Egypt. Red Sea. Shark Reef

The drop off of Shark reef is located in the north of the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt. For us, Shark Reef is one of the top ten dives in the world and it is the southern point of the Sina¨peninsula. The wall falls to more than 300 meters (900 feet) of depth but most of the marine life is located in the first 30 meters (90 feet). It is a real explosion of colors because the variety of hard and soft coral colonies. These banks of coral are covered by corallian fish trying to hide from their natural predators. If you turn back the wall, there is a splendid light that irradiates the blue water. This light is a consequence of the deep depth because there is no sand to reflect it. In the open water, you can meet huge school of fishes like bat fish. If there is no current coming from north, Shark Reef offers a great surprise: huge sea fans located at 30 meters. They grew filtering the plankton brought by the current. They are in a perfect shape because there are not many divers at this depth. If you go close to the surface, the wall becomes the home of huge coral tables called acropora.

Shark Reef is on the most beautiful drop off in the world even if the sharks which gave the name of the site have disappeared for many years. But Shark Reef should be a site to be dive at least once in a diving life.

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Shark Reef drop off in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt. Photographs by Amar Guillen.

The Grand Canyon from The South Rim, State of Arizona, USA

The Grand Canyon photographed from the south rime in the state of Arizona at dusk.

I decided to spend a few days in the south of the Grand Canyon in the state of Arizona, USA. It is called South Rim.

I wanted to photograph the Grand Canyon in the snow. I traveled by car from Texas. My whole trip was punctuated by snow.

I have even been stuck in the city of Roswell, New Mexico because the roads were too dangerous.

But arriving at Desert View, the first point of view accessible to the Grand Canyon, we're a little disappointed. There is absolutely no snow.

This is my second stay at the Grand Canyon, but the effect is always the same. It is just awesome grandeur and majesty.

I just ride for two days; it is 4PM. I am tired but impossible to resist. I return to the car to take my camera and my tripod because the lights are fantastic.

The main feature of this unique mineral world are the lights that show an extraordinary patchwork of colors. Each layer has its own mineral color.

For me, landscape photographer, the Grand Canyon is magical. It is not easy to photograph for those who see it for the first time because the variety of subjects. It is not easy to find out a good spot to set the camera and what perspective to take for a good picture. It is really challenging.

After 2 days, you begin to grasp the subtle colors and lights. What is striking in this region is that it is possible to photograph throughout the day. The best pictures are, however, during the early morning before sunrise. Another difficulty is that despite its size, there are just few places to set up the tripod.

The history of the Grand Canyon began 1.7 billion years ago. It extends over 450 km long between Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Its average depth is 1300 meters with a maximum at over 2000 meters. You can walk down and spend the night because there is a hotel located in one of the gorges. Its width varies from 5.5 to 30 km. It is possible to cross from north to south. The journey takes about 2 days.

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