So, we are all itching to get back in the water! Recently there has been lots of questions as to whether we are allowed back in the water with either a member of the same household or with 1 other person from another household. Yes, this has been said for the participation of sports and exercise (and you can class Scuba Diving as both!), but the reason us Scuba Divers are staying dry is to take a strain off emergency services. No matter how shallow you plan on going or who you are with, the diving community are encouraging each other to bide your time and be patient. We all know it’s worth the wait!
If you’re feeling really lost, here are a few things to immerse and envisage yourself in. There’s some good stuff out there at the moment to watch. So, here’s a handful of what’s available to you - a variety of films & documentaries on subjects involving marine life and history & wrecks. Most are on a subscription basis, so unless you have access then you may not be able to view them.
DISCLAIMER:
Please note I haven’t watched all the below listed so I hold no responsibility if you’ve sat through a terrible film for 2 hours! To get me off the hook I’ve added the year and IMDb rating for the films to help you decide if you want to watch it or not…
NETFLIX
Documentaries:
- Blue
- Jago: A life Underwater
- Night on Earth
- Our Planet
- Our Planet
- Our Planet: Behind The Scenes
- Wild Carribean
Films:
- 47 Meters Down, uncaged (2019. 5/10 stars) - Great if you know nothing about diving...
- Adrift (2018, 6.6/10)
- Deep (2017, 4.1/10)
- Dolphin Tale (2011, 6.9/10) - I visited this Dolphin in Florida!
- Free Willy (1993, 6.0/10) - An absolute classic, always a favourite!
- Shark Tale (2004, 6.0/10)
- Surrounded (2018, 2.8/10 stars)
- The Reef (2010, 5.8/10)
AMAZON PRIME
Documentaries:
- Africa’s Primeval Oceans
- Battle Against The Elements. Delta Divers
- Blue Realm
- Colonies Under The Sea
- Coral Kingdoms
- Deep White
- Diving with Sharks: The Ultimate Guide
- Dreamwrecks
- Great Barrier Reef
- Greeks of the Sea
- Monty Halls’ Dive Mysteries
- Ocean Adventure Quest
- Ocean Odyssey
- Planet – Azores
- Red Sea
- Seasons of the Sea
- Shadows in a Desert Sea
- Shark Gordons Most Dangerous Moments
- The Blue Ocean Life
- Titans of the Deep
- Water Life
- Wildest Places – Antarctica
- Wonderous Secrets of the Ocean Realm
Films:
- A Turtles Tale (2010. 6.1/10)
- Animals Under Water. Deep Sea Creatures – this is actually just half hour of some lovely video clips of the underwater world with relaxing music.
- Black Water (2007, 5.9/10)
- Cage Dive (2017, 4.2/10)
- Darktide (2012, 4.3/10)
- Ice Sharks (2016, 3.0/10)
- Shark Lake (2015, 3.4/10)
- Sharkwater Extinction (2008, 7.7/10)
- Surrounded (2018, 2.8/10)
- The Reef (2010, 5.8/10)
You can purchase and rent the below classics via Amazon Prime:
- 47 Metres Down (2017, 5.6/10)
- 47 Metres Down Uncaged (2019, 5.0/10) - Slightly better than the first one
- Deep Blue Sea (1999, 5.8/10)
- Ghosts of the Abyss (2003, 6.8/10)
- Jaws (1975, 8.0/10) - Jawsome for a laugh!
- Jaws 2 (1978, 5.8/10)
- Pressure (2015, 5.6/10)
- The Meg (2018, 5.7/10) - Stars Jason Statham so it automatically gets my vote!
DISNEY+
Documentaries on National Geographic:
- Atlantic Rising
- Continent 7 – Antarctica
- Drain The Oceans - Full of history.
- Giants of The Deep
- Great Migrations
- Journey to Shark Eden
- Kingdom of The Blue Whale - I LOVE anything Whale! The footage in this documentary is incredible!
- Sea of Hope
- Sharks of Lost Island
- Titanic 20 Years Later - Interesting James Cameron documentary, I love anything Titanic!
Documentaries on Disney Nature:
- Diving with Dolphins
- Dolphin Reef
- Penguins
- Penguins: Life on The Edge
Films
- A Ring of Endless Light (2002, 6.1/10)
- Aliens of The Deep (2005, 6.4/10)
- Finding Dory (2016, 7.3/10) - Just as good as the first one!
- Finding Nemo (2003, 8.1/10) - An absolute must for the child within you!
- Pirates of the Carribean – I debated putting this one of as it’s not marine related as such. However, it’s set at sea and we all love a good pirate storey! (From 2016, average rating of 8.2/10 throughout of films)
- Shipwrecked (1990, 6.7/10)
- The Little Mermaid (1989, 7.6/10)
- The Little Mermaid 2 (2000, 5.6/10)
BBC iPlayer
There are some amazing documentaries on BBC iPlayer! All free of charge, no subscription needed. To view them you need to be connected to the internet or you can download them for later on and you can watch them offline. I always make sure I have a handful of episodes downloaded on my iPad before I go away on holiday – it’s great to have something freely available if it’s needed!
- An Lan/Tide
- Blue Planet - Incredible
- Blue Planet 2 - Just as incredible as the first
- Blue Plant Revisited
- Earths Tropical Islands – some episodes showcase the underwater world
- Frozen Planet - My absolute favourite!
- Jago: A Life Underwater
- Life
- Life On Earth
- Seven Worlds, One Planet
Anyone else notice most of the films of sharkey based ‘horrors?’ lol
Remember a creature will only attack you in defense...
Since Lockdown there has been a massive increase in online webinars. Lots of educational webinars hosted by different companies and educational boards. Here’s a handful that I’m being keeping an eye on:
- Manta Trust
https://www.mantatrust.org/webinars - Sharks Trust are teaming up with Oyster Diving to talk about their work
https://www.facebook.com/events/681639435932980/?notif_t=event_friend_going¬if_id=1589465390350253 - The Diver Medic. They’ve also uploaded past talks for you to view.
https://www.thedivermedic.com/on-demand-webinars
There’s a whole load of companies and charities out there promoting their work and using this time to update people on their progress with surveys. Just do a Google search or browse some of your favourite companies on Facebook to see if they have anything coming up.
Don’t forget to check out TED Talks and YouTube to see what else you find and a rummage around that cupboard of DVDs you haven’t opened for a few years! 😊
While we can’t book any holidays yet, some documentaries may have sparked off your thoughts about where to go once all this is over. Have a browse on the PADI Travel site by clicking the image below see what you can add to your bucket list!
We also have a Red Sea live aboard going out in May 2021 and are hoping that we’ll be clear in October to go Y40 (world deepest swimming pool) and Venice check out the details on our website:
https://www.coast2coastscuba.uk/collections/trips-events
Enjoy!