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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 favourite underwater experience was beneath the shadow of beachy head cliffs on south coast of England. Rock pooling with my mum and finding all kinds of creatures and sea plants. Just magical. Childhood memories are so precious.
  • Mimitai : ma plus belle expérience avec l'océan je l'ai vécu l'an dernier en ayant réalisé le rêve de toute une vie aller en Polynésie, je ne plonge pas mais j'aime me promener sur les océans ou les mers en observant, du bateau ou en nageant avec un masque, la faune et la flore aquatique. Voir un bénitier s'ouvrir et se fermer sur son passage, voir un requin vous passer à quelques décimètres ou une raie manta, si douce au touché, vous frôlez, un poisson lune traverser son chemin c'est fantastique et merveilleux. C'est tout un programme à la fois d'émerveillement, d'étonnement, de régulation du stress et une prise de conscience profonde de la nécessité de protéger les océans et les espèces qui y vivent . Prendre des photos instantanés c'est comme témoigner en justice, c'est dire sa vérité rien que sa vérité sur ce qui est.
  • mon impression la plus marquante a été avec des barracudas un soir de pleine lune sur une plage de Guadeloupe. Nous étions entre cousins, et on voyaient un banc de poisson frétiller au bords de plage alors qu'on se baignait. c'était magnifique il était brillant avec le clair de lune et sautait hors de l'eau. nous avons ensuite remarqué que des poissons un peu plus gros les chassais et les rabattaient sur le rivage. nous avons essayé d’attraper les barracudas a mains nues. Ils nous glissaient entre les doigts et passaient a toute allure entre nos jambes. ce n'est qu'en sortant de l'eau qu'un oncle nous a expliqué que ces poissons avaient des dents assez grosses et acéré. si nous savions nous nous serions abstenu de leurs courir après. my most impressive encounter was with barracudas on a full moon night on a Guadeloupe beach. We were like cousins, and you could see a school of fish floating on the beach while you were swimming. It was beautiful it was brilliant with moonlight and jumped out of the water. Then we noticed that a little bigger fish were chasing them and dragging them back to shore. we tried to catch the barracudas with our bare hands. They slipped between our fingers and quickly passed between our legs. It was only when an uncle came out of the water that he explained to us that these fish had pretty big, sharp teeth. If we knew we would have refrained from chasing after them.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous
    My most impressive encounters when big whale shark swam right next to me when I was scuba diving in Nusa Penida. It's was still baby. Only about 8 meters long but still I never forget how big and fast it was.
  • Durante un viaje de buceo en Maldivas, después de bucear en el Atolón volviendo al barco nos cruzamos con un Tiburón Ballena de frente que pasó por debajo mía y estuve buceando en superficie con él durante 10 minutos... Espectacular!
  • Soy instructor de buceo recreativo, así que tengo muchas experiencias submarinas memorables. Pero en mi opinión, los momentos cuando estoy tranquilo, quieto, sin aletear ni moverme y las criaturas marinas se olvidan de que estoy ahí y siguen comportándose como normalmente lo harían sin mi presencia, esos momentos, aportan una sensación que no se puede comparar con nada; simplemente estoy ahí y soy uno más del paisaje. Intento siempre que puedo no ser un visitante ocasional, sino formar parte del conjunto.
  • I do love to watch underwater pics. - Juan José Sáez Méndez - The great white shark- very impressive Thanks for sharing I do not dive, run or do any demanding activities due to physical handicap. My Pen- EPL9 take me out for walks... Have a great summer!
  • Diving in the Maldives and coming across a turtle munching on the coral. The best thing in a holiday of many best things.
  • I was fortunate enough to dive HMAS Swan, just off the Margaret River coastline in Australia - coicidentally on my way down to Albany to watch HMAS Perth being sunk as an artifical reef. An utterly magical experience... descending down via the bow rope attached to the ship, it was a truly "Titanic moment" as the bow slowly came into view below. Wonderful.
  • Only scuba dived once an amazing experience on a grey overcast day. Slipping underwater was like watching a black and white movie transferring into technicolour. Truly mesmerising how bright and vibrant it was under the surface.
  • My most impressive encounter whilst I was diving in the Maldive Islands when I was in the Royal Air Force, I looked down and just below where the reef drops down I saw my first White Tipped Shark, followed by a Manta Ray following me for company, a once in a lifetime experience i will never forget.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous
    The most impressive animal experience so far was a sea turtle in western greece Zacharo area. Many creatures like this make their nest on the beach during summer to leave their eggs.
  • My most impressive animal/underwater encounter was on the Gulf Coast of Florida about 10 years ago. I was only in shallow waters but had a Manatee swim right in front of me; I mean literally in front of me within arms distance away from me, I could've literally touched him/her. I adore Manatees so it was an AMAZING experience. Then after hearing from a local that seeing Manatee is pretty rare and to see them that close up. I tried to take a picture but at the time but the Manatee was so close I couldn't make out the whole animal. A simply beautiful moment.
  • I’m not a diver but do a lot of snorkelling and my best encounter was in Jordan. We saw a group of divers putting their gear on and asked for their recommendations. They told us to follow them in so far so we did and the fish were just there in front of us. I managed to avoid a cute looking stonefish lying on the bottom. Just before we left Jordan we did a glass bottom boat tour and they took us back to the same spot. Jordan is beautiful and the underwater bits are fabulous. XX
  • My best time under water is when I roll my seakayak and can see clear, clean sea water without any plastic and other rubbish.....

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