Chris Doyal Photography

News

Photo Contest Winner!

This photo won first prize in a local contest sponsored by the Land Information Access Association. The category was "Places to Recreate". What is so fun for me is that it is the first time an underwater photo of mine has won an award. The photo was accompanied by the following essay describing the area and why I feel it is of significance. The prize was $150 which is nice too!


The Grand Traverse Bay is important to me because it allows me to easily participate in one of the most important parts of my life – scuba diving. It’s clean, clear waters are home to numerous fish, shipwrecks, and even reminders of our past. In addition to shipwrecks, I’ve seen remains of docks, wood piles from the lumbering era, and even a horse drawn carriage.
This photo was taken off of Haserot Beach on the Old Mission Peninsula in a place called “The Junk Pile” while surveying the area for the proposed Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve. It was created by local teenagers in the 1950’s. They pushed large items out onto the ice so that when spring came, they would fall through the ice and be gone. We’ve found two cars, a refrigerator, two boats, and even a motorcycle.
I believe this area is especially important to our community since the surrounding water is so shallow that snorkelers can enjoy it. Many times underwater sites are only accessible to those trained to scuba dive. However, this site can be safely enjoyed by almost anyone.