Shot across the globe, including the Azores, California, Indonesia, the U.K., Liberia, Antarctica, the Mediterranean and Hawaii, the film takes audiences on a cinematic journey through the planet’s most spectacular undersea habitats – from giant kelp jungles and coral reefs to towering seamount outposts within the open ocean. The documentary offers a rare glimpse beneath the surface, showing how these diverse ecosystems are intricately connected — and how their decline puts all life at risk.

My lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery. Over the last hundred years, scientists and explorers have revealed remarkable new species, epic migrations and dazzling, complex ecosystems beyond anything I could have imagined as a young man, says David Attenborough. In this film, we share those wonderful discoveries, uncover why our ocean is in such poor health, and, perhaps most importantly, show how it can bounce back to life, he adds.

Combining immersive cinematography with reflections from Attenborough’s lifetime of discovery, the film reveals the ocean’s vital role in stabilizing the climate and sustaining all life on Earth.

Filmed over two years, the documentary also zeroes in on the human actions leading to the oceans’ collapse and the effects of destructive fishing techniques, such as dredging and bottom trawling, on entire marine ecosystems, coastal communities, and the global climate. The film captures bottom trawling on camera in unprecedented detail — a method that drags heavy nets along the seafloor, leaving behind vast scars and devastating biodiversity.

Breathtaking footage also exhibits the oceans’ incredible resilience and remarkable ability to recover when protected, showcasing the marine protection solutions already at hand and the action we must take to restore the abundance and vitality of the ocean and secure a healthier future for us all. OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH is directed by Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield and produced by Nowlan for Silverback Films. The film is a Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios co-production. Executive producers include Louise Pedersen and Rachel Job for All3Media International (the film’s global TV distribution partner), Tom McDonald and Janet Han Vissering for National Geographic, Jasper Smith for Arksen Ltd and 10% for the Ocean, Minderoo Productions Limited, Enric Sala for National Geographic Society and Pristine Seas, Kristin Rechberger for Dynamic Planet and Revive Our Ocean, Rolly van Rappard and Francoise van Rappard for Don Quixote Foundation, and Olivier Wenden for The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH streams on Disney+ this World Oceans Day, on June 8. It will also broadcast on June 8 on National Geographic Abu Dhabi, and on June 10 on National Geographic.