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Obama's enjoying checking out a reef
The President admires nature and its resilience
A new photo published by National Geographic magazine Monday shows President Barack Obama enjoying the sights of a reef while snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean.
National Geographic tweeted the photo of Obama snorkeling, writing, “This never-before-seen shot of @POTUS snorkeling shows him at ease in the sea he helped protect last year.”
The magazine reported that Obama was swimming around a remote reef halfway between California and China by the Midway Islands.
The President, who grew up in Hawaii, was on Midway’s Sand Island to call attention to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which the Obama administration has turned into the largest protected area.
In the report, Obama recalled his swim as an example nature’s resilience.
“I saw it,” Obama told the publication. “It was right there – evidence of the incredible power of nature to rebuild itself if we’re not consistently trying to tear it down.”