A coral reef can feel a little like entering another world: layers of color, texture and life unfolding in every direction.
That feeling of discovery inspired artist Vasilisa Romanenko’s Among the Coral Gardens, one of a special collection of limited-edition PADI certification cards celebrating PADI’s 60th anniversary.
Created in collaboration with long-time PADI AmbassaDiver PangeaSeed, the artwork brings together art, exploration and ocean conservation. And hidden among the reef is a special nod to 60 years of underwater adventure: a school of exactly 60 yellow fish.
The Story Behind Among the Coral Gardens
For Romanenko, illustrating a coral reef came naturally.
Not only is she an artist inspired by the natural world, she’s also a gardener.
“In this illustration, I wanted to show the feeling of wonder when exploring a coral reef, by immersing a diver in an underwater environment full of different colors and textures,” she explains. “I am a gardener, and drawing a coral reef is much like designing a beautiful flower garden.”
That comparison comes to life throughout Among the Coral Gardens. Corals of different shapes, colors and forms fill the scene, surrounding a diver as they move through the reef.
It captures something divers know well: there is rarely just one thing to look at on a healthy reef. Look in one direction, and you might notice a school of fish. Look more closely and a new pattern, creature or splash of color appears.
And in this particular reef, looking closely pays off.
Among the marine life are 60 yellow fish — one for every year since PADI was founded in 1966.
Meet Artist Vasilisa Romanenko
Vasilisa Romanenko is an illustrator and artist whose work is inspired by botany, natural history and the beauty and fragility of nature.
Art has been part of her life from an early age.
“I have loved creating art my whole life,” she says. “When I was in college, I decided to major in Illustration and become a professional illustrator.”
Since then, Romanenko has built a career creating nature-inspired artwork, including illustrating children’s books about the natural world.
Those projects are among the work she is most proud of.
“I love being able to inspire them to be appreciative and curious about the world around them,” she says.
That same sense of curiosity runs through Among the Coral Gardens.
“I’m a big nature lover with a passion for ecology and conservation,” she says, “so creating nature-themed artwork is a great way for me to express and share that with others.”
Art for the Ocean With PangeaSeed
Among the Coral Gardens was created through a collaboration with PangeaSeed, an international nonprofit that works at the intersection of art and ocean conservation.
PangeaSeed has also been part of the PADI AmbassaDiver community for many years. Through its work, the organization uses science, education and “ARTivism” to connect individuals and communities with ocean conservation issues.
The partnership makes Among the Coral Gardens more than a colorful depiction of an underwater ecosystem. It reflects the idea that creative expression can help people notice, understand and ultimately care about the natural world.
Protecting Our Underwater Gardens
Coral reefs may be spectacular places to explore, but the ecosystems represented in Among the Coral Gardens are also delicate.
That’s the message Romanenko hopes divers take away from her work.
“The ecosystems we love so much are beautiful but delicate,” she says, “and it is all of our responsibility to do our part to protect them; both for the health of the planet and for future generations to enjoy.”
Over six decades, generations of PADI Divers have learned to explore the underwater world, discovered places and species they may never otherwise have encountered, and found their own reasons to care about protecting them.
Among the Coral Gardens celebrates that sense of wonder, while reminding us that these underwater gardens depend on all of us to help preserve them.
Count the 60 yellow fish, celebrate 60 years of underwater adventure and carry Among the Coral Gardens on your next dive.
