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Live from the reef Depth 0 m · Water 27 °C · Visibility 20 m 08°48′S 115°05′E

Dive into the Living Ocean.

BioWave is a field guide to the ocean's wildest neighbourhoods — from sunlit reefs to trenches deeper than Everest is tall. Meet the species, plan the dive, protect what you love.

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Explore by habitat Coral reefs 0–30 m Kelp forests 5–40 m Open ocean 0–200 m Deep sea 200 m+ Mangroves tidal Polar seas −2 °C

01 Ocean zones

Five worlds, one ocean.

Keep scrolling to sink from the sunlit surface to the deepest trench on Earth — the light fades as you go.

0–200 m Sunlight zone

Where the ocean gets its colour.

Enough light for plants to grow, so this thin top layer holds reefs, seagrass meadows and most of the life you'll ever snorkel with.

  • Coral reefs
  • Sea turtles
  • Seagrass

SPECIES CARD · SUNLIGHT ZONE

Green sea turtle

  1. DIET Seagrass & algae as adults
  2. REST Can sleep underwater for hours
  3. HOME Nests on the beach it hatched on
  4. RANGE Tropical seas worldwide

200–1,000 m Twilight zone

The biggest migration on Earth.

Every night, billions of fish, shrimp and squid rise from the dim twilight to feed near the surface — then sink back down before sunrise.

  • Lanternfish
  • Vertical migration
  • Big eyes

TWILIGHT ZONE · 200–1,000 m

Light left down here

At 200 m, about 1% of sunlight remains

~1% sunlight · too dark for plants

Nightly commute: up at dusk, down at dawn

1,000–4,000 m Midnight zone

No sunlight. Living light instead.

It's pitch black, so animals make their own light — to hunt, to hide and to find each other. Blue light travels furthest in water, so most glows are blue.

  • Bioluminescence
  • Anglerfish
  • Vampire squid

BIOLUMINESCENCE

Colours of living light

Blue · most common Green · jellies Red · very rare

Animals in the deep that glow~3 in 4

4,000–6,000 m The abyss

Cold, calm and surprisingly busy.

Near-freezing water and crushing pressure — yet the seafloor here hosts octopuses that flap like elephants' ears and fish that stand on their fins.

  • Dumbo octopus
  • Tripod fish
  • Sea cucumbers

WHO LIVES HERE

Abyssal neighbours

  • Dumbo octopusSwims with ear-like finsDeep
  • Tripod fishStands on three long finsFloor
  • Sea cucumberThe seafloor's clean-up crewFloor

6,000 m + Hadal trenches

Deeper than Everest is tall.

The trenches drop to nearly 11 km. Pressure is over a thousand times what you feel on the beach — and still, snailfish and amphipods live here.

  • Challenger Deep
  • Snailfish
  • Amphipods

CHALLENGER DEEP · MARIANA TRENCH

10,935 mdeepest known point

  • Pressure1,000×
  • Sunlight0%
  • Water1–4 °C

02 Destinations

Wish you were underwater.

Three places every ocean lover should see once. Hover or tap a postcard to read the back.

01

Greetings fromRaja Ampat Flip me

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Around three quarters of the world's known coral species live in these islands. Mantas, pygmy seahorses and walking sharks included.

for: reef
lovers
02

Greetings fromthe Great Barrier Reef Flip me

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The largest coral reef system on Earth — around 2,900 reefs stretching over 2,300 km along the Queensland coast.

for: first
snorkel
03

Greetings fromSilfra, Iceland Flip me

Silfra, Iceland

Float in a crack between two continental plates, in glacier water so clear you can see over 100 metres.

for: cold-water
adventurers

03 Species

Meet the locals.

Swipe or use the arrows — six ocean residents with stranger lives than most sci-fi.

  • Manta ray

    Mobula birostris

    Open ocean0–1,000 m

    • Wingspan up to 7 m
    • Huge brain for a fish
    • Visits reef "cleaning stations"

  • Clownfish

    Amphiprion ocellaris

    Coral reefs1–15 m

    • Lives inside anemones
    • Slime coat stops the stings
    • All born male

  • Anglerfish

    Melanocetus johnsonii

    Midnight zoneTotal darkness

    • Glowing fishing lure
    • Bacteria make the light
    • Swallows prey its own size

  • Common octopus

    Octopus vulgaris

    Reefs & rocks0–200 m

    • Three hearts
    • Blue blood
    • Changes colour in a blink

  • Whale shark

    Rhincodon typus

    Tropical seas0–1,900 m

    • Largest fish alive
    • Filters plankton only
    • Spots unique like fingerprints

  • Blue whale

    Balaenoptera musculus

    All oceans0–500 m

    • Largest animal ever known
    • Calls travel huge distances
    • Eats tonnes of krill a day

04 Why it matters

The ocean keeps us alive.

Roughly every second breath you take comes from the sea — and most of it is still a mystery.

71%of Earth's surface is ocean
80%still unexplored
50%of our oxygen comes from the sea
3B+people rely on it for a living

05 FAQ

Questions from the shore.

Still curious? Email hello@biowave.fun — a real person replies, usually between dives.

Q.01What is BioWave?

A field guide and community for people who love the ocean — species, ocean zones, dive destinations and reef-friendly tips, written in plain language.

Q.02Is joining the crew free?

Yes. Crew members can save species and spots, keep a dive and sighting logbook, and get Tide Notes — one calm email a month.

Q.03Do I need to be a diver?

Not at all. Snorkellers, rock-pool explorers, aquarium fans and armchair adventurers are all welcome aboard.

Q.04How can I help protect reefs?

Use reef-safe sunscreen, never touch or stand on coral, choose eco-certified dive shops, skip single-use plastic and join a local beach clean-up.

Q.05Where do your facts come from?

We write from published marine research and ocean institutes, and we update pages when the science changes.

Q.06Can I share my own sightings?

Yes — crew members can log sightings with a photo and location. Our favourites are featured in Tide Notes each month.

It's dark down here — move your torch

Most of the ocean is still unseen.

Join the crew to save species, log your dives and get Tide Notes — one calm email a month about the living ocean.

Join the crew — free Meet the species