Deep Blue - Series One

Episode One - Sheer Delight
The series opens in New Zealand's rugged Fiordland. The Deep Blue team board their yacht Evohe to explore the dramatic meeting point of mountains, waterfalls, and deep ocean. They dive beneath sheer cliff faces encrusted with corals, sail up into Milford Sound, and fly to the top of a glacier. The team launch a remote-operated camera to see how Fiordland’s rare marine life adapts to such an extreme, light-starved environment, where they themselves can't dive.

Episode Two - Borne on the Storm
Evohe follows New Zealand’s powerful southern currents to the subantarctic Auckland Islands. First stop is Enderby Island to see endangered Hooker’s sea lions, before kayaking alongside a pod of dolphins and walking through a lush rata forest. On Adam's Island they join a group of researchers studying wandering albatross, before heading off to explore the wild western cliffs of the islands in an attempt to locate the infamous wreck of the General Grant in challenging ocean conditions.

Episode Three - The Darkness Beckons
Exploring the calcium cycle in New Zealand’s oceans, the crew dives along the coast to see how seashells become limestone. They journey inland to Golden Bay, entering enormous caves and tight flooded passages. At Te Waikoropupū Springs they dive in the clear calcium-rich waters sourced from eroded limestone caves, then explore Harwoods Hole and Starlight Cave to observe limestone formations recrystallising in real time. The episode culminates with a record-setting 60-metre cave dive.

Episode Four - Ocean City
In Auckland, the Deep Blue team explores the city’s volcanic terrain and surrounding waters. On Rangitoto Island they enter lava caves, before diving at night in Lake Pupuke's volcanic crater lake. At Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium, Peta Carey meets shark expert Craig Thorburn before he dives with mako sharks off Auckland’s west coast. Ole Maiava visits the Muriwai gannet colony and kayaks through mangrove forests. The team finishes at Leigh Marine Reserve, learning about the scientific research being undertaken.

Episode Five - Castle of the Deep
Guided by divers Wade and Jan Doak, the crew explores the Poor Knights Islands. They dive through Riko Riko Cave — the world’s largest sea cave. Next is Tie Dye Arch and Middle Arch, where they encounter stingrays and schools of trevally. In Bernie’s Cave they explore caverns filled with encrusting marine life. Then, Peta and Ole tackle Taravana Cave, with an entrance that lies 36 metres below the surface. Lastly, musician Neil Finn performs inside Riko Riko Cave for both divers and fish alike. 

Episode Six - Kingdom in the Sun
Sailing north the crew leaves New Zealand behind, first visiting Curtis Island in the Kermadecs, where they dive among schools of tropical fish. On Raoul Island, a DOC ranger shows them the rugged, botanist’s paradise. After 10 days at sea, they reach Tonga, visiting the Nuku’alofa markets and diving vibrant reefs. At Nomuka they learn about clam and pearl farm conservation, and in Neiafu they encounter a mother humpback whale and her calf swimming beside the boat.

Episode Seven - Wind Riders
Evohe sails deeper into the Pacific, arriving in Fiji where they are greeted by thousands of sooty terns and booby seabirds. At Fulaga atoll, the team is welcomed into village life, invited to try out traditional waqa (boat) and drink yaqona (kava). Mike deGruy speaks with locals about sustainable fishing and conservation practices on the islands. Diving in pristine reefs, they catch sight of the venomous banded sea snake, and Ole takes a paramotor flight above Totoya Island.

Episode Eight - Fire and Magic
Arriving in Vanuatu, the crew are invited to celebrate the local village boys' return from their first rite of passage. They visit hot springs in Port Resolution, dive with a dugong, and hike up Mount Tanna where they watch lava bubbling in its crater. The team meets communities still living by the traditional way of life, known as kastom, and watch a sea snake dance on Motalava Island. Sailing south to Ambrym, they relax in a natural spa and learn more about Vanuatu's culture and traditions. 

Episode Nine - Life After Death
Over to the Solomon islands, Evohe visits Guadalcanal and surrounding isles in Iron Bottom Sound, where over 50 ships and dozens of aircraft were sunk during the battles of WWII. Peta Carey dives among wrecks now reclaimed by coral, explores overgrown battle sites, and speaks with locals about their memories of wartime life. Later, guided by local Danny Kennedy, she dives in open ocean reefs teeming with lionfish, razorfish, triggerfish, eels, and other tropical species. 

Episode 10 - People of Paradise
Still in the Solomon Islands, the crew head over to remote coral atoll, Ontong Java, and are welcomed into the village of Luaniua. Cameraman Brady Doak's parents Wade and Jan revisit the islands that they documented decades earlier. The team swims in the lagoon, explores taro gardens, and joins locals diving and fishing from outrigger canoes. They learn about sustainable sea cucumber harvesting and take the village chief Tom on a paramotoring flight for a bird’s-eye view of the atolls. 

Episode 11 - Diving Back to the Future
Sailing south to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Evohe crosses the Coral Sea, where Mike deGruy joins by seaplane. They explore Lizard Island and dive with marine biologist Russell Kelly. They visit the Flinders Group Islands, where they visit Aboriginal cave paintings, before a dive in a submerged river valley. Peta Carey meets researcher Dirk Zeller to discuss coral trout, tourists attempt their first scuba dive, and the episode ends with a close encounter with a giant potato cod.

Episode 12 - Glorious Mud
On Australia's Queensland coast, the team explores the Daintree River estuary with scientist Dr Walt Stark, navigating mangrove forests, crocodiles, and climbing the tree canopy. They watch the rainforest wildlife, and whitewater raft back to the sea. Ole meets Russell Butler to forage for Aboriginal bush tucker, while Dr Barry Clark leads a mudflat exploration with crabs and mudskippers. There's one last dive, this time in the clear ocean waters where saltwater fish live among the mangroves. 

Episode 13 - Strangers Downunder
After 10 months at sea, Evohe stops in Tasmania. The crew dives at Judgement Rocks, alongside fur seals and short-tailed shearwaters. On Babel Island they find a decoy gannet colony devised to lure birds back. On Deal Island, Peta Carey meets space researcher William Hollier, while Mike deGruy dives beside a southern right whale. They visit the Penitentiary at Port Arthur, meet Tasmanian devils, and dive among cuttlefish, stingrays, and sharks before their final leg home to New Zealand.