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!
This post may include affiliate links.
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
I know you are going to dunk on me for asking this, and I would never recommend this to anyone. Beautiful and rare, OK? Just curious if they taste and different?
I don't think I want to taste one. Are there any real blue foods?
Load More Replies...This Baby Dolphin Getting A Ride On His Mother's Back
Why should this freak anyone out? (in before they change the title again)
If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it! This is the cutest thing ever! Dolphins will never stop amazing and entertaining me!
A 392-Year-Old Greenland Shark In The Arctic Ocean Has Been Wandering The Ocean Since 1627
You would have thought that he’d have asked for directions by now.
poor old girl/boy, 2 witness all the stupid sh#t humans have done 2 her/his ocean I'm surprised she/he has survived, we don't deserve all the beautiful creatures our earth was blessed with 😔😔😔
To complicate matters, Greenland Sharks are very susceptible to a parasite that attacks their corneas, causing partial or complete blindness. Fortunately, they depend on their eyes less than other sharks do.
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.
Chilling With The Sleeping Sperm Whale
Again not freaky in the slightest lol claiming n that diver is privileged totally ❤️
S***m whales are named for the waxy substance, spermaceti, found in their heads. Early whalers mistakenly believed spermaceti was a form of s***m, leading to the name "s***m whale". All the censored words are s perm
Load More Replies...Lighthouse On Mouro Island In Santander, Spain
I’m going to say there is a zero percent chance of me visiting this particular lighthouse.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/43%C2%B028'24.3%22N+3%C2%B045'20.8%22W/@43.4734102,-3.7565784,631m - here's the location, in case anybody was wondering
Now I’d love that photo on my wall ! that is nature at its most stuffing , however I do not wanna be be in or anywhere near that lighthouse !!! 😂I don’t got a a death wish lol
Poseidon In Bretagne, By Photographer Mathieu Rivrin
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.
This Is Called Cross Sea. A Cross Sea Is A Sea State With Two Wave Systems Traveling At Oblique Angles
I have read that these conditions are EXTREMELY dangerous for swimmers. Kool as hell to look at but deadly.
Ikr I,ll stay on the ship ty lol me swims laters in an area that’s NOT THAT !!
Load More Replies...I heard that this is really dangerous because of the overlapping currents
Since they are coming in at different angles, means it's not as dangerous (not to be confused with being "safe"). Rouge waves occur when multiple waves that are traveling the same direction but at different speeds "merge" together. Took them until like 15 years ago to prove this is the (main) cause of rouge waves.
Load More Replies...Can't remember what this actually portends, but I think it's a tidal wave precursor.
It's 2 crossing currents. Better known as square waves. It's a dangerous condition to be in the water.
Load More Replies...Wooow
The Wunderpus Octopus
'Witnessing wonders of Nature such as this & who knows how my like it, causes me pause of why there are atheists...
I am atheist because of the extreme emotional and physical abuse led by my adoptive parent with the help and support of our church. All in the name of religion. I will not worship with my abusers. There is no god, simply a human desire for "reason and hope" science is amazing. A god is not.
Load More Replies...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.
The Color And Structure Of This Wave Is Really Mind Boggling!!
The first time this pic was posted online after a quick search by me was in 2017, before AI was a thing. https://imgur.com/color-structure-of-this-wave-is-really-mind-boggling-QE5aTZR EDIT Russell Ord 10 years ago. https://decanteddesign.com/2015/01/10/the-liquid-glass-shots-of-russel-ord-surfing-surf-photographer-who-lives-at-margaret-river-western-australia-see-blogroll-for-a-link/
Load More Replies...Yikes
Oh, they put one in there. You just can't see it
Load More Replies...Likely Nazare, Portugal… https://nazarewaves.com/en/Home/InfoForTourists
Load More Replies...Back on the sand, where the palm trees grow, this would be beautiful.
Indonesian Seascape
they need much stricter rules to prevent damage all over the coral triangle.
At first I wasn't sure what I was looking at until I got to the bottom and realized the picture was looking up.
Don't go anywhere near there, don't talk about it, just forget it and please leave it alone.
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."
Heavy Seas In Iceland - Photo By Arnar Kristjansson
Lived there for four years in '92 to 96. Beautiful country, but pretty cold and dark.
Sharing My Whale Shark Shot
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to swim with whale sharks in Cancun one summer. Amazing.
That's a top five dream for me. I'm glad you were able to have that experience
Load More Replies...Very good shot ! Let me please say that sharks are more fish than mammals but not fish according to the zoological system. They are super old and super cool
La Jument Lighthouse Gets Pounded By Heavy Seas
I would be highly surprised if there were windows on the opposite side
Load More Replies...I've always wondered what it would be like to keep a lighthouse.
