Alan Harris adds:
"(Don't bother to attack that, as I can't/won't offer any reasoning, lol.)"
Thanks for responding - no attack observed or intended. Like you, I prefer to avoid offering any "reasoned" line of defense, preferring to offer data, and opinions. That being said, I'll simply try to apply known art to the question. By projecting implied vanishing point construction lines to the photo, I still cannot visualize prop clearance greater than about 28 inches in the photo provided. Please understand that the photo does not represent the hypothesized condition of an Electra on a Niku reef. The loaded condition of the aircraft in the photo is unkown, as is the tilt or condition of the "landing" surface (Niku has no cacti, for example). There are more unknown variables that would effect a "reef landed" condition.
There have been some other, previous, suggestions of prop clearance, based on things like Harney drawings, Museum representations, etc, that I think would be appropriate to add in here. Please do so...