September 14, 2011 Neptune Memorial Reef

CaliforniaMama • Sep 14, 2011 8:31 am

Tomtate grunts and yellowtail snapper swim through Neptune Memorial Reef, an underwater cemetery with decorative arches and columns installed on the ocean floor off Miami Beach. The cremated remains of about 200 people have been mixed with cement and molded into memorial sculptures.

Photograph by David Doubilet, National Geographic

via National Geographic

infinite monkey • Sep 14, 2011 10:26 am

Gorgeous. That would be a cool dive spot.

Sigh. I love the ocean.

Wombat • Sep 14, 2011 7:54 pm

I thought it looked really small (only half a metre high) until I noticed the diver, then I had a moment of dizzyness as my brain adjusted to the correct scale.

Cool place.

CaliforniaMama • Sep 15, 2011 7:23 am

Wombat;756367 wrote:
I thought it looked really small (only half a metre high) until I noticed the diver, then I had a moment of dizzyness as my brain adjusted to the correct scale.

At first, I thought it was an image of an aquarium.

Gravdigr • Sep 15, 2011 4:45 pm

I would not want swim around dead people.

Death + scuba diving. Not a good mix.

infinite monkey • Sep 15, 2011 4:57 pm

I love the ocean AND I love dead people.

I'm so there. ;)

manu • Sep 16, 2011 6:04 am

The photo looks fake. Lights are weird. Why so many fishes in front of the camera and none further on?
Light on the diver looks weird.
Visibility strangely rendered.
...

for me it's a photoshop.

This does not mean the picture is not nice, it is definitely appealing to me as a final stand...

infinite monkey • Sep 16, 2011 8:23 am

Fish school. The school happened to be closer to the camera?

As to the lights, it's in the ocean. Water does funny things to lights.

What say our professional photographers?

As one with advanced open water scuba certification, I think it looks pretty normal.

glatt • Sep 16, 2011 8:29 am

Looks normal to me too, and there are fish in the distance, but it's a bit darker there, so they blend in.

ZenGum • Sep 16, 2011 8:43 am

I sea dead people.

CaliforniaMama • Sep 16, 2011 10:21 am

manu;756597 wrote:
The photo looks fake. Lights are weird. Why so many fishes in front of the camera and none further on?
Light on the diver looks weird.
Visibility strangely rendered.
...

for me it's a photoshop.

This does not mean the picture is not nice, it is definitely appealing to me as a final stand...

I personally know the photographer. He used to live in my house and work at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Until his interest in photography got noticed. He quit the Aquarium and went on to do photography full time.

I don't think that with his talent he would need to photoshop an image to get it noticed.

CaliforniaMama • Sep 16, 2011 10:22 am

ZenGum;756616 wrote:
I sea dead people.

I wonder if the dead people sea us?

Sundae • Sep 16, 2011 11:56 am

Nice and all that.
But just stick me in a hole in the ground.
No coffin, no wrapping, no furore.

I believe I am a creature of Earth, and to earth I should return.
And not accelerate any else's demise by using up resources.

infinite monkey • Sep 16, 2011 12:04 pm

I'd like to be thrown into the ocean, whole, and let the sharks eat me. Give back to the part of the earth I've had an affinity for my whole life.

In lieu of that, a hole in the ground would be nice...like you said no coffin or anything.

Both these things are frowned upon.

glatt • Sep 16, 2011 12:08 pm

How about just thrown into the bushes?

Sundae • Sep 16, 2011 12:11 pm

If we had them in this country I would so go for that.
The best I can hope for is a badger's den.

Gravdigr • Sep 18, 2011 6:50 pm

ZenGum;756616 wrote:
I sea dead people.

CaliforniaMama;756652 wrote:
I wonder if the dead people sea us?

The dead sea everything.

Neptune Reef • Sep 21, 2011 4:21 pm

manu;756597 wrote:
The photo looks fake. Lights are weird. Why so many fishes in front of the camera and none further on?
Light on the diver looks weird.
Visibility strangely rendered.
...

for me it's a photoshop.

This does not mean the picture is not nice, it is definitely appealing to me as a final stand...

classicman • Sep 21, 2011 4:24 pm

Welcome to the Cellar, Neptune.

Neptune Reef • Sep 21, 2011 4:25 pm

The light in the background is a huge lamp like is used to light a stage, made water tight. The grunts are very curious fish and are drawn to the motion.

There were thousands of photos taken, over 3 days, for this one picture in NatGeo, 40 minutes were dedicated to photographing this one scene.

Neptune Reef • Sep 21, 2011 4:28 pm

manu;756597 wrote:
The photo looks fake. Lights are weird. Why so many fishes in front of the camera and none further on?
Light on the diver looks weird.
Visibility strangely rendered.
...

for me it's a photoshop.

This does not mean the picture is not nice, it is definitely appealing to me as a final stand...

Gravdigr;756524 wrote:
I would not want swim around dead people.

Death + scuba diving. Not a good mix.

infinite monkey • Sep 21, 2011 4:41 pm

Neptune, thank you.

(Can I say I told you so?)

WELCOME. I must hear more about your diving experiences. I haven't been in years.

Gravdigr • Sep 21, 2011 5:56 pm

Neptune Reef;757580 wrote:
...Cremated remains...

Remains of what? Dead people.

Neptune Reef • Sep 22, 2011 11:11 am

Gravdigr;757598 wrote:
Remains of what? Dead people.

Good point.

Neptune Reef • Sep 22, 2011 11:20 am

infinite monkey;757584 wrote:
Neptune, thank you.

(Can I say I told you so?)

WELCOME. I must hear more about your diving experiences. I haven't been in years.

Where do I start? I've been working on this project for 8 years and have logged nearly 900 dives there. It's the dives that give us trouble that we remember, like having your regulator mouth-piece come off without your knowing or the boat turning 180 on the mooring during a storm too heavy to see the boat...
Things like forgetting the weightbelt or running out of air stop being memorable after the first few dozen times.

BigV • Sep 22, 2011 11:21 am

Welcome Neptune Reef. I am delighted to see you here, I hope you'll stick around.

Oh, great shot, great shot. I'm an unstoppable snapshotter (not photographer) and I love looking at others' pictures. I've taken a few in and under the water and I have a little appreciation for just how freakin complicated it is to do it, never mind do it so well.

Nice to meetcha.

Neptune Reef • Sep 22, 2011 11:22 am

classicman;757578 wrote:
Welcome to the Cellar, Neptune.

Thanks CM. The article that goes with that photo from the Feb. issue of NatGeo is here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/02/artificial-reefs/harrigan-text/4

jimhelm • Sep 22, 2011 11:25 am

infinite monkey;756695 wrote:
I'd like to be thrown into the ocean, whole, and let the [strike] sharks [/strike] eat me.

Dolphins.

ZenGum • Sep 22, 2011 11:31 pm

Should we explain that to Neptune?

BigV • Sep 23, 2011 12:39 am

no, don't

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