The annual live-attendance Ocean Film Festival, which originated in Australia, can some years be more miss than hit in terms of direct appeal to divers. The 2022 collection of seven short films once again stays above the waterline for much of its running time – but that’s not to say that divers won’t enjoy the overall programme.
The ocean-based filmshow goes on tour around 20 UK (mainly English) venues in autumn, starting in Inverness on 19 September and finishing in Poole on 16 November.
Of interest to divers will be the nine-minute I Am Ocean, featuring Australian underwater photographer PT Hirschfield whose passion for diving she says has helped in her battle against terminal cancer; and Tiger Shark King (7min), about scuba diver Jim Abernethy, who claims to have removed thousands of fish-hooks from sharks in the Bahamas and guided divers in countless encounters with the animals over the years.
The main film is the 39-minute Circumnavigate, about Devonian Brendon Prince’s attempt to paddleboard around mainland Britain. Eyre & Sea (10min) looks at a sea-lion colony in Australia; Mar (25min) is about surfing in Portugal; there is more Iberian surfing in Rebirth (6min); and If You Give A Beach A Bottle (5min) covers marine debris in Alaska.
Seat prices vary depending on venue but are generally in £16 territory. Good causes benefit – charity partners in the UK are the Marine Conservation Society and Surfers Against Sewage. The trailer for the festival can be seen here and the full list of venues and bookings is on the festival website.
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