Blue Planet III: Filming New Ocean Stories

Blue Planet III documents a four-and-a-half-year, 2,000-filming-day production aimed at finding ocean stories that are new to audiences and to David Attenborough. The series focuses on the ocean’s connection to life on Earth and on animal adaptability, intelligence, and ingenuity rather than presenting the sea as an alien world. It also shows how producers and camera teams developed specialized equipment to capture rare behavior.

■ Production and approach
- Four-and-a-half-year, 2,000-filming-day production; story research included calls with Japanese fishermen
- Goal of finding stories unfamiliar to Sir David Attenborough as well as to viewers
- Emphasis on connection to the ocean and on animal adaptability, ingenuity, and intelligence

■ Featured animal stories
- A small female octopus on a remote Japanese island that leaves rock pools to hunt on land
- A dolphin using a sponge on its nose, tracked by drone and filmed with a remote “Stonefish” camera
- A humpback whale breaching in front of the Manhattan skyline

■ Filming challenges
- Tides, currents, low visibility, and limited time underwater
- Custom remote camera setup for extended recording
- Approach of documenting natural behavior without intervention

It is suited to viewers interested in natural history, wildlife filmmaking, and marine biology. Viewers gain an overview of how Blue Planet III was made and the kinds of animal behavior the team sought to capture, while specific outcomes and full sequences remain in the series.