The Marine Diaries: Telling the Stories of the Ocean 2.0

3 Jun

Undersea explorations bewitch us with fascination as they make us dive into a mysterious world we don’t usually see, deep below the surface.

Over the past century, courageous and passionate explorers have pushed the boundaries to bring us back images of these sunken treasures. Some of them will remain in the logbooks of history forever...

Jacques Cousteau, the late and globally celebrated French Ocean Exploration Pioneer, co-created the first successful underwater SCUBA in 1943, the Aqua-Lung. This invention, with partner Emile Gagnan, of a self-contained system made it possible to breathe for long periods of time underwater, and assisted him in producing some of the first ocean documentaries. His films introduced millions of people to the hidden wonders of the underwater world and brought us a new outlook on the planet.

Sylvia Earle, the renowned American marine biologist and oceanographer who pioneered the development of deep-sea submersibles is referred to as ‘Her Deepness’. Her dedication to the Oceans made her swim her way to fame so much so that she has now become one the biggest icons of the environmental movement together with David Attenborough or Jane Goodall. She holds the record for the deepest walk on the sea floor, and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998.

The Source of Life… or the Urgency of Marine Protection

One thing all ocean explorers have in common apart from their love of the sea is a deep understanding that we need to protect our oceans and all have voiced their concerns for what is Earth’s number one and most important ecosystem.

Already in his time, Jacques Cousteau alerted the world about the warming of the oceans well before climate change dominated headlines around the world.

In the age of global warming, the ocean is experiencing unprecedented stresses: temperatures are rising, sea levels are inching up, the water is acidifying and corals are bleaching. Marine wildlife is experiencing more pressure beyond industrial fishing, pollution and other environmental stressors.

Yet, there is hope: the ocean is the largest active carbon sink on the planet. Protecting the ocean so it can maintain itself as a functioning system means fortifying the planet against rising levels of greenhouse gases. The ocean deserves to be discussed hand in hand with climate. It is a crucial part of the solution.

“Quite simply, no ocean, no life. No blue, no green. The most valuable thing we extract from the ocean is our existence. We must give the ocean a voice! ”

— 'HER DEEPNESS', MARINE BIOLOGIST & OCEANOGRAPHER, SYLVIA EARLE

Blue-Tech Connection: The New “It Generation” of Digital Divers

Out of sight. Out of mind. When you don’t ‘sea’, you don’t connect. When you don’t connect, you don’t protect.

As the threats to ocean’s life keep accumulating, including the most recent developments with deep sea mining, The Old Guard would be proud of the new “it generation” of young marine biologists as they continue to carry the spirit of pushing the boundaries by surfing on the wave of the latest digital technologies to bring the ocean to the public eye.

One of these young collectives is The Marine Diaries headed up by its Director, Rebecca Daniel. This award-winning marine conservation non-profit uses storytelling and digital media to communicate ocean science on the premise to connect people with the ocean to inspire them to become its stewards.

Rebecca and her voluntary team of passionate and talented science communicators create some of the best marine educational content, translating complex scientific findings into accessible and compelling language.

Their work helps individuals and organisations alike to understand the challenges facing our oceans and ignites a sense of wonder and connection - the first step towards collective action to protect our precious marine world and its resources.