June 8th is World Oceans Day. World Oceans Day has been unofficially celebrated on June 8th since 1992 when Canada proposed the idea at the Earth Summit in Rio, and was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2008. The official website is worldoceansday.org where you can keep up to date on news and events, or you can follow the hashtag #worldoceansday on Twitter.
Here’s my own little tribute to two of my favourite oceans. First, the Atlantic Ocean, which I am most familiar with from school caving expeditions to the west coast of Ireland, although this photo is taken from the east coast of the United States….
….and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean, taken from the Hawaiian islands.
World Oceans Day not only celebrates the oceans, but also the marine life it sustains, so say hello to these little furry friends off the coast of California.
Sea otters playing in the seaweed
I thought this would be the perfect travel challenge this week, because not only would we get to see great photos of oceans around the world, but we would also be spreading awareness of World Oceans Day.
To join in, create your own post about the ocean or marine life between now and next Friday, title it “Travel theme: Oceans” and put a link to this page in your blog post to make it easy for others to find your post.
I’m looking forward to seeing your ocean photos.
Happy World Oceans Day.
xxx Ailsa
Where's my backpack? 
I love those otters.
Me too, you can’t help but feel happy looking at their sweet little faces 🙂
Love the seal photos! I came here by way of Madhu’s blog. Ellie http://www.themuseisworking.com
Madhu has a wonderful blog, and I’m very glad you found my blog through hers, Ellie. That mountain retreat in South Korea looks fabulous, by the way! The little guys playing in the ocean are actually otters. I did get some photos of elephant seals that day too, but the otters won out because they’re so darned cute. 😉
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Ha ha! Diggin’ those otters!
As fate would have it, I posted on Oceans just a few minutes before you did – with twitter #FriFotos in mind. But I went back and added a link to here. Hope that’s acceptable. 🙂
http://pirancafe.com/2012/06/08/oceans-nine/
Absolutely acceptable, Bob, those are some spectacular photos, and a really useful link to stateoftheocean.org too. I just did the same thing – published my post about oceans and then saw the wordpress theme for this week was friendship and figured the little otters would be perfect for it so added a link. 🙂
Beautiful Photos Ailsa! Might not have too many ocean pictures in my archives. Do the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal count?
Go for it, Madhu, if it’s big, blue and salty then do a post on it. I for one would love to see any photos you have of the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal. Or both! 🙂
Perfect for ocean day
I think oceans are cool enough and vast enough to deserve a whole week. don’t you? 🙂
Sure does!
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Thank you for posting these challenges, choosing and writing my entry really made me think!
Really enjoyed your ocean hiding a dolphin 🙂
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Will have to get back to you later in the day, as I have so many photographs of the ocean, and still so many exams to grade! Love this theme!
Feel free to blame me if you’re late with your grading. 😉
This is a beautiful travel theme. Here is my submission: http://canoecommunications.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/bays-to-oceans/
Have a great weekend.
Lovely entry from the Californian coast, canoe & communications, that seal wasn’t shy at all, was he (or she)?
I don’t know if it was a he or she. It was very friendly. Thanks.
I know that otter I’ve seen him before.
Which one? 🙂
Ha ha hah…. this time you’re going to make me post OLD pics… My ocean pictures are getting dried up 😉 Ha ha ha :))
Old pics are often the most fun! 😉
I’m kind of partial to the Atlantic myself, but then again, it’s the only one I’ve ever seen 😉
Now lets talk about the sea otters, first the deer, now the otters, that’s right you just stick the knife in and give it a twist, Thanks! 😛
I don’t have a blog entry for “Oceans,” but here’s a shot of the May 5th “Super Moon” over the Atlantic taken from Rye, NH.
I loved the serene photo of the night time shot.
Thank you!
Haha, you got me back for the otter photo, Jeff – that super moon photo is incredible, and I’m deathly jealous that you got to see the super moon over the Atlantic when all I saw was fog. 🙂
I almost gave up. If you looked at the first of the “Super Moon” shots on my FB page you can see how high above the horizon it was before It made its appearance. After moonrise came and went, with nothing to show for it I was seriously thinking of packing it in. I couldn’t see any breaks in the clouds close enough to the horizon to get the shot I wanted. Even when it started to peek through, you really can’t see a noticeable opening.
