Video: The Last Wild Places In the Ocean Webcast

The ocean is not as natural as it once was. Where there used to be large predators that we took for sea monsters, now there are tiny fish and jellyfish. But there are a few untouched places left in the ocean, remote oases of life where sharks are the kings of the underwater world. These last wild places can show us what we have lost, but also help us understand how the ocean works and how to preserve it. 

To celebrate World Ocean Day, National Geographic Ocean Fellow Enric Sala takes us on a virtual expedition of the biologically-rich waters of Chile, Costa Rica, and Kiribati. Sala is a marine ecologist who dedicates his career to restoring ocean health. A former professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, his work includes exploration, research, communication, and policy.

This webcast was recorded at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on June 9, 2011. 

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Smithsonian Institution

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Comments

First Ocean Experience

My first Oceanographic experience was when I went to Israel in a volunteer program. The Mediterranean was amazing! When I returned to the US, I settled in Pinellas County Fla with my husband, and he introduced me to the Gulf. I'm stuck in Southern Illinois right now, and I look forward to returning to St Pete.

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 1:18pm.

Last Wild Ocean

I went scuba diving in shark alley and felt I was really in a place that remained untouched by man. On one side of our small craft lay a colony of penguins close to 40,000 in number. On the starboard side was a small island overflowing with sea lions and their pups. What lay in between was without a doubt the most dangerous space of water known to many far and wide, as it was filled with Great White Shark waiting for their next meal.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 6:52am.

Comment on "Wild Ocean Places"

I was diving off the coast of Okinawa, where the top of the Oceanic Plateau drops away into the Abyss kind of like the edge of the Grand Canyon under water! It was blackness as far down as I could see, except for the fishes coming up! Because I was only on a snorkel, I ventured no further out!

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 10:19pm.

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