Load More Replies...I would rather die than go there. But I'd want a quick easy way to do it, drowning must suck.
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!
Port Side
I got to drive a Navy Frigate through this kind of thing coming out of the Philippines (I was the Officer of the deck) before an incoming Typhoon hit the islands. It was a rough and crazy ride. 40 boot waves will make a believer out of you.
Oh I believe it totally lol just ain’t gonna be on deck in it nope nope nope !
Load More Replies...OMG is that one of the Sydney ferries? It looks exactly like one. I was riding one when it got very rough. Not this rough, but VERY rough. I was sitting on one of those benches freaking out but also going WOOHOO and pretending I was in a movie.
i served on the carrier u.s.s. nimitz, 87-91. the flight deck is 100 ft from the water. once, on the way to pearl harbor, we caught the tail end of a hurricane. we hit a wave trough at just the right moment so that the wave just barely washed over the bow of our flight deck. that was AWESOME!
At theme parks, my favorite thing is to stand wherever they have large waves of water spraying over the crowd--but I'm smart enough to avoid the ones that will knock me on my a*s!
Large Waves Rip Across Lake Erie. Photo By Trevor Pottelberg
Old Lady Drives Slowly Moving Over Bridge Into Lake Erie = OLDSMOBILE
🔥 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). 🔥
Had a friend many years ago who would take LSD and surf at night and during these blooms.
Took A Picture Of This 5-Cm Spotted Porcelain Crab In Malapascua. It Stayed Still Patiently On A Sea Anemone 🥹
Coast Guard Coming Out Of Manasqan Inlet Early This Week
So brave. Proud PNW fact: they train for this out at the mouth of the Columbia River. There are only a few hundred who have this training.
I was good friends with a guy who was in the Coast Guard until an injury sidelined him. The training is incredibly rigorous and he suggested more so than the Navy or Marines because they are almost all dangerous water rescues.
Load More Replies...I don't think these guys get proper shrift. They do more for Americans at home than any other branch of the service. Watch "Deadliest Catch" to see them in action and you'll be awestruck.
dont worry ... if you puke ... the next wave will wash it off
Load More Replies...I am ever so thankful I am not on that boat! They must be among the bravest people on earth.
Discover The Magic Of California’s Kelp Forests
Thank You Alejandro Topete Of Mexico City For Sharing His Underwater Photography
Only seen two freak pics outta this lot so far lol n this also ain’t one of em these are stunning ty Alejandro
*lake* Michigan Was Angry Yesterday [oc]
Lake Shore Drive needs to be shuut down 2-3x a year because of the lake acting like this.
Load More Replies...Hawksbill Sea Turtle Carey De Concha
A "sea turtle", or turtle as we all call them. Tortoises live on land, turtles in water.
Whale Shark With A Shoal Of Remora Fish Inside Its Mouth
Whale sharks don't eat fish, only krill. Remora fish 'velcro' themselves to larger sea creatures to hitch a ride & get leftovers. Those fish are safer there than on their own!
Load More Replies...It’s a commensal relationship; they’re not parasites
Load More Replies...Beautiful Giant Clam Living On The Great Barrier Reef
Given its colour pattern and it is Australia, I wouldn't go near it.
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
This is why I'll never get on a ship. Not even for a Caribbean cruise.
Mobula Ray In Our Backyard On The Sea Of Cortez. They Jump Out Of The Water As High As Possible To Attract Mates
Sperm Whale And Calf
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
From Wikipedia: Lactation proceeds for 19 to 42 months, but calves, rarely, may suckle up to 13 years. Like that of other whales, the s***m whale's milk has a higher fat content than that of terrestrial mammals: about 36% compared to 4% in cow milk. This gives it a consistency similar to cottage cheese, which prevents it from dissolving in the water before the calf can drink it.
So I guess the baby must be able to sift the milk out of the seawater somehow.
I'm just picturing some kind of salty sea cheese now and it sounds delicious
Load More Replies...Low Tide In Oregon
We have low tides like this on the BC coast too :) when the water’s low you can hear thousands of little clicks from all the creatures on the rocks
Love living near the Oregon Coast. Beautiful year round the winter storms are amazing 😍
glad to see some of it's come back after that devastating heat blast
Intertidal Zone Full Of Temporarily Exposed Ocean Life On The Southern Coast Of Oregon
The Oregon coast is truly beautiful. I've only been once but am still hoping to go back
If you go even farther north, into Canada where the water is colder, you get even clearer waters and the best scuba diving :)
Load More Replies...A 'Spanish Dancer' Sea Slug Spotted In Australia
It's in Australia. So of course it will. On plus side, it's not venomous, it poisonous.
Load More Replies...What ever you do don't pick him up!! I have no idea what might happen but, just, don't pick him up!
