Neon Mantis Shrimp on Bali Reef Ledge

Vivid bands of electric blue, lime green, and coral pink stripe the armored carapace of a mantis shrimp perched on a rough limestone ledge. The creature sits beside a dark reef crevice, its large stalked eyes scanning the water column. Above, the surface ripples gently, casting shifting patterns of bright, flat noon light that penetrate the exceptionally clear water. The wet season air hangs heavy, but the view is entirely underwater, where the water clarity reveals every texture of the coral and the smooth, wet shell of the shrimp. Sunlight fractures into soft beams that illuminate the pale sand below the ledge. at the edge shows a thin line of white foam clinging to the edge of the rock where the current slows.