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This gallery has been published in the 2025 Pathfinder Issue of Hidden Compass. Storyteller proceeds from patronage campaigns in this issue will go collectively to Team Rebel Reef.
The 2025 Pathfinder Prize expedition brought together our biggest expedition team yet, with 22 scientists, filmmakers, and explorers. Together, they tell the stories of a remarkable coral reef off the coast of Honduras that has defied the odds. “The Rebel Reef” of Tela comes to life in their short documentary film and the stories of our Pathfinder issue, but expeditioners Vinh Pham, Patrick Krum, Tiffany Duong, and Brynne Rardin also captured behind-the-scenes moments and film stills that shed light on the storytelling effort itself. We present their photo “Gallery: A Film in the Making,” with 20 striking images that bring us behind the big screen and under the sea.
Off the coast of Tela, Honduras, lies a mysterious reef. Our 2025 Pathfinders, led by local divemaster Christian Carias, set out to tell the reef’s story and ask the question: Do we dare to hope? Photo: Patrick Krum.
Christian rides his motorcycle on coastal roads in Tela, Honduras. He was Tela’s first divemaster and has dedicated his life to protecting the national treasure near his home. Photo: Patrick Krum.
As the sun sets in the distance, Christian sits on a dock that’s seen better days. Photo: Vinh Pham.
Just offshore from the tropical beaches of Tela, murky, polluted waters hide a scientific mystery: an unexpectedly healthy coral reef. Photo: Brynne Rardin.
Pathfinders Christian, Senyacen Ramirez, and Antal Borcsok are joined by other members of Team Rebel Reef as they set out, eager to dive. Photo: Vinh Pham.
Christian sets his sights on the dive ahead. Photo: Patrick Krum.
A member of Team Rebel Reef swims above the corals. When Antal and his wife discovered the eponymous coral reef, they didn’t know they were looking at some of the healthiest remaining coral in the Caribbean. Photo: Patrick Krum.
El Arrecife Malportado, as it’s known in Spanish, remains lush with coral formations. The reef is home to varieties of coral that have disappeared from other parts of the Caribbean and Florida. But how is this possible? Team Rebel Reef set out to chronicle the search for answers. Photo: Patrick Krum.
A whale shark is visible in an opening between coral formations. These filter-feeding sharks grow to be the largest fish in our oceans. Photo: Patrick Krum.
The science behind the the Rebel Reef’s fortuitous success is still unfolding. As scientists review a myriad of hypotheses, some wonder if the mechanisms behind the reef’s rebellion can translate to coral conservation around the world. Photo: Patrick Krum.
Several members of Team Rebel Reef share the sentiment that the ocean has saved their lives. For at least one of them, that statement is no hyperbole. Photo: Patrick Krum.
Director and producer Brynne Rardin observes coral samples in Tela. Photo: Vinh Pham.
Tela Coral co-founder Juli Berwald and Jonathan Jung of the Max Planck Institute study coral skeleton cores from Tela’s reefs. Tela Coral as a US-based nonprofit with the mission of facilitating science and storytelling about Tela’s incredible ecosystems. Photo: Patrick Krum.
A young visitor to Tela Marine Aquarium marvels at the treasures behind the glass. The aquarium’s founders hope educating visitors about the incredible reef just offshore can inspire a deeper pride in Hondurans. Photo: Patrick Krum.
Members of Team Rebel Reef (from left to right): Vinh Pham, Brynne, Tiffany Duong, Christian, Patrick Krum, and Jorge Alberto Vásquez Recinos pause to capture a moment of joy during the expedition. Photo: Tiffany Duong.
Tela Coral co-founders Juli (left) and Tiffany (right) pose with Chantal Piët of Caribbean Reef Guardians. Photo: Vinh Pham.
Expedition leader Christian and executive producer Tiffany share a laugh on location. Photo: Vinh Pham.
Christian and his wife, Greisy Paola Flores Velásquez, wade into the waters off the shores of Tela. Christian credits the reef with saving his life. Now he is trying to save the reef. Photo: Patrick Krum.
Behind the scenes as Christian and his wife dip their son, Matías’s feet in the water while director of photography Patrick Krum films. Photo: Vinh Pham.
Christian and Matías. Someday, the resilience of the corals in these waters — and his father’s determination to protect and share the Rebel Reef with the world — might be Matías’s legacy, too. Photo: Patrick Krum.
Team Rebel Reef
Team Rebel Reef is the winner of the 2025 Hidden Compass Pathfinder Prize. A multi-national, multi-talented expedition team, their work focuses on a mysterious, rebellious reef off the coast of Honduras that invites us to ask: Do we dare to hope?