Life comes from the sea. At the same time, however, the sea has always been a dangerous place where many lives have been lost. Storms and shipwreck are inextricably linked to shipping and cost countless lives. Naval wars were fought with the utmost brutality. Working on board ships was one of the most dangerous professions. Accidents, mutinies and raids were accompanied by malnutrition and poor hygiene, which led to corresponding diseases. But even on land one was not safe from the dangers of the sea. Storm surges threatened the population of the coastal regions. And today, the marine habitat itself is under threat from climate change and pollution. The ambiguity between fascination and horror, adventure and disaster in the relationship between man and the sea was and is also reflected in literature and the fine arts. This book documents the results of an international and interdisciplinary conference that discussed this interrelationship from a cultural, economic and social-historical perspective, and provides insights into an exhibition of the same name at the Heinrich Heine University in Dsseldorf.