RTÉ series dives into ocean depths off Cork coast

UNDERWATER photographer and filmmaker Ken O’Sullivan’s new three-part series North Atlantic, The Dark Ocean began last Sunday on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

In episode two, North Atlantic: Searching For Monsters, airing on Sunday, Ken sails out to the edge of the continental shelf, 250km west of Cork to film whales. Using drones and underwater cameras, he captures elusive fin whales, up to 24 metres long — perhaps capturing them feeding off the south coast of Ireland on camera for the first time.

Ken also voyages 1,500km out to the Mid-Atlantic ridge and the Azores Islands in search of more fin whales.

Inspired by the spirit of adventure of early explorers such as St Brendan the Navigator, Ken journeys out into the open North Atlantic in search of the great sea monsters described in their early texts.

After more than 10 years, Ken finally swims with a fin whale and captures incredible footage that documents its individual patterns.

Using an unmanned submarine aboard the Celtic Explorer, Ken journeys to the deepest parts of Ireland’s Atlantic waters, where he discovers thousands of cat sharks in a deep-water nursery.

Ken also addresses the decimation of sharks in Ireland and across the globe.

The series explores concerns such as toxicity in whales from human activity in the ocean and the decimation of fin whales due to whaling. The series emphasises how society must work harder to conserve these precious ecosystems.

The series also features an original classical music soundtrack by young composer Bradley Ayres, performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Ken’s family lived for 250 years on a small island off Ireland’s North Atlantic coast. Inheriting a love of the shore, its creatures and the seasons, from his father and uncles, Ken then made the step none of his family or ancestors could, by becoming a diver and exploring the underwater world of the North Atlantic and its amazing animals and habitats.

North Atlantic airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Sunday.