Meet the Filmmaker Behind ScubaBC
I'm Carl Sorensen, an underwater videographer and divemaster based on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Through ScubaBC, I capture the extraordinary marine life, dramatic underwater landscapes, and remarkable wildlife behaviours found beneath the surface of the Pacific Northwest.
CARL SORENSEN · SCUBABC
The Story Behind ScubaBC
What started as a personal passion for exploring the ocean has grown into a journey of underwater filmmaking, wildlife encounters, and sharing the remarkable marine life of British Columbia.
Although I'd been fascinated by the underwater world for as long as I can remember, it wasn't until March 2021 that I finally earned my scuba certification. It didn't take long before I was spending as much time underwater as possible, exploring the extraordinary marine environments surrounding Vancouver Island.
I began filming my dives with a GoPro, hoping to share some of those experiences with friends and family. But as my fascination with marine life grew, so did my desire to capture what I was seeing with greater detail, colour, and cinematic quality.
That passion eventually led me to professional underwater camera equipment and the creation of ScubaBC. Today, my footage has reached audiences around the world through online films, television, documentaries, and international media coverage.
Despite how much has changed, the motivation remains the same: to share the beauty, diversity, and extraordinary wildlife found beneath the surface of British Columbia's coastal waters.
Bringing British Columbia's Underwater World to Life
From the colourful reefs of Browning Passage to the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Salish Sea, my work focuses on documenting the extraordinary marine life and underwater landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Every dive is an opportunity to capture something remarkable, whether it's a rare wildlife encounter, a fascinating natural behaviour, or a tiny creature hidden among the reefs.
MARINE WILDLIFE
Encounters in the Wild
From giant Pacific octopuses and sixgill sharks to wolf eels and colourful reef fish, I document marine animals in their natural environments, capturing authentic behaviours and extraordinary underwater encounters.
Explore Wildlife Footage
UNDERWATER LANDSCAPES
A World Beneath the Surface
British Columbia's coastal waters are home to breathtaking underwater scenery, from towering kelp forests and dramatic vertical walls to vibrant reefs covered in anemones, sponges, and other marine life.
Explore Underwater Scenery
MACRO CINEMATOGRAPHY
Extraordinary Little Worlds
Some of the ocean's most fascinating subjects are also its smallest. Through close-up and macro cinematography, I explore the intricate colours, textures, and behaviours of nudibranchs, invertebrates, and other tiny marine creatures.
Explore Macro FootageFilmed using professional Sony underwater camera equipment, Aquatica housing, and high-output underwater lighting, with 4K capture and professional colour-grading workflows.
A Rare Encounter With a Sixgill Shark
In August 2026, an unexpected underwater encounter with a sixgill shark off Vancouver Island became one of my most memorable diving experiences and attracted attention from news outlets across Canada.
SIXGILL SHARK · VANCOUVER ISLAND
An Unexpected Visitor From the Deep
While diving off Vancouver Island, I had the incredible opportunity to film a large female sixgill shark in her natural environment.
Estimated at approximately 10 to 12 feet in length, the shark passed close to my camera, allowing me to capture detailed underwater footage of a species more commonly associated with deeper waters.
Although sixgill sharks are occasionally encountered by divers in the Pacific Northwest, seeing one unexpectedly is still an extraordinary experience. Being able to document the encounter so clearly made it particularly memorable.
The footage subsequently received coverage from CTV News, Global News, CBC, CHEK News, and Nanaimo News Now, helping introduce more Canadians to one of the fascinating shark species inhabiting British Columbia's coastal waters.
Media Coverage & Interviews
My underwater footage and encounters with British Columbia's marine life have been featured by Canadian and international news organizations, television broadcasters, and diving publications. Explore selected news stories, interviews, and features highlighting ScubaBC's underwater films and wildlife encounters.
Sixgill Shark Encounter
Divemaster Shares Large Shark Encounter Off Vancouver Island
News coverage of my encounter with a large sixgill shark near Parksville, British Columbia.
Read CTV News StoryVancouver Island Diver Captures Rare Shark Encounter
Television coverage featuring my underwater footage of the sixgill shark.
Watch Global News ReportSixgill Shark Encounter Featured on CBC
My underwater encounter featured in CBC's The Moment.
Watch on CBCDivemaster Recalls Encounter With Large Shark
A radio interview discussing the experience of encountering and filming a sixgill shark off Vancouver Island.
Listen to CBC InterviewIsland Diver's Encounter With Massive Sixgill Shark
Vancouver Island television coverage of the shark encounter captured on underwater video.
Read CHEK News StoryA Gentle Giant: Diver Captures Rare Shark Encounter
Local reporting on the sixgill shark encounter near Parksville.
Read Nanaimo News NowOther Media Coverage
Exploring Vancouver Island's Sunken Boeing 737
Coverage of my underwater ambient film exploring the Boeing 737 artificial reef near Chemainus.
Read Daily Hive ArticleDivers Clean Up French Creek Marina
Coverage of a marine debris cleanup with the Surfrider Foundation Mid-Island Chapter, featuring my underwater footage.
Read CHEK News StoryWorld's Most Relaxing Extreme Sport
A feature about my annual underwater highlights film, showcasing the marine life beneath Vancouver Island.
Read CHEK News FeatureWe Have Everything: A Year Beneath the Surface
Coverage of my 2024 diving highlights video, featuring footage collected across more than 230 dives.
Watch on CHEK NewsBreathtaking Underwater Videos of Octopus
A feature about my extended underwater ambient films documenting giant Pacific octopuses off Vancouver Island.
Read CTV News StoryB.C. Diver Captures Rare Octopus Footage
Coverage of an unusual giant Pacific octopus encounter captured underwater in British Columbia.
Read Times Colonist ArticleDiver Explores Sunken Warship
International coverage of my underwater footage exploring the HMCS Saskatchewan artificial reef.
Read Newsweek ArticleUnderwater Sanctuary at HMCS Saskatchewan
A feature exploring the thriving marine ecosystem surrounding the sunken HMCS Saskatchewan.
Read the FeatureDiving Vancouver Island
My underwater YouTube footage featured in a travel article exploring scuba diving around Vancouver Island.
Read Dive Magazine ArticleHave a Story or Project in Mind?
Whether you're working on a documentary, covering a story, or looking for underwater footage, I'd love to hear from you.
I'm always happy to connect with filmmakers, journalists, researchers, conservation organizations, and others interested in British Columbia's underwater world.
From media interviews and documentary collaborations to professional 4K footage licensing, I can help with existing footage, discuss potential projects, or share firsthand experiences from more than 1,200 cold-water dives around Vancouver Island.
Based in Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Let's Start a Conversation
Have a question, media inquiry, or project idea? Send me a message with a few details and I'll get back to you.
Media inquiries, collaborations, footage requests, and general questions are all welcome.
