Trail We Blaze

“I found myself in a unique situation during one of my trips to one of the family islands here in The Bahamas, with a flight back home looming on the horizon. I decided to seize the opportunity for an early morning dive before departing. Boarding my friend's boat, we headed to a coral reef location, uncertain of what awaited us. Unfortunately, much of the reef in the area had suffered damage due to the construction of a new cruise ship port. After exploring the compromised reef for about an hour, we decided to change our dive location. As we swam back toward the boat, preparing to depart, a surprise awaited us. Out of nowhere, a school of approximately 20 Spotted Eagle Rays emerged, catching us off guard. The underwater visibility was a mere 30 feet (10 meters) in certain parts of the water column, making it challenging to spot the rays below us at a depth of 40 feet (12 meters). Despite the limited visibility, I swiftly signaled to the freediver to dive, even though we couldn't discern much beneath us. As we descended to about 15 feet (5 meters) underwater, the water gradually cleared, revealing one of the last remaining eagle rays from the large group. I managed to capture this photo while swimming above the freediver and the Spotted Eagle Ray, just before it vanished into the surrounding murky water around us. This photograph was selected as one of the winner for the National Geographic Your Shot competition 2019.”