Love stories come in all sizes, colors, and shapes. But I bet that until now you had never heard of an interspecies friendship quite like the one found in My Octopus Teacher, between a man and his octopus lady friend.

Who is Craig Foster? 

Craig Foster is a Southafrican naturalist, experienced diver, and filmmaker known for his passion for the sea life that inhabits his native Western Cape’s Atlantic coast line. Foster’s love affair with the sea started as a kid when he was living in a bungalow right on the ocean. He spent his childhood days in the water searching for crabs, rockfish, and other curious life forms. As a result, he became a filmmaker interested in exploring our human connection with nature.

Before My Octopus Teacher, Foster had made films like Cosmic Africa and the renowned documentary The Great Dance, where he and his brother follow that Kalahari bushmen recording their tracking abilities and their ingrained connection to the world they live in. 

Yet it was not until he dedicated eight years to co-writing/creating the book Sea Change: Primal Joy and the Art of Underwater, that he was ultimately changed. (1)

After the release of the book, he co-founded together with Ross Frylinck the Sea Change Project which aims to create awareness about the importance of the South African kelp forest by creating a movement they called “emotional ecology”. The idea is to create an emotional bond between people and the wild places along with the animals that live in it. (2)

365 Diving Days 

Craig Foster went through a period that he felt depressed, anxious, and extremely fatigued. He realized this was because of his broken relationship with nature and proposed to himself to dive every day to reconnect with his human part that he felt lost. His commitment was so determined that if he missed one dive he will make up by two the next day. 

At the filming of My Octopus Teacher, when Foster went into the cold waters of his native Cape Town, he would not wear a wetsuit, not because he was trying to prove something but out of respect for the environment he was immersed in. He also had no oxygen tank as is nothing more disrupting to sea life like the bubbles that come out. He held his breath underwater two minutes at a time and wore minimal gear (swim shorts, goggles, and a pair of extra-long, deep-sea diving fins) despite the harsh conditions and low temperatures. (3)

Foster noticed not only the mental benefits from his daily ice cold divings but also saw his bronchial issues disappear. His Achilles heel injury repaired and he was able to work for longer hours without feeling exhausted. 

You certainly heard of the increasing popularity of cold water diving and its health benefits in recent years if you want to know more you should certainly check out  Wim “the iceman” Hof that developed The Wim Hof Method. (4)

The Fascinating Octopus 

We humans have a long story of amazement with this very smart cephalopod. From the use of their 8 limbs, capable of opening childproof pill bottles, to their amazing camouflage techniques and three hearts. Everything about the octopus is captivating. But never before we have seen an octopus getting close to a human the way that My Octopus Teacher documentary shows. 

This film goes beyond the scientific observation and immerses you in this alien octopus-world with all its beauty and savagery. You can see the octopus using its creativity to survive. Switching from crabs to lobster hunting. Evading an attack from a pajama shark by climbing on its back. And that tender moment of recognition when she touches Foster’s finger.

It’s more than the captivating underwater images. In My octopus Teacher, we can feel we are missing something that’s an essential part of all of us. In our uncontrollable pursuit of modernization, we had separated ourselves from the natural world. We can see every day the consequences of that detachment. It’s in the decline of our mental and physical health. The harm that our disconnection is creating towards the environment.

My Octopus Teacher is a love story, the kind we should all be aiming for. The love for nature where we and all living creatures belong to. My Octopus Teacher:  watch it, enjoy it, apply it.