58 otherworldly photos of the ocean
World Oceans Day celebrates the vast stretch of blue that is home to more than a million species, and an essential part of human survival. The ocean regulates climate, generates oxygen, provides medicine, food and water, as well as supplying endless opportunity for travel and the exploration of our planet. These inspiring pictures of beaches, surfers, sea life, coastlines, coral reefs and islands illustrate exactly why we need to protect our marine life. You can find out more about World Oceans Day from the official website.
Jack Johns & Owen TozerCliff jumping at Cape Kamenjak in Istria, Croatia
Yiorgos KordakisThe cupola of a church in Oia, Santorini
Jack Johns and Owen TozerA beach near the fort in Lamu’s north in Kenya
Toby MitchellLo Sereno Casa de Playa in Mexico
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Jack Johns & Owen TozerSt Andrew's island on Croatia's reclusive north coast
Oliver PilcherWild Orchid Caye in Belize
Alistair Taylor-YoungA colony of hundreds of seals in Skeleton Coast National Park in Namibia
Julien CapmeilSurfing at La Saladita near Mexico's Pacific Coast beach town Zihuatanejo
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Jenny ZarinsA pristine surf spot in Costa Rica
Alistair Taylor-YoungFlying from Cairns over the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Jack Johns & Owen TozerLeo Carrillo State Park in Malibu has 1.5 miles of beach for swimming, surfing and windsurfing
Mirjam BleekerThe small, sandy islands of Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago lie just a few kilometres from the sleepy mainland town of Vilankulo
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Alistair Taylor-YoungBlacktip reef sharks prefer shallow, inshore waters, pictured here at Bramble Reef, near Orpheus Island, Australia
Alistair Taylor-YoungSpotted eagle rays, which have a wingspan of up to three metres, on the Great Barrier Reef
Mirjam BleekerMozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago, which was declared a Marine National Park in 1972
Alistair Taylor-YoungBramble Reef near Orpheus Island, Australia
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
The crystal clear waters of Bawah Reserve, Indonesia, make it a dreamy spot for canoeing
Alistair Taylor-YoungAn aerial view the Great Barrier Reef, which is severely under threat from bleaching, an effect of climate change and increased water temperatures
The Brando, a private island of Tetiaroa, French Polynesia
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Malcolm NobbsWhaleshark in Djbouti, in the Horn of Africa
Alistair Taylor-YoungOne of the 1,500 species of fish on the Great Barrier Reef
Alistair Taylor-YoungSea anemone at Bramble Reef, Australia
Tó Mané/Courtesy of TaschenGarrett McNamara surfing a record-breaking 100 foot wave in Nazaré, Portugal
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Alistair Taylor-YoungThe bright white sands of Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands, Australia, are made up of 98% silica
Morgan MassenPro surfer Frankie Harrer in the Maldives
Alistair Taylor-YoungLooking skywards through the photographer's air bubbles off the Great Barrier Reef
Alistair Taylor-YoungA turtle's-eye view under the surface, Great Barrier Reef
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Hamilton Island, in the heart of Australia's Great Barrier Reef
Beautiful DestinationsMo'orea, an island in French Polynesia, translates as 'yellow lizard' in Tahitian. A reef encircles the island, inspiring Charles Darwin to describe it as 'a picture in a frame'
Tobias ZimmerA manta ray swims over the reef in Raja Ampat, Indonesia
AlamyA surfer in Sagres on Portugal's Algarve coast
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Wooden walkways over crystal-clear waters at Bawah Reserve, Indonesia
Paddleboarding in a lagoon at Bawah Reserve, Indonesia
Tobias ZimmerDiving at Misool Eco Resort, Indonesia
A solo sea turtle on Anse Severe beach, the Seychelles, a country made up of 99% ocean that recently announced an ambitious environmental scheme to protect its marine life
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
GettyRaja Ampat lies in the Coral Triangle, Indonesia, which has over 600 different species of reef-building corals
Ile aux Cerfs, Mauritius (also known as Deer Island)
Crookes & JacksonThe Andaman Sea, Andaman Islands, known for some of the world's best scuba diving
An island in the Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Michael PaulA traditional Galway hooker boat in Roundstone, Ireland
Thanda Island, Tanzania, is a private island situated in its own marine reserve, home to whale sharks and sea turtles
In 2015, the Bahamas announced the expansion of three marine reserves and 15 new marine managed areas were formed
Whale watching in Marino Ballena National Park, Costa Rica
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Iceland is home to the Silfra fissure, the only place in the world where you can dive in the crack between two continental plates
Rex FeaturesDiving in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, which is famous for its stunning rias (locally referred to as fjords)
Squire FoxRiding a wave off Cabo San Lucas, a marine park in Baja California Sur
A young boxfish in the Maldives – the bright yellow colour fades as the fish ages
- Eating & DrinkingWhere the Chefs Eat: Anna Jones
Jack Johns & Owen TozerLocal surfer Frankie Seely on Leo Carrillo Beach, Malibu
Shawn HeinrichsThe reef in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, is home to more than 1,300 species of coral reef fish
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