The Bigger Picture Films

12/07/2025

On 1 March 1954 the USA detonated the largest nuclear bomb in their history to date. The hydrogen bomb was 1000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima at 15000 megatons.

It turns out that it was exponentially more powerful than the scientists anticipated, mainly due to some miscalculations in the fuel design.

The 23 tests vaporised 3 islands. You can see the crater the Bravo castle test left behind to the west of Namu. That’s a pic of Namu today.

The human aspect is something I will leave for another post because that is a whole story in itself.

We dived ground zero with some coral scientists, amongst others, and cameras to see whats left of it. What had regenerated and what one of the few places on Earth looks like due to 70 years of basic human abandonment. Pesky radiation issues keep cropping up. The place itself is fine but any coconuts, crops, coconut crabs etc eaten slowly push levels up in the populace which is not conducive to long term survival.

The bravo crater itself is largely a massive sandy bottom with little, but some coral life returning. Possibly due to some radiation nothing has really started to regenerate. On the outside reefs though we saw resilience, possibly unaffected by radiation, coping with warming seas and having to deal with relatively low human pressures. These corals may have developed some resilience and could be a hope for the future of all corals which is a positive take-away.

The juxtaposition of having this insanely beautiful tropical island and then having the most devastating nuclear tests imposed on it, whilst relocating the indigenous Bikinian population “for the good of mankind and to end all wars” is an interesting lens to view ourselves through.

The islands are uninhabited to this day and it remains one of the most difficult places on Earth to get to. The Bikinians, generationally detached to the islands, long to return but remain in limbo with their small voices falling on deaf ears. The world has moved on while they desire to return to a simple life of fishing and lagoon life. A dream from yesteryear relegated to the history books.

20/05/2025

A few years back we were diving off Kona trying to understand the relationship between Oceanic White Tips and why they would follow the Short Finned Pilot Whales. In a vast and endless blue ocean we would find the whales and then jump in to see if they were being followed, there was really no other way to consistently find the OWT’s.

What we discovered was quite remarkable and served to answer our question, and once you know, you know.

The whales, upon return to the surface from one particular 10-15 minute dive to about 500 meters, started to regurgitate the beaks of the squid. The OWT wasted no time and picked up the scraps. The sharks only require about 500g daily to sustain themselves and so if you weight up the energy expenditure to sustenance received it makes for an efficient feeding strategy for an animal which as home in the vast blue wilderness of the Iveans deep waters.

24/02/2025

It’s been an incredible weekend in False Bay with all the SA hope spot champions getting together and getting to know this special lady, Dr Sylvia Earle, a whole lot better.

SA’s 7 hope spots were represented by passionate and incredible folks from different walks of life and backgrounds. The 2 oceans aquarium and Cape Radd were our kind hosts and it was such a lekker ocean centric weekend.

I was proudly representing the epic Maputaland coastline and through Thonga Trails non profit we facilitate various community and conservation programs. Dr Earle selflessly flew out for just 3 days to inspire the communities and folks driving the conservation in these nodes. We have several projects kicking off this year with the assistance of Mission Blue in partnership with Thonga Trails.

Sylvia’s passion and respect for the ocean is truly inspiring, the pressure we’re putting on our oceans is quite simply unsustainable and is not a future problem but requires urgent attention by each and everyone of us.

10/12/2024

Thanks for all the good times team! 🙌🏼

05/10/2024

Nat Hewit and Jimmy Chin direct the story of Endurance22 discovery. Finally out heading and premiering next weekend. I didn’t film this production but was part of the expedition crew and worked the back deck as well as ice deployments onto the frozen Weddel Sea. It was just incredible to be a part of history, as you can only find it first once!

05/10/2024