Rare Pink Sea Fan Reef Uncovered During UK Attenborough Ocean Shoot

In what marine scientists have called “an extraordinary moment of chance” during the production of the cinematic feature Ocean with David Attenborough, a vibrant and “exceptionally well-preserved” pink sea fan reef has been discovered off the southwest coast of England.

The find – which has been described by the Marine Biological Association as a “little sanctuary” – goes new lengths to showcase a flourishing underwater habitat that has remained hidden until now.

Teeming with marine life, the vibrant and undisturbed habitat was uncovered by accident when researchers from the Marine Biological Association and filmmakers behind Ocean were in the middle of shooting the cinematic epic. Scientists have championed the discovery as a moment to underscore “the resilience of the ocean and the urgent need to protect its hidden treasures.”

“If one survey can uncover such a gem, who knows how many more treasures are hidden on the seabed?” said Olley Scholey, a director at Silverback Films.

The find was made during a collaborative research project between Dr Bryce Stewart, a senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association and Associate Fellow at the University of Plymouth, and filmmakers from Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios. After initially discovering the reef by chance with drop down cameras, divers descended onto the reef to film it in high definition.

Through a further collaboration with the underwater robotics company ‘PicSea’, the reef was then mapped in 3D using autonomous underwater vehicles.

“This pink sea fan reef is a stunning and significant find, a little sanctuary,” said Dr Stewart. “These delicate corals grow incredibly slowly and support a rich variety of marine life. Discovering this habitat intact gives us both an urgent reason and a rare opportunity to act now to protect it for future generations.”

The habitat was discovered while the team was preparing to film scenes of the seafloor of Ocean. Although much of the area they carefully surveyed before filming took place had relatively little visible life, they suddenly encountered something “altogether different”; an incredible marine ecosystem that appeared “almost untouched by human activity”.

According to the source: Oceanographic Magazine.