What happens is lol you gets a ikkle bit dead 😂😂
Load More Replies...Men Working In The Rigging Of The Three-Masted Steel Barque Garthsnaid, 1920
Yet another example of why I would not have survived any kind of pre-1930s labor jobs
No, they were still made of the same stuff. They just died more often, and society didn't care as much. Their families did though.
Load More Replies...You wouldn't catch me up there for any amount of money! I'm amazed that they can hang on!
Pretty Pink Meanie, Florida
I just googled this and it is estimated 150 million people get stung by jelly fish each year.
One Of My Favorite Shot From This Year. Taken In Panglao, Philippines
I would positively hate the feeling of something nibbling at my extremities.
Thresher Sharks In Malapascua, Philippines
These guys were the bane of my existence when I was playing "Dave the Diver".... but then seeing photos of them after the fact.. I was like "aaaawwe cuuuute" 😅
Photographer: holy shít, a shark! Shark: holy shít, a human!
My look when someone reads a math question out loud and expects an answer.
A Beluga Whale From The Bottom
Yes He Got Swept Off. Yes, He Survived
I'm glad we were informed that he survived! It would have ruined this beautiful picture if I had to wonder.
From Wikipedia: The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways.
Load More Replies...Leopard Seal Just A Moment Before Swallowing A Penguin
Terrifying but incredibly interesting and awesome. I'm just glad I'll never go swimming in their territory.
Load More Replies...Penguin is dead already. (It's a picture our of a series, so I know that there was some "playtime" with the penguin before)
Load More Replies...Yeah... And people think all seals are like the golden retriever puppies of the sea...
The big males could easily rip you up and knock you about. Fortunately only happens from time to time. But recently in the news about algae making sealions go mad and attack people. But Leopard Seals are another thing entirely. They are incredibly ferocious and have killed people.
Load More Replies...My Favorite Jellyfish, The Stygiomedusa Gigantea, A Very Illusive Creature Only Spotted Over 100 Times In The Last 100 Years :)
These jellyfish don't have stinging tentacles, and instead engulf prey in their oral arms. Also, they live pretty deep in the ocean, which is why they're rarely seen
Wow, and you got a picture of it so the rest of us could see it. Thank you.
OMG. That looks like something left over from an operation gone wrong!
Capetown - July 13th
Note to car owners cars may be washed inside n out but they ain’t gonna be where you left em lol
Spotted Trunkfish Cruising The Caribbean Reef
Horned Nudibranch I Found Under A Dock :)
A Lighthouse Gets Pounded By Waves During A Storm
Why can not people share the when and where of these photo's? These are terrific, but it would be just that much for awesome if we had that additional information.
This Needle Toothed Torpedo Should Be Outlawed! (Barracuda)
While scuba diving, I had just enough time to think, "That rock looks like a face!" before a barracuda taught me I could swim backwards a lot faster than I would have guessed.
I'm pretty sure that I went out with him one time? Looks familiar....
You lying so low in the weeds I bet you gonna ambush me You'd have me down, down, down, down on my knees Now wouldn't you, barracuda? Oh
Photo By Francis James F. J. Mortimer, Wreck Of Sailing Ship Arden Craig, 1911
all crew were rescued an hour before she went under.
Load More Replies...Devoted Black-Eyed Squid Mother Carries Eggs With Her For Months
Which is a good thing, in uni we discussed the potential terror all cephalopods could become if they were able to pass down knowledge. It was a fun silly topic but still kinda scary
Load More Replies...So what's the phobia opposite of to holes, to things that cry out to be plucked away? I only have a revulsion , actually.
Just think, something that big ones comes from something that small.
A Beautiful Tide Pool Filled With Anemones
Here's My Favorite Deep-Sea Animal! It's A Wolftrap Anglerfish, Genus Thaumatichthys!
Grey Whale Spyhopping Almejas Bay, Baja Calfiornia Del Sur Mexico
Coast Guard Heading Into Point Pleasant, Nj
Point not so bloody pleasant by the looks of this photo lol that’s gonna hurt 🙈
Load More Replies...Looks Dreamy… Feels Itchy!
Do they hurt you like the bloody Portuguese men of war ones I’ve still got scars on the back of both my legs from them buggers when I was 15 lol on holiday in Cornwall I’m in uk I’m now 60 n dam them hurt 🤦♀️🤬
Load More Replies...Satellite Image Of A Phytoplankton Bloom: Ocean Currents Creating Swirling Patterns Of Microscopic Life
Sea Stars Look Insane Close Up
How Spectacular Is This Nudibranch!
