Planet Earth - Amazon rainforest underwater

The Underwater Wildlife of the Brazilian Amazon
After a bout of heavy rainfall in southwestern Brazil, what is ordinarily a rainforest hiking path has been transformed into a stunning underwater vista.

The beautiful footage that is currently doing the rounds othe Internet was filmed at Recanto Ecológico Rio da Prata, which is within a Private Reserve of Natural Heritage that's criss-crossed with crystal clear rivers that wind their way through the rainforest. Normally, visitors can hike the trails around the reserve, before taking a dip in the Rio Olha d’Agua or the Rio da Prata and snorkeling with the fish.

But after heavy rainfall at the beginning of this month, tourists visiting the reserve got a rare chance to do both at the same time. The high waters inundated the surrounding forest, and rather than turning into a muddy, silty mess, the crystal clear waters created an astonishing underwater wonderland.

While this doesn't happen often, it's not the first time this has occurred. In fact, it may have unusually happened twice this month. The results, however, are typically short lived.

“Despite the flood, on the day the video was recorded the waters of the river Olho D’Agua remained crystal clear due to their conserved riparian forest and being inside a Private Reserve of Natural Heritage,” the caption on the video states. “This was a rare episode, and by the end of the day, the river had returned to its normal level.”