open sea

The 'open sea' refers to the vast, unobstructed areas of the ocean far from land and beyond territorial waters, often governed by international maritime law.

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Definition

B2Geography

(general)The part of the ocean far from land and not enclosed by coastlines or islands.

Example

  • Whales are often spotted in the open sea, far from the coast.

C1Maritime Law

(technical)The ocean area outside the territorial waters of any country, governed by international law.

Example

  • Fishing regulations in the open sea are subject to international agreements.

C1Oceanography

(academic)The deep, unobstructed waters beyond the edge of the continental shelf.

Example

  • Researchers conducted a study on marine life in the open sea.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "open sea":

open waterhigh seaat seadeep seaopen airsea roversea capin the opensea loadsea catopen fandeep wateropen washuncharted watersea lawyerwide opensea kingsea pusssea cardsea holmouter spaceopen setsea mousesea lightopen systemsea greenfree space