Sir David Attenborough will celebrate his ninety-ninth birthday on 8 May 2025. To mark the occasion he
returns to the big screen with Ocean, a feature-length National Geographic documentary that places
the world’s seas at the heart of life on Earth. The film blends vivid pictures, clear science, and an urgent
plea to act before vital marine systems cross the point of no return.
Across seven decades Attenborough has filmed on every continent. He has seen coral empires, giant
kelp forests, and shoals that once seemed endless. He has also watched these same places fade as
rising heat, heavy fishing, and plastic waste stretch the ocean’s ability to cope. Ocean lets him
compare “then” and “now,” offering a rare eyewitness record of planetary change.
The Hidden Engine of the Planet
More than seventy percent of Earth’s surface is water. The sea stores ninety percent of the planet’s
extra heat and produces at least half of the oxygen we breathe. Currents move warmth from the
tropics to the poles, shaping weather on land. If the ocean slows or stalls, so does everything that relies
on it—from rain that feeds crops to cool currents that protect coral.
The cameras dive into living worlds that few people ever see. Hawksbill turtles glide above coral
gardens. Orcas hunt herring in flashing silver clouds. A kelp forest sways like green satin under soft
light. Yet each beautiful scene carries a warning. Reefs bleach when water stays too warm. Drag nets
scrape the sea floor and turn centuries-old sponges to waste. Tiny plastic shards drift through the food
web and lodge inside an albatross chick.
Reasons for Hope
The story does not end in despair. Marine reserves set up over the last two decades prove that
protection works. In Palau, reef fish have grown larger and more abundant since local chiefs banned
nets near spawning sites. In Cabo Pulmo, Mexico, shark numbers bounced back so strongly that
researchers call it a “Serengeti under the sea.” These places show that damaged seas can renew
themselves when given room to breathe.
Attenborough’s Voice
Throughout the film, Sir David speaks with quiet force. He recalls hearing Antarctic ice crack beneath
his feet in the 1950s and returning years later to find the shelf broken and a penguin colony gone. He
remembers early dives near the Great Barrier Reef when living coral stretched to every horizon. These
stories link data to direct memory and remind viewers that the change shown on graphs is a change
felt by people still alive today.
From London Premiere to Worldwide Release
Ocean premiered on 6 May 2025 at London’s Royal Festival Hall, with King Charles in attendance. The
movie opens in cinemas worldwide on 8 May, fittingly on Attenborough’s birthday. Viewers who cannot
travel to a theatre can watch on the National Geographic Channel from 7 June. Streaming follows on
Disney+ and Hulu starting 8 June, chosen to mark World Oceans Day.
Sum Up
David Attenborough’s Ocean is more than a nature film. It is a blueprint for living within the planet’s
limits. Watch it for the beauty, but keep its warning close. The health of the ocean guides the health of
us all. Act now and future generations will inherit blue seas rich with life; wait, and the chance may drift
beyond reach.
