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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 animal encounter was when on holiday in Hawaii, I was swimming with friends from a beach when we spotted a turtle in the water and realized there were splashes on the water's surface around it and spotted further along the beach there were "fishermen" casting with lead weights trying to hit the turtle. I was a lot younger and I have no idea what went through my head but I swam to the turtle which stopped them trying to hit it and the turtle and I swam side my side for a hundred metres or so until it was out of range of the shore. I must have only been 10 metres away from it and could clearly see straight into it's left eye, it knew I was there and majestically swam on, unharmed.
  • C’était il ya longtemps ,Je venais de terminer l’année universitaire et je débarquai à Parikia sur Paros, une île des Cyclades . Des locaux nous hélaient, proposant des logements à un prix dérisoire,.N’y tenant plus, je courus vers la plage proche, sans un regard vers la foule des harangueurs. Je me défis de mon sac à dos et me retrouvai en maillot et tuba en quelques secondes. Je plongeais sans attendre dans les eaux transparentes et sur le fond marin ,je l’aperçus , tel un trésor qui m’attendait, une anémone des mers, animal-fleur , me souriait en étalant ses ondulantes tentacules.
  • Ma plus experience, on venait d’avoir le TG4., une petit virée dans la baie , mise à l ‘eau et là la chance une baleine à bosse au loin...tiens des touristes et si je venais leur faire mon show ... dix minutes de rêve où cette adolescente est venu se montrer sous toutes les coutures..en nous regardant les yeux dans les yeux le Graal ! Et de belles photos souvenirs...
  • I have taken some fabulous photos of Turtles in Barbados and tropical fish in the Seychelles with my ‘old’ Olympus Tough. Always surprises me that it continues to be waterproof!!
  • Llevo 45 años buceando y los cuatro últimos haciendo video submarino. Hace un mes compré una Olympus TG-5 y la semana pasada vi mi primer nudibranquio al que pude fotografiar a placer con el modo microscopio de la cámara. Impresionado con la belleza de ese pequeño mundo.
  • Det var när jag skulle simma i havet när jag var i Australien. Det kom en stor våg och sköljde över oss badande och jag visste inte riktigt vad göra, så jag rullade runt i vattnet. Badvakten var snabbt på plats men det gick bra. Blush
  • We'd been looking for grey nurse sharks in Byron Bay, Australia. Two swam below me. I tried not to move, but was slightly negatively buoyant, so started to sink.... possibly like a dead fish. The big male shark came up to investigate. Without taking my eyes off him I tried unsuccessfully to add some air into my lifejacket to stop myself sinking. Although he didn't look aggressive I was worried as he was coming up so close. We were 70 feet down. I decided a bite on the leg was preferable to an arm, so I leant back and as he came within an arms length I shut my eyes and kicked. To my relief he flicked away. My husband (who said he didn't want to be part of a feeding frenzy) then swam up to join me and we finned slowly to the surface with the sharks circling below. I was elated to survive the experience, though I know they are not known for their aggression. I think he was just curious.... but the dive boat skipper said it was very unusual for them to come up like that. He might have had a nibble!
  • My most memorable encounter was as a young man, snorkelling with my father and younger sister off Maui. The visibility was not great, my father had to clear his mask and just as he was treading water with his mask off, my sister yelled shark as she climbed over him pushing him under water. I looked around and about 3 meters away was a huge dark mass coming at us, at the last moment it wheeled over to reveal itself, a giant Manta ray. It circled us several times, giving my father a chance to see it too. We laughed for many a year recounting Dad's moment of fear.
  • My most impressive encounter was that with an oceanic white tip shark, aprox. 2.5m big, who came to say 'hello' and got very close. Beautifull and scary at the same time.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous
    My best moment was diving of the Turkish coast. A wonderful experience
  • In the Marquesas, in apnea, with about ten manta rays and hundreds of small jellyfish. An incredible beauty contest !
  • Lors d’une de mes sorties en apnée en Bretagne (près de St quay portrieux), j ‘étais entrain de rentrer de ma plongée ou je n’avais pas vu de poisson. J ‘étais déçu car je n avais rien pris en photo. Et là, instant magique un hippocampe croise ma route en plein milieu de l’eau. J’ai pu l admirer sous tout ses Angles et le capturer avec mon tg-870 fidèle compagnon de mes plongées.
  • Well, though I'm not exactly a diver, I do have a very impressive marine animal encounter when I was working in the dutch navy. As a flipper on the Zr. Ms. Bruinvis we often visited the northern waters and sometimes came up to "shallow" and the whole crew always jumped at the chance to get a glimpse of the "outside". It was at one of those moments we shallowed amongst some icestructures when I popped my head out for some fresh air and just as I was looking at the icey blue towers a Big orca surfaced inquisitively just few meters from the boat. Then another surfaced and two smaller ones. The whole group had decided to check out this new big fish in their pond! This is one of those times you remember, tinking: No one will believe me if I tell this story! If only I had had a camera!

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