Kimbe Reef, Nature at its Most Jaw Dropping

A Damselfish and three Anemone gather around some coral.

There is an abyss in New Britain, Papua New Guinea that goes by the name of Kimbe Reef. "It is a world more alien than the edges of space" says National Geographic photographer David Doubilet in the article, The Idyllic Reefs of Kimbe Bay, in the November 2013 issue. It's beauty is created by " the congruence of nature, ocean currents, temperature, and the vagaries of evolution," along with its amazing diversity of plant life and creatures that live within this extravagant reef. I have learned that magnificence can expand to all corners of the great big globe we know as home. It can be as small as a pygmy seahorse or even as big as this mile and a quarter deep blue abyss. Only we humans can preserve such wonders, if only we stop polluting the earth, our globe will maintain these habitats and we can enjoy nature as we know it for years to come.

This reef is home to 536 different species of coral, more than half the worlds species, everything from the most common plankton to the beautiful Feather Star Crinoids. In addition to coral, the fish life has a population of over 900 varieties, some of these inhabitants include the smallest of creatures, Damselfish, and anemone-fish, to the decent sized Barracuda, Razorfish, and Hawksbill Sea Turtles, all the way up to the larger than a school bus Sperm Whale. Not only has this elegant body of water proven itself as a life source for fish and sea life, but the native peoples of Papua New Guinea also rely on it deeply for food, as fishing is an important aspect of life in this remote island nation.

The images of Kimbe Bay in this article have left an impact on me in two ways. Firstly I now have a greater urge than ever to receive a SCUBA diving certification, this would give me an opportunity to swim my way down to experience this wonder. The second way this has left an impact on me is the fact it is extremely fragile and vulnerable, I feel a need to preserve this artistic underwater landscape. These two aspects combined lead me to my long thought and unforgettable and future goal, being a Marine Biologist.