Maybe you enjoy the ocean from the beach, in which case it looks like a fairly static blue landscape with shades of dark purple to grey and sometimes even brown when the plankton is in full bloom. Maybe you enjoy it from a boat, occasionally seeing what rises to the surface but rarely seeing further than the few feet which light typically penetrates for the naked eye. Or maybe you're a surfer, in which case you likely get a little bit more understanding of the denizens below the surface, but your true objective is to spend more time above, likely riding on the surface rather than below it. But if you're a SCUBA diver or work for Oregon's Marine Program, you know that Oregon's ocean is every bit as spectacular beneath the surface as some of our most beloved tropical reefs and coral ecosystems that beckon warm water travelers to lower latitude destinations.
Well, since many of us only can imagine what lies at these depths, we were encouraged to share some of the Oregon Marine Reserve Program's photo highlights from their dives within Oregon's marine reserves. No more to this blog post here than just a, Hey, check it out, it's cool down there and worthy of your awareness and protection! Check it out!