Archipelago. I love that word. While it can mean any group of islands close to each other I frequently hear it used to describe many islands that carry great diving opportunities. In the eastern Pacific Ocean we have the Galapagos Archipelago off Ecuador, and off the tip of Baja, the Archipelago Islas de Revillagigedo (try saying that one with marbles in your mouth) and, in our neck of the woods, I have often heard the Channel Islands described as an archipelago.
A lot of the geographic terms that are used regarding bodies of water can be a bit confusing. The goal of this article is to ease some of that confusion by offering a simple primer on ocean lingo.
Into the Gulf
First off let’s make clear that the designation of specific bodies of water can be arbitrary. In some cases, they’re regional names. Years ago when I was working the oilfields as a commercial diver I was assigned to a job in the Persian Gulf. Before departure we were given a full briefing on etiquette of the region. The Persian Gulf is bordered by Iran (ancient Persia) to the north and several Arab countries to the south. Because we were working out of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the south we were told, in no uncertain terms, to refer to this body of water only as the Arabian Gulf.
Other unusual naming examples include the Dead Sea in Israel and the Salton Sea in the southern California desert. These bodies of water are quite different than, for example, the North Sea off Scotland or the Red Sea in Egypt.
The true designation of a “sea” rather than another name is that a sea is a large body of water at least somewhat bordered by landmasses, be it islands and/or continents. The Caribbean Sea, for example, borders on Central and South America but is also bordered by the islands of the Greater and Lesser Antilles to the north and east respectively. Another sea famous for diving opportunities closer to home is the Sea of Cortez just south of California in Mexico.
The Sea of Cortez just south of the border also has the designation as the Gulf of California. The title of “Gulf” is usually reserved for an exceptionally large body of water mostly surrounded by the nearby continent. The Gulf of Mexico is an excellent example.
To muddy the waters further, the Gulf of California (a.k.a. Sea of Cortez) is part of the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico is part of the Atlantic as is the Caribbean Sea. With the exception of seas being an inland body of water — used especially for names of such bodies (like the Salton Sea), seas and gulfs are always part of the greater bodies of water, the oceans.
The Oceans
Saline water covers 140 million square miles of Planet Earth – approximately 71 percent of its surface and 90 percent of Earth’s biosphere. The World Ocean (or Great Ocean) contains 97 percent of the earth’s water — and by the way, oceanographers estimate that only 5 percent of it has been explored.
Oceans are the largest bodies of water on the planet. The five oceans that make up the World Ocean are, from smallest to largest, the Arctic, Southern (Antarctic), Indian, Atlantic and Pacific. The Arctic is sometimes considered a sea of the Atlantic, yet it is quite large at 5.427 million square miles. Many think its frozen appearance (most of its surface is solid ice) means it is a landmass like the continent of Antarctica. While the Arctic Ocean is indeed very cold it is most definitely an ocean. It is bordered by Europe, Asia and North America.
The Southern (Antarctic) Ocean encircles Antarctica. It is sometimes considered an extension of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
South of India is the Indian Ocean. It is the next largest ocean on the planet at 27.24 million square miles. It is bordered by the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, and, to the south, Antarctica. For divers, it’s most famous diving is found along the coral atolls of the Maldives.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest in size at 41.4 million square miles. The most popular diving areas in the Atlantic Ocean are in the Caribbean Sea. The second largest barrier reef in the world is that which extends through the popular diving areas of Cozumel, Mexico and offshore from Belize. Another popular diving area in the Atlantic close to Florida is the Bahamas. The coral reefs off Florida make up the world’s third largest barrier reef.