I am glad I stuck it out though 😉
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Will post ocean pics soon
Looking forward to your post, travtrails! 🙂
Sorry no ocean pics in my file..waiting for the next theme
It’s More Fun in the Philippines! 🙂
http://projectmagellan.net/2012/06/09/travel-theme-oceans/
Wow, Anilao looks amazing, that is a beautiful photo, Miguel.
Travelled and photographed many oceans.I post them at my blog at: http://travelbugster.wordpress.com. This is one I posted of the Pacific Ocean off La Jolla, California. http://travelbugster.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/img1119-la-jolla-coast-x2.jpg?w=690&h=459
Your site has got some magnificent HDR photography, Dave. Thanks for sharing a little piece of the Pacific for World Oceans Day. 🙂
Such an adorable pair those two otters!
Thanks for the great challenge of this week, Ailsa.
I found it very inspiring and I ‘ld love to contribute with this entry :
http://dauwgalerij.blogspot.be/2012/06/vision-of-ocean.html
Hope you ‘ll like my interpretation and enjoy the music behind the picture as well…
Have a fantastic weekend everybody!
– Dauw –
Capturing the ocean in a flower, that’s wonderful, Dauw, such creative thinking. I love it! xxx
If you allow me I would like to share a second entrie as well…
One of my pictures of the Northsea, accompanied with a poem of myself (for the people who understand Dutch 😉 )
http://dagendauw.blogspot.be/2011/10/plagktos.html
Ow, and thanks so much for dropping by.
Loved this poem, Dauw – to give a rough translation to non-Dutch speakers:
Do not call me the sea for that is not who I am
I am only the surf on the waves that crash on the shore
Do not see me as something greater than I am
For I would only disappoint you
The sea is my past and my future,
I only exist as long as the waves reach for the skies,
I am born and reborn each time they descend
I am the longing of both extremes.
OK I took some poetic license there, to allow it to make sense in English, but how did I do? 🙂
Wooow!!! Here you are!
Well Ailsa you did a tremendous great job there!
Your understanding of Dutch must be perfect I guess.
As you translated the ‘seafoam’ as ‘surf’ it gives that extra dimension of action and motion to the poem. I really love your translation. Thanks a lot.
Do I get your permission to use it on my blog?
Regards
– Dauw –
Haha, absolutely! 🙂
Thanks! *hug*
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They are cute beyond words, the otters!!! ❤
I love the ocean, and I'm lucky enough to live right at the Atlantic sea board. On this rainy Saturday, I might do a post on 'Ocean' too.. they sure deserve that and more..
Rainy Saturdays are usually the best for blogging 🙂 Looking forward to your post and yes, those otters stole my heart with their cuteness 🙂
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Love the otters, so I’ve had to puy a seagull too!
Looks like a very wise old seagull indeed. 🙂
Great idea and I did not know this…. good lesson 😉
Since you have inspired so many and started a great new photo challenge I have nominated you for the Beautiful Blog Award. Come see me and get all the details. CTB 😀
Hurrah, congrats on your award, CTB, and thank you so much for nominating Where’s my backpack? I really appreciate it. 🙂
You deserve it for the great photos and starting the photo challenge as well as keeping up with all the replies… that alone is a BIG job. Thanks 🙂
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I was going to write a post with lots of pictures but figured I’d be better off making it a series instead. Since I have the ocean on my doorstep, I figured I should limit myself to photos I took this past week so I wouldn’t overload my brain trying to figure out my top 10 favorite photos ever 😛 Presenting the very friendly hawksbill sea turtle I met this morning!
What a wonderful turtle, Macy, you did a great job getting those underwater shots. How lucky you are to have the ocean on your doorstep, and yes, diving is cool! 🙂
What a good choice. Will post some pics of marine life later today or Monday. A great idea to celebrate World Oceans Day.
Wonderful homage to the ocean, Anne. You have done some travelling!
