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7 Ways to Enjoy the Ocean’s Wonders While You’re at Home

7 Ways to Enjoy the Ocean’s Wonders While You’re at Home

Written by Fernando Lopez
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Published on June 17, 2020

Craving a trip to the open seas? While you can’t book that beach or diving trip right now, staying home doesn’t mean you can’t explore the ocean. The lockdown has encouraged people to pursue hobbies, learn new skills, and enjoy various online contentincluding virtual underwater trips. So if you’re a diver or water sports enthusiast stuck at home, here are seven ways to (virtually) enjoy the ocean’s wonders.

Take a virtual dive tour

With most countries banning non-essential travel during the pandemic, divers are postponing trips to their dream dive destinations. But thanks to the Internet, you can still explore the deep blue through virtual dive tours. The best part? You won’t have to shell out cash to go on these tours: all you need is your computer and your Internet connection.

Some digital dive tours worth checking out include:

And if you’re looking for more specific virtual dives, the awesome 360° videos below might interest you.

SS Thistlegorm Wreck Tour

Find out what lies beneath this famous wreck site in this 360° video, including close-ups of the cargo holds, propellor, trucks, and locomotives.

Buck Island Reef

One of America’s first protected marine monuments takes center stage in this National Geographic video. Keep your eyes peeled for footage of tiny sea turtle hatchlings traveling across the reef at night.

Diving with Manta Rays in Raja Ampat

AirPano’s 360° video shows a manta ray swimming over a reef off Raja Ampat, Indonesia. The video might be short, but it’ll make you feel like you’re diving with this majestic ray, even if you’re at home.

Honorable mention: View & Plan

PADI and I Love the Sea join forces to give divers the View and Plan app (available on iOS and Android devices), with 67 panoramic images of the Red Sea. All panoramas feature geo-positioning, routes, and sea current data. This immersive app lets you go underwater while you’re at home, helping you plan for your next diving trip.

Download ocean-themed wallpapers

If virtual diving doesn’t tickle your fancy, having beautiful ocean wallpapers on your monitor or mobile device might be the next best thing. Lots of stock photo sites post stunning, high-res ocean backgrounds or photos that you can download and display on your screen. So even if you’re at home, you’ll feel like you’re swimming in the real seas. Don’t forget that inflatable pool!

Watch a documentary or movie about the open seas

Switch up your viewing experience during the lockdown with an ocean documentary. You’ll find a bunch of these documentaries on streaming sites and online stores, from the most popular ones to hidden gems. Watching a deep-sea documentary lets you learn more about our seas, the creatures living underwater, and how environmental issues are changing aquatic habitats.

To get you started, here are some documentaries worth checking out:

Filmmakers have produced lots of ocean-themed movies, too. Jaws, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, Free Willy, and more films put the sea and its residents front and center. Most of these movies appeal to all ages, meaning you can watch them with your family and friends.

Play video games with an underwater theme

Video games let you roam virtual worlds, including the deep blue sea! If you’re a diver who loves getting their game on, load one of these brilliant titles on your gaming system and explore the digital ocean.

Bioshock & Bioshock 2

Set in the fictional underwater city of Rapture, these underwater games offer diverse playing experiences. Bioshock lets you play as Jack, the illegitimate son of Rapture’s tyrannical leader, Andrew Ryan. And for that extra scary twist, you’ll face young girls (the “Little Sisters”) who victimize the city’s citizens.

Bioshock 2 differs significantly from the original game: you’re a “Big Daddy” named Subject Delta, a hulking suit of armor with a big drill and more weapons. The sequel follows the protagonist as he searches for Eleanor, a Little Sister previously bonded to him, across Rapture.

Subnautica

Like No Man’s Sky, Subnautica’s all about finding resources, completing objectives, and building bases, which are reminiscent of your usual RPG games. The game’s a perfect title if you’re after an in-depth underwater experience and endless hours of fun.

Abzu

Abzu is a simple yet unusual game as it keeps you moving with the virtual underwater world. The game’s also quite straightforward, but stunning dynamic scenes in-game keep it interesting. And while Abzu’s a short game, it’s still worth playing for the superb artwork.

SOMA

This ocean survival game doubles as a thriller: you’ll fear for your life while playing it. Plus, it’s a difficult game to conquer with tense moments and jump scares. If you’re into games with a bizarre, otherworldly horror vibe, you’ll love this thrilling title.

Learn more about the numerous species living in the open seas

Like ocean documentaries, reading up on marine species lets you learn more about these fascinating creatures. Oceana’s Marine Life Encyclopedia covers all sea creatures and aquatic habitats, including some rarely seen critters. And if you want to expand your knowledge even further, the Internet’s got countless other resources you can look into during your free time.

Learning more about the diverse marine life in our seas reminds us of how important it is to protect these creatures. Plus, poring over educational content is an excellent way to pass the time while you’re at home.

You can also check out AquaViews’ “Explore the Blue”, which is a guide to the diverse marine life and ecosystems found in the world’s oceans. 

Read an ocean-themed book

The ocean has inspired writers for millennia, resulting in written works that spotlight the deep blue and the problems affecting it. Not only do books about the ocean educate us on its beauty and bounty, but they also remind us why we must fight to protect these waters. The following works do just that:

  • Salmon: A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate Dig deep into the salmon’s history. This book comes complete with eye-catching illustrations and photos.
  • The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier Author Ian Urbina chronicles illegal fishing, overfishing, arms trafficking, labor abuses, and even murder across the world’s major oceans.
  • Moby Dick Reading Captain Ahab’s quest for vengeance against the novel’s titular protagonist makes you think about our relationship with the sea, especially with the problems our waters are facing.

Get up close & personal with sea critters via live streaming

Live streams of animals from zoos, aquariums, and shelters have been around for quite some time, giving animal lovers the chance to virtually see them up close. The Monterey Bay Aquarium live cams are a great example: these real-time videos let you view the aquarium’s aquatic residents and exhibits any time you want.