Published in Dive Log, September 1999

Pawel Achtel's Aliens of the Sea, by Kevin Deacon

Aliens, some with three hearts and the ability to change their colour and texture at whim, have been captured on film in a remarkable documentary produced by Pawel Achtel.

Quite a headline isn't it, but Pawel's musical video is an incredible production, in fact it is a first for Australia for a number of reasons and certainly worthy of our attention.

The production is a 50 minute extravaganza of marine life forms all around Australia, not just the tropical zones but also rare and unique spices that are only found in Australia's temperate seas. Some of my favorite scenes include the leafy and weedy seadragons, Australian Sea Lions, local seahorses and of course our aliens with three hearts, the Giant Australian cuttlefish.

This video is more than a documentary it is a compilation of marine life performing to great music composed by Gordon Reid. The music is compelling and stands alone, I can't wait for it to be available separately on CD. In the meantime you would not be disappointed if you simply left the television soundtrack to play out while visiting the screen occasionally. The production is designed to be used that way or it can be watched through in one sitting.

The video won an Award at the 1999 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival and received a standing ovation.

It is a credit to Pawel that every scene is authentic, nothing was shot in an aquarium and Pawel spent good part of two years travelling to dive locations to capture an extensive record of our marine life, some important locations include Sydney, Jervis Bay, Kangaroo Island South Australia, Exmouth Western Australia, the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea.

The recommended retail price is A$35 and it's a bargain, it is a visual feast, an audio feast an introduction to much of what underwater Australia has to offer, it's a great gift for anyone who has interest or a love of our oceans.

Available from retail shops and on the Internet.

Kevin Deacon

Kevin Deacon is a world famous underwater photographer and director of numerous photographic projects.

You can contact Kevin at Dive 2000.