North Atlantic: the stories behind the incredible marine-life footage

Ken O’Sullivan filming a blue shark in the North Atlantic, off Ireland

Appropriately for a documentary series about water and marine life, there is a strong ripple-effect theme throughout North Atlantic — The Dark Ocean which is on TV now.

Underwater filmmaker and photographer, Ken O’Sullivan, from West Clare has spent years filming the iconic creatures and marine life of the North Atlantic. 

From seabirds and sprat to huge fin whales it’s all about their interconnected nature. And not just sea creatures either, Ken is so keen to point out that we are part of nature too and are affected by damaged ecosystems and depleted wildlife too of course.

One of the key messages of this three-part series is how we treat our oceans and its creatures. The documentary looks at everything from toxicity in whales from human activity in the ocean to the decimation of fin whales due to whaling.

Ken showcases the power and beauty of these creatures by freediving into offshore North Atlantic water capturing some incredible scenes. This entire region was once called ‘the dark ocean’ by explorers such as St Brendan the Navigator, 584AD.

BEAUTIFUL UNDERWATER WORLD

In those days the oceans, and particularly the cold North Atlantic, were viewed as inhospitable and dangerous places filled with dark mysterious monsters. Ken examines those descriptions of these ‘monsters’ while showing us spectacular images of minke whales and killer whales and other sea life.

He does admit to being “afraid every time I get in the sea” but notes that this is a healthy respect for what is not our natural environment.

“I have never felt threatened by any of the creatures. When you get in the water, their natural instinct is to go away from us. And with satellite phones, safety equipment, beacons, etc we put an enormous effort into our own safety — and we stay back from interfering with the animals too of course. I would get better shots if I was less caring about the wildlife.” The footage captured of sharks and whales is pretty amazing nonetheless.

Ken O’Sullivan filming a blue shark in the North Atlantic, off Ireland Ken O’Sullivan filming compass jellyfish, RIB on top of water, in the Atlantic, Clare, Ireland

Ken has been working with wildlife photography and documentary making for around 18 years but has had a variety of other experiences: “life is too short for one career”. He studied electronics and also played bass in a rock band, and he worked in construction before he “got a real job then” computing in London. He moved back to Ireland about 20 years ago and started diving and snorkelling and saw this “beautiful underwater world” and started working to bring this alive for many more people.

“We are killing up to 270 million sharks every year for example. And something like this, especially when you are killing top predators, has enormous consequences for ecosystems. It impacts all the way down,” says Ken as he lists the devastation wrought on marine life from Atlantic grey whales which have been ‘whaled out’ to Northern right whales which are “gone”.

Ken O’Sullivan filming basking sharks in a courtship torus in the North Atlantic, off Ireland

ECOLOGICAL SUICIDE

He is scathing about the “ecological suicide” caused by factory ships: “These massive freezer trawlers are an enormous concern as they operate without observers. There was one incident where one fishing 40 miles west of Mayo broke down and they had the repairs come from their own company in Netherlands as they didn’t want people to see what they are doing. “ Ken also accepts that most ‘real’ fishermen are against unregulated fishing and points out that it’s indiscriminate fishing and overfishing are the big problem.

This ‘ripple effect’ is apparent also as Ken points out that there are “storms which originate in the Caribbean and rumble up across the north Atlantic in just a few days unleashing their power when they meet the shallows of our coastal waters”. These storms aerate the water and whip up nutrient-rich sediment from the seabed and the rain washes more salts and nutrients from the land “and so in the darkness of winter the foundation of ocean fertility is being laid”.

This fertile water feeds plankton which is food for sprat and herring which are so important for humpback and fin whales as well as dolphins, minke, tuna, and seabirds.

Ken, whose own daughter is currently studying for her leaving cert, is thrilled that a previous documentary, ‘Ireland’s Deep Atlantic’, broadcast in 2018 is now a part to the Junior Cert curriculum. And there are hopes too that this series may do likewise — adding to people’s awareness of the rich ecosystem that is out there in north Atlantic waters and a recognition of the ways so many creatures are impacted when one part of the system is thrown off balance through over-fishing or pollution.

And Ken hopes documentaries such as these will help more people become aware of what we have and how it’s under threat — before it’s too late.

• North Atlantic is on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, Sunday 6.30pm