History Main / OceanOfAdventure

* In ''Literature/DrFranklinsIsland'', Semi spends the first part of the book fearful of the ocean her plane [[ComingInHot crashed into]], thanks in no small part to the bodies washing up on shore and her one memorable sight of a ThreateningShark. She's then [[ForcedTransformation turned into]] a creature resembling a [[MellowMantas manta ray]] and eventually has to swim in the ocean before she can escape - and [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody as a fish]] finds the experience nothing short of magical, like swimming through music. It's the happiest she is in her entire time on (or near) the island.

The IslandOfMystery will often be found here in great numbers. {{Sea Monster}}s and {{Turtle Island}}s are often a common part of the marine fauna. Characters found sailing these seas are likely to be {{Bold Explorer}}s, BornUnderTheSail or {{Pirates}} of various moral stripes, and to sail {{Cool Boat}}s. Ports here are likely to be {{Adventure Town}}s. Maps of these oceans tend to be complex affairs, filled with [[XMarksTheSpot signs marking hidden treasure]] and [[HereThereBeDragons writhing monsters to warn of danger]] -- but don't be surprised if entire islands or ports fail to show up on any chart.

[[folder:Music]]
* "Saint Brendan's Isle" is a folk song describing the travels of Saint Brendan the Navigator and his crew as they sail into the unknown western seas, where they come across a burning sea filled with demons, are attacked by a sea dragon, and land on an island on the back of a huge fish.
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The IslandOfMystery will often be found here in great numbers. {{Sea Monster}}s and {{Turtle Island}}s are often a common part of the marine fauna. Characters found sailing these seas are likely to be {{Bold Explorer}}s, BornUnderTheSail or {{Pirates}} of various moral stripes, and to sail {{Cool Boat}}s. Ports here are likely to be {{Adventure Town}}s.

* ''VideoGame/VideoGame/OceanhornMonsterOfUnchartedSeas'': You're a young sailor travelling various oceans - many infested by monsters, pirates and fish-people - on a quest to locate your missing father.

* ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' is in many ways the TropeMaker and TropeCodifier. The middle third of the story follows the long travels of Odysseus and his dwindling crew after they're swept far from known waters and into the vastness of the ocean, after which come long years of wandering between distant lands and islands home to cannibal giants, a powerful witch, the god of the winds and stranger entities, until Odysseus is eventually able, after ten years of travels, to limp his way back to the edge of the civilized world.

* ''WesternAnimation/SinbadLegendoftheSevenSeas'' follows the titular infamous pirate as he attempts to clear his name by traversing across the seas to recover the Book of Peace, which was stolen by the goddess of discord Eris who framed him for the act. Tagging alongside him and his RagtagBunchOfMisfits is a RebelliousPrincess who's there to make sure that Sinbad stays on his quest, and their journey take them through perilous waters filled with monsters Eris has sent to obstruct them, including a group of sirens, a island-size gigantic fish, and a large bird of prey monster. To top all of that of, Sinbad and his crew has to [[spoiler:''literally fly their ship over the edge of the world'' to get to Eris's realm. And they braved through it all without a single crew lost in the entire journey.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SinbadLegendsoftheSevenSeas'' follows the titular infamous pirate as he attempts to clear his name by traversing across the seas to recover the Book of Peace, which was stolen by the goddess of discord Eris who framed him for the act. Tagging alongside him and his RagtagBunchOfMisfits is a RebelliousPrincess who's there to make sure that Sinbad stays on his quest, and their journey take them through perilous waters filled with monsters Eris has sent to obstruct them, including a group of sirens, a island-size gigantic fish, and a large bird of prey monster. To top all of that of, Sinbad and his crew has to [[spoiler:''literally fly their ship over the edge of the world'' to get to Eris's realm. And they braved through it all without a single crew lost in the entire journey.]]

