

The Big Sea
2025-06-20 · 75 min · Not rated
Surfing is killing it. This $10 billion global industry – built on the dream of carefree spirits, crystal clear waters and an even clearer connection to the natural world – has never been more popular. Surfing has set out its stall as the champion of environmental issues. But surfing has a dirty secret… and people are dying. A ground-breaking and compelling documentary shot over three years in California, Louisiana, UK, Ireland, France, Spain and Australia.
Trailers are previews, not full movies.
No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.
Production details
- Directors
- Lewis Arnold
- Production companies
- Unavailable
- Countries
- Unavailable
- Status
- Released
Top Cast
Noah LaneSelfTitle information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.
Where to watch
Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.
Availability not listed for this country.
Seasons & episodes
Recommendations

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.

In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.

Bonded by their love of freediving, a record-setting champion and a heroic safety diver try to make history with a remarkable feat, ready to risk it all.

A documentary focused on plastic pollution in the world's oceans.

A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.

Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

David Attenborough takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder, or surprise, than the ocean. Through spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean, Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing.

Described as being a film about determination, danger and the ocean’s greatest depths, James Cameron's "Deepsea Challenge 3D" tells the story of Cameron’s journey to fulfill his boyhood dream of becoming an explorer. The movie offers a unique insight into Cameron's world as he makes that dream reality – and makes history – by becoming the first person to travel solo to the deepest point on the planet.

After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.

Marine conservationist and social media activist Ocean Ramsey fearlessly swims with sharks in this documentary about her risky mission to protect them.

Over 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to spark global curiosity

Documentary filmmaker Bruce Brown, himself a competition-level surfer, follows surfers Michael Hynson and Robert August on an around-the-world surfing adventure. With Brown's wry, sardonic narration and a twangy, guitar-driven instrumental soundtrack by The Sandals playing over the silent footage, Mike and Rob leave their California home to visit Hawaii, Australia, South Africa and other secluded surfing spots in a search for the surfer's holy grail that Brown dubs "The Perfect Wave.”

Deep Blue is a major documentary feature film shot by the BBC Natural History Unit. An epic cinematic rollercoaster ride for all ages, Deep Blue uses amazing footage to tell us the story of our oceans and the life they support.

Passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species — and uncovers an alarming global conspiracy.

Coral reefs are the nursery for all life in the oceans, a remarkable ecosystem that sustains us. Yet with carbon emissions warming the seas, a phenomenon called "coral bleaching" -- a sign of mass coral death -- has been accelerating around the world, and the public has no idea of the scale or implication of the catastrophe silently raging underwater.

An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in EARTH. Disneynature brings you a remarkable story of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants and humpback whales.

A documentary on the modeling industry's 'supply chain' between Siberia, Japan, and the U.S., told through the experiences of the scouts, agencies, and a 13-year-old model.

Never-before-seen footage and survivor accounts trace the 2012 shipwreck of a luxury cruise and the disaster that ensued, in this immersive documentary.

The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The shocking discoveries were only the tip of the iceberg.
Similar titles

A unique documentary that follows artist Mark Waller and his family over 20 years. When Mark is diagnosed with a deadly Melanoma the fault lines in the Waller family erupt with surprising results.


Showcasing breathtaking footage of mountains and waves around the world, Shaka follows snowboarding world champion and renowned athlete Mathieu Crepel as he faces the biggest challenge of his life: to surf the legendary waves of Jaws Beach, Hawaii.

It was the spring of 2010 when I discovered that I was ill with leukemia. I was 29 years old and had never been in a hospital before. The fear, the chemotherapy, the waiting. After six months, everything seemed to be getting better, and a year and a half later, my first daughter, Nora, was born. So, three years later, I decided to return to the ward where everything had begun, to try to make sense of what had happened to me. Inside those rooms, I met Sabrina, who was going through what I had experienced. "Leucemia" is the story of our meeting, our journey together, and our shared experiences. It is the story of our friendship and our leukemia. (The author)

Depicts the dynamic, space age surfers of the 1960's who 'feel the juice' of the ocean's swell's. They are 50 of the most well known surfers from around the world.
Documentary about two boys and a girl who travel to surfing spots around the world.

What were once lifestyle fads have evolved into some of the world's fastest-growing sports and are now set to debut on the world’s biggest stage – the Olympic Games. Step inside the journey of three new sports born on the fringes of society – skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing – alongside names like Tony Hawk, Emily Harrington, and Sofia Mulanovich.

Pro surfers are the solution in coorporate marketing. As they say in the ad game, Surfing sells. Campaign is a comedy that mocks corporate America combined with the most mind blowing surfing of today.

Uncharted Waters is a feature-length documentary about Australian surfing legend, Wayne Lynch. It traces his upbringing in the seaside town of Lorne on Victoria's South-Western coast and his turbulent experiences as a 'conscientious objector' on the run from conscription and the Vietnam war. Ultimately it is about an extremely gifted individual with an intense connection to the Southern Ocean, whose approach to surfing has been a spiritual journey, often putting him at odds with the surfing sub-culture and society in general.

This is a dynamic documentary about two 1970s era marijuana smugglers who were forced to separate when they got too successful. Nothing could prepare them for what they saw when they reunited 20 years later. Based on the best selling book 'In search of Captain Zero'. Shot in 3 countries with beautiful production value.

In a small village in Liberia, a West African country scarred by 20 years of civil war, local surfers are striving to change their destiny and that of their village through the creation of a surf club.

The story of individuals from all walks of life that have faced incredible obstacles, found the drive to overcome their disabilities, and have through water sports become real everyday heroes.

Kai Lenny and Natxo González travel across El Salvador searching for never-before-surfed waves.

Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, and others take a trip to the coast of Sumatra, where they find themselves surfing beautiful waves, and lose the urgency they have come to live with being professionals. September Sessions documents this trip with interviews and 16mm footage of life on a once in a lifetime surftrip.

Chris Malloy, Emmett Malloy, and Jack Johnson got together to document the life and times of a pro surfer. Shot all on 16mm Film "Thicker Than Water" follows Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, Brad Gerlach, Shane Dorian, and others on a 18 month journey through the North Atlantic, South Pacific, and the Bay of Bengal.

In the early ‘70s, founding member of Australian surf magazine Tracks, Albert Falzon, began filming off the North Coast of New South Wales, Hawaii, and Indonesia. He set out to make a film “that was a reflection of the spirit of surfing at the time” and the end result, Morning of the Earth, proved its worth as a vital document of surf culture and a powerful nature film.

Alex Gray, Josh Mulcoy, and Pete Devries went on a journey through the remote Aleutian Arc of Alaska, the birthplace of storm systems that send swell back to the rest of us in civilization. They braved heavy weather, flew on rickety prop planes, and ate seal meat en route to discovering one of the best cold-water slabs in the world. The film follows the cold-water crew as they traverse the island on quad bikes, tracking pulses of swell to remote bays and never before surfed points. Set against the stunning volcanic backdrop of the Aleutian Islands, The Cradle of Storms is cold-water surf exploration at its finest.

The diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma not only ruined Albert Farkas' summer day when he received it. He narrates scenes from everyday life with the diagnosis. Josephine Ahnelt's short documentary shows Farkas' self-assertion through his humor, with which he defies the initial low point.

Craig Ouellette films his mother through the highs and lows as she battles brain cancer.

A film about the turbulent relationship between an Icelandic surfer and the North Atlantic wind.