Don’t you just love being on the ocean, or even better, in the ocean? Me too. I’ve had a love affair with the ocean for more than 30 years. As a Scuba Instructor with more than 2000 dives I’ve certainly spent my fair share of time in the ocean.
I love scuba diving, surfing, sailing, fishing and just about anything else you can do on or in the ocean. We probably have more knowledge about the moon than we do about the ocean. The ocean is still in large part an enigma. It is very hard to observe ocean creatures in their natural habitat. The ocean is a very harsh environment and very difficult to study.
When I’m not in the ocean, I like watching documentaries about the ocean. The following are in my opinion the 25 very best documentaries about the ocean.
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
A Netflix original documentary follows Craig Foster in False Bay, South Africa as he develops a year long relationship with a female octopus. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Search for the Great Sharks (2021)
How much do we really know about sharks? We really don’t know that much about them. This documentary follows the blue shark, whale shark, and great white shark from California to New Zealand to give us a glimpse into these fascinating creatures. Available on Amazon Prime.
Blackfish (2013)
Blackfish is a documentary about about killer whales, one in particular. Blackfish focuses on Tilikum, who has taken several lives while in captivity. The documentary features footage with trainers and orca experts regarding the captivity of orcas and explores keeping them in captivity. Available on Amazon Prime.
Tiny World: Reef (2021)
Tiny World: Reef is actually an episode of the larger Tiny World program on Apple TV. It explores the reefs smallest critters in a way not captured before on their most important night of the year.
The Cove (2009)
The Cove is the real life story of the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan. Activist Ric O’Barry and Louis Psihoyos risked their live to obtain this graphic footage. Available on Amazon Prime.
Penguin Town (2021)
Penguin Town is actually a series that follows a group of endangered penguins in a South Africa town as they try to make it through life. Narrated by Patton Oswalt, this is seriously hilarious.
Return to the USS Atlanta (2012)
This documentary is about a group of divers who dive on the USS Atlanta, which was sunk in the battle of Guadalcanal during WWII. The documentary not only shows footage of the wreck, but interviews with survivors. Available for free on YouTube.
The Blue Planet (2002)
The Blue Planet is a two season series available on Amazon Prime narrated by David Attenborough. The series covers many aspects and regions of the ocean from the Arctic, open ocean, coral reefs, etc. It is a landmark series that shows the oceans in a new perspective.
The Blue Planet 2 (2017)
The Blue Planet 2, also narrated by David Attenborough, is a continuation of The Blue Planet that expands on the knowledge learned since the original series was aired. Also available on Amazon Prime.
Chasing Coral (2017)
Chasing coral follows coral bleaching events around the globe due to the extremely strong El Nino of 2015 and 2016. Available for free on YouTube.
Mission Blue (2014)
Mission Blue follows the career of noted oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle on her lifelong quest to protect the oceans. Available on Netflix.
Dolphin Reef (2018)
Dolphin Reef follows the life of Echo, a bottlenose dolphin, while he struggles between his curiosity and learning how to survive in the ocean as part of his pod. Available on Disney Plus.
A Plastic Ocean (2016)
A plastic ocean is a comprehensive account of what I consider to be the worst ecological issue of the century, plastic in our oceans. The sheer amount of plastic debris in our ocean is staggering. This documentary gives a good account of the problem. Available on Amazon Prime.
The End of the Line (2009)
The End of the Line is documentary filmmaker Rupert Murray’s take on the overfishing of the worlds oceans, particularly the bluefin tuna. Available on Amazon Prime.
Sharkwater Extinction (2018)
Sharkwater Extinction is Rob Stewart’s award winning film about the global shark fin trade. This is Stewar’s third film on the subject. Available on Amazon Prime.
Sushi: The Global Catch (2012)
Sushi: The Global Catch focuses on the fishing industry that surrounds bringing sushi to market and explores its’ sustainability. Available on Amazon Prime.
James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge (2014)
Many people know James Cameron as a legendary filmmaker, he is also a great ocean explorer. This documentary follows him as he travels to the deepest part of the world’s oceans, the Marianas Trench, in a submersible of his own design. Available on Amazon Prime.
Turtle: The Incredible Journey (2009)
Turtle: The Incredible Journey follows the life of the loggerhead turtle from birth to it’s return decades later to the same beach from where it hatched. Available on Amazon Prime.
The Kodiak Queen (2018)
The Kodiak Queen is a short documentary featuring the Kodiak Queen, a ship that survived Pearl Harbor and was ultimately sunk at the end of her service life in the the British Virgin Islands to provide habitat as an artificial reef.
Planet Ocean (2012)
Planet Ocean is a groundbreaking documentary shot by a team of international filmmakers and narrated by Josh Duhamel and Sharon Mann. Planet Ocean serves as a bond between humans and nature. Available on Amazon Prime.
Deep Blue (2003)
Deep Blue is more of a cinematic journey than a documentary heavy with information. It has beautiful videography and editing. Available on Amazon Prime.
Ghost Fleet (2018)
Ghost Fleet covers the fight activists have trying to free enslaved Indonesian fisherman. Available on Amazon Prime.
Watson (2019)
Watson is a documentary about the life of Paul Watson, the controversial founder of Sea Shepherd. Watson covers his time at Greenpeace, the many times he’s put his life on the line, as well as interviews and underwater footage. Available on Amazon Prime.
The Last Ocean (2012)
The Last Ocean is a documentary about the Ross Sea, the most pristine of all the worlds oceans. THe Ross Sea was recently invaded by fishing fleets targeting the Antarctic Toothfish. Available on Amazon Prime.
Track of the Tuna (2016)
For more than 4000 years fishermen have been catching tuna during their migration through the Mediterranean. This documentary is a look at the long journey of the tuna to its mating grounds and witness their struggles. Available for free on YouTube.
Current Sea (2020)
Current Sea is a feature-length documentary that follows Matt Blomberg in his efforts to create a marine conservation zone in Cambodia to stem the tide of illegal fishing. Available on Amazon Prime.
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