#009 - The making of our ocean film 'The Map to Paradise’

A Journey Through the Eyes of the Reef

Most people know about the Great Barrier Reef, but few have ventured out to its sister reef, the Coral Sea.

Following the completion of our film, The Sea & Me, the Save Our Marine Life Alliance asked us to create another film - this time to raise awareness about the Coral Sea and why it needs to be protected, using the lessons learned from the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Coral Sea is over 50 kilometers from Cairns, Queensland, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef - you have to pass through the Great Barrier Reef Marine park in order to reach the Coral Sea.

We didn't have the budget or the time to get to the Coral Sea, so we knew telling a story about the Coral Sea would be a challenge. In order to connect with people and to get around the obstacles of distance and expense, we felt that it was important to look at the history of Australia's iconic marine park, the Great Barrier Reef, because it is a place that many people identify with or dream to go.

We flew north to Cairns and began meeting with commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, dive shops, tourism operators, filmmakers and business owners. Across all of these groups, most considered the creation of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as an important decision and although some groups did not agree with it at the time, they had now seen the benefits to their businesses.

We wanted to showcase a diverse group of voices in favour of protecting the Coral Sea and to show off the beauty of the underwater world in the region. We met with a commercial fisherman in Airlie Beach, who had been opposed to the protection of large parts of the Great Barrier Reef prior to it’s creation. Some of the areas he fished were protected as a result of the rezoning and so he was forced to fish elsewhere. A decade later, he can see that protecting more areas of the Great Barrier Reef was a good decision and it has added to the sustainability of his catch, ensuring he can fish for generations to come. We also met with underwater filmmaker Dean Miller, who has dedicated his life to educating people about protecting the reef and how important it is to the viability of many of the businesses in northern Queensland. We filmed him in the underwater landscapes of Opal Reef, a stunning reef that has sadly been heavily impacted by the recent coral bleaching events, offshore from Port Douglas. Dean also shared some of his beautiful moving images of the Coral Sea, which we used in A Journey Through the Eyes of the Reef.

To learn more about the creation of the Great Barrier Reef and how Australia led the way in marine protection over the past few decades watch the film below.

We hope you enjoy it!

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For more on conservation and the making of our feature film The Map to Paradise follow us @bluebottlefilms