Beneath the Bali Blues
* This article with pictures has been published in the September 2014 issue of Saevus Wildlife Magazine, India. At the crack of dawn, the world below is a different place. As we descend deeper, my eyes accustom to the dark blue. Feeble rays filter in through the burst of white light above, illuminating the silhouette of a gigantic structure stretched forth before me. A nondescript mass of wood lies forlornly at the bottom of the seabed. As I near closer I realize it is the hull of the USAT Liberty shipwreck, which was sunk by a Japanese torpedo during WWII. Long forgotten, the remains of what was once a US navy cargo ship are left in apparent disuse. All is quiet in the deep blue, but the shipwreck is a buzz of oceanic activity. Discarded by humans, the ship ruins serve as a wonderland for the denizens of the deep. Colourful soft corals, sponges, and giant gorgonian fans decorate various parts of the ship. Vibrant fi