Portrait of a Coral Reef

Photographed in July 1999, this 1.77 gigapixel image was captured in over 280 individual frames combined to create a composite image that is detailed enough to produce a high quality print that is life size - 20 feet high and over 65 feet in width.

Bloody Bay Wall is part of a protected marine park on the north side of Little Cayman Island. At Great Wall, on the north shore, the sea floor ends abruptly at a depth of only 18 - 25 feet, dropping off in a shear vertical cliff. Many types of hard and soft coral grow along it's craggy face. Sharing living space with the corals are vivid yellow tube sponges, red rope sponges and wondrous sea fans. Mobile creatures inhabit the wall as well, some seeking the wall's excellent protection from predators, and others searching its shelters for prey. Tiny shrimp, brittle stars, Christmas tree worms, lobsters, sea cucumbers, moray eels, and countless varieties of small brilliantly colored fish coexist in timeless balance. Turtles, stingrays, eagle rays, barracudas, groupers and sharks can be found nearby.