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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

  • Long before the times of any digital camera, let alone of an Olympus Tough TG-6, I had my most memorable underwater experience at the small Greek island Anafi. I had followed the footpath to the tiny white monastery enthroned on top of the mountain cliff at the Eastern end of Anafi, had enjoyed the endless view to the horizon of a seemingly shipless calm Aegean sea and now walked along the southern coastline with its mixture of sandy beaches and rocky shores. I couldn’t ignore the call of the mermaids, who on that day had disguised as blue cool water. Seawaterwise I had packed light: Just a pair of swimming trunks, goggles and a small towel. Not enough to catch the white whale, but sufficient for a relaxing slow-slow underwater-view swim along the shore. I observed grey pebbles being rolled back and forth over the dark-golden sand by the harmless breakers, watched long-haired algae clinging to rocks and dancing in the rhythm of the waves. Took a breath here and there, drifted almost motionless face down on the water surface, waiting for the silvery scaled natives to overcome their fear of me, the strange giant alien creature not able to breathe underwater. Finally I reached the rocky end of the beach and explored deeper realms of Neptune’s empire. I dived along the bolders, which were stacked under and over water, forming channels and tunnels. And there it was: An underwater cone of light at the end of one of those tunnels. A wide magic beam. A promise of a secret place. My heart was beating in my throat, I took a final breath, dived along the tunnel, followed the light and surfaced in the bright sun. My secret paradise was a small one, but it was mine. The opening was just wide enough to float for a while in the sun’s rays, calm down my heartbeat until I was ready to follow the light down again, first casting glances only. I realized that my presence took away a big part of the magic: My shadow diminuished the beam significantly. So I decided to restore the beauty, dived down, bathed once more in water and light and left the small paradise for future wiser discoverers. May be it will be you?
  • My most impressive animal encounter was on the Ningaloo reef (West Coast of Australia) during a day of snorkling at Lakeside: I encountered and swam with a turtle in a perfect water... Here is an article I wrote about it (in French), with most pictures coming from an EM-10 mark ii onauraitdu.com/.../
  • My most impressive underwater experience was when i was diving for the first time in my life, located in the sea of bali, and i was diving at a depth of 10m. An enormous turtle kept swimming with me for a while, surrounded with fish of all colours, and at that moment i was dissapointed i didn’t brought my gopro, (the diving instructor told me it was not safe to bring a camera first time diving)... Since that day i kept diving during my summer holiday last year, and this summer i would love to dive again and capture a lot of beautifull underwater footage with better equipment!
  • Happy to join your Blog!!!!!
  • J’emmène mon TG5 partout en plongée (Bali, Mexique, Méditerrané ) et je suis pas déçu des photos elle sont superbe. Le rapport qualité/prix pour des amateurs est le meilleur. I Love TG Tough
  • Shark Tila, middle of Ari atoll in Maldives archipelago, dozens of grey sharks, a continous Catherine wheel of sweetlips fishes, and then the "usual" turn around of turtles, barracuda, .... I was diving with three Nikonos camera and after 15 inutes I already finish all the rolls!
  • Most impressive moment? Well it’s not what you’d expect. First time I got sweept away by a wave I Corsica. It just grabbed me on my way up from the ocean, tossed me around, slamed me against the rocks. Some how I managed to get up on a rock and climb out. I was cut up pretty bad but I was alive. I could have been dead. I was not a strong swimmer back then and I was naive to the forces of the sea. It demands respect. But some were I was utterly impressed. Never experienced forces lake that. Now days I’m a much stronger swimmer, but I have huge amounts of respect for the water.
  • Most impressive moment? Well it’s not what you’d expect. First time I got sweept away by a wave I Corsica. It just grabbed me on my way up from the ocean, tossed me around, slamed me against the rocks. Some how I managed to get up on a rock and climb out. I was cut up pretty bad but I was alive. I could have been dead. I was not a strong swimmer back then and I was naive to the forces of the sea. It demands respect. But some were I was utterly impressed. Never experienced forces lake that. Now days I’m a much stronger swimmer, but I have huge amounts of respect for the water.
  • …..it is fourteen years that I go to Red Sea…. it is 14 years that I collect plastic bags and plastic bottles in the sea and in the beaches…. so I feel very concerned by the Oceans Day!!!! … I do little ... I do something….but I know it is nothing in front of the huge problem... http://www.habibielquseir.com/
  • L'incontro più impressionante è stato in mar Rosso, Marsalam, novembre 2011,finito il fiato in apnea, risalgo dal reef, sbucando esattamente in faccia ad un barracuda enorme, almeno 2 metri, naso a naso massimo 20 cm!!!!! Ricordo i suoi denti, era immobile, io mi sono bloccato...poi con molta cautela mi sono allontanato....un colpo al cuore.... The most impressive meeting was in the Red Sea, Marsalam, November 2011, out of breath in apnea, I go up from the reef, coming out exactly in the face of a huge barracuda, at least 2 meters, nose to nose maximum 20 cm !!!!! I remember his teeth, he was still, I got stuck ... then with great caution I moved away .... a blow to the heart ....
  • Hacer submarinismo y traerte de regreso fantásticas fotografías submarinas , no tiene precio ...
  • I have been diving for many years, but on my last trip to the Red Sea, at the beginning of the dive, a group of dolphins came to meet us. one of the dolphins stayed and played with a piece of dead coral and stayed with us for at least 10 minutes! it will remain in our memories forever, a wonderful moment.
  • Watching green turtles lay eggs at night on a small island off Borneo.
  • My most impressive encounter underwater was snorkeling with several whale sharks in the Maldvies: They are so peaceful, huge and amazing. I will never forget this experience.
  • No puedo relatar una fecha o evento memorable, son demasiados y demasiado entrañables. Sumergirse en el mar mediterráneo, en la Costa Brava, ya de por si es una gran aventura, algo extraordinario que, al menos una vez en la vida, todo ser humano debería experimentar. Conocer las profundidades marinas, aunque sean las más cercanas, es una invitación a respetar el entorno donde vivimos, es bello, inmensamente bello observar sin dañar la vida, desde un pez curioso hasta los bosques de Posidonia que habitan el lecho marino. Todo el mar es un gran espectáculo, un regalo que debemos preservar..

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