SURREAL PERSPECTIVES ARE BEAUTIFUL NOW
MARC HENAUER
There are many ways one can shift one’s perspective. Simply, just shifting point of view does the trick. And often, with this change, comes a new appreciation for a new kind of beauty.
Marc Henauer, a passionate diver and talented photographer, gained a new perspective by going down, underwater, to see an unlikely world that warped the normal view, in a unique place on the planet known as Grüner See (Green Lake), in Styria, Austria.
The lake is known for its shimmering, emerald-green hue as well as for its astonishing range of depth. Sometimes, it looks quite normal, resting in its hollows amidst the woodland park. At other times, the park is completely submerged.
The lake, which sits at the foot of the snow-capped Hochschwab mountains, near Tragoss, is only 1–2 meters deep in winter. But as the temperature rises in spring, the snowmelt from the mountaintops runs down to fill the basin in which the park sits with water up to 12 meters deep.
Henauer dives to explore this spectacular underwater park.The water is crystal clear, allowing for a magical unexpected view.
A park bench and bridge, flanked by trees, is a typical sight to see in any park, but here, in summer, as they lie in their watery surroundings, we get another perspective. It looks surreal. Fish swim through tree branches. Walking paths can only guide swimmers.
The lake gets its distinctive green coloring, and the name, from the grass and foliage growing on the bottom. Alpine grasses and flowers are visible in full bloom under the water. The temperature of the lake is rather cold at 4 to 8 °C.
Starting July, the waters begin to recede and by winter, the lake is back to its original shallow depth. Hikers return to reclaim the paths.
Henauer operates Nitrogenic, a diving and photography business, based in Switzerland, where he serves as a freediving and underwater photography instructor. You can also purchase prints of his amazing photos on his site.
You can see more of Henauer’s award-winning photos at National Geographic.
And check out his video.
Read more about Beautiful Perspectives this week.
And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time,Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.
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IMAGE CREDITS:
All images by Marc Henauer. Green Lake in Tragoess. Styria, Austria.
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