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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

  • Diving with sea lions, whale sharks and whales on the same diving in Loreto, Baja California, Mexico
  • J'ai toujours en mémoire les moments intenses de rencontres avec la vis sous marine à travers le mode et toujours accompagné de mon TG4. La rencontre des baleines à la Réunion, les tortues des Seychelles, du Sri Lanka et des Maldives....et tous les merveilleux poissons multicolores.
  • Divind with docens of differente types of nudibranch in Malapascua, Philippines, and the very same day with thresher sharks
  • First learning to snorkel as a kid in Spain & France on holiday with my family, exploring the shallow waters, and seeing interesting shells on the sea floor.
  • haven't got any underwater stories with a camera, except in the 1960's used to snorkel in the marine reserve just off Malindi, East Africa where we could see the beautiful fish. Cameras were out of ordinary reach of little boys, but if will I can go back and take photos underwater
  • My best experience was at the Princess Alice Bank off the coast of Pico island. There were not so many Mobula rays that day, but the few that were seemed to dance slowly under us. Afterwards when we came up, the sight of the volcano bright in the sunlight was majestic.
  • Night diving in Borneo, lying on the sea-bed and watching the plankton fluorescing in my bubbles on their way to the surface. Priceless.
  • One of the most impressive encounters took place while kayaking in Cork Harbour near Roches Point. It was late February, early March, there was some heave because of the wind, the tide was getting high, directing the currents inland. I went by water on Church Bay beach. And paddled in the direction of the lighthouse that regularly disappeared behind the rising waves. Suddenly I saw the shape of a dolphin diving up from a wave in the distance. A bit later another one. They were heading for the direction of White Bay, into the harbour. I turned the kayak in that direction. A couple of minutes later a dolphin came up at my right side, quite near, mustering me. I was thrilled. After a while it swam forward vividly and turned on it's back in front of the kayak. It made itself rise out of the water by swimming on the back of it’s tale-fin for a short distance. Another dolphin came near. There was a whole school, mothers with youngsters too. They were swimming around and playing in the bay. It became time for me to return to my starting point because of the changing tide. A couple of days later I told a fisherman about the encounter. He said it had been years since there were dolphins near in Cork Harbour, and that I was very lucky to see them up close.
  • First time I dove in open water, in Kenya, the water was a bit blurry. Then a bit further away, it cleared up and just in front of us, on the seabed, was resting an hammer head shark ! Very impressive to face a shark there for the first time ! Quickly enough he left ! Too bad I did not have a camera with me !
  • Bonjour. Ma plus grande expérience fut la première fois que j'ai fait de la plongée sous marine, je n'étais qu'un jeune ado et ce monde du silence m'a profondément marqué : ce n'était pas le plus beau des endroits du globe pour faire de la plongée mais j'ai apprécié ce calme et la facilité avec laquelle les poissons avançaient. Le snorkeling est une bonne façon de pénétrer dans le grand bleu. Bonne journée à tous
  • A couple of years ago I visited the Columbretes Islands, volcanic islands located off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. I have had the opportunity to dive in the transparent waters that surround the islands and I have been fascinated by the diversity of species and their magnificent colors.
  • Some fantastic images and experiences detailing the wonders of our other world.
  • Snorkelling in Galapagos with all the different creatures. Most fun were the young seals. They were playing with my mask and liked my camera, Olympus my8000;)
  • Durante un'immersione notturna l'incontro con una ballerina spagnola (Hexabranchus sanguineus) che ci ha deliziato di un'armoniosa danza alla luce delle nostre torce, sembrava una danzatrice illuminata nel buio dal faro di un occhio di bue su un palcoscenico !!! Emozionante ...
  • How amazing the underwater world is! I experienced just a taster snorkeling off Cairns at Micklemass Cay on the Barrier Reef; clear water, giant clams, blue fish. It doesn't need much of the undersea world to make an impression. It would be great to see more.

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