OCEANXPLORERS is co-produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX for National Geographic. For Lightstorm Earth, James Cameron and Maria Wilhelm are executive producers. Roger Webb and Orla Doherty are executive producers for BBC Studios. Ray Dalio, Mark Dalio, Vincent Pieribone and Joe Ruffolo are executive producers for OceanX. For National Geographic, Kevin Tao Mohs is executive producer, and Tom McDonald is executive vice president of Global Factual and Unscripted Content. The series was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society with a mission to use the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world.
The breathtaking series will premiere Aug. 18 on National Geographic and all episodes will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Meet the Experts
- Zoleka Filander | National Geographic Explorer, Biologist and Deep-sea ResearcherZoleka Filander | National Geographic Explorer, Biologist and Deep-sea Researcher
- Erin Spencer | National Geographic Explorer and Marine EcologistErin Spencer | National Geographic Explorer and Marine Ecologist
- Rui Prieto | National Geographic Explorer and Marine ResearcherRui Prieto | National Geographic Explorer and Marine Researcher
- Asha de Vos | National Geographic Explorer and Marine BiologistAsha de Vos | National Geographic Explorer and Marine Biologist
- Kit Kovacs | National Geographic Explorer and Marine Mammal Researcher
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
The National Geographic Society, committed to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world, funds the work of Explorers around the globe. Learn more about the Society’s support of Explorers preserving and understanding our world’s oceans. Join the National Geographic Society in protecting our oceans today.
Episode 1
Realm of the Humpbacks
The team travels to the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean to reveal the greatest secrets in the lives of the North Atlantic humpback whale: Why do thousands gather in one tiny patch of ocean every year, and what lengths do they go to in choosing a mate? While exploring the humpbacks’ hidden world, they witness a mother defend her calf in the ultimate ocean battle with a pack of orcas.
Episode 2
Giants of the Deep
In the Azores, the team follows the elusive sperm whales to their hunting grounds a mile beneath the surface, where they discover the secret lives of these deep-diving whales. State-of-the-art camera systems and the OceanXplorer’s submersibles explore this world of eternal darkness, discovering the whale’s prey: an enormous squid, never filmed before in these Atlantic waters.
Episode 3
Jurassic Shark
The team is in the Azores to tag a deep sea giant — the sixgill shark — and learn more about its nightly patterns hunting for food in the abyss. For the first time ever, the team tags and retrieves valuable data, uncovering the secrets of why this prehistoric shark undertakes its epic journey from the depths at night.
Episode 4
Hammerhead Highway
The team is in the crystal-clear waters of Bimini in the Bahamas to witness the incredible journey of the great hammerhead shark. As the team follows the shark’s return migration to warm waters in winter, they discover the secrets of how these animals navigate the vast ocean, using incredible senses to exploit riches hidden in the shallows.
Episode 5
Kingdom of the Polar Bear
The team brings the OceanXplorer to Svalbard, Norway. This ice world is changing faster than anywhere else on Earth. The team’s mission is to figure out if Svalbard’s polar bears are adapting to their environment. To do so, they come face-to-face with this giant of the Arctic Ocean and scale a glacier to learn how much time is left for one of the most critical habitats for polar bears.
Episode 6
Ice Giants
The team brings the OceanXplorer as far north as possible, to the edge of the Arctic ice cap. There, they learn how a population of bowhead whales, once hunted almost to extinction, is faring today. They are also the first to observe the feeding strategies of the deep-sea Greenland shark, an animal that can live for more than 400 years.