About this series

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s “Ocean Encounters” is an informative, entertaining event series hosted by Dr. Véronique LaCapra. Launched amidst the pandemic shutdown in April 2020, Ocean Encounters continues to connect WHOI researchers and partners with global audiences. The series has taken thousands of viewers on journeys from the Sea to the Stars (Season 3), to the Ocean Twilight Zone (Season 1), to Antarctica (Season 4), covering topics ranging from North Atlantic right whales to deep-ocean hydrothermal vents to the ocean’s role in global climate. Through engaging visuals, dynamic interviews, and the opportunity to participate in live Q&As with WHOI leadership, scientists, engineers, and diverse outside guests, Ocean Encounters has set the bar for virtual events and community engagement.

Seasons 4 and 5 of Ocean Encounters are endorsed activities of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. In 2022, Ocean Encounters was nominated for a People’s Voice Webby Award in the Virtual and Remote - Series, Health and Science category, and was also named an honoree in the Virtual and Remote: Best Series category. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet and is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). The Webbys has been hailed as the “internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times and is considered “the Oscars of the internet.”

Ocean Encounters is made possible in part by the generous support of our sponsors, the Avatar Alliance Foundation and Dalio Philanthropies. If you would like to support Ocean Encounters and all of WHOI’s outreach efforts, please consider becoming a member.