David Attenborough tells Prince William he was appalled to see what humanity has done to the ocean

By Olivia Kemp and Max Foster, CNN

London (CNN) — David Attenborough has described the human impact on the deep ocean floor as “unspeakably awful” in a conversation with Prince William to mark the launch of the veteran broadcaster’s latest documentary.

In a video filmed at London’s Royal Festival Hall in early May and posted to Kensington Palace’s social media channels Saturday, the biologist and natural historian reflected on the scale of human damage inflicted beneath the surface – much of it, he said, invisible to the public eye.

“The awful thing is that it’s hidden from most people,” Attenborough said. “What we have done to the deep ocean floor is just unspeakably awful. If you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms.”

The pioneering naturalist added that he was “appalled” when he “first saw the shots taken for this film” that showed the state of the ocean floor.

The feature-length documentary “Ocean with David Attenborough” explores “how his lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery” and “why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing.”

The film will be available to stream online from Sunday, which is World Oceans Day.

“If this film does anything, if it just shifts public awareness, it will be very, very important,” Attenborough said. “I can only hope that people who see it will recognize that something must be done before we destroy this great treasure.”

The 99-year-old broadcaster told William that it is “heartening” to have an “entree to people’s front rooms.”

“Whole families sitting at home in comfort can actually suddenly see this coming up. Films like this can expose something new,” he said.

William, reflecting on the ocean’s unexplored frontiers, said the idea that there may be oceanic regions no human has ever seen was “fascinating.” He asked Attenborough whether that possibility still exists.

“Beyond question,” the naturalist replied. “We’re in the situation now when, in fact, it is possible to go into places where nothing like you has ever been there before.”

The Prince of Wales added that the opportunity for discovery offers “a really optimistic excitement sort of moment for the next generation to be able to be bigger explorers.”

A champion of the environment for over a decade, William has repeatedly cited Attenborough as an “inspiration” throughout the years, most recently in connection with his “Guardians” docuseries, which focuses on the work of wildlife protection rangers.

In 2020, the pair launched The Earthshot Prize – an ambitious environmental initiative that seeks to offer green solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including ocean protection. The prize awards £1 million (about $1.2 million) annually to five winners. Organizers hope that by 2030, at least 50 pioneering environmental solutions will have been funded.

“Ocean” builds on Attenborough’s years of collaboration with marine scientists working to explore and document the deep sea. Its release comes amid concerns over threats such as deep-sea mining, biodiversity decline, and the vulnerability of ocean ecosystems to climate change.

The documentary also arrives just ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference taking place later this month in Nice, France. Member states have agreed in principle to protect 30% of the world’s oceans, but progress has been slow. In “Ocean,” Attenborough calls for more urgency.

CNN’s Nell Lewis contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.