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' is set in the Great Sea, what remains of Hyrule after a global flood turned it into a vast ocean dotted with islands that once were mountaintops, and which in the game's present have become home to a number of insular communities ranging from Hylian towns to the villages of nonhuman races to forbidding fortresses of monstrous pirates. The game follows Link as he sails from island to island, plums the seas for treasure, fights off sea monsters and hostile warships, and uncovers the ancient legacy of Hyrule locked deep beneath the waves. Its sequel, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'', takes largely the same approach, but is set in a distinct PocketDimension that naturally takes the form of a sea dotted with reefs and islands home to peculiar natives and ancient ruins.

The ocean has always been a thing of wonder, fear and reverence, a dangerous road leading to strange and distant things. It's difficult to navigate -- often impossible unless you can read the stars well -- journeying upon it was filled with risks, and straying from known routes could easily get a ship terribly lost. However, skillful or daring travel could lead one to distant lands, unknown places and great riches. Consequently, there is a long and well-established tradition of romanticizing sea travel, and of stories set upon the sea becoming tales of wonder, danger and strange mystery.

The ocean itself is typically presented as a place of chaos, mystery and inconstancy, a vast and powerful force hiding its secrets well beyond the sight of sailors skimming along its surface. Travelers upon the sea are at the whim of tides, currents and winds largely out of their control, which may be equated with the actions of spirits, gods or fate, and at any moment storms may boil into existence, monsters rise out of the deep or a pirate ship appear over the horizon. At the same time, fortune may easily smile on a skilled or lucky traveler; much as the unknown depths of the sea may hide terrors, they may also hold incredible things -- sunken ships, lost treasure, natural wonders or potential allies may all be found among the waves. This sense of gambling with fate, of heading out into an alien realm without knowing what will be behind the next wave, is often a major part of this sort of stories.

The other major element of the Ocean of Adventure is its islands. Isolated islands and distant shores tend to act as their own microcosms, each home to some new group, individual, creatures or phenomenon unbeholden to what's found on the mainland or on other islands. This allows stories to move between radically different settings and circumstances as the characters move from island to island, with each one holding some new trial, peril or wonder. As a result, the WackyWaysideTribe is an extremely common plot element in stories set in these oceans.

Characters may have many different reasons to set out across these seas, but desire for adventure, lust for wealth and treasure or simply being blown horribly off-course are all fairly common. Regardless of cause, however, journeys across the Ocean of Adventure will be neither short nor easy. Sailors and explorers typically find themselves battling with a plethora of storms, foes and misfortunes, wandering from island to island and losing their ships, their crews and their belongings, often only limping back to port on rafts or other improvised craft after many months or even years away from home.

Most of these adventures takes place on the ocean's surface, but it's not uncommon for them to be set deep beneath the waves as well, taking a much more personal look at the mysteries and terrors of the depths.

Of note is the fact that most of these elements translate fairly seamlessly into space-age settings, especially ones of the softer side of science fiction -- SpaceIsAnOcean for a very good reason, and the depths of space, mysterious phenomena and alien planets easily play the roles of the sea, storms and islands of the Ocean of Adventure. Similarly, when TheSkyIsAnOcean, it also tends to be depicted in this manner, with flying ships and floating islands replacing the usual kinds.

Compare WoodenShipsAndIronMen, TropicalIslandAdventure, TheSkyIsAnOcean, AwesomeUnderwaterWorld and OceanPunk. This is often the state of the seas in an AdventureFriendlyWorld.

** ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasGreatAdventureInTheSouthSeas'' have Doraemon and friends ending in the 18th Century because of a time portal, and meeting Captain Kidd (yes, ''that'' Captain Kidd) who is searching for his missing brother and nephew after they're attacked by {{Sea Monster}}s. Pretty much the whole adventure takes place in the high seas as well.

* ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'': Some stories depict the ocean as a place of wonder and terror with scary monsters, beautiful cities and fascinating civilizations.

* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'': Marlin is forced to undertake a perilous journey away from the Great Barrier Reef to find and rescue his son, Nemo, who is abducted by human divers. His journey takes him and his friend Dory from the reef to an Alcoholics Anonymous-esque support meeting for sharks, down to the inky darkness of the deep ocean where they run into a nightmarish anglerfish, through a jellyfish forest and the East Australian Current, to talking to a whale.

