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Virtual Reality talk with Ocean First Education: Revolutionizing The Education System

OFE_LogoWe always enjoy catching up with our customers to find out what amazing projects have resulted from using our 360° solutions. Today we had the opportunity to see what the group of impassioned educators, scientists, filmmakers, divers and explorers at Ocean First Education have been working on.

The company essentially does two things- develop and deliver cutting edge digital marine science curricula for K-12 and through a variety of channels, from their courses to their science and research department to their partnerships, engages kids and brings the sea to life. The latest example comes in the form of Ocean First Education’s new 360 video taking viewers to the reefs of Wakatobi, Indonesia.

"The medium has the potential to revolutionize our educational system and we are ecstatic to be on the forefront of this movement.” - Graham Casden, Ocean First Education.
“The medium has the potential to revolutionize our educational system and we are ecstatic to be on the forefront of this movement.” – Graham Casden, Ocean First Education.

Since Ocean First Education focuses on using high-definition imagery to bring the ocean to life, it was natural for them to move into the virtual reality space. Graham Casden, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at Ocean First Education said, “To think a kid 1,000 miles from the sea could put on a pair of goggles and suddenly be 60 feet under the surface, surrounded by a school of fish or an inquisitive turtle is mind blowing.” Their vision of elevating their student’s experience by immersing them in an underwater world was accomplished using our 360Abyss.

The 360Abyss is designed to descend to a depth of half a mile with a crush depth of 1,000 meters. The unit encases all cameras in a rugged assembly featuring aircraft-grade crystal clear optics. The rig is also equipped with an anodized aluminum core and the new Bullet360 control board, technology designed to simultaneously operate multiple cameras underwater.

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Ocean First Education is using the 360Abyss to bring virtual reality content to the classroom.

While capturing 360 video has its challenges, the advantages of using virtual reality are two fold. Casden adds that from an educational perspective it’s more captivating and in a world of digital overload, it’s typically hard to keep an audiences attention. He sees VR as an exception to this norm due to its immersive and engaging nature.

The Ocean First team has recently completed a project with Discovery Education in the form of a virtual field trip and aims to continue using VR and 360 video for classroom initiatives. This includes upcoming trips to Indonesia and New Guinea to capture 360 content.

From our perspective it’s great to see VR education moving forward and we’re thrilled to be working with great organizations like Ocean First Education. Stay tuned for more news from Ocean First and if you’re a diver looking  to get into virtual reality come visit us at the Scuba Show in Long Beach, CA, June 4-5, 2016 booth #213!