed Underwater Landscapes

Diving a cenote is a truly unique experience. This photo captures the eerie and majestic feel of the cenote as the light rays penetrate the water from above and a diver is perfectly buoyant above a cloud of sulfur. The clarity of the shot allows us to distinguish between the sun's rays and a single flashlight. A surreal tone is set on the image with a leafless tree extending from the mysterious cloud almost as if it is a mysterious entity trying to grab hold of the lonely diver.

Underwater and landscape photography present many challenges, but this picture has blended these two photography subjects into a stunning split landscape photo. The turtle lying in a field of corals is beautifully colored, and the turtle's eye is directly facing the photographer. The vibrant yellows and greens both above and below the water in this shot are excellent. The detail of the image is stunningly captured by the algae growing on the turtle's shell and beak.

This creative use of the fisheye lens distorts the natural shape of the pylons underneath the jetty to bring attention to a school of fish. The contrast of the yellow fish and the corals below them adds to the photo as the corals may not be thriving underneath this jetty, but the fish still come. The curvature of the poles bring the viewer's attention to the schooling fish and makes you wonder what the fish are all looking at just past the photo.

Seeing a plane underwater never ceases to amaze me! Seeing the corals extending out of the cockpit is unnerving and uniquely blends man-made and marine ecosystems. It is a great underwater wide-angle capture and a wonderful thing to show others.

The devotion to construct artificials reefs is truly inspiring and the message of these underwater statues is incredibly important and inspiring. The growth on the statues shows that the artificial reef structure is working and adds a softness to the subject that is very heartwarming.

This landscape image shows what it is like to transit a constructed underwater environment. The capture almost surreal in the way the tube creates a circular living environment that allows humans to observe wildlife. The clarity of the glass is exceptional. The shadows, reflections, depth, and wildlife are well captured.