As passionate scuba divers, we have to admit a night spent in front of Netflix isn’t necessarily our idea of a good time, however, our views have changed slightly after watching some incredible documentaries on oceans. And, as Girls that Scuba is as much about education as it is as empowerment, if you can’t be AT the ocean, the next best thing is to learn about it. In fact, by watching these documentaries you could actually be saving the ocean.
A Plastic Ocean
This changed the way we looked at our every day lives – forever. Plastic is one of our oceans biggest threats, if not, THE biggest threat and A Plastic Ocean highlights exactly how and why it is killing our beloved happy place. In this adventure documentary, journalist Craig Leeson teams up with free diver Tanya Streeter and an international team of scientists and researchers, to travel to twenty locations around the world over four years to explore the fragile state of our oceans, uncovering alarming truths about plastic pollution, and revealing working solutions that can be put into immediate effect. You need to watch this documentary, your child need to watch this documentary. You need to realise YOU are part of the problem, but YOU can also be a part of the solution.
Chasing Coral
A story hidden underneath the waves – this may be one of the most important pieces of film you will have ever watched.
“Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. Divers, photographers and scientists set out on an ocean adventure to discover why the reefs are disappearing and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.”
An incredibly passionate and emotional documentary opening the world eyes to the radical change in the corals due to our lifestyles and carelessness. While the hard facts learned while watching may be slightly discouraging and depressing, it does have a positive message and encouraging outlook. EVERYONE needs to watch this, everyone needs to learn from this. I’d go as far to say it’s one of the most important things you can do right now.
Mission Blue
Following oceanographer Sylvia Earle’s campaign to save the world’s oceans from threats such as overfishing and toxic waste, Mission Blue is an inspirational and educating documentary highlighting one of the worlds ocean heroes. The story covers her early years growing up in Florida, through her academic career, to her emergence as a scientist of sorts, not to mention her brief stint as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and all through her 6 decades exploring the ocean and the creatures who live there. To watch someone as passionate as Earle dedicate her life to saving the oceans will for sure make you question your own decisions when it comes to the way you treat the planet and the ocean, and motivate you to become an ocean hero just like her.
The Blue Planet
If there is one human on this planet that can persuade you to shut up and listen, it is David Attenborough. Described as “the first ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the world’s oceans” each of the eight 50-minute episodes examines a different aspect of marine life. The underwater photography included creatures and behavior that had previously never been filmed. The only time binge watching is encouraged.
Given
A beautifully filmed a director documentary following around a modern-age family who have gone back to the earths roots to travel in the rawest and most passionate form. Told through the visceral experience of their 6-year-old, Given follows legendary surfers Aamion and Daize Goodwin from their island home of Kauai through 15 different countries in the quest for surf and to fulfill a calling handed down through generations. Their free-spirit and quest to educate their children through the land and ocean rather than through books and classrooms is inspiring and up lifting. And while this documentary won’t directly save the oceans, it will show you how to educate the next generations on them and help you take a step back and appreciate the things that really matter to you.