The point of no return? Undersea explorer maintains humanity is flirting with extinction - and he has proof



Filming Under the Sea 3D.

Photograph by: Handout , Files

VANCOUVER — You might think Howard Hall is a little light-headed from all the helium mixtures and recycled air he's been breathing for the past 20 years, but the world's most respected filmmaker in flippers is dead serious when he says we're playing with extinction.

"We've seen dramatic decreases in large fish populations around the world. The habitats are threatened, the oceans are warmer and we've been overfishing too long. Over the years, these shifts have been tremendous, but we can't see them on land because all the evidence is under water — where only a few people have the privilege of bearing witness to the devastation," he says, smiling.

The smile isn't facetious or flip. Hall really does count himself lucky because he gets a front-row seat to the changes in marine environments through the viewfinder of an IMAX camera.

As the director of such large-format groundbreakers as Into the Deep, Island of the Sharks, Deep Sea and most recently, Under the Sea 3D, Hall has facilitated a rapprochement between landlubbing, fish-swilling humans and the aquatic world that provides our succulent riches.

Through his dramatic and expressive pictures of everything from the rare and wonderful Leafy Sea Dragon to the world's most efficient predator, the shark, Hall and his wife Michele have not only become world leaders in the area of underwater photography, they've created films with enough heart — and sole — to make people see the oceans in a whole new way.

"It's important to educate people about what's happening in these environments because so much of what we take for granted comes from the ocean, and not just fish — but all manner of natural life. It's the ocean that absorbs most of the greenhouse gases, but even at that, they're close to absorbing all the CO2 they can. We're closing in on the point of no return."

Hall is one of a growing list of experts who believes the only way to save our oceans is through the creation of marine sanctuaries — an integrated system of protected areas that would give marine life a chance to rebound from the maw of modern fishing fleets and nets big enough to snag a dozen 747s in one swoop.

Hall has seen the devastation up close. Over the past decade, he's watched coral reefs bleach out and die. He's witnessed the dramatic decline in shark populations thanks to the growing popularity of shark fin soup. He's also seen the media attempt to normalize the situation by deflecting the blame away from modern technology and human causes, and back to the natural world.

For instance, a spate of shark attacks in Australia was recently blamed on "cleaner water" and "environmental protections" when they may be more easily explained by a lack of normal prey.

Hall says there was a time in his life when he got very angry about it all, but that's over now, thanks to the support of his wife and business partner Michele and a renewed commitment to doing what he can before it's too late.

"Look, it's almost impossible to be a human being and not hurt the planet. We don't have kids — but we still breathe oxygen, we spew carbon dioxide, we consume food and place demands on the natural environment," Hall says.

"You can't even kill yourself if you wanted to help the planet. Our bodies are problematic. We're full of drugs and toxins. One of the reasons why mercury levels are high is because when people are cremated, their mercury fillings end up in the atmosphere and come down in rain water."

Hall is smiling again. "I'm not trying to be a downer. I'm merely being realistic because I see what's happening. I can't really afford to ignore it. The ocean has given me a job. It's offered so many different creatures to the lens, I'm forever in its debt. If those creatures go away, I have nothing to photograph," he says.

"As it is, each new project proves a little more difficult because it's getting harder and harder to find the big fish. They just aren't there in the same numbers."

If Hall had nothing left to shoot, he wouldn't just be losing his job — he'd lose his purpose.

"We've never been interested in the Hollywood lifestyle. We make movies because we love diving, we love the water and we love the life we've created for ourselves that allows us to share those passions with so many others," Hall says.

"I believe the films do have an impact. I think it's a lot more difficult to destroy something once you know what it looks like . . . and that's why I try to make the most beautiful, the most dramatic and the most evocative movies I possibly can. I want people to feel connected to the world they do not see."

IMAX Under the Sea 3D is currently playing in Vancouver and Toronto.


Filming Under the Sea 3D.

Photograph by: Handout, Files


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