Saltwater Cinema: A Watchlist for Ocean Lovers

I don’t really remember the first time I saw the ocean, but I do remember the first time a movie made me feel like I was deep inside it. Since then, I’ve collected ocean movies the way some people collect seashells.

My friends know I don’t usually get emotional over films, I’m always half-aware that it’s “just a movie.” But a few rare ones manage to pull me all the way in. Playing With Sharks (available on Disney+) is one of them. This documentary follows Valerie Taylor, a fearless diver who became a trailblazing advocate for the ocean’s most feared, and most misunderstood, creatures. She even shot the shark footage for the iconic Jaws. What she didn’t expect was the movie’s unintended aftermath: a surge in shark hunting that devastated populations worldwide.

Watching it again recently, with a little more knowledge about sharks and conservation, I realized just how groundbreaking Valerie’s work was. Sixty years ago, we knew so little about the ocean. Yet she was already capturing breathtaking underwater footage and pushing for shark protection, establishing some of the first marine sanctuaries. Today, she remains a living legend and true icon of the underwater world.

For me, Playing With Sharks lit the spark that grew into my passion for ocean conservation. It reminded me that the creatures we still fear today are also the ones we slaughter by the hundreds of millions each year. That’s what makes these films more than just entertainment. They expand your horizon, shifting how you see the ocean and our place in it.

Diving into the Depths

For those who crave that mix of adrenaline and awe, these films pull you deep below the surface into the unknown world of freedivers and explorers.

🎥 The Deepest Breath (2023)

• Summary: A breathtaking documentary following the dangerous, emotional world of competitive freediving, exploring the relationship between passion, risk, and love. How far will one go to succeed?

  
  

• Vibe: Emotional, Tense, Beautifully shot

  
  

• My Take: Get ready for your heart to sink and soar in equal measure. I still think about this one long after the credits rolled.

  
  

• Where to Watch: Netflix

  
  

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

🎥 Deeper (2025)

• Summary: An Australian documentary following Richard “Harry” Harris; the cave-diving anaesthetist who became a hero during the 2018 Thai cave rescue (see The Rescue in the True Miracles & Survival section). Here, he attempts to dive New Zealand’s Pearse Resurgence, which could be the world’s deepest cave system.
  

• Vibe: Dazzling, unreal, scientific, pushing human limits
  

• My Take: As a diver dreaming of cave diving myself, I find Harry’s drive both unbelievable and inspiring. He pushes limits most of us wouldn’t even consider, and yet his obsession with this extreme hobby has also saved lives. Watching his passion unfold is fascinating, and makes my own lap swimming feel pretty tame. Watch it after The Rescue for an extra “wow” factor.

  
  

• Where to Watch: In cinemas in Australia (hopefully streaming soon).

  
  

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈

🎥 47 Meters Down (2017)

• Summary: A fictional thriller about two sisters whose holiday turns into a nightmare when their cage dive goes wrong, leaving them trapped on the ocean floor with sharks circling above.

  
  

• Vibe: Fiction, Thrilling, Suspenseful

  
  

• My Take: While it leans into the cliché image of sharks as villains, it’s undeniably gripping. The tension keeps you on the edge of your seat.

  
  

• Where to Watch: Google Play, Amazon Prime

  
  

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈

Ocean Icons & Heroes

Meet the people who changed how we see the ocean; inventors, filmmakers, and fearless advocates who turned their passion into protection.

🎥 Playing With Sharks (2021)

• Summary: A stunning documentary following Valerie Taylor, a pioneering diver and filmmaker whose life’s work reshaped our understanding of sharks. From filming Jaws to fighting for shark conservation, her story is one of courage, change, and deep love for the ocean’s most misunderstood predators.

• Vibe: Inspiring, Powerful, Emotional, Ocean Icon

• My Take: Valerie Taylor is my ultimate ocean hero; fearless, passionate, and decades ahead of her time. Watching this, it’s important to remember how little we knew about the ocean back then, and how much harm unregulated fishing and tourism caused without anyone realising. This documentary is equal parts thrilling and heartwarming, a reminder that real advocacy always begins with empathy.

• Where to Watch: Disney+

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

• Note: Valerie helped create some of the world’s first shark sanctuaries and continues to inspire a new generation of divers and ocean lovers.

🎥 Ocean (2025)

• Summary: Narrated by David Attenborough, Ocean is a breathtaking visual journey through the marine world, exploring everything from the smallest plankton to the largest whales. It’s a cinematic love letter to the sea and a reminder of its fragility.

• Vibe: Calming, Awe-Inspiring, Hopeful, Educational

• My Take: If there’s one voice that can make you fall in love with the ocean, it’s David Attenborough’s. This documentary captures the vastness and mystery of the deep in a way that leaves you both humbled and hopeful. It’s the kind of film that makes you sit in silence afterward, an emotional roller coaster for anyone who truly loves the sea.

• Where to Watch: Disney+

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

• Note: A perfect watch if you want to be reminded of why the ocean, and everything in it, is worth protecting.

🎥 L’Odyssée (2016)

• Summary: A French biopic about Jacques Cousteau, the legendary explorer and filmmaker who revealed the underwater world to millions, though this film focuses more on his fame and family struggles than his innovations.

• Vibe: Dramatic, Reflective, Beautifully Filmed

• My Take: It’s not my favourite take on Cousteau, as it leans into the darker, more commercial side of his story. Still, it’s beautifully shot and gives an interesting look at the man behind the legend. If you watch it, follow up with Becoming Cousteau for the full picture of his brilliance.

• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Apple TV

• Rating: 🦈🦈

• Note: Cousteau invented scuba gear and underwater housings, the foundations of everything we now know and film beneath the surface.

🎥 Becoming Cousteau (2021)

• Summary: A beautifully crafted documentary about Jacques Cousteau; explorer, filmmaker, inventor, and the man who opened the underwater world to millions. It traces his life’s work from developing early scuba technology to inspiring ocean conservation long before it became mainstream.

• Vibe: Visionary, Historical, Thought-Provoking, Inspiring, Diving

• My Take: I haven’t watched this one yet, but after L’Odyssée I was left a bit disappointed with how Cousteau was portrayed. Sure, he wasn’t the perfect father or husband, but after his son’s death, he completely turned his life around and devoted himself to protecting the ocean. He meant so much more to the underwater world than that film gave him credit for.

• Where to Watch: Disney+

• Rating: Yet to see

• Note: Cousteau’s inventions and curiosity paved the way for countless explorers; including many of the people featured in the other documentaries on this list.

True Miracles & Survival

Stories that remind us how small we are against the sea’s power, yet how strong the human spirit can be when tested by it.

🎥 The Rescue (2021)

• Summary: A gripping National Geographic documentary that tells the unbelievable true story of the 2018 Thai cave rescue; when an international team of divers saved twelve boys and their coach trapped deep underground.

• Vibe: Intense, Emotional, Real-Life Heroism, Cave-Diving

• My Take: This one hits deep. Even when you know how it ends, your heart still races. Watching the divers’ calm under pressure, including Richard “Harry” Harris, shows what real courage looks like. Pair it with Deeper for a behind-the-mask look at what drives people like him.

• Where to Watch: Disney+

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

🎥 Adrift (2018)

• Summary: Based on the true story of Tami Oldham, who survived 41 days alone at sea after a catastrophic hurricane destroyed her sailboat during a voyage across the Pacific.

• Vibe: Survival, Emotional, Romantic, Inspiring, Sailing

• My Take: A powerful story of resilience and love, capturing the ocean’s vast loneliness and the strength it takes to survive, keeping you glued to the screen.

• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Apple TV

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈

🎥 Captain Phillips (2013)

• Summary: The true story of Captain Richard Phillips, whose cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009 and his harrowing ordeal as he tried to protect his crew.

• Vibe: Tense, Realistic, Gripping, Human

• My Take: It’s not your typical “ocean movie,” but it reveals a very real side of life at sea; one shaped by fear, strength, and survival. It’s easy to forget that many of these so-called “pirates” have no other choice; they’re trying to feed their families after losing their fishing livelihoods to massive trawlers and foreign fleets. Tom Hanks delivers one of his best performances and that final scene still gives me chills.

• Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈

🎥 Deepwater Horizon (2016)

• Summary: A dramatic retelling of the 2010 BP oil rig explosion, one of the worst environmental disasters in history, and the crew’s desperate fight for survival.

• Vibe: Action, Real-Life Disaster, Emotional

• My Take: It’s more than an action film; it’s a raw reminder of what happens when human error meets nature’s fury.

• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Apple TV

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈

Changing Perspectives

These are the films that leave you staring at the credits in silence, the ones that make you question, care, and maybe even change the way you live with the ocean.

🎥 My Octopus Teacher (2020)

• Summary: A documentary following filmmaker Craig Foster as he forges an unlikely bond with a wild octopus while diving daily in the kelp forests of South Africa.

• Vibe: Gentle, Emotional, Transformative, Nature Connection

• My Take: This film made me slow down and really feel the ocean again. It’s intimate and quiet, but deeply moving, a reminder that connection doesn’t always need words. Every diver should watch this at least once.

• Where to Watch: Netflix

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

🎥 Seaspiracy (2021)

• Summary: A hard-hitting documentary that dives deep into the dark side of the fishing industry. From bycatch and plastic pollution to the exploitation hidden beneath “sustainable” labels.

• Vibe: Eye-opening, Confronting, Activist, Educational

• My Take: It’s not an easy watch, but it’s an important one. Whether or not you agree with everything, it sparks crucial conversations about what really happens behind our seafood plates. It genuinely changed the way I think about the ocean.

• Where to Watch: Netflix

• Rating: 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

Where Film Meets the Sea

Not every film on this list gets everything right. Some frustrated me, some left me dreaming, and some made me weep with awe. But all of them shared a common thread: they drew me closer to the ocean and, in turn, to what I care about most. Whether it’s the bravery of a freediver, the quiet wisdom of an octopus, or the courage of people facing unimaginable danger, these stories remind us that the sea is more than a backdrop; it’s a teacher, a challenger, and a mirror for our humanity.

Watching these movies has shown me how storytelling can make the invisible visible: the fragility of marine life, the consequences of our actions, and the extraordinary bonds that form beneath the waves. They’ve reminded me why I love the ocean and why it deserves our care, our respect, and our protection.

So grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and let the sea pull you in. Every dive, every storm, every quiet current on screen is a reminder that the stories we tell about the ocean are really stories about ourselves and what we choose to protect.

And if you watch any of these, I’d love to hear what you think! Did one make you gasp, cry, or see the ocean in a completely new way? Are there any ocean films I missed that you think I should absolutely check out? Drop me a message or leave a comment. I’m always hunting for the next story that will pull me under.