Honorable Mention Reefscapes
Brett M Garner
“Field of White”
The Story: I took this image on one of my home reefs during the most recent bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef. It shows an entire field of acropora, staghorn coral, turned stark white in response to warming waters. I visited this site weekly in the months leading up to the event and the change from brown to white was rapid and jarring. Swimming along a reef turned completely white is surreal. The whole floor glows, radiating light in every direction. I knew this was a momentous event and I had a hard time leaving after each dive. It is a beautiful experience yet one tinged with deep sadness. A large percentage of these corals did not recover and were soon dead and overgrown with algae.
Location: Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Equipment Used: Nikon D300 Camera, Subal Housing, Ikelite DS-161 Strobes, Tokina Fisheye 10-17mm Lens
Settings: F14, 1/25 sec, ISO 400
