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The World Oceans Day 2019

Gender and Ocean – how are these two connected? Not at all – you might think. Quite much, however, is the answer. Gender and Ocean is this year’s topic for the World Oceans Day. Celebrate this day with us, find out more about why the world’s oceans are so impressive and
take part in a fantastic raffle.

Each year on the 8th of June, people all over the world celebrate the ocean and try their best to change its story. In doing so, they celebrate each and every life on this wonderful planet. Because no matter where you are and no matter how far you might be situated from any coastline, you are somehow connected to the ocean.

Why?

The oceans are the lifeblood of our planet and the source of all life. Not only do they hold over 95% of the planet’s water, they produce more than half of the oxygen in our atmosphere, are said to be important for 50% of the breaths we take and absorb a lot of carbon. But there’s more to it.

 Ann Karin Matberg • OM-D E-M1 • M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye 
• PT-EP11 • PPO-EP02 • 2 x UFL-3

In many ways, the ocean acts as a regulator of our climate. By soaking up the heat and transporting water of different temperatures all over the planet, it regulates the weather, the temperatures as well as rains and droughts in many places and it makes most parts habitable by keeping the balance. And speaking about habitation – the ocean does not only help to make our planet such a great home to us, it is also a home to the greatest abundance of life including some of the smallest and some of the biggest creatures there are. From critter to whales – there is a variety of life in the oceans that is hard to imagine from ashore and that we can only do our best to partly capture with our lenses.

Gender and Ocean - The oceans also provide us with food. That goes hand in hand with the fact that they create many jobs – not only for fishermen. From tourism and transport to water sports businesses: many industries and jobs are highly connected to and dependent on the ocean – and its condition. And it goes without saying that a (commercial) world – and our supermarkets – are quite hard to imagine without ocean freight.

Marcin Dobas – Exciting encounter with steller sea lions

Marcin Dobas • OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 PRO
• PT-EP-14 • PPO-EP02 • UFL-3

For many divers, underwater encounters with marine mammals are an unforgettable experience. Whenever I meet a dolphin, a seal or an eared seal (Otariidae), I am sure that I have just met an incredibly intelligent creature which enjoys our encounter as much as I do.
The goal of my last photographic diving expedition was the coat of Kamchatka coast. To some of you, this idea may seem absurd. Everyone who starts diving dreams about the warm waters of the South Seas, the sun, the coral reefs and orange clownfish playing in the water.
The water around the peninsula of Kamchatka, however, is cold, the visibility is not good and the biodiversity is limited. So – why go there? […]

Read the whole story


Juan José Sáez Méndez - The great white shark

 Juan José Saéz • OM-D E-M1 Mark II • M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
• PT-EP14 • PPO-E04 • 2 x UFL-3

On my second trip to Guadeloupe I wanted to capture the behaviour of the great white shark in my pictures. With the help of my results as well as the information provided by the scientists who work with these animals, I wanted to explain or rather express the importance that these special animals have in the ecosystem and show what is being done to protect them. 

The great white shark is an alpha predator that is at the top of the food chain and that, in theory, should not be at risk because it has barely any natural predators. Unfortunately, the great white shark is still on the red list of the worldwide endangered species due to direct or accidental catches in fishing nets, the constant pollution of the seas and the warming or narrowing of their natural habitat. This makes us humans their main predator. […]

Read the whole story

Karin Brussard  - Dolphins – my experience after waiting for 20 years!

 Karin Brussard • OM-D E-M1 MarkII • M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm F2.0
• PT-EP14 • PPO-E02

In the 20 years that I’ve been diving, I’ve taken a lot of photos; from seahorses measuring a mere centimetre to swimming elephants. But I’ve never encountered a dolphin. Until now.For this mission, we chose to search in a large area in the Bahamas which is home to around twenty dolphins. Everyone on the boat was on the lookout. As the hours passed, my hopes began to fade once again. There wasn’t a single dolphin fin to be seen across the wide expanse of water. My attention wandered after just two seconds, I gave up and went to do something else. […]

Read the whole story

What’s your story? 

To celebrate this very special day with you, we have prepared a raffle for you.
As first prize you can win a brand new TG-6 with its Underwater Case.
Second prize is the cool Tough Adventure Pack and the
Third prize is a practical H2O drink bottle


What to do:

  1. If you are not signed up yet as a MyOlympus user, quickly click here, register and refresh your browser or click here after having signed up. In case you are already signed up, log in here and you will get back to this page.
  2. Like this blogpost and think about your most impressive animal encounter/underwater experience so far.
  3. Write a short comment under this blogpost in which you describe this experience
    until June 22th, 2019. --> raffle is closed !


Please view our Terms & Conditions

Thank you very much for your participation.
Your Olympus Underwater Photography World

Comments

  • My most impressive encounter underwater was that during my training for my Padi Advanced course (divenumber 15 only) I was diving with several manta rays. They were swimming in circles and one of them stopped next to me and hooked at me every time he/she finished the circles. This went on for about 15 minuten. It was a wonderful experience which i will never forget for the rest of my life.
  • je n'ai pas encore eu de grandes expériences sous-marine, un peu de plongée en apnée il y a quelques années, dans les eaux près de Trieste (Italie) où des bancs de petits poissons tournaient tout autour de moi et où il fallait faire attention où l'on posait les pieds à cause des nombreux oursins , j'espère justement en avoir avec ce petit jouet, pour vous en faire part, mieux vaut des photos que des paroles :) bonne journée
  • The encounter that I remember best and was most impressive (even after seeing in one of my later dives a school of hammerhead sharks close by) was the first time I saw a manta ray during my first live-aboard. They move so gracious even in strong currents and at the same time are so gigantic when they hover above and around you, it makes you feel humble in the water.
  • The most impressive animal encounter I’ve had durin diving was 1999 when I worked as a Divemaster in Thailand. I managed a dive at Similan islands. The visibility was not great and the current was strong. Suddenly from the blue, a approximately 3-4m shark appeared and swam parallel to us. It wasn’t the standard black tip, white tip or nurse shark. It was huge. The diving tourists was both terrified and flabbergasted when we broke the surface.
  • My most memorable encounter under water was not the most impressive but moved me. I was snorkeling on Maui Island and I suddenly saw three small cuttlefish trying to swim away from me as quickly as possible. They released some ink to protect themselves from me as I was backing to give them more space. It was a glimpse into those beings lives that I will never forget.
  • My most impressive encounter was at age 16. I just started scubadiving for the first time. My cousin took me diving at Westpoint Curaçao. He had heard there was a whaleshark nearby. We dove for about 20 minutes when he grabbed my arm and pointed ahead, it was no whaleshark but two manta rays. That moment i fell even more in love with the ocean. This summer i will return to Curaçao after 23 years ( I'm 50 now) to show my children, just how gorgeous the Caribbean sea is. So this camera would be amazing. Jennifer
  • Aux Galapagos il y a 35 ans, en faisant du snorkeling, il y avait une otarie à 5 mètres de moi. Soudain il m'a foncé dessus et au dernier moment il m'a glissé sous le ventre!!
  • My most impressive encounter was on my holiday to Tenerife and I had the honor of a dolphin swimming with me. The contact was just magical like they could talk. If only I could have a picture of that moment to remember it by.
  • hi all, my biggest impression is Chukotka , dived into the lake Manica , where there are stone age fish, lobe-finned loach .
  • I had the brightest collision with the underwater world in Valencia. There I visited the oceanographic park for the first time - it was very impressive. Then I watched a performance with dolphins and was very jealous of people who work with dolphins because it’s wonderful. Since then, I want to take part in a volunteer marine animal care program.
  • I was under water and when I got to the surface there was this very big crocodile. Turned out to be a funny guy with a plastic one so everything turned out ok Blush
  • My most impressive underwater encouter was with my 5 year old son, who suddenly dared to jump in the pool on holiday with his sisters' goggles.
  • During our dive trip at Bali we went out to a dive spot called Gili Mimpang for a nice drift dive. At the end of the dive at 30 metre depth we encountered a huge Mola Mola. We were only with four divers. We hang there for 9 minutes and enjoyed this unbelievable scene of the Mola Mola at its cleaning station. She every now and then winked an eye to check if we did not come to near. After a what seemed half an our we left her and ended the dive. We consider this as our most memorable dive ever. Blush
  • My best encounter underwarter was diving with sharks in Sipadan, Malaysia.
  • Not a big encounter and not even a rare encounter but the first time underwater, any fish any crab any sealife is wunderful and special. The sensation of being face to face with the underwater world I will never forget that magical feeling.

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