Just like outer space, the ocean is a vast expanse that humans likely won’t be able to explore in its entirety. There is a lot we don’t know, and for some people, that can be both fascinating and terrifying.
So far, all we have are these photos to give us an idea of how much more is out there. Outside of Hollywood’s influences through Jaws and Deep Blue Sea, some of these images may induce a nasty case of thalassophobia, a.k.a the fear of the ocean or large bodies of water. Others may pique your curiosity.
As always, we’ve collected the ones that stood out to us. Don’t forget to upvote and comment on those that catch your eye!
#1 This Blue Lobster Was Caught Off The Coast Of Portland And Returned To The Water To Continue To Grow. Blue Lobsters Are One In Two Million
#2 This Baby Dolphin Getting A Ride On His Mother’s Back
#3 A 392-Year-Old Greenland Shark In The Arctic Ocean Has Been Wandering The Ocean Since 1627
While there is nothing wrong with having fears, thalassophobia has had a negative effect on human exploration. A 2021 article published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science discussed how the fear of the ocean and bodies of water has resulted in a lack of interest in deep-sea science.
“It is not surprising that funding for astronomy and space research far surpasses funding for deep-sea exploration when the great heights are celestial or spiritual, nor is it surprising that much of the language used to describe the deep sea exaggerates the chthonic (relating to or inhabiting the underworld),” the study authors wrote.
#4 Chilling With The Sleeping Sperm Whale
#5 Poseidon In Bretagne, By Photographer Mathieu Rivrin
#6 Lighthouse On Mouro Island In Santander, Spain
So, what exactly are people afraid of? Sharks and getting attacked by one would be the easy answer, but according to a survey by the University of South Australia, this isn’t the case.
Apparently, people are more scared of stingrays, crabs, and jellyfish. The fear of drowning also surpasses the fear of a potential shark encounter. For context, around 300,000 people lose their lives from drowning each year worldwide. For shark attacks? A mere seven.
#7 This Is Called Cross Sea. A Cross Sea Is A Sea State With Two Wave Systems Traveling At Oblique Angles
#8 Wooow
#9 The Wunderpus Octopus
Despite the meager numbers of annual shark attack fatalities, they’ve struck fear in people. According to a poll by global market research company Ipsos, 51% of Americans are “absolutely terrified” of them, while 38% won’t swim in the ocean out of such fear.
Experts believe that humans aren’t innately scared of sharks. According to psychologist Gabriella Hancock, media and Hollywood portrayals of the ocean’s apex predator are to blame.
“What we find is that especially with popular media, it influences people’s attitudes and perceptions such that it exaggerates the danger these animals pose,” she told CBS in a 2022 interview.
#10 The Color And Structure Of This Wave Is Really Mind Boggling!!
#11 Yikes
#12 Indonesian Seascape
All the bad rap aside, sharks play a key role in keeping the marine ecosystem balanced. As environmental social scientist Dr. Brianna Le Busque explains, these animals have kept ocean habitats intact for the last 400 million years.
However, negative press makes people less likely to support shark conservation efforts, particularly those of species at risk of extinction. This is a cause for concern for Dr. Le Busque, who urges the reframing of how humans view sharks.
“We need to reduce the perception of risk sharks pose to better reflect reality,” she stated. Most shark species are not known to harm humans.”
#13 Heavy Seas In Iceland – Photo By Arnar Kristjansson
#14 Sharing My Whale Shark Shot
#15 La Jument Lighthouse Gets Pounded By Heavy Seas
We’d like to flip the conversation over to you, our readers. Do you fear the ocean and everything that lies within it? If so, what scares you the most? Let us know in the comments!