* ''Film/{{Waterworld}}'' takes places almost entirely upon the ocean, as [[FloodedFutureWorld rising sea levels have caused the Earth to be covered in water]], to the point that dry land is believed to be a myth by many. The plot concerns the protagonists traveling across the global oceans while searching for the last dry land, moving between surviving floating settlements, exploring underwater ruins and evading pursuit by a fleet of pirates.

** ''Literature/TheRiddlingReaver'' has the second act, a maritime journey where the player(s) board an enchanted ship called the ''Twice Shy'' to the Islands of Southern Allansia. However, the ship itself is filled with enemies, and along the way the player(s) will encounter giant squids, sharks, maelstroms, and a hostile Sea Giant.

* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': The third book, ''The Mark of Athena'', has the seven traveling from San Francisco to Greece, which includes crossing the Atlantic and sailing the Mediterranean, a sea that holds a fearsome reputation as an ancient home of monsters. Rarely do they get a break, as they are constantly attacked and harassed by monsters, hostile mythological figures and other more mundane dangers, like sinking if they take too much damage.

* ''TabletopGame/PalladiumFantasy'': This is the main focus of the third major sourcebook, ''Adventures on the High Seas''. Additions to the game include several new seafaring classes such as sailors and pirates, strange islands and exotic port towns to explore, tables for ocean weather and sea monster encounters, lists of ship types, new adventures and much ''much'' more.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' is set in the Great Sea, what remains of Hyrule after a global flood turned it into a vast ocean dotted with islands that once were mountaintops, and which in the game's present have become home to a number of insular communities ranging from Hylian towns to the villages of nonhuman races to forbidding fortresses of monstrous pirates. The game follows Link as he sails from island to island, plumbs the seas for treasure, fights off sea monsters and hostile warships and uncovers the ancient legacy of Hyrule locked deep beneath the waves. Its sequel, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'', takes largely the same approach, but is set in a distinct PocketDimension that naturally takes the form of a sea dotted with reefs and islands home to peculiar natives and ancient ruins.

* ''VideoGame/TheOceanHunter'': The main plot of the game is that you're an explorer in a steampunk world trying to explore the uncharted in search of treasure and research, but behemoth aquatic monsters keep attacking ships to the point bounties are put on them. Your player characters decides to collect and likewise make the ocean safe to travel in.
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'': The first half of the Purple Streamer chapter, the Great Sea, is set in a stretch of ocean bordering Toad Town that Mario has to sail through and explore to reach the Sea Tower on its far side. The Sea is dotted with many small islands that can explored, in addition to clusters of rocky reefs, wandering whales and money-dropping swordfish, and secret spots where the player can dive to find sunken treasure.
* ''VideoGame/SeaOfThieves'' is built upon this trope. The titular Sea of Thieves is a mysterious shrouded island archpelago in the Caribbean Sea, full of ruins left by a precursor civilization, tropical islands, skeletons, ghosts, sea monsters, a wannabe pirate dictator, and [[TreasureIsBiggerInFiction more gold than you can shake a fist at]]. Anyone who enters can't leave because of the Shroud, so entering is basically signing up for a ''life'' of non-stop adventure.
* ''VideoGame/SunlessSea'': The game is set in the Unterzee, a vast dark ocean deep BeneathTheEarth, dotted with many islands and bounded by strange shores, where every port hosts its own peculiar denizens, dark secrets and native dangers. Even if you avoid the worst of the dockside trouble, however, the Zee is a fickle mistress, and your voyages can easily be brought to an untimely end by sea monsters, starvation or fear-induced madness.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': In the series finale "[[Recap/GameOfThronesS8E6TheIronThrone The Iron Throne]]" [[spoiler:With the people on her kill list all dead, Arya decides to sail west from Westeros as the area beyond the Sunset Sea is largely unexplored and unknown.]]

Compare WoodenShipsAndIronMen, TropicalIslandAdventure, TheSkyIsAnOcean, AwesomeUnderwaterWorld and OceanPunk. Contrast AtlantisIsBoring. This is often the state of the seas in an AdventureFriendlyWorld.