Oceans: Life Under Water, the show which last year set out to become a Blue Planet for the ears, is back with a new series. This time round it’s bigger than ever; travelling further under the waves than before as wildlife filmmaker, zoologist, and broadcaster Hannah Stitfall explores the deep sea.
The first episode opens with quite an image; a dead alligator being lowered to the bottom of the deep sea alongside a camera to capture what happens to it. Before you know it giant isopods - relatives of the woodlouse, but the size of a rugby ball - are covering the creature and stocking up with what might be their last meal for months. This isn’t just for show, it helps to explain their size. Giant isopods, like many creatures in the deep sea, are giant so that they can store nutrients for much longer than creatures living in habitats where food is more readily available. A second alligator vanished completely while the cameras were off with an unknown deep sea creature having chewed through the rope holding it in place, underlining the vast mysteries that still remain about the vast and largely unexplored sea floor. This is one example of many instances where the series does an excellent job of transporting you to the bottom of the ocean through your headphones.
One of the reasons for travelling so far beneath the surface is the series’ emphasis on deep sea mining. Mining organisations have been aiming to dredge these untouched habitats for many years; since the days when we didn’t even know anything could survive there. Now the technology is finally available to do so just as scientists are starting to get to grips with the incredible variety of life that exists in this hardest to reach of places.
Stitfall takes the podcast to Svalbard in the Arctic circle, one of the flashpoints of the deep sea mining debate. The Norwegian government, which administers the archipelago and its waters, has been the target of calls to put a pause on beginning commercial deep sea mining. Stitfall takes us on board the Arctic Sunrise, one of Greenpeace’s ships, on an expedition to project messages from people across the world onto the side of a Svalbard glacier, asking the government to stop the practice. It did so in December, giving the series a particular timeliness.
It’s another great series from one of last year’s most exciting new shows. If you’re a science and nature fan, it’s one that’s very easy to recommend.