The nudibranch Acanthodoris lutea or a sea lion lol , yup I did a reverse search heheh
Load More Replies...Long-Spine Porcupinefish Being Cleaned By A Tiny Cleaner Wrasse
Frigate Hmcs Halifax (Ffh 330) Plows Through A Heavy Swell Off Newfoundland, Jan. 2007
For those non Commonwealth type people, at that time (2007) HMCS meant Her Majesty's Canadian Ship. Obviously now it’s His Majesty’s Canadian Ship
Some pandas are stalking systematically Crystalwitch60 downvoting her. Why?
Load More Replies...This Humpback Whale That Spouted A Heart Shape
Eglantine Cowry Laying Eggs
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
Or me that is a full on I mean it threat right lol
Load More Replies...Bering Sea Cod Fishing
Cod fisheries are overfished. Also, commercial fishing accounts for more ocean waste than the great garbage patches. ….check out Ocean Conservation Namibia to see them cut fishing gear off seals. Think about it: only seals haul out: whales, et al do not, consequently outcomes are not good. Avoid commercially harvested fish where possible
This post was just making me think about Ocean Conservation Namibia! Very excellent videos; the only channel I subscribe to on YouTube
Load More Replies...Close Up Shot Of A Thresher Shark
Work
I had the opportunity to work on a crab boat back in about 1980. For a variety of reasons I chose not to. Every time I see a picture like this I am glad I stayed on dry land.
Results Of A Suspected Rogue Wave In The North Sea In 1943, The Rock Is 56 Feet Above The Sea
The Deep-Sea Black Swallower!
"The black swallower feeds on bony fish and cephalopods, which are swallowed whole. With its greatly distensible stomach, it is capable of swallowing prey over twice its length and 10 times its mass.[7] Its upper jaws are articulated with the skull at the front via the suspensorium, which allows the jaws to swing down and encompass objects larger than the swallower's head. Theodore Gill speculated that the swallower seizes prey fish by the tail, and then "walks" its jaws over the prey until it is fully coiled inside the stomach." ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swallower
Ocean Breeze Aground Off Chile After Breaking Anchor Chain In Storm (Xpost From /R/Catastrophicfailure)
Kelp Forests And Goat Fish. Sydney, Australia
Exploring California's Underwater World
The stuff that touches your leg when you’re swimming making you jump out of the water
Got To Experience This Once-In-A-Lifetime Moment
I don't know why so many fish showed up for this audition. They're only paying scale.
Table Coral
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
Pictures Of Roman Fedortsow Https://Twitter.com/Rfedortsov
I ain’t even going there put it back ! eugh ugly thing he is n don’t look in least bit tasty !
From My Deployment To The Caribbean In 2012
Jesus Christ ! I’m glad you back safe n sound x ty for your service x blessed be
[oc] Captured During A Very Cold Dive In Pnw
This Magnificent Giant Pacific Octopus Caught Off The Coast Of California By Sportfishers
Poor guy glad he goes home , they ain’t good eating so leave em be mind you if I had the space n money I’d love one as pet lol they so bloody cute n actually friendly but gotta be a proper huge aquarium made professionally other than that leave em in the sea !
Jack Frenzy
Me to lol there’s very likely a bloody great shark behind em lol
Load More Replies...Annual Capelin Spawn, By Beaching Themselves
Almost Got Slapped By This Cruising Sperm Whale
Them bigger than a bus lol n ten times heavier I think 😱def don’t mess lol
Load More Replies...One Of My Favorite Shot From This Year. Taken In Panglao, Philippines
Agreed. Every once in a while sifting through all the c**p is worth it. Not often anymore but.......
Load More Replies...Hey BP, your ads are so invasive I can’t really enjoy your page. No, I am not subscribing
Install Firefox browser and the add-on "uBlock Origin". For android try Brave browser.
Load More Replies...I have thalassophobia and everytime I think I can handle threads like that, I quickly realise that no I can't.
I was born near the sea and could see it from my window. But learned to swim quite late, at 12 yo. On the contrary, my late wife had been born by a river and she was excellent swimmer. Swimming at sea was peanuts for her. However the vastness of sea was frightening her. Never dared to distant from the shore.
Load More Replies...Agreed. Every once in a while sifting through all the c**p is worth it. Not often anymore but.......
Load More Replies...Hey BP, your ads are so invasive I can’t really enjoy your page. No, I am not subscribing
Install Firefox browser and the add-on "uBlock Origin". For android try Brave browser.
Load More Replies...I have thalassophobia and everytime I think I can handle threads like that, I quickly realise that no I can't.
I was born near the sea and could see it from my window. But learned to swim quite late, at 12 yo. On the contrary, my late wife had been born by a river and she was excellent swimmer. Swimming at sea was peanuts for her. However the vastness of sea was frightening her. Never dared to distant from the shore.
Load More Replies...
