BEHIND THE SCENES WITH DRAIN THE OCEANS
Imagine what you could see if we were to drain away the oceans to reveal what lies beneath them? That simple premise, first asked as a question to television executives several years ago, led to the top-rated National Geographic international television series, Drain the Oceans. Created by British filmmaker Crispin Sadler, the show aired its second season in 2019. Its origins date back to an initial special, “Drain the Great Lakes,” which Crispin and Canadian filmmaker Wayne Abbott created for National Geographic and Discovery Canada. It aired in 2011. As National Geographic summarized it, using data collected from years of surveys, the special employed computer graphics to show what would be revealed “if all the water were to suddenly disappear from Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.”
Featuring underwater footage, and speaking to experts, including veteran wreck diver and explorer Tom Farnquist as well as Russ Green from Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, “Drain the Great Lakes” was an instant hit, combining accurate data, exceptional computer graphics, and fast-moving interviews with underwater and surface footage. I’m sure that Wreck Diving Magazine readers remember the stunning reveal as the water “drained” to show the wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald, its two broken halves, one upside down and once again exposed to the human eye. It was dramatic but the drama was real. The hulk of Edmund Fitzgerald and its surrounding lake bed landscape were shown accurately.
The show resonated not only with those of who have experienced the underwater world, but with the non-diving public. As I’ve heard from many people, they “get” what compels us all to go into that submerged world and see what lies beneath the water. That appealed to network executives. The success of “Drain the Great Lakes” led to a new commission for yet another special, “Drain the That’s where I first met Crispin Sadler. National Geographic executives had suggested that we talk. The team at Nat Geo had suggested it because I had a long history of involvement, much of it I’d dived it with the Russians in 2001 in the Mir submersibles, and I had served as Chief Scientist for the complete mapping of the Titanic wreck site in 2010, working with RMS Titanic, Inc., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the National Park Service, and the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration. I’d also worked with National Geographic’s editorial team as they’d prepared a cover story and other media surrounding the 100th anniversary of Titanic’s sinking in 2012. I knew the wreck, but I guess more importantly, I knew the various people, and I also was known for my advocacy in sharing wrecks and history with the public.
