In time for World Oceans Day on the 8th of June, Google has partnered with XL Catlin Seaview Survey, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Chagos Conservation Trust to allow anyone to explore brand new Street View imagery of more than 40 locations around the world. Streetview availability at locations including American Samoa and Chagos Islands and underwater dives in Bali, the Bahamas and the Great Barrier Reef, is hoped to generate interest in our oceans, and raise awareness for conserving our natural resources.
All of the images are GPS-located records of each of their environments, and are useful for monitoring changes in location over time. While they’re absolutely breathtaking in and themselves, the project also aims to let people know of the threats the ecosystems face.
As technology advances, there are more and more opportunities for people to see just how beautiful and fragile our home really is. In addition to the Street View imagery, Global Fishing Watch, developed in partnership with non-profit organizations SkyTruth and Oceana, gives the public a look at industrial fishing and its global effects. This is aimed at empowering governments, affected industries, research institutions, and everyone all over the globe, access to information to better push for sustainability in our oceans.
Go on an adventure right from your seat! Hit the links below to get started.
-
You can dive with giant ocean sunfish (Mola mola) and giant parrotfish off the coast of Bali.
-
You can swim underwater alongside schools of giant travely in Mexico.
-
Do the backstroke with humpback whales in the Cook Islands.
-
See the breathtaking beauty of sea turtles in Timor-Leste.
-
Search the ruins of shipwrecks in Aruba.
-
In American Samoa, you can go for sunset walk along Ofu Airport Beach, or walk along Ofu beach, known as one of the most scenic beaches in the world.
-
In Chagos Islands, you can tour Ile du Sel, a tiny island vegetated with a thick forest of coconut palms, and explore the famed bird nesting habitat of Grande Ile Bois Mangue.