We’re over six months into the pandemic now and, from my spare bedroom / office in Berkshire, I’m feeling pretty far from the ocean. In recent posts, we’ve shared what the team has been doing to maximise lockdown time and explored how we hope responsible travel will be one of the green shoots that comes out of this challenging time. But, with the days getting shorter, darker and colder (here in the UK at least), I think some straight up ocean escapism is needed. Because if I can’t go diving, I’m going to imagine myself underwater with some good ol’ Instagram scrolling…

So, without further ado, here are some stunning Instagram posts that make my heart ache for the ocean. If you’re feeling the ocean blues too, dive in with me. I hope you enjoy them!

Awesome things we love about diving

Seeing the biggest fish in the ocean

This incredible whale shark photo always gives me the feels. Taken by the King of fish puns himself, Dr. Simon Pierce (puns distinctly lacking in this caption - disappointing, Simon!), it’s the perfect illustration of the vastness of these stunning ocean giants. Not to mention the talented conservationists working to protect them: my friend Stella Diamant, Founder of the Madagascar Whale Shark Project, pictured here swimming with Franck (MD-224) can recognise hundreds of her sharks on sight by their distinctive and unique spot patterns! I look forward to the day I can jump back into the water with these legends again.

& the teeny tiny things some people don’t even spot

I’ve always been excited by the big stuff in the ocean. But, more recently, I’ve learned how cool the itty bitty little things can be too. While working with MMF in Mozambique, I wasn’t just trying to get IDs of whale sharks and manta rays on our dives but also identifying the plankton in the water. Rewind a few years and I never would have imagined I’d be sitting at my desk now dreaming of the times I was bobbing along on my safety stop scouring the blue for interesting zooplankton!

Manta madness

I could swim with manta rays all day and never get bored: majestic sea flap flaps (as they’re often fondly known) are my all time favourites. They’re elegant, enigmatic and intelligent - not to mention resilient. I love how Andrea’s photo shows one of the more extreme versions of the injuries a manta can survive.

Getting hands on with citizen science

Citizen science offers divers and snorkellers (including non-marine biologists like me) the opportunity to make a tangible contribution to science. Like that time we identified a new individual whale shark in Madagascar and I named him The Rock (something I love to tell to anyone who’ll listen…)

Those epic surprises

Like being about to surface after your safety stop and realising there are THREE HAMMERHEAD SHARKS right below you. Never knowing what to expect is one of the things I miss the most.

The things we still dream of seeing

For me, one of the marine animals I’d absolutely love to see is the oceanic sunfish: they’re just SO weird! Until the time I can get into the water in mola season, I’ll be browsing awesome photos of them like this shot by Daniel Botelho shared here by PADI.

The beautiful coral reefs

There’s nothing like diving on a healthy coral reef. If a picture paints a thousand words, let’s just allow this photo from the UN Environment Programme to do the talking.

The surface interval

The dives themselves, of course, are always amazing but there’s something so soothing about chilling out on the boat during your surface interval. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might even spot turtles, dolphins or other marine life from the surface. This picture of a baby humpback whale by my wonderful friend Atlantine Boggio-Pasqua is the kind of shot that makes you ask “is this real life?!”. Boat life for the win!

The weird

It can’t be denied that the ocean is full of really weird stuff: and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

The wonderful

Admit it, dolphins may be the jocks of the sea but diving with them is still ultimate scuba goals! There’s something incredible about interacting with marine species in their own habitat, especially when they show a curiosity towards you too (like our dive with this pod of dolphins in Egypt who couldn’t help but keep coming back to check us out while we sat back and waited for them to zoom by again.

The clever critters

There’s something really special about watching the ocean’s most intelligent creatures - like octopus - from a distance while they go about their business. Did you know octopus have even been observed using tools?!

The mind-blowing views

The world’s best dive sites are, arguably, also some of the most stunning spots on the planet.

Monsters of the deep

Not everything down there is pretty - and we’re totally OK with that.

The moments that take your breath away

This. Looks. SO. Epic - I. Would. Love. To. See. Whales. Underwater.

That is all.

The friends we make

There’s something about diving that brings together people from all different backgrounds and makes them lifelong friends. See you in the water soon, buddy!

The people working to make a difference

The Green Fins teams around the world are an inspiration to us here at Reef-World. It’s been fantastic to see their passion to keep working for better marine protection throughout the pandemic and we look forward to joining them in the field again soon.

Leaving things better than we found them

No-one wants to see rubbish littering our dive sites but the sad fact is we do often come across plastic and marine debris while diving and snorkelling. Which is why it’s always encouraging to see dive professionals organising cleanups or picking up trash during their dives - hopefully I’ll be joining on another cleanup dive before too long…

So, see you in the water soon!

Until then, I’ll be in the bath with my BCD on….!