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Dive-b-log

The World Oceans Day 2020

Innovation for a sustainable Ocean: Topic of the year
If you’re a diver, snorkeler or just love being at the beach we invite you to comment on your experiences
and share your thoughts on this emotive issue for your chance to win one of the three fabulous prizes on offer.

See the thoughts of Thomas Van Puymbroeck below, one of our ambitious underwater photography visionaries, who is very passionate about this subject.


Conservation versus consumption… that’s the question

Worldwide our oceans and their inhabitants are currently under enormous pressure. Human population is growing and so is our need for food.
Historically only 100 years ago there were plenty of fish in our oceans, but now it’s getting critical for some species. For example: each year 100 million sharks are hunted and killed, mostly for their fins. If we want a sustainable ocean full of fish, we need those sharks because everything is linked together in the food chain of life. If you skim from the top of the food pyramid - the sharks - everything below will simply collapse.
But there is hope: more and more people are starting to realize the benefits of a healthy ocean: numerous approved sanctuaries are growing to preserve nature’s delicate equilibrium.


Thomas Van Puymbroeck • PEN E-PL1 • M.ZUIKO Digital ED 12-50mm F3.5-5.6 • PT-EP01 

If you protect a certain area of the ocean through a sanctuary it allows the fish to thrive, breed and explore the wider ocean, often returning to the safety of the sanctuary to breed again. Only after allowing a couple of generations to breed uninterrupted should we be allowed to fish again, otherwise we run the risk of overfishing with the very real danger of whole species becoming extinc.


This is what is happening now in certain sanctuaries with the shark population. Having protected a section of reef the whole eco system is getting a second chance, with smaller fish returning and attracting even smaller macro life. Once this begins it can expand to other reefs and underwater life will start to thrive again. This all stems from the observation of sharks at the top of the food chain.


Thomas Van Puymbroeck • OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO • PT-EP14

With the ecological systems all being interlinked, by protecting the oceans we humans benefit alongside the sub marine life. Former fishermen change professions to become wildlife protectors defending the seas against poachers and ensuring divers and tourists understand the rules of the ocean and gain maximum enjoyment from the waters they explore.

Thomas Van Puymbroeck • OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO • PT-EP14


Now that the success of these sanctuaries is growing, divers and underwater photographers are willing to pay large fees for access to visit the ever increasingly beautiful wildlife. It is therefore vitally important that we ensure the funds continue to be used to regenerate the great conservation work being undertaken. This way everybody wins, from the local communities to the amazing underwater world that we enjoy as divers or just from admiring the fabulous photography we can appreciate here.

By supporting the conservation work in the sanctuaries this way I am sure that our ocean eco system will thrive and we can sustain the fishing industry too.


Author and Photographer: Thomas Van Puymbroeck

What is your experience with the Ocean?

To mark this very special day, we invite you to participate in this year’s raffle
celebrating our glorious oceans.

  • First prize is the Olympus Tough TG-6 Snorkeling Photography Kit.
  • Second prize is our great Tough Adventure Pack.
  • Third prize is the super practical TankH2O drink bottle.

What to do:
If you are not signed up yet as a MyOlympus user, quickly click here, register and refresh your browser or click here after signing up. If you are already a MyOlympus user, log in here.

Take a moment to think about your own experiences with the ocean.

Share with us your most memorable moment using your Olympus Tough (or any other Olympus cameras) on the beach, from a boat or underwater and simply give this article a like and comment under this blogpost before June 22, 2020 --> raffle is closed !

