David Attenborough stands at the coast in Southern England.
Few legends walk among us, but Sir David Attenborough, the world-famous natural historian and beloved voice of nature documentaries, is undeniably one of them.
On May 8, he celebrated not only his 99th birthday but also the premiere of a new documentary he narrates, ’Ocean with David Attenborough‘, in Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London.
In the United States, it will only be released on National Geographic on June 7 for World Oceans Day, then it will be available to stream globally the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Official artwork for the Ocean with David Attenborough documentary.
However, conversations have already started in the various online forums and social media platforms.
Daniela V. Fernandez, founder of Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Seabird Ventures, shared that seeing the documentary wrecked her. And not because it told her something she didn’t already know, but because of the helplessness she felt watching it.
Her message was clear: “This film is a call to wake up. To rise. To disrupt. To refuse to be complicit. Because if we don’t, we’ll be the generation responsible for letting the ocean die on our watch.”
The Message Of The Documentary
Attenborough delivers a powerful message: “I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land,” he said. “And we must open our eyes, what is happening right now below the waves. If we save the sea, we save our world.”
A bait ball in the open ocean near Azores.
The documentary shows the devastating impact of global heatwaves, coral bleaching and industrial fishing, including bottom trawling, through close-up, explicit footage produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios.
Luke McMillan, an ocean campaigner working for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, shared that “the footage was extraordinary, at times even terrifying.” However, he fears whether the documentary itself will be capable of mobilizing the masses to demand urgent action. “I fear we’re lost, because if Sir David can’t move the needle, what hope is left for the rest of us trying to,” he wrote.
Dave Powell, producer of ‘Your Brain On Climate’ podcast, feels hopeful. “Attenborough’s stuff always works. Not for getting people out on the streets. But for hardening the values that allow all of the other campaigns, mobilisations, and the rest of it to fall on fertile ground,” he wrote.
How To Save Our Ocean
Attenborough emphasizes in the documentary that the solution is to designate at least a third of the world’s oceans as fully protected marine areas (MPA) with clear no-take zones.
The documentary features insights from a team of experts, including Dr. Enric Sala, founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas. His team’s latest peer-reviewed study, which I wrote about in February, discusses the benefits of MPAs.
The study results from three years of work by scientists from National Geographic Pristine Seas and contributors from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) network of 6,600 dive centers and resorts across more than 180 countries.
Coral reef with two divers.
Turning existing recreational dive sites into fully protected marine reserves could increase average marine life (biomass) by 113%. If governments designate only 1% of the ocean areas used for recreational scuba diving as highly protected MPAs, the global biodiversity score could rise by 5%. Just imagine what protecting 30% of the ocean could mean.
While MPAs can significantly boost conservation, there is another side to consider. No-take zones may restrict access to the primary source of food and income for many coastal communities. So, the real challenge is safeguarding ecosystems without sidelining locals.
Destinations Bringing Attenborough’s Vision To Life
Dr. Drew Richardson, CEO of PADI Worldwide, said in an email interview that PADI considers the ‘Ocean’ both a stakeholder and partner. Its health and well-being are inherent and imperative.
Since PADI celebrates its 60th anniversary, Dr. Richardson recounted the achievements of PADI’s Adopt the Blue program, which established 2,750+ underwater dive sites as hubs for local ocean monitoring, a critical precursor to becoming marine protected areas. To date, 32% of these sites have received official MPA Status, and an additional 7% arepending.
Furthermore, PADI’s Dive Against Debris program removed over 2.6 million marine debris items and freed over 37,000 aquatic animals from entanglement.
However, he considers PADI’s 30 million certified divers the most powerful opportunity to drive positive change for the ocean.
“We believe that by helping more people experience the wonder of the underwater world, they will also be more passionate about protecting it,” he said.
Take Maputo Dive Center as an example. It is the first Mozambican-owned and operated PADI Dive Center in the country. Through its ‘Zero to Hero’ training program, the center trains locals with no diving experience to become certified dive professionals and marine conservationists. It is a significant step toward building long-term skills, offering alternatives to fishing-based livelihoods and keeping tourism revenue in the country.
A diver is taking a photo of the coral reef.
In Vanuatu, Big Blue Divers and PADI certified the first ever ni-Vatuan female PADI Professionals in 2024. She now works in a dive center that helps monitor dugong and nudibranch populations.
With 425 marine protected areas and five natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites along its coasts and islands, Japan has become a global hub for regenerative diving, said Kristin Valette Wirth, global brand and membership officer at PADI, in an email interview.
She highlighted one of PADI’s ambassadors, Hiroshi “Kuma” Sato, who leads multiple non-governmental organizations focused on seagrass bed restoration, underwater cleanups and marine habitat protection.
Divers are swimming about coral reefs at the Japanese coasts.
New Zealand’s Poor Knights Islands is widely recognized as the country’s most successful MPA, said Wirth. It protects over 9,300 miles of the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea coastline, safeguarding the habitat of 85% of New Zealand’s known marine wildlife.
Dive!Tutukaka, the primary dive operator for Poor Knights, actively mentors and trains local Māori to become dive guides, boat captains and stewards of this coastline. A portion of every dive fee directly supports the ongoing conservation efforts.
A Ripple Effect The Ocean Needs
When I asked Dr. Richardson if he had one message to share with viewers after they watch Ocean with David Attenborough, what would it be, he said, “Take action and know that no constructive difference is insignificant, and making a difference is an individual choice. Individual actions taken by one billion can scale into a positive change.”
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Emese Maczko