Most of the time, we compare the state of our oceans to years past, when fish were more abundant and marine life was healthier. Cabo Pulmo in Baja California is different—many marine biologists consider this to be the most successful marine reserve in the world. Working here was a unique opportunity to provide visual proof of the wonderful and incredible things that can happen if you protect a part of the ocean. The ocean has the amazing ability to recover if we introduce the right legislation and we engage in the right restoration efforts.

My challenge as a photographer was to make a picture that would illustrate the crazy abundance of fish and illustrate what a lot of the rest of