Press release
New illustrated book The Ocean Map launches for World Ocean Day at the National Maritime Museum
To celebrate World Ocean Day 2026, the National Maritime Museum is publishing a new illustrated book, The Ocean Map, and hosting a free festival inviting families to explore the wonders of the ocean.
Written by Aimee Mook, ocean expert and Museum curator, the book is published on 4 June 2026 and presents the ocean as a single, connected system using the Spilhaus projection. It guides readers through deep ocean trenches, glaciers, coral reefs, wind farms, shipping canals and other natural and human made features. Illustrated throughout, the book provides clear explanations of ocean processes, habitats, biodiversity, climate and renewable energy.
The Ocean Map draws on the Museum’s work in ocean literacy, encouraging readers to see the world from an ocean first point of view. Written for younger audiences as well as anyone beginning to explore ocean science, the book highlights how people and animals rely on the ocean, and how scientists study this vast, interconnected environment. Locations featured include the Challenger Deep, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the Great Barrier Reef, the Suez and Panama Canals, and Thwaites Glacier.