Cinematic Discovery of the North Sea
In the feature film North Sea Untamed, the viewer is taken beneath the waves through the eyes of Peter van Rodijnen. He is an experienced diver and underwater cameraman. From the wild blue waters around the Scottish islands to the shallow delta of the Low Countries and up along the dramatic coastline of the Norwegian fjords. North Sea Untamed is a cinematic adventure and a voyage of discovery that will show the North Sea in all its glory.
Untamed nature…
Peter has travelled the world, capturing breathtaking footage of some of the most spectacular oceans but has never been drawn to what he saw as the cold, lifeless grey waters of his native North Sea. All this changes when he is sent on assignment to Denmark to film the spawning of the majestic Atlantic salmon.
After an absence of more than 60 years, these great ocean icons are returning once again to European waters. This experience urges Peter to go out and learn more about the secrets of this little-known world.
As Peter embarks on his journey, he faces a number of challenges. He encounters dangerous currents, poor visibility and fierce storms, but his determination to uncover the secrets of this untamed natural wonder never wavers.
In the footsteps of Cousteau
Peter’s passion for the underwater world is his drive throughout the film. As a kid, he was inspired by the adventurous stories of Jacques Cousteau, and he sees himself following in his footsteps, uncovering the treasures of the North Sea, while warning people of the threats building against it.
Along the way, Peter develops a newfound respect and appreciation for the North Sea and its delicate ecosystems. He learns that the large and iconic species he sought to film in the beginning are just part of a much larger and interconnected system and that the biodiversity of the North Sea depends on the health of all its inhabitants, from the smallest plankton organisms to the largest predator.
Brightly colored birds dive for sand eels
Along with many other cliff-breeding birds, puffins time the hatching of their young with the arrival of this seaborne feast. We follow the brightly coloured birds as they dive for sand eels. Each pair has just one chick to feed, but that means repeatedly diving to over 20 meters to catch around 400 sand eels a day.
Resilience of nature
The film’s climax sees Peter joining a research team monitoring the return of Bluefin tuna off the coast of Norway. This re-affirms his hope in the power and resilience of nature despite the many human threats the North Sea faces. In the end, Peter realizes that the North Sea’s success depends on humans learning to coexist with nature, understanding its fragility, and protecting it for future generations.
Everything is connected
North Sea, Nature Untamed is a captivating and thought-provoking wildlife impact film that explores the beauty and fragility of the North Sea’s ecosystem. Through Peter’s journey, the film highlights the importance of protecting the North Sea’s smaller species, the interconnectedness of the whole system, and the need for humans to take responsibility for their impact on the environment. It is a powerful reminder that we must all work together to ensure the survival of our planet’s most precious resources.
The icy and colourful world along the Norwegian coast
The colourful male cuckoo wrasse and its harem also live here. He diligently guards his eggs, which he has laid in a saucer-shaped algae nest. He has made the nest for one of his many females. This male is old, and an extraordinary transformation takes place when he dies. The largest female will slowly change sex and take over the position of the dominant male! Life in the North Sea cannot be compared to life on land. It keeps surprising us!
The renewed relationship between man and the North Sea
After years of decline, fish stocks and other North Sea marine organisms show signs of recovery. These are the result of awareness and international conservation programs. This recovery points a way forward to a new, more harmonious relationship between humans and the sea.