Portrait of a Coral Reef

This 500 megapixel image is life size at 12 feet high and 25 feet wide. Composed of over 100 individual 35mm frames, the image focuses on a "cleaning station" where a Nassau Grouper is groomed by Fairy Basslets and cleaner shrimp.

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.

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