The Ocean in 360°
Scuba diving is about as immersive of an experience as you can get; you’re literally diving into another world! The feel of the water, the bubbles, the sounds of the ocean – the entire experience is beyond what words can convey, which is part of its appeal: it’s something to be felt, not seen.
And yet, for many, the ocean is out of reach. Whether due to a fear of the water or a difference of ability or even of interest, many may never experience the magical world beneath the waves. Enter 360° videos and created virtual reality experiences. These are immersive ways that we can bring the ocean to people while they remain in their homes and classrooms.
The benefits of ocean VR are:
- Second best to being in the ocean itself
- Boosting connection to and empathy for the ocean and marine life
- Creating pathways for ocean and climate literacy
- Experience fragile and remote destinations without environmental impact, financial cost, and danger
In March, we learned from our friend Joe Henry at Triton Society about how to best deploy 360° cameras to capture captivating ocean content. He showed us how to use insta360 x4 cameras on weighted tripods to capture crisp content.
It took both of us to dive down with (1) the camera in a special dive case, (2) the tripod, (3) the white balance card, and (4) a weight bag with 10 lbs of lead dive weights. Making sure we descended safely, we’d pick our spot and set up shop: tripod legs first, then the weight bag, take off the protective case, turn on the camera, flash the white balance card, and swim away!
That last part was new to me, but, as we saw in the captured footage, it allowed for curious critters to come to the camera long after the humans had left. This made for some really cool footage of angelfish nipping at the camera and silky nurse sharks swimming close by. We stayed away for 3-5 minutes to allow whoever was going to get curious to swim by, then came back, turned off the camera, and moved to the next spot.
Over four days of intense filming, we shot tons of great footage that will be used in a learning platform for the Florida Keys. More than that, though, we figured out our work flow and how to best support each other while having fun and doing work that matters.
In the near future, the hope, dream and plan are to capture 360° videos like the ones we just made anywhere the Seabirds go. These will be uploaded into an immersive underwater virtual reality “campus” that our Director of Immersive Learning, Louise Edwards, will create. Through these, we hope to create more access to and opportunities to learn from the ocean.
Tiffany Duong is an explorer and storyteller. She holds degrees from UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Inspired by an epic dive trip, she left corporate law to campaign for our planet. Now, she writes, speaks and leads from dense jungles to remote oceans to the changing Arctic.
