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Where marine science meets

cinematic storytelling.

We transform ocean science into immersive experiences that inspire communities around the world to care for our shared ocean.

For more than a decade, we've been exploring how technology helps people learn about, and feel connected to, ocean environments.

We can't take everyone to the ocean. But with cutting-edge technologies paired with interactive storytelling, we can bring the ocean to everyone.

The Hydrous creates immersive, science-based experiences that invite people anywhere in the world to explore coral reefs, kelp forests, the open ocean, and the life within them.

Today, we're building the next generation of digital experiences designed to inspire curiosity and stewardship of marine ecosystems worldwide.

Half underwater, half above water view of a coral reef with a tropical island and palm trees in the background.
Scuba divers underwater with sunlight streaming down, creating a bright spot in the ocean.

We're moving from virtual dives to immersive worlds.

Underwater view of vibrant coral reef with various colorful corals and Marine life.

The Hydrous is developing a new generation of multimodal ocean experiences that bring together cinematic underwater content, XR, LED domes, interactive projections, and digital learning. These experiences are designed to work across museums, aquariums, science centers, classrooms, cultural institutions, and digital platforms.

Our mission

Make the ocean
accessible to everyone.

The Hydrous is a learning ecosystem that brings ocean science to audiences wherever they are through immersive storytelling, educational curricula, and emerging technologies.

Our mission is to increase ocean literacy, empathy, and stewardship. That means helping people understand how the ocean works, how they are connected to it, and why we must protect it, together.

Every experience starts with wonder and is backed by science.

Our approach brings together three things:

Scuba diver underwater near a coral reef, holding a rebreather device and making a shaka hand gesture.

Immersive storytelling

We use cinematic underwater footage, extended reality (XR), LED environments, interactive projections, and other emerging technologies to put audiences inside marine ecosystems they may never otherwise experience.

People sitting on stools on stage during a panel discussion or presentation, with a large screen displaying a close-up of the panelists behind them.

Scientific credibility

Our experiences are developed with marine scientists, educators, and researchers and grounded in established ocean literacy principles and learning objectives. We've spent more than a decade researching not only how to create immersive ocean experiences, but how they influence knowledge, connection, and stewardship.

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Meaningful engagement

Our experiences are designed as portals to your journey of exploration and discovery. We build frameworks around immersive experiences to enhance learning, reflection, discussion, and opportunities to go deeper. This approach brings audiences from curiosity → understanding → connection → action.

And we measure what happens along the way. We embed measures of ocean literacy, empathy, knowledge, and engagement into our experiences, creating a continuous feedback loop that informs what we build next. It’s this integration of science, storytelling, and measurement that sets The Hydrous apart

A history of making the ocean accessible

Founded in 2014, The Hydrous started with the same goal as it has today: making the ocean accessible.

We started by using underwater photography and photogrammetry to create detailed 3D models of living corals.

Those models could be shared online, printed, displayed in museums, and used as hands-on learning tools. We later collaborated with the Smithsonian to digitize coral specimens, helping make collections accessible to scientists, artists, educators, and audiences around the world.

Then technology opened new possibilities.

Since 2016, we’ve been exploring virtual reality as a way to create “open access oceans,” so that anyone, anywhere could step into the underwater world. In 2018, we launched Immerse 360°, and in 2021, we experimented with augmented reality, creating AR Reef Adobe and the Smithsonian.

From Immerse 360° to Expedition Palau and Explore VR, we tested what happened when people could feel like they’re experiencing and interacting with marine ecosystems rather than simply reading about them or watching a 2-dimensional video.

A scientist examines a bone sample using a microscope in a laboratory setting, with computer monitors displaying colorful digital images of biological specimens and various equipment on the table.
A large crowd of children and adults sitting in theater seats, raising their hands, watching a performance or presentation.
A boy holding a tablet displays a digital 3D model of a small island or terrain with trees on a desert-like base, with a wire fence and green bushes in the background.

We also tested how to make those experiences social.

At National Geographic's VR theater, as many as 450 people could enter the same virtual dive simultaneously while Erika live-narrated the experience from the stage. The Hydrous has since led synchronized virtual dives for audiences around the world and conducted studies that show how shared virtual worlds create enhanced learning experiences and outcomes.

2.75M

Virtual Dives Led

12

Peer-reviewed Publications

400+

 Citations

AS SEEN IN

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Media & Research

  • Promotional image of three trailblazers for Meet Time's 2026 event, featuring two men and one woman in black-and-white with a gradient purple background, smiling and looking confident.

    TIME Trailblazers

    PRESS

    Designing and Making the Future

    Read More
  • Scuba diver exploring an underwater kelp forest with sunlight filtering through the water and various fish swimming around.

