Ocean-themed YouTube Channels to Follow
The internet is the site of ample conspiracy theories, celebrity gossip, religious baloney and poorly shot porn. BUT it’s also the location of amazing nature documentaries and video clips. In the last two decades camera technology vastly improved and became cheaper, underwater housings became more affordable and reliable, and high-bandwidth internet plus video sharing sites like YouTube allowed a much more unrestricted flow of fascinating underwater footage from filmers to viewers.
What took a well-funded BBC team a few decades ago – to get quality footage of rare and unusual coral reef dwelling animals in the Caribbean or in Southeast Asia – can now be achieved by a talented amateur with good diving skills and a mid-price camera plus a good video light. Also, a research institute with top-of-the-line equipment can immediately reach a wide audience by uploading clips of their research footage. I enjoy this interesting and often really intelligent content, and these are my recommendations for ocean-themed video channels… These are my personal choices, of course, and you’ll find much more quality material when you look around, maybe with these channels as starting points:
So which are some YouTube channels I enjoy?
Deep Greene, by Brian Green, is a channel by marine biologist extraordinaire Brian Greene. Brian is known for discovering new species of coral reef fishes in very deep reefs, and this video shows one such expeditions. 118 meters is crazy deep. Brian and colleagues are using rebreathers.
Even Deeper: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute channel has some great footage from remote operated vehicles which reach depth below the range accessible by divers. The videos always come with educational bits of information. I really enjoyed watching this octopus:
Critter Hunter, by Justin Carmack, is a channel shot by my friend Justin in Dauin on Negros Island in the Philippines, where we both live. The footage, especially the macro footage, is top notch, and the narration is entertaining & funny. Justin got censored by a social media platform once for calling a crab with a good appetite a “fatty”. Anti-crab bullying, omfg.
Anilao Critters by Dennis Corpuz. Anilao is, next to Dauin, one of the top “critter diving” diving destinations in the Philippines, and this channel features a lot of interesting marine animals, well shot. The channel is big on “blackwater” and “bonfire” diving, the type of diving where the diver observes and films planktontic animals at night in mid-water.
My own Pacificklaus channel is worth watching too, I sincerely believe! It’s a mix between proper science communication with videos which teach the viewer facts and concepts about the ocean, plus some humorous videos and footage of crassly unusual underwater natural history, such as this massive fart by a sea cucumber, right onto my camera.
Best Fishes & Till Soon,
Klaus
