What Have We Done?

This picture represents the idea that we are ruining the ocean past repair. I recently took the original picture on a trip to the Dominican Republic. We stayed at a beautiful beach resort in Puerto Plata and enjoyed breath-taking views of the Caribbean ocean all week.

I have been scuba diving for over six years now. The wonder of the ocean and marine life has captivated my heart. However, each trip I notice a little piece of the majesty ruined my mankind.

First, it was the presence of lionfish, a non-native species that began to over populate the Caribbean with no natural predator. This fish entered into the eco-system when various owners and aquariums, that did not understand where it belonged, released it into the wild.

Next, we see less coral. It has been torn to pieces by illegal fishing practices, boating activity and chemicals in the water. The rise in sea temperatures bleaches the coral past repair.

This last trip I was swimming by the beach and I found free floating garbage all around and then even further out away from land. This leads me to believe that the garbage is not properly handled and there is an air of indifference in people about the ocean and how they are impacting it.

Each visit makes me more and more upset and sad. Why are we doing this? Do people realize that there is no solution at this time aside from each person personally deciding to make a change and then acting on that decision?

I took a beautiful picture of the sea. Today the changes I have seen are minor and take some level of commitment to notice them. But once these changes pile up and take over, the ocean will be devastated. It may be unrecognizable.

At first, when manipulating this picture, I made some changes in the color and how the picture was laid out. But you could still tell it was a picture of the ocean. That is how I see the ocean today. I can see minor changes but we can all still see an ocean.

But then I decided to make some major changes; some may say a drastic change. I decided to show people that someday we may look at the place that we used to call the ocean and only see destruction and change. You may have to squint really hard and look even closer to see any resemblance to an ocean.

This picture could be are reality in just a few short years. This picture should scare you. This picture may not just be an idea someday but all of our realities.

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Thank you Glitch Lab for creating the App to make Glitch Art.