About us

Ocean Sounds’ History, Purpose and Aims

Ocean Sounds is dedicated to Science and Conservation of Marine Mammals and their Marine Ecosystem

Founded in 2005 by Heike Vester

The idea of Ocean Sounds began to be realised in August 2005 in Lofoten by founder and biologist Heike Vester with the purpose of combining research with education, art and tourism.

A dedicated non-profit organisation

Ocean Sounds is a registered charity in Germany (Ocean Sounds e. V. since 2014) and as a non-profit AS (non-profit org. nr. 937 984 952) in Norway since 2026.

Research

We focus our work on the biology and vocal communication of whales and dolphins. Our research builds a foundation for an understanding and protection of unique marine ecosystems. We use our research results to give advice to government, businesses and organisations, create lectures, courses, projects and products.
~ OS-team

Ocean Sounds engages in cooperation research where we collaborate with other research institutes or environmental organisation. We have helped our partners with our research knowledge to introduce sustainable and responsible tourism.

Would you like to collaborate with us?

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Pictures from our 2025 Sea of Sounds project. Alex South (right) added to our project with his music and students from Bodø vidaregående skole participated in various activities led by our team members

Education

We believe that our research results should be accessible to the public and used to educate students about marine animals and their fragile environment.

We offer different interactive presentations, University and School projects, lectures, courses and Bachelor and Master projects. Conditions apply.

Learn more…

“Ocean Sounds promotes continuous awareness, understanding, and commitment, to build a bridge between nature and people”

Art projects

Through Art we aim to build a bridge between the often dry and hard to swallow research results and the interest of the public. In a creative way we want to introduce a deeper understanding of the complexity of the marine ecosystem and the human impact to trigger responsible behavior. To do this we work directly with artists to join our projects or organize workshops and festivals.

A couple examples are our collaboration with Seanergy to create our immersive VR experience which is used to communicate ocean noise pollution. Also, the painting of the Sowerbys beaked whale, made by our intern Zephyr, became a part of the exhibition at our 2025 Sea of Sounds project!

Are you a passionate artist and would like to connect your art with our missions?

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Our Team

We have a passionate team of biologists supported by a growing network of more than 50 dedicated members. Whether in the field, behind the scenes, or through education and outreach, every member plays an important role in helping us protect whales, dolphins, and the marine environment.

Get to know us!