#16 🔥 Surfer At Moonlight Beach In San Diego Catching Glowing Waves During A Stunning Bioluminescent Bloom. Shot With A Sony A7sii (F/1.2, 1/200, Iso 20,000). 🔥
#17 Port Side
#18 Large Waves Rip Across Lake Erie. Photo By Trevor Pottelberg
#19 Took A Picture Of This 5-Cm Spotted Porcelain Crab In Malapascua. It Stayed Still Patiently On A Sea Anemone 🥹
#20 Thank You Alejandro Topete Of Mexico City For Sharing His Underwater Photography
#21 Discover The Magic Of California’s Kelp Forests
#22 Coast Guard Coming Out Of Manasqan Inlet Early This Week
#23 Hawksbill Sea Turtle Carey De Concha
#24 Whale Shark With A Shoal Of Remora Fish Inside Its Mouth
#25 Beautiful Giant Clam Living On The Great Barrier Reef
#26 The Esso Languedoc Takes A Rogue Wave Estimated At 100ft Tall. This Is Considered The First Photographic Evidence Of Rogue Waves, Which Were Previously Widely Regarded As Myth
#27 Mobula Ray In Our Backyard On The Sea Of Cortez. They Jump Out Of The Water As High As Possible To Attract Mates
#28 *lake* Michigan Was Angry Yesterday [oc]
#29 Sperm Whale And Calf
#30 Low Tide In Oregon
#31 Intertidal Zone Full Of Temporarily Exposed Ocean Life On The Southern Coast Of Oregon
#32 The Female Sperm Whale Secretes Milk Into The Water To Breastfeed Her Calf ♥ Young Sperm Whales Breastfeed In This Way Because The Anatomical Structure Of Their Mouth Does Not Support Breastfeeding
#33 A ‘Spanish Dancer’ Sea Slug Spotted In Australia
#34 Thresher Sharks In Malapascua, Philippines
#35 One Of My Favorite Shot From This Year. Taken In Panglao, Philippines
#36 Men Working In The Rigging Of The Three-Masted Steel Barque Garthsnaid, 1920
#37 Pretty Pink Meanie, Florida
#38 Yes He Got Swept Off. Yes, He Survived
#39 A Beluga Whale From The Bottom
#40 Leopard Seal Just A Moment Before Swallowing A Penguin
#41 My Favorite Jellyfish, The Stygiomedusa Gigantea, A Very Illusive Creature Only Spotted Over 100 Times In The Last 100 Years 🙂
#42 Spotted Trunkfish Cruising The Caribbean Reef
#43 Horned Nudibranch I Found Under A Dock 🙂
#44 A Lighthouse Gets Pounded By Waves During A Storm
#45 Capetown – July 13th
#46 Photo By Francis James F. J. Mortimer, Wreck Of Sailing Ship Arden Craig, 1911
#47 This Needle Toothed Torpedo Should Be Outlawed! (Barracuda)
#48 Devoted Black-Eyed Squid Mother Carries Eggs With Her For Months
#49 A Beautiful Tide Pool Filled With Anemones
#50 Here’s My Favorite Deep-Sea Animal! It’s A Wolftrap Anglerfish, Genus Thaumatichthys!
#51 Grey Whale Spyhopping Almejas Bay, Baja Calfiornia Del Sur Mexico
#52 Coast Guard Heading Into Point Pleasant, Nj
#53 Looks Dreamy… Feels Itchy!
#54 Satellite Image Of A Phytoplankton Bloom: Ocean Currents Creating Swirling Patterns Of Microscopic Life
#55 Sea Stars Look Insane Close Up
#56 How Spectacular Is This Nudibranch!
#57 Long-Spine Porcupinefish Being Cleaned By A Tiny Cleaner Wrasse
#58 Frigate Hmcs Halifax (Ffh 330) Plows Through A Heavy Swell Off Newfoundland, Jan. 2007
#59 This Humpback Whale That Spouted A Heart Shape
#60 Eglantine Cowry Laying Eggs
#61 To Display Dominance, A Male Sarcastic Fringehead Will Show Off Its Large, Colorful Mouth— Which Can Be Up To Four Times Larger Than When Closed-To Intimidate Competing Males & Deter Them
#62 Bering Sea Cod Fishing
#63 Close Up Shot Of A Thresher Shark
#64 Work
#65 Results Of A Suspected Rogue Wave In The North Sea In 1943, The Rock Is 56 Feet Above The Sea
#66 The Deep-Sea Black Swallower!
#67 Ocean Breeze Aground Off Chile After Breaking Anchor Chain In Storm (Xpost From /R/Catastrophicfailure)
#68 Kelp Forests And Goat Fish. Sydney, Australia
#69 Exploring California’s Underwater World
#70 Got To Experience This Once-In-A-Lifetime Moment
#71 Table Coral
#72 While Tide Pooling I Was Ecstatic To Come Across This Beautiful Dall’s Chromodorid (Chromodoris Dalli). This Was One Of My Favorite Nudibranch Finds From 2024
#73 Pictures Of Roman Fedortsow Https://Twitter.com/Rfedortsov
#74 From My Deployment To The Caribbean In 2012
#75 [oc] Captured During A Very Cold Dive In Pnw
#76 This Magnificent Giant Pacific Octopus Caught Off The Coast Of California By Sportfishers
#77 Jack Frenzy
#78 Annual Capelin Spawn, By Beaching Themselves
#79 Almost Got Slapped By This Cruising Sperm Whale
#80 One Of My Favorite Shot From This Year. Taken In Panglao, Philippines