    Partnership with Silverback and Submersa

    PRESS RELEASE

    The Hydrous, Silverback Films, and Submersa Studios Partner to Transform how Audiences Experience the Ocean

    Read More
  • Two scuba divers swimming underwater among a school of fish, with one diver holding a camera or light and the other swimming nearby.

    CNN Call to Earth

    PRESS

    A marine biologist is using virtual reality to bring people closer to the ocean

    Read More
  • Person wearing a virtual reality headset looking at an underwater scene in an aquatic exhibit or aquarium with colorful fish and coral.

    Ocean XR

    RESEARCH

    A Deep Dive Into Extended Reality for Marine Education and Ocean Literacy

    Read More
  • An underwater scene showing a scuba diver exploring a rocky coral reef.

    Immerse

    360º FILM

    Featured on National Geographic’s YouTube channel

    Watch Video
  • Two women in outdoor gear crouch down by a tide pool at the beach, closely examining the water and rocks.

    Upworthy

    PRESS

    Marine biologist offers virtual deep dives—bringing us to the ocean with advanced technology

    Read More
  • A group of five young women standing on rocky terrain, with some talking and others looking in different directions.

    Agency in Immersive Learning

    RESEARCH

    Complexity of Agency in VR Learning Environments: Exploring Associations with Interactivity, Learning Outcomes, and Affect

    Read More
  • A detailed model of an undersea scene with a rock mountain, colorful coral, and sea plants. A realistic turtle model is swimming in front of a framed underwater backdrop.

    AR Reef

    MEDIA

    An augmented reality experience created in partnership with Adobe & The Smithsonian

    Learn more
  • An underwater scene with colorful coral and a sunken ship in the background. A white frame with a headset inside hangs amid the coral.

    Explore VR

    MEDIA

    An interactive VR experience to train like a marine biologist

    Learn more
  • A surreal digital artwork with floating birds, people, and objects in a cloudy sky at sunset.

    Collaboration in Immersive VR

    RESEARCH

    Conducted at the Stanford University Virtual Human Interaction Lab

    Read More

The Hydrous Team

Leadership

Our CEO and Board of Directors create our leadership team with collective expertise, strategic vision, and commitment that help the Hydrous expand its reach, strengthen its partnerships, and advance ocean education and conservation.

  • A smiling bald man wearing a dark suit, light-colored shirt, striped tie, and white pocket square, standing outdoors with trees in the background.

    Eric Rieseberg

    Chairman, Board of Directors
    Bio

  • Close-up portrait of a woman with short brown hair, smiling, wearing a maroon sweater and earrings against a light background.

    Judith Harrison

    Board of Directors
    Bio

  • A smiling middle-aged woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a beige blazer and white turtleneck, standing in a warmly lit room with shelves and blurred lights in the background.

    Vicki Dobbs Beck

    Board of Directors
    Bio

  • A man in cold weather gear with a fur-lined hood in a snowy landscape, with penguins in the background.

    Jeff Wilson

    Board of Directors
    Bio

  • Confident woman with wavy blonde hair wearing a blue dress and a brown lace bracelet, posing against a dark background.

    Dr. Erika Woolsey

    Chief Scientist & CEO
    Bio

Science & Technology Advisory Council

  • Smiling man with a shaved head and beard standing outdoors in front of a modern glass building.

    Dr. Danny Pimentel

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • Woman with long brown hair wearing a black and red plaid shirt, holding a virtual reality headset on her head, smiling, against a blue background.

    Dr. Géraldine Fauville

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • A young woman with long red hair smiling outdoors in front of a wooden fence and trees.

    Amy Wentzel

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • A young man in a blue suit smiling at the camera on a beach with rocks and ocean in the background.

    Daniel Hettwer

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • Woman with long brown hair and green eyes smiling, wearing a cream-colored blazer and top, standing in front of a gray, ridged background.

    Monica Arés

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • A middle-aged man with long, wavy hair and light skin smiling while leaning against a stone pillar, wearing a maroon shirt, outdoors with blurred trees and structures in the background.

    Prof. Jeremy Bailenson

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • A man with blond hair and beard smiling outdoors, wearing a gray shirt and a blue bandana around his neck, with greenery visible in the background.

    Jeff Hester

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • A man with curly shoulder-length hair and a beard, wearing a black suit, posing against a dark background.

    Xander Peterson

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • A woman with long blonde hair, wearing tortoiseshell glasses and a maroon top, smiling against a dark background.

    Jen Wallace

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • Close-up of a man with gray hair, wearing glasses, and a black shirt, against a gray background.

    Brad Macdonald

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

  • Melissa Pappas

    Science and Technology Advisory Council

Visionaries