Diving into the Baltic Sea with Virtual Reality

Meadows of sea grass sway in the water, porpoises appear as if out of nowhere and colourful sea lilies shine brightly: the Baltic Sea offers a fascinating underwater realm. For the first time, it can now be marvelled at with the help of a virtual underwater reality.

Beneath the surface of the world's largest brackish sea, the Baltic Sea, lies a fascinating underwater kingdom. Filmmakers from Nabu have set out in search of hidden gems in the Baltic Sea - and have made a find. Playing seals appear in front of their lens, porpoises push their way through the picture and colourful anemones sparkle on the seabed.

The recordings are part of the project "Baltic Sea Life" - Germany's first virtual underwater reality. The animation offers fascinating insights into a world that would otherwise have remained hidden from most people forever. Instead of snorkels and diving equipment, the Baltic Sea can be explored with the mouse on the computer at home or then with VR. With a VR headset or a Google Cardboard and smartphone, you can control the underwater world with your own eyes.

For over a year, the NABU marine conservation team worked with the production company Kubikfoto, divers and filmmakers to give as many people as possible a view below the water's surface that is otherwise reserved for scuba divers. Unlike artificial environments, OstseeLIFE consists of specially shot 360-degree films.

It took the filmmakers two weeks and 25 dives to capture six marine habitats. Among them: the seagrass meadow, lung and nursery of the Baltic Sea, the million-year-old chalk reef off the island of Rügen or old shipwrecks that give cod and conger eels a home. The result is a kaleidoscope of the Baltic Sea with a diversity that few would believe possible.

Baltic Sea in danger

"OstseeLife" aims to sensitise people to the needs of the sensitive ecosystem, which is harassed daily by overfishing, shipping traffic and pollution. "Hardly anyone knows that every third species in the Baltic Sea is threatened today," says Kim Detloff, Head of Marine Conservation at Nabu.

OstseeLIFE from NABU lets users experience what makes the Baltic Sea so special and also helps them understand how they can protect it.

Source: Stern - OstseeLife