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Here’s possibly a somewhat different take on Oceans: http://windagainstcurrent.com/2012/06/09/travel-theme-oceans/
Totally different, and so, so beautiful, Vlad. Oh, and I fell in love with the bunnies you photographed on your Belize adventure too. Did they really name that bunny Chicken? 🙂
Actually “Tastes Like Chicken”. He (she?) is gone now, as has his (her?) successor. Not actually eaten, I believe—bunnies just don’t live that long, especially in a tropical climate.
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………..the southernmost point of africa, where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean come together..
here’s my post for this week… http://4otomo.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/travel-theme-oceans/
Wow. I have GOT to visit and see that place for myself. Really wonderful, 4otomo.
Hi Ailsa
Yep! Wonderful it is, believe me, you should add it to the list of places you’re still going to visit :-). Thanks again for dropping by blog and leaving such wonderful comments..appreciated :-)………
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Okay here is mine…a bit late cause I am sick with the flu…as is my internet connection. So if I don’t get to you this week…it isn’t because I didn’t want to.
Lovely post, Jo. Sorry to hear you (and your internet connection) are feeling under the weather, hope you feel better soon. xxx Ailsa
These are great images…I love the otters and the casual posture
They were hysterical to watch, Jo. I spent ages just sitting on the rocky shoreline, even captured some video footage of their antics. Such dear little creatures.
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Another great challenge Ailsa. Living in a landlocked area, I’ve been missing the shore recently. This gave me an opportunity to review some of my beach pictures. Can almost smell the salt in the air! Here is my entry: http://wp.me/p1tzBV-1nO
I adore this post, Anne. Your love of the ocean really comes though in your writing and there are some wonderful photos too. Where did you do your guided beach walk?
Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Love that the parks department holds one there weekly.
Here’s one of my favorite shots of the Pacific Ocean heading south to Big Sur, California. Happy Ocean week! http://travelbugster.smugmug.com/HDRphotography/Dave-Morgans-Travel/21800985_3Vcmfn#!i=1854565897&k=m3CT2r4&lb=1&s=A
Another stunning photo, Dave. The Californian coast has really got some spectacular scenery. Happy Ocean week to you too! 🙂
Here is my entry. Thanks for hosting this great challenge.
http://davidrwetzelphotography.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/travel-theme-oceans/
Really lovely photo of the Alabama coast. I can’t get over how white the sand is, and how pristine it looks.
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I love otters… they look like they have a fun life 🙂
I like how this challenge was a bit educational. I added a few other tidbits for people who want to be more aware about caring our oceans.
Otters do seem to be the cheeriest of creatures, they always have a slightly mischievous look about them 🙂 I really enjoyed your post, it was very heartfelt. You might find this link interesting – it’s from National Geographic and I posted it on WMB’s facebook page a few days ago: http://bit.ly/Ml1SMN
OK Thanks… I don’t do facebook 😦 Just became a thing to rebel since everyone else was doing it. Now in China it is banned and it is hard enough to get on the blog (it is sometimes blocked) so I never bothered.
I saw otters at a zoo and loved to watch them play… they are cute 🙂
You’ve really started something good! I liked this theme (as I liked all the others), and out of your photos my favourite is the second one from Hawaii. Thanks for the thinking trouble you’re going to, Ailsa.
And a huge thank you to everyone who joins in. It’s wonderful to see everyone’s interpretations from around the world. 🙂
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Love this week’s challenge, I adore the ocean. http://wp.me/p2jE0a-gF
Lovely ocean (and sunset) shots off the coast of Africa. I love that line “The ocean is my happy place”. 🙂
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Very beautiful sea, I’ll go to sea, but not now. Now advance the participation of small marine http://campanulladellaanna.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/travel-theme-ocean/ 😛 Thank you very much my friend
I love how you call it the small marine, campanulladellaanna, great shots of boats on the river Maas.
Very honored by your comment, I am glad to follow your travel theme this time
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Lovely shots Ailsa and one of my favourite things to photograph! http://ayearinmyshoes.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/travel-theme-oceans/
Ha, you got me there, I was expecting photos from Ireland and you go and shake it up with Vancouver! Nice one Livvy! 🙂