Please view our Terms & Conditions

Comments

  • bought a new olympus camera for our trip to tenerife, where we went for a boat trip to see dolphins and whales. my grand children still found it the max to look at the videos i took then
  • An unbelievable diving experience with my TG-5 at a remote feeding station in the Maldives (North Atoll). Manta rays in their dozens swarmed all over us as we sat and watched at the shallow depths of 15m. A truly amazing experience as the Mantas were playing with divers bubbles, flying through and above. It was as if they were deliberately socialising with us. An unforgettable experience and I was a happy bunny...the TG-5 was in overdrive :-)
  • As a OM-D User I'm not afraid to bring my camera also to the beach. After a long year, also the camera should enjoy the family holiday and follow us everywhere we go. Too many unique moments are not captured in the family photo book, because the old camera have to stay at home (too big, too fragile, ...) But with Olympus we are able to freeze also this enjoyable memories for us and our kids.
  • Wir leben hier in Schleswig-Holstein mit dem Meer, nahe an der Küste. Die ständig wechselnden Stimmungen zwischen Himmel und Meer sind immer wieder eine Herausforderung für jeden Fotografen!!
  • We where diving in the Red Sea, and saw an Dugong. We watched it, while grazing. After a while the cow turn herself around, and starts too cuddle with her back the see bed, like a little Cat. Luckily had my PEN E-PL5 in the Underwater housing, and i could get some images.
  • Last year I did my first wide angle photos with my TG5 in Tubbataha, an incredible dive atoll in Philippines. I took many beautiful photos (sharks, whale sharks, school of Jackfish, barracudas, turtles ...)
  • It was the beginning of the 1990s, My friend and I ventured to Phuket, Thailand, in its early years as a tourist destination. A sign for boat trips promised the world’s clearest see water. We went. Me with my trusty Olympus mu 1 taking shots of the islands, fellow travellers and open seas. The snorkelling was incredible. Forty metres visibility. It was my first experience if coral that left me breathless: the vibrancy of colour and the myriad of fish all seemingly unconcerned by our presence. I would have stayed forever, but that would have been folly. I returned to Phuket within one year. The pace of growth was astounding. The dusty roads replaced by tarmac, hotels stood new and welcoming where trees once stood proud and there were tourists everywhere. And as for the ‘clearest sea water’...gone, to be replaced by waters churned brown by boats ferrying tourists to more new hotels. This was my only experience of the natural beauty of the oceans, of unbleached coral. What followed was my first experience of natural beauty too easily lost by the destruction imposed upon our oceans by Humanity’s selfish behaviours.
  • diving Tiger beach in the bahamas with my E-M1 II. Lady, a 5m pregnant female tigger shark got annoyed with me getting to close so she grabbed my strobes, and took off with my camera .... before spitting it out 5min later ... without damage !
  • During a trip to a paradise island, the hotel organized a snorkeling trip on the other side of the reef. It was wonderful, especially for me who had never left my country and had only seen these wonders in pictures in albums on the subject. I had an unexpected encounter there. I found myself face to face with a fish. In my memories it was a moray eel. As a result, I began to make great movements backwards to get away from this sea monster, which caused a lot of commotion, bubbles and above all distress to the people who were with me. They thought I was being attacked by a shark, but all they saw was a trumpet fish. As a result, today, at every family reunion I am the object of great laughter with a nice description and movement of my reaction because I was afraid of a small fish.
  • Port Elizabeth, South Africa: We were out in the bay. Looking up in the sky, trying to make out any movements of birds. The sea birds know where the sardines are. We finally spotted them and made it over the spot. I couldn't believe my eyes: whales, dolphins, sea lions, sharks and birds feeding on sardines. This was why I came here in the first place. To witness the sardine run. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't even hold my camera. Feelings of joy, contentment and "not being able to believe this" overcame me. My eyes filled with tears of joy. When we got in the water, I was surrounded by wildlife. It was hard to tell where the sardines were headed. I tried to spot the centre of the bait ball when all of a sudden a giant Bryde's Whale rose in front of me. Propelling tons of his weight out of the water. And then coming down on me. For a moment, my heart stopped. I tried to protect my face with my arms as the whale's belly pushed me down a couple of meters. I took a video of this moment with my camera - you couldn't see much, but the white belly with its dark stripes was clearly visible. Later that night, I would find out that my story wasn't even the most unbelievable one of the day. Our guide ended up in the mouth of the very same whale and was spit out again split-seconds later. The photographer had even captured this moment - him in the whale's mouth, me and my snorkel in the back. You can see some of those photos by googling whale port elizabeth man.
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  • Thank you for sharing this impactful message about the World Oceans Day 2020 theme "Innovation for a sustainable Ocean"! Thomas Van Puymbroeck's perspective on conservation versus consumption is truly thought-provoking and highlights the delicate balance between human needs and the health of our oceans. I have a few questions that delve deeper into this vital topic: Beyond protecting sanctuaries, are there other innovative solutions or technologies being developed to combat overfishing and promote sustainable fishing practices? what are some key challenges and opportunities for achieving a truly sustainable ocean for future generations? Read more at munbyn.com/.../how-to-make-temporary-tattoos
  • I love spending time at the ocean - it's so calming! Protecting our oceans is so important. By the way, if you like intense stories, you should check out Mr A's Farm . The ocean theme reminds me of its mysterious vibe. Let's all do our part to keep the waters clean! https://mrasfarm.com/ [Mr A’s Farm ]

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