Take me deep down

May 10, 2011 7:56 PM

Loved Blue Planet, want more like it. Where to start?

The BBC's Blue Planet (especially the episode about the deep sea) is a favourite. What other fantastic abyssopelagic documentaries are there?

I'm especially interested in the open sea and the deep sea (not so much shore birds), beautifully photographed, and impeccably narrated.

posted by Paragon to media & arts (18 answers total)

Planet Earth
posted by blargerz at 7:59 PM on May 10, 2011

Oceans
posted by Miss Otis' Egrets at 7:59 PM on May 10, 2011

Planet Earth, specifically the "Ocean Deep" episode.
posted by jenny76 at 8:00 PM on May 10, 2011

Planet Earth is pretty much the best nature documentary ever. They have an episode called "Ocean Deep" and one called "Shallow Seas".
posted by Perplexity at 8:00 PM on May 10, 2011

Thanks guys - I should have specified that Planet Earth is another favourite already on the shelf.
posted by Paragon at 8:01 PM on May 10, 2011

And then also the next BBC nature documentary was called Life. There's an episode "Creatures of the Deep".
posted by Perplexity at 8:01 PM on May 10, 2011

Winged Migration is about the big blue above, but is a terrific doc.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:47 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

how the earth changed history. excellent miniseries.
posted by chasles at 9:09 PM on May 10, 2011

Wild China. It's also on Netflix instant play.
posted by JimmyJames at 9:15 PM on May 10, 2011

Seconding Life, we love it! (You must watch it in HD if at all possible, the video is superb)
posted by defcom1 at 10:13 PM on May 10, 2011

Human Planet
posted by graytona at 10:15 PM on May 10, 2011

BBC did a great Oceans series recently, if you can tolerate a bit of crew drama (and Philippe Cousteau). For something a bit older (but still great) look up the ocean-related episode 5 (Conquest of the Waters) of Life on Earth, and the similar 'Open Ocean' episode of The Living Planet.

Planet Earth and Life are both real pretty, but I think lack the depth of the earlier beeb Natural History productions. Still really stunning though (and Attenborough is a personal hero).
posted by t_dubs at 12:12 AM on May 11, 2011

South Pacific.
posted by primer_dimer at 1:23 AM on May 11, 2011

South Pacific's pretty good, although the narration's not as good as Attenborough. Very fond of Microcosmos, which is very different take on nature docos, and very interesting as a result I also really enjoyed "Life in Cold Blood".
posted by rodgerd at 2:22 AM on May 11, 2011

The "Life of x" BBC series are excellent. I've watched Life in Cold Blood and am currently watching Life of Mammals, and I love them both. Several series are on Netflix instant play.
posted by torisaur at 5:09 AM on May 11, 2011

Not tv, but if you're interested in the deep oceans, Mapping the Deep is a very readable, fascinating and accessible book about life in the deep oceans.
posted by BigCalm at 5:25 AM on May 11, 2011

The Attenborough-narrated BBC series "Nature's Great Events" has a couple of sea-based episodes and is well worth watching.
posted by Gortuk at 10:27 AM on May 11, 2011

If you're in the neighborhood, The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a theater in which they show a film on the ocean deep. Not sure what it's called or if it's available anywhere else, but it may be along the lines of what you're looking for.

Some of the folks who explore the depths of the ocean work at MBARI. Their website has some cool pictures and video. They also do an annual open house where you can meet the people and see the science hardware. You can also walk through their shops and see how they build custom hardware and software for studying the oceans.

And lastly, a book on the very strange creatures from the bottom of the oceans is The Deep. In the forward the author says she became interested in the subject after watching the movie at the Monterey Aquarium. It's a beautiful and fascinating book.

(And PS: if you're a sucker for BBC documentaries, I just got Human Planet and it's as good as Blue Planet, Life and Planet Earth IMHO).
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 9:51 PM on May 11, 2011