Written and Photographed by Vitor Hugo

Artist

I am an aerial photographer who loves backpacking and exploring the hard to reach places on Earth. To see more of my work, check out my Instagram! Feel free to drop me a message if you would like to know more about this picture or my journeys around the world!

Besides my passion for hospitality, my biggest dream was to travel around the world visiting the most fascinating places on the planet. During a 4-month backpacking trip around Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, and Hong Kong I knew I needed to spend more time globetrotting! During those 4 months backpacking around, I had the opportunity to meet fantastic human beings and see some of the most beautiful places I’ve had the pleasure of traveling to.

Journey

Since first hearing about The Nest, an underwater coral reef expansion project created Jason de Caires Taylor, a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted to free-dive there and photograph it from above and below the sea. Gili Meno is such a unique and magical archipelago with surprises around every corner, both on land and underwater! As soon as I acquired my Mavic 2 Pro drone, I imagined how awesome this image could be, photographing this site from above! These pictures showcase The Bask Nest from a stunning birdseye view and from underwater! Located in Gili Meno (Lombok). Those 48 life-size underwater statues were created by the British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, symbolizing life and continuity. To avoid the crowds, this picture was taken at 5:00am.

The world’s coral reefs have been dying at a rapid rate, including Indonesia ‘s incredibly diverse reefs. The recent earthquake in August of 2018 and the illegal anchoring along the shores of the Gili Islands have contributed to the destruction of the reef complex. However, the main causes for the bleaching and death of coral reefs worldwide are inflicted by humans, sunscreen use, global pollution, overfishing, and general climate change. The statues provide more structures for the reef to expand and allow natural growth of the underwater ecosystem.

Described as hauntingly beautiful, the Gili Meno statues have quickly become a snorkelling and free-diving hotspot in the international community. The project, named Bask Nest was commissioned by BASK Gili Meno, the eco-resort in which the statues sit in front of, and created by British sculptor, Jason de Caires Taylor. The sculpture symbolizes life and continuity, the 48 life-size statues are arranged in a circle. The embracing figures surround more people curled up on the ocean floor in the center. Each statue was made from the casts of real people, making the sculptures even more unique and lifelike!

Gear & Settings

The aerial images were shot using a DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Exposure Time: 1/80

ISO Speed: 100

Filter: Polar Pro ND 16 Cinema Series

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