‘Moana’ star dives into ocean mysteries

A giant Antarctic squid filmed alive for the first time and the discovery of a deep-sea hydrothermal vent are among the surprises uncovered in Expedition: Saving Our Seas, a new National Geographic documentary.

The one-hour special premieres today (16 November 2026) at 18:50 on National Geographic (DStv 181, StarTimes 220) across Africa and will also be available on Disney+.

A YouTube trailer offers a glimpse of the underwater expeditions and a preview of the narration by Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced the title character in Disney’s animated film Moana.

“The documentary follows teams of National Geographic Explorers as they investigate our global ocean, from seashore to seafloor and pole to pole,” says National Geographic. “Combining cutting-edge technology with the knowledge of coastal communities, they chase the discoveries and solutions needed to protect our Oceans at a critical moment.”

In the Southern Ocean, scientists Andrew Thurber, Kim Bernard and Allison Fong explore depths approaching 13,000 feet using SuBastian, an underwater robot operated from the research vessel Falkor (too). Alongside the rare squid sighting, the team discovers the world’s southernmost known deep-sea hydrothermal vent and swarms of egg-carrying Antarctic krill nearly 3,000 feet below the surface.

The journey continues into the Pacific, where Bernard joins marine ecologist Leigh Torres and local Māori communities to track blue whales and the krill they feed on in New Zealand’s South Taranaki Bight. In the Cook Islands, marine scientist Dr Anya Brown tests how well coral can withstand rising temperatures.

Closer to South Africa, Seychellois scientist Sheena Talma and her team learn to operate deep-sea camera systems more than 10,000 feet below the Indian Ocean’s surface. The training will help researchers in the Seychelles monitor marine habitats and gather information to guide fisheries management and conservation.

Off the coast of The Gambia, rising sea levels threaten communities along the Atlantic shoreline. Marine ecologist Maiyai Taal Hocheimy trains local students to measure ocean depths and currents, while fellow researcher Angelo Bernardino helps assess mangrove forests that protect the capital, Banjul, from encroaching water.

The expedition also reaches Canada’s Arctic, where marine scientist Kristina Brown works with the Inuit community of Gjoa Haven to investigate Sherman Basin, a secluded marine bay. The research, conducted with Inuk elder Saul Aksalook Qirqniq and community members, aims to chart a previously unstudied seafloor in a region warming four times faster than the global average.

Much of the ocean remains beyond the reach of conventional research equipment, something deep-sea scientist Katy Croff Bell wants to change. The founder of the Ocean Discovery League is developing a low-cost underwater camera system that could make exploration accessible to more scientists and coastal communities.

The Deep Ocean Research and Imaging System (DORIS) is designed to capture images thousands of metres underwater without requiring expensive research vessels or robotic submarines.

Bell says: “We’ve only seen about 0.001% of the deep Ocean, which covers about two-thirds of our planet. Just imagine what we’re going to find in the other 99.999%.”

The expeditions feature in National Geographic magazine’s November issue, accompanied by a map of the five ocean basins. An interactive experience on National Geographic’s website lets users explore ocean currents, the seafloor, human impacts and protected marine areas through 3D visualisations.

The documentary forms part of the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions, a multiyear research initiative investigating how environmental change is affecting the world’s oceans and marine life.