EXTREME SPINNER DOLPHINS
Dolphin Daredevils: The Ocean's Most Impressive Acrobats
Filming the extreme animal antics took an extreme sports camera operator
Our mission on Our Oceans was to push boundaries of cinematography to immerse audiences in the action and capture the ocean’s secrets like never before. Crew from diverse genres were often recruited to portray new stories with a fresh lens.
High-octane techniques meet oceanic wonder
In order to capture the mesmerizing aerial displays of spinner dolphins, Our Oceans turned to the expertise of FPV drone pilot Raphael Boudreault-Simard, from the extreme sports world. Teaming up with Assistant Producer Alex Fennell and Researcher Kate Colley, their mission was to track track superpods of spinner dolphins in the Pacific Big Blue, twenty miles off the coast of Costa Rica and bring techniques he would use when filming fast-action sports like extreme skiing, and apply them to filming for Our Oceans. The result was a heart-pounding spectacle that puts viewers right in the action of the pod.
Dolphin’s-eye view
The team’s vision was clear: They wanted shots that would plunge viewers into the pod’s everyday life, allowing us to see the ocean through the spinner dolphins’ eyes and reveal their incredible acrobatic displays . To achieve this, they built a fleet of five different drone types, including various FPV models. Rapha flew and operated these unique drones through goggles, which allowed him a much better spatial awareness to safely fly around the dolphins as they jumped and performed their characteristic spins out of the water. The team also deployed 360-degree cameras to ensure that Rapha didn't miss any of the action: no dolphin flip or splash went unnoticed! This technology is being developed so quickly a delay in filming created new opportunities for the team, as Rachel Scott recalls: “We had to push this shoot back a few months due to a storm brewing off Costa Rica. In that time the tech had advanced so much that we were able to obtain brand new tiny drones, originally designed to film BMX bikers, to fly not only between but underneath pirouetting dolphins!”
ONE WITH THE POD
While Our Oceans was constantly pushing the boundaries of cinematography, all teams on location adhered to a core principle: the welfare of our marine counterparts must always come first. The drones have propeller guards, and are designed to fly around people so are small and quiet compared to standard filming gear. Floats were also added so they weren’t lost at sea. Adding an extra layer of expertise and oversight, local dolphin expert Felipe Chacón Rodríguez joined the expedition. With his keen eye and wealth of knowledge, Felipe ensured that every interaction upheld the welfare of the dolphins above all else. The team observed that birds are a part of the dolphins' everyday life, circling overhead and targeting the same lanternfish prey. In the presence of drones, the dolphins remained unfazed, continuing their pursuits with uninterrupted focus. As Felipe succinctly put it: "For the dolphins, they wouldn’t even notice that it was an electronic bird flying among all the other ones." Whilst cutting edge technology allowed us to delve deeper into the mysteries of the ocean, our commitment to the well-being of its inhabitants remained steadfast, ensuring that every moment captured was a testament to responsible exploration.
Assistant Producer Alex Fennel and Drone Operator Raphael Boudrealt-Simard filming Spinner dolphins in Costa Rica
IMPACT FILM: extreme spinner dolphins
3 MIN 01 SECONDS
We join world class drone pilot Raphael Boudreault-Simard offshore in the Pacific Big Blue, as he shows us what it’s like to fly with dolphins! Using the latest in cutting edge drone technology, Raphael explains how 'First Person View' FPV drones offer a unique viewpoint from within the pod, allowing us to see the ocean as if through the eyes of a spinner dolphin.