Abbie Chapman: What does the ocean mean to me?

For me, the oceans will always be synonymous with family days at the beach, watching our dog chase the retreating tide whilst building sand monsters as fragile as the dreams from which they were inspired.  The oceans also brings me calm, instilled by the sound of the waves gently lapping along the sparkling sands of faraway shores.  As I have grown older, what the ocean means to me has evolved, but its power to restore peace and to spark the imagination has never faltered.

 

Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon, UK.  A home away from home for me, with a fabulous sea tractor to get you across to Burgh Island (pictured).  

Image source: Abbie Chapman.

 

Once (and still) a treasure trove of happy memories of sandcastles, ice creams, crabs and family fun, the oceans are now also full of life and energy.  When I learnt to scuba dive as a teenager, I interacted with the sea in a new way and was made to feel very small in this ‘big blue’ world full of life, colour, and activity.

 

The big blue world and me.  

Image source: Sam Southgate (taken at the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth, Devon UK). 

 

I was introduced to the study of the oceans (Oceanography) via a BBC documentary (BBC Two’s ‘Oceans’) and was fortunate enough to pursue my own studies as part of my Physical Geography degree at the University of Southampton.  The oceanography that I first encountered was Physical Oceanography – the study of the saltiness (salinity), the heat, and the energy that the oceans were responsible for transporting around the globe.  It was only when I took on a Masters degree in oceanography specifically that I had my eyes fully opened to the wealth of research that takes place in this realm.

This gull also seems to be learning about the sheer energy and power of the sea!  

Image source: Abbie Chapman (taken at Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon, UK).

Now, the oceans, to me, are also the key to conservation, to governmental planning, to climate, to the past, to new species, to future medical cures, to knowledge…

The oceans, to me, will always have a place in my heart, thanks to my childhood beach adventures and my scuba experiences beneath the waves.  However, as I learn more from those working around me at the National Oceanography Centre, the oceans are also what I want to help protect and a passion I’d love to share with future generations.