Leo Richards

In the deep ocean, life is divided between very different worlds inhabited by weird and wonderful deep sea creatures. In this film, we delve into the Midnight Zone and the Twilight Zone, where anglerfish, giant sharks, and bioluminescent wonders are found traversing the void.

In the deep ocean, life is divided between very different worlds. In the midwater, pelagic wanderers tread migratory routes that span entire oceans, and planktonic drifters and their predators take part in bioluminescent light shows. And below, lies the deep sea floor. A kingdom of mud and ooze, where sessile creatures cling to any solid outcrop and corals craft kingdoms on the seamount crusts. The worlds of the deep sea could not be more different, and yet their stories are fundamentally intertwined.

The Schmidt Oceanographic Institute (SOI) is a non-profit oceanographic research foundation that has pioneered deep-sea research and discovery since 2009, aboard its former vessel RV Falkor and also its new RV Falkor. Its remotely operated vehicle (ROV), SuBastian, is equipped with a suite of sensors and a 4K camera that has illuminated the depths and streamed live dives around the world. Most of the images shown are filmed and provided by SOI.

Sanctuaries in the Dark, a documentary about the deep sea. Sixgill sharks, ghost sharks (chimaeras), big-finned squid (Magnapinna), telescope octopuses, siphonophores (Bathyphysa), drifting jellyfish, and the silent abyss cleaning team: sea cucumbers and giant isopods. Visit hydrothermal vents, where chemosynthetic microbes feed oases of life with giant tubeworms (Riftia pachyptila) and Pompeii worms; glide over coral gardens of seamounts and ancient schools of sponges; watch as wooden and whale waterfalls transform darkness into cities of life; and pause at octopus farms, heated by gentle filtrations. This film features only real footage of deep-sea creatures, filmed by NOAA's incredible ocean exploration institutes and the Schmidt Oceanographic Institute.

Deep Sea Chemosynthetic Oases Full Movie. This film exploring hydrothermal vents, cold-seep habitats, and food-falls including whale-falls and the communities at shipwrecks. Footage used belongs to the incredible marine conservation societies of Ocean Networks Canada, CSSF-ROPOS, Schmidt Ocean Institute, MBARI, WHOI and the Ocean Exploration Institute.