Two divers notice that the reefs they’ve visited for years now resemble underwater graveyards. They choose to capture coral bleaching in real-time using underwater time-lapse cameras.
Martina Wing from Manta Ray Advocates put this on our radar through her list of 10 Best Documentary Films about Marine Life & Ocean Conservation.
Trailer for “Chasing Coral”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Richard Vevers, a former advertising executive, becomes obsessed with disappearing coral reefs. He leaves his career to start a global mission. His goal is to document what scientists have struggled to share with the public.
- The crew creates one of the first underwater time-lapse camera systems. It can film coral bleaching over several weeks.The cameras constantly flood, overheat, malfunction, and nearly derail the entire project.
- The cameras show vibrant coral turning ghost-white before viewers during the 2016 mass bleaching event on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Watch “Chasing Coral”
You can watch “Chasing Coral” on Netflix.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 94/100
- IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 89/100 (Users); 100/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Jeff Orlowski directed this 89-minute documentary. He also directed “Chasing Ice.” Once again, he finds a way to make slow-moving climate science feel urgent and deeply personal.
Release Date: 2017
Other Unique Stuff
- The crew travels to reefs in Hawaii, the Bahamas, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. They chase bleaching events occurring almost at the same time worldwide.
- The engineering team took months to design custom underwater housings. Commercial equipment couldn’t handle long time-lapse filming underwater.
Wrap Up:
“Chasing Coral” is one of the most visually powerful environmental documentaries I’ve seen. The underwater footage alone makes this one worth watching.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc