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Directed by award-winning filmmaker Mark Verkerk, North Sea, Nature Untamed follows experienced diver and cinematographer Peter van Rodijnen as he travels from the waters surrounding the Scottish islands to the shallow delta of the Low Countries and the Norwegian fjords.
The North Sea is the busiest shipping route in Europe, an area of intensive fishing and a major oil and gas producer. But beneath the surface lies a vast and unexpected domain of marine wildlife.
Van Rodijnen has filmed in some of the world’s most spectacular oceans and for years dismissed his native North Sea as cold, grey and lifeless. That changed when he was sent to Denmark to film the spawning of Atlantic salmon returning to European waters after more than 60 years.
Inspired by the adventures of Jacques Cousteau since he was a boy, van Rodijnen set out to uncover the secrets of the North Sea. Filming there can be difficult, with four out of five dives cancelled because of rough waves and visibility on the British coast often less than two metres.
‘This film is my personal discovery of the North Sea. I love it, and this is my way of protecting it,’ said van Rodijnen. ‘This is more than just a feature film. My hope is to spark wonder and love, because people only protect what they care about.’
During his journey, van Rodijnen discovers the iconic animals he originally hoped to film are part of a much larger interconnected system; the biodiversity of the North Sea depends on the health of every inhabitant, from the smallest plankton to the largest predator.
He films bioluminescent plankton – more commonly seen in the tropics – drifting through the water, lighting up the North Sea at night as a defence against predators, but also captures the North Sea at its most powerful as a storm hits the Scottish coast during grey seal pupping season.
Waves drive the pups higher up the beach, while beneath the surface seaweed and marine life are torn apart and thousands of dead starfish are washed ashore.
In the Shetland Islands, Peter encounters an example of nature’s ability to recover. After herring and mackerel stocks collapsed in the 1970s, a six-year ban on herring fishing and strict limits on mackerel were introduced.
Today the stocks have returned, attracting hundreds of seabirds and orcas feeding on the abundant mackerel.
Further south in the Farne Islands, the seabed is covered with dense seaweed, a forest of kelp which provides shelter and food for a wide variety of marine life.
Peter’s journey culminates off the Swedish coast, where he joins a research team monitoring the return of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Their reappearance strengthens his belief in the resilience of nature, despite the many human threats facing the North Sea.
The film’s hopeful message arrives at a significant moment for Britain’s marine environment. After decades of decline, the return of grey seals, minke whales, bottlenose dolphins and Atlantic bluefin tuna to waters around Britain has provided grounds for cautious optimism about the North Sea’s capacity to recover when habitats and species receive meaningful protection.
‘The North Sea is under constant pressure from rapid industrialisation and wind farm expansion,’ said van Rodijnen. ‘For decades, it has been treated as a resource to be harvested – gas, oil, fish and commerce. Honestly, that hasn’t changed; if anything, it’s more intense than ever.
‘Yet, the North Sea is remarkably resilient. All it needs is a bit of peace, some space, and occasionally a helping hand. The North Sea represents nature that refuses to be tamed.’
North Sea, Nature Untamed will be released in UK cinemas by Dartmouth Films from 25 September 2026. watch the trailer below and for more information head to www.thewildnorthsea.com
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