This Virtual Reality Experience Immerses You In the Great Barrier Reef
In the visually stunning virtual reality film Oceania VR on Quest 2, you can dive into the Great Barrier Reef and swim with the sharks.
Oceania VR is a three-part virtual reality film showcasing the beauty and diversity of marine life in the Great Barrier Reef and off the coast of Australia and New Zealand. It renders this experience in a very high-quality 180-degree stereoscopic and 8K resolution visual experience that smoothly runs at 60 frames per second.
The Experience is Ultra-Realistic
In the first installment of the Oceania VR series, you are immersed in the Great Barrier Reef which forms the world’s largest collection of individual coral reefs. The large coral reef system was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
In the virtual reality rendering, the 3D effect of the footage makes for an uber-realistic experience, delivering high levels of realism that make you feel like you are physically there. The fishes, corals, and sharks are rendered in 3D and look and feel so real that you will want to reach and touch them to confirm you aren’t actually there in the sea with the creatures.
The second installment of the experience takes you to the Fish Rock Cave. This is an underwater cave located on the Australian east coast. Here, you can virtually swim with the sharks.
The virtual reality experience offers some impressive night shots that might even spook you out. You will see the sharks repeatedly emerging from the pitch-black darkness and swimming right up to you. You can see their razor-sharp teeth and cold, glowing eyes up close.
In the third and final installment, you are immersed in the coral reefs of Fiji which are located north of New Zealand. As you are taken through these, you can hear the soft and pleasant voice of marine biologist DR. Erika Woolsey commenting on marine life.
It Engages All Your Senses
The virtual reality experience of marine life will engage all your senses. The underwater footage of the immersive experience was captured by James Donald, Jon Shaw, and Jon Diver using ultra-wide-angle cameras encased in custom housings. The three episodes of the experience were produced by James Donald’s studio, EcoVR, which specializes in producing immersive nature documentaries.
The result is Oceania VR, a virtual reality documentary that is an aural marvel, complete with pleasant music and 3D audio. It has a meditative effect and is effective in uncommented sequences.
Meta says a total of eight episodes are planned for the series. The first three episodes are available for free on Meta Quest TV.
The producers are recommending that users download the virtual reality episodes instead of streaming them in order to get the best quality (8K/60fps).
You can download them as follows: –
- Click “Watch Later” to cache then strap on your headset and launch Quest’s “TV” app.
- Head to “Saved” and then use the vertical “…” menu and choose “Cache” before you play it.
- You can now remove your headset as the episode downloads.
