23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Wildlife
Sunset upon the Red Sea

Coral reefs are the most diverse and productive ecosystems on our planet. They not only shelter and provide food to the denizens of the deep but also generously feed and support us, humans. We, in turn, have adopted lifestyles that endanger their very existence. We pollute, overfish, and release gases into the atmosphere that are warming the oceans to temperatures that corals are no longer able to tolerate. Despite the known global decline trajectory of coral reefs and mass bleaching events, some coral reefs in the world are more resistant and resilient. This image illustrates the thriving reefs of Eilat, Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea, with the sunset colors filling up the sky and the desert mountains that stand in great contrast with what lies beneath the sea surface.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 07.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Eilat, Israel
Camera: ILCE-1
Copyright: © Tom Shlesinger