The 5 biggest takeaways from Deep Rising, the documentary on controversial deep sea mining.

Deep Rising is a captivating documentary directed by Matthieu Rytz and narrated by Jason Momoa that takes audiences on an eye-opening journey into the heart of the world's oceans. 

Through stunning cinematography and compelling storytelling, the film delves into the environmental threats facing our deep sea beds, particularly the controversial practice of deep-sea mining.

As industrial forces look into extracting the vast mineral wealth lying beneath the ocean floor, Deep Rising raises urgent questions about the move "from exploration to exploitation", shedding light on the fragile ecosystems that remain largely unexplored. 

This documentary serves as both a wake-up call and a call to action for those concerned about the future of our oceans. Here are our 5 biggest takeaways from Deep Rising. 

Watch the trailer for Deep Rising. Article continues after video.

The deep ocean is the largest living space on Earth.

The deep ocean is home to 95% of all life. This vast, mostly unexplored realm is home to an astonishing variety of life, much of it adapted to the extreme conditions of darkness, high pressure, and cold. 

From bioluminescent creatures to other unique species, the deep ocean supports a wealth of biodiversity that remains largely hidden from human view. With the deep sea bed home to rare metal-rich nodules, the push to exploit these resources could disrupt fragile ecosystems that have taken millions of years to form.

The area being mined is roughly the size of India.

Deep Rising focuses on the pertinent issue of mining companies attempting to turn a vast area known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone – which spans over 3 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean - into the world's largest mine. 

As context, according to the documentary, the size of this collective area would roughly be the size of India. 

The deep seabed in the High Seas technically belongs to the masses. 

The deep seabed is actually defined by the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea, as "common heritage" of humankind rather than a resource to be claimed by corporations. 

In the 1970s, as demand for minerals surged, major corporations like Lockheed Martin and Standard Oil joined forces to explore deep-sea mining. This move, paired with the lack of regulatory oversight in international waters, sparked fears among developing countries that the oceans' valuable resources could be exploited by wealthy corporations. 

The growing concerns led to a United Nations initiative to declare the ocean's depths as a "common heritage of humanity," a proposal that was overwhelmingly supported by member nations — except for the United States, which, under President Reagan, opposed the motion.

"The seabed cannot be owned and corporations don't have the right to decide what happens to it — especially if the destruction impacts our lives and the lives of our children," said Deep Rising's Head of Impact and Co-Executive Producer, Laura Clarke. 

If mining activities are approved, there could be significant environmental issues. 

The deep sea is a largely undiscovered and unknown territory. Deep Rising raises timely environmental questions about the potential risks of deep sea mining. Given that the deep seabed is our largest carbon sink, which works to stabilise the planet's climate, removing resources on mass scale from the ocean bed could have catastrophic effects on our environment. 

Dr. Sandor Mulsow, a marine biologist featured in the documentary speaks to the slow, natural process behind the formation of the metal-rich nodules, and emphasises what an integral part they make up in the foundation of life on Earth. 

"There is no recovery," he said. "All the biodiversity will be lost forever." 

We can all play a part. 

As part of a "simple solution" to a very complex issue, Coogee-based creative agency Emotive, in partnership with Deep Rising, has created a global campaign to encourage people to reclaim the deep seabed from mining companies. 

The 'World's Largest Ocean Dispute' campaign has divided the deep seabed into 8.17 billion GPS coordinates — one for every person on Earth — and mapped them across areas currently being claimed for mining. Through the Deep Rising website, individuals can claim their unique coordinates in the deep seabed.

"An insanely vast area of the deep seabed in the Pacific has been secretly divided up for potential mining which would be carried out by mining companies and their pro-mining nation sponsors," said Paul Sharp, Creative Director, Emotive and Co-Executive Producer of the documentary

"By dividing the deep seabed into 8.17 billion plot coordinates, we're allowing all of humanity (the rightful shared owners of the deep seabed) the ability to claim it back and have their voices heard)." 

Feature image: Getty.