Planet Earth cameramen 'underplayed the dangers' before filming shark scenes

23 October 2023 , 17:34

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The Planet Earth cameramen say getting close to the predators, who killed two humans in 2022, the year after they left the bay, was 'a privilege' (Image: PA)

The cameramen who risked their lives to film great white sharks for the Jaws-dropping opening to Planet Earth III say they “underplayed the potential dangers”.

Viewers were left staggered by the sequence on Sunday night, filmed in South Africa’s Plettenberg Bay, which showed fur seals mobbing together to drive the sharks out to sea. But Justin Blake and Roger Horrocks said getting close to the predators, who killed two humans in 2022, the year after they left the bay, was “a privilege”.

The men, who did not use a shark cage, said there were times when the sharks swam so close they could have touched them. “You want to be as close as possible to get the crispest shot,” Justin said. “We were in less than six feet of water and the shark swam right over us.”

The two men filmed the scenes without a shark cage to protect them (BBC Studios/© Justin Blake - RockHopper)

‌Roger said: “The key thing is that there were two of us, because they definitely try to sneak up behind you. The other thing that was critical was making sure visibility was really good. We’ve dived with many iconic animals and it demands respect – when you see that animal turn and start swimming towards you, with intention, it is intense. The critical thing is to stand your ground not to panic or swim away and just engage the animal and create that relationship. It was incredible, unforgettable.”

‌Speaking on Radio 4 he added: “You are so focused on trying to get the shot that you do perhaps underplay the potential dangers.” Nick Easton, producer of the Coasts episode of the David Attenborough-fronted show, said they gained vital knowledge about the sharks’ behaviour over the course of the four-year shoot.

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A Planet Earth III camera set-up with the latest rebreather diving systems to film on a coral reef (BBC Studios/Will Ridgeon)

He explained: “The key was to get the cameraman down the bottom - there are no recorded attacks going down, they always hunt forwards or up. It was more dangerous to be in a cage because you are less flexible. They were back to back, two cameramen working together - their defence was actually the camera, which is a huge thing, and just being very observant.”

Series producer Mike Gunton said the extraordinary sequence has been handed over to scientists. On next week’s episode, Ocean thousands of South American sea lions raid fishermen’s nets off the coast of Chile at the risk of drowning. Viewers will also learn about the siphonophore – the longest animal on the planet – and the gulper eel, which can eat prey larger than its own body.

‌*Planet Earth, Sunday, BBC1, 6.20pm

Nicola Methven