Simon Jones, Senior Reporter
Friday, January 31, 2014 7:50 AM

A new television series showcasing Bermuda’s precious marine life has been given the green light.

Filming for the 12-episode series of Ocean Vet will begin in just under two months.

The show is the brainchild of local vet, Neil Burnie, and fellow Bermuda Shark Project Founder, Choy Aming,

And it will highlight the island’s unique oceanography as well as local conservation projects.

Mr Aming said: “This is great news for us, but also for Bermuda too.

Filming the pilot for gassProductions last year.
*Photo supplied

“There have been times when I’ve wondered whether I should have been doing something more conventional.

“But this makes it all worthwhile and shows that if you keep going with something you love it does pay off.

Dr Burnie and Mr Aming will team up again with gassProductions to start filming for the new series.

The UK-based production firm, led by Andrew Smith and Dan Radford, were in Bermuda last year to film a pilot of the show.

And it was such a hit that they have been given the go-ahead for a 12-episode series.

Neil Burnie swimming with a tiger shark in local waters.
*Photo by Chris Burville

Producer Mr Smith told the Bermuda Sun: “This is a massively exciting project.

“I have had family in Bermuda all my life and always wanted to do something like this on the island.

“Few people know much about the oceanography of the island so this is a great opportunity to open people’s eyes.

“The networks are excited about this project too.

“The series has been sold to one of the biggest distribution companies in the world called Cineflix and it will be carried on all the major networks around the world.

Choy Aming and Neil Burnie (centre left and centre right)
with the gassProductions team. *Photo supplied

“We have already had interest from the likes of Discovery and National Geographic.”

The gassProductions crew will arrive in Bermuda on March 20 to begin filming the first two episodes that will focus on the humpback whales and the six-gilled sharks.

They will then return to the island between June and September to complete the bulk of the filming.

“We are going to showcase Bermuda’s oceanography but also the local conservation projects and characters, too.

“We hope it blows up into something amazing for the island.” 

• Click here to watch the Ocean Vet trailer.