Within 30 degrees north and south of the Equator, coral reefs can be found. Reefscapes vary immensely—some carpet the sea floor, some scatter bommies amongst the sand, others grow on long-sunk human artefacts, and some form towers, walls, and deep crevasses. Struck by its similarity to an urban landscape, the corals create skyscrapers, valleys, routes, and residences for the reef community.
A mesmerising kaleidoscope of colour—here, colour isn’t just aesthetic, it’s cryptic communication, with every shade of the rainbow accounted for. Each texture is different from the next: some corals like flowers turned to stone, others swaying to the tune of the current. The reef is alive with movement—chaos on the outset, but the more one observes, order and synchronicity emerge. Clouds of damselfish move as one, rabbitfish travel in pairs, and Nemo stays within the walls of his anemone.
”some corals, flowers turned to stone, others sway to the tune of the current”
As hours go by, more discreet layers of the ocean reveal themselves. A graveyard of broken shells gave away the camouflaged octopus nearby. Share-houses scatter the sand—each hole belonging to a bonded pair of shrimp and goby. Tiny cleaner wrasse swim into the mouths of predatory fish to clean their teeth and gills with unspoken agreement. Even the slugs in the ocean are beautiful.
As the light grows low, there is a change of guard. A curfew falls over the reef—the fish grow still, the crustaceans chatter, and sharks begin to patrol.
Currently working as an underwater photographer onboard whale shark tour operator Ningaloo Discovery, I am privileged to bear witness to a World-Heritage listed reef on a daily basis. Many of the images featuring the Ningaloo Reef below were captured on tour and wouldn’t have been possible without the Ningaloo Discovery team.
