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Kyle Wright
W
ater surrounds and is part of us all. It covers
the majority of our planet and makes up a
significant portion of our bodies. Humans and
water share many connections — biological,
physiological, economic, emotional and professional. This is the
idea behind Waterlust, a dynamic online film series launched in
2011 that blends water-related science, sport and art.
Given the imperiled state of many aquatic systems
worldwide, platforms such as Waterlust are an important means
of communicating and inspiring an increasingly active online
population. “It’s all about impact,” said Waterlust founder and
creative director Patrick Rynne, a Ph.D. candidate in applied
marine physics at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School
of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS). “We’re trying to
inspire many people all over the world to take a moment out of
their day to consider the importance of water in their life.”
Sourcing content from scientists and adventurers around
the world, the program is run by Rynne along with fellow
marine-science graduate student Fiona Graham and RSMAS
alumna Jennah Caster. The current lineup of 22 short
films was produced by eight self-taught filmmakers, and
every sequence of the one- to five-minute-long videos was
captured with GoPro cameras, the seemingly ubiquitous and
magnificently useful adventure cameras.
“We always joke about how we don’t identify ourselves
as filmmakers in the classical sense,” Rynne said. “We’re
scientists and adventurers who bring cameras along for the
ride. That’s the beauty of GoPro cameras — you can get
out and do your thing without the equipment getting in the
way. The result is a very genuine and intimate perspective of
whatever is being captured.”
The films, however, are anything but amateur, and they
tell an astonishing variety of stories. Some highlight the
appreciation that ocean athletes
such as surfers and kiteboarders
have for their medium, while
others reveal the perspective of
marine scientists and reflect their
personal connection to their
subject, whether it’s sharks or
ocean currents. What unites the
Waterlust videos is a fresh and
epic style that plays out as a rapid yet memorable audiovisual
adventure served with a dash of adrenaline and grandeur.
So far, Rynne and company’s recipe at Waterlust has been
working, garnering hundreds of thousands of views worldwide,
grabbing the attention of GoPro and earning screenings at some
of the world’s top film festivals. Perhaps most important, the
series has the potential to engage people who may not already
be part of the movement to preserve the marine environment.
“That’s really the challenge we’re trying to make headway
on,” Rynne said. “If you’re standing in a room giving a lecture or
a talk about environmental issues, there is a good chance that
the people in your audience already care about it. The fact that
they are even there tells you that, so we’re trying to chase down
the people who aren’t in the room and get them thinking.”
Environmental and ocean literacy are desperately needed,
and promoting them can be exciting and fun. That’s a
central tenet of the Waterlust mission, and it’s a formula
that’s gaining attention as more scientists realize the need to
broaden their impact and communicate to the public. There
are amazing stories happening in our oceans every day, and
Waterlust is capturing and sharing them with the world.
— Austin J. Gallagher
W a t e r l u s t
Spreading the lust for our blue world
Learn more at
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See the films at
Jennah Caster
