Ten feet below the ocean’s surface, something extraordinary is happening around the clock. The Coral City Camera is a live underwater stream broadcasting from an urban coral reef in Miami. The organization behind it, Coral Morphologic was founded by marine biologist Colin Foord and musician J.D. McKay in 2007. The duo has spent years studying the resilient coral communities colonizing South Florida’s human-made shorelines, working alongside NOAA and the University of Miami to understand why these urban reefs resist disease and pollution better than their offshore counterparts. Since its first live stream, the camera has cataloged over 120 species of fish, with sightings of sharks, jellyfish, manatees, sea turtles, octopuses, and rays…all of which are sharing a channel with swimmers, cruise ships, tankers and jet skis. The project streams into schools, public spaces, and airport terminals, pulling an invisible ecosystem into full view. It is conservation reframed as compulsive viewing for the whole world to see; CoralCityCamera.com.

Words Jasmin Cruz   |    Photo Jeffry Surianto