DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT OCEAN AND MARINE LIFE
Watch Ocean and Marine Documentaries Online
Stream ocean documentaries online - covering the Pacific Ocean, the Salish Sea, Howe Sound, the BC coast, and marine ecosystems worldwide.
The Green Channel's ocean documentary collection features films on whales and orcas, herring spawn, wild salmon migrations, coral reefs, ocean pollution, and the BP Deepwater Horizon spill. Films range from short coastal observation pieces to feature-length marine investigations.
If you're looking for ocean films like Blue Planet but more focused on Pacific Northwest waters and environmental investigation, this collection is the right place to start.
What you'll find in this collection
- Whale documentaries: The Hundred-Year-Old Whale, Beluga Speaking Across Time, Who Killed Miracle?
- Pacific herring films: five films covering the herring spawn cycle, conservation, and the Salish Sea food web
- Howe Sound and Salish Sea documentaries: observational films on BC's coastal ecosystems
- Wild salmon and fish farming investigations: including The Pristine Coast and Salmon Secrets.
- Ocean pollution documentaries: Pretty Slick (BP Deepwater Horizon coverup), Blood Water
- WWII Pacific shipwreck and underwater archaeology: The Legacy of Truk Lagoon
BROWSE BY COLLECTION
The Howe Sound Collection: Documentary films set in BC's UNESCO biosphere reserve
The Herring Files: The most complete online collection of Pacific herring documentaries
Ocean Giants: Whale, orca, and large marine mammal documentaries
Start with A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for Atl’ka7tsem. Watch the opening free.
WATCH FREE PREVIEWFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Salish Sea?
The Salish Sea is the inland marine waterway between British Columbia and Washington State, including the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It's named for the Coast Salish peoples whose territory has surrounded these waters for thousands of years. The Salish Sea is home to orcas, salmon, herring, and over 250 fish species.
What is happening to BC's coastal ecosystems?
BC's coastal ecosystems are facing combined pressures from fish farming, climate change, ocean acidification, declining wild salmon populations, and historic logging impacts on watersheds. Films including The Pristine Coast, Salmon Secrets, and the Howe Sound Collection document both the damage and the restoration work being led by Indigenous nations and local conservation groups.
Why are wild Pacific salmon important to ocean ecosystems?
Wild Pacific salmon are a keystone species. Their lifecycle moves nutrients from the open ocean into freshwater rivers and forests. When salmon return to spawn and die, their bodies feed bears, eagles, scavengers, and the trees themselves. Salmon collapse disrupts the entire Pacific Northwest food web, from coastal forests to the open sea.
How can I watch these documentary films?
Press play on any film above to watch a free preview, with no sign-up needed. To watch them all, subscribe for CA$9.99/month or CA$99/year. Browse free previews.