The best places to receive a ‘Cheers from the Ocean’

To coincide with our current Cheers from the Ocean campaign, we've gathered the best places from around the world you can experience your very own thank you from our beautiful oceans.

Been hot hasn’t it?

From Liverpool to Lille, Cambridge to Cologne, and pretty much everywhere across the UK and mainland Europe, temperatures have been touching the mid-30s and early 40s over the last week or so.

It’s been a little bit too hot, but now as we settle into a more traditional British summer of milder days and the odd rain shower; we thought we’d take you to a few more exotic places.

Figuratively, of course.

To tie in with our wider ‘Cheers from the Ocean’ campaign, we’ve found the best places where you can receive your very own ‘Cheers from the Ocean’.

Ranging from stunning natural phenomena and beautiful scenery to the very best spectacles of marine life, a ‘Cheers from the Ocean’ can be anything that encapsulates just what makes our oceans around the world so unique.

So without further ado, we’ll take you through the best Cheers from the Oceans.

Glowing seashore in the Maldives (bioluminescence)

This Cheers from the Ocean looks as if it comes straight out of a Disney movie.

But there’s no CGI trickery involved here, just some plankton doing their best impression of an underwater neon party.

Bioluminescent plankton cause the phenomena when they emit light as a defence mechanism against predators when they get agitated as they drift towards the coastline, creating the magical lightshow in the waves.

While the Maldives is an ideal location to witness the event, the glowing waves have also occurred in San Diego, Thailand, Australia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Vietnam from mid-summer to early winter.

Baby turtles hatching on the beach

Whether you witness this both equal parts alarming and cute event on the beaches of Palau Tioman in Malaysia, Costa Rica or Ascension Island like the Planet Earth crew, it is a sight to behold.

Throughout the year during hatching season, which varies from location to location, hundreds of baby turtles will make the perilous journey from their hatching place on the beach into the sea like a bunch of new-borns being asked to do the 100-metre dash.

While some will make it and others won’t be as fortunate, the scariest start to life for any marine creature is a fascinating watch.

Clear blue oceans around the world

There’s not much to this one, it’s just nice to look at a clear blue ocean from time to time isn’t it?

There are some particularly picturesque clear blue seas in Greece, the Seychelles, the Bahamas, and Spain.

Or there are loads of places all over the world where the sea is crystal clear; you just need to take your pick.

Floating in the Dead Sea

While the Dead Sea isn’t actually a sea (it’s technically a lake sandwiched in between Israel and Jordan) it still warrants a place on this list.

Because of its high levels of salinity, about 35% which makes it 9.6 times saltier than the ocean, it’s incredibly easy to float in the Dead Sea.

Apparently because of its high number of minerals and salt content, the Dead Sea can help treat a number of common illnesses and is also very good for your skin.

So visit either Jordan or Israel to have a float in the Dead Sea and you’ll feel a lot better for it.

Wild dolphin spotting in the Azores and Southern California

As our Cheers from the Ocean video included a thank you from an animated pod of dolphins, it makes sense to include the real thing.

The Azores – a mid-Atlantic region of Portugal – is the perfect spot to catch them in their natural habitat as it is one of the largest marine sanctuaries in the world with over 20 species of dolphins and whales.

Meanwhile in Southern California, particularly the coastline between Santa Barbara and San Diego, dolphins have been known to gather in their thousands to travel long distances.

Visit either of these destinations and you’re likely to catch a glimpse of one of the oceans more majestic creatures.

The Great Barrier Reef

We finish the list with arguably the most well-known addition.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the largest coral reef system in the world stretching over 2,300 kilometres with 2,900 individual reefs, the Great Barrier Reef is a thing of beauty.

With the best time to visit from June to October, you’d need to head to Cairns in North Queensland for the best place to access the sprawling natural wonder.

But there’s no better time to head down under and experience the Great Barrier Reef for yourself.