Ireland’s Deep Atlantic filmmaker visits the Marine Institute

Filmmaker Ken O’Sullivan of Sea Fever Productions with Marine Institute staff, Caroline Bocquel Director of Corporate Services, Aodhan Fitzgerald Research Vessel Operations, Lisa Fitzpatrick Communications Manager and Mick Gillooly Director of Ocean Science and Information Services. Underwater filmmaker Ken O'Sullivan visited the Marine Institute on Tuesday for a special screening of part two of his documentary series, Ireland's Deep Atlantic.

The RTE documentary series sees Ken O'Sullivan embark on a number of voyages in the open North Atlantic Ocean in search of large whales, sharks and cold water coral reefs.

Ken O'Sullivan filmed part of the series on board the Marine Institute's marine research vessel the RV Celtic Explorer and documented coral reefs 3,000 metres down to the sea bed using the ROV Holland.

Speaking to Marine Institute staff, Ken O'Sullivan shared his experience of filming in the Atlantic Ocean and being up-close to some of the largest creatures found on our planet.

"Any day you go to sea, you have a huge responsibility for safety, but you still need to have a spirit of exploration," O'Sullivan said. "We spent a huge amount of time preparing and waiting for the right conditions to be able to travel safely to the edge of the Irish continental shelf in the hope of seeing large whales."

"The response the series has received so far has been overwhelming," O'Sullivan said. "The aim of the series was to document and create awareness about the rich wildlife found in Ireland's oceans, and to encourage people to think about the importance of conserving the creatures in Irish waters."

Ireland's Deep Atlantic has become a partner in ground-breaking scientific research, sharing resources and collaborating with research scientists, which will result in five scientific research publications.

There are also discussions to have the documentary included in the Junior Cert curriculum and the Leaving Cert as additional educational material.

The second episode of Ireland's Deep Atlantic will air on RTÉ One at 9.30pm on Sunday 29 April.

There is the chance to watch the first episode again at 4.55pm, Saturday 28 April on RTÉ One. The second episode will also be shown on Tuesday 1 May at 7.30pm on RTÉ Two, and Saturday 5 May at 4.55pm on RTÉ One.