A film and YouTube Channel on Bermuda’s legendary underwater pioneer Teddy Tucker has been released.

Wendy Tucker, daughter of the world-renowned diver and explorer, approached Ben Watson, producer for Wildside Media in Scotland and former film-maker for LookBermuda, to collaborate on a project documenting aspects of her father’s extraordinary life.

Mr Tucker, who died in 2014, found more than 100 shipwrecks around Bermuda, including the treasure ship San Pedro, which contained the famous gold and emerald “Tucker Cross”.

While he is well known for his wreck-hunting exploits and work in ocean research, Mr Tucker’s passion for ocean conservation is not so well documented, Mr Watson said.

His daughter coined the term the “Teddy Tucker Triangle”, the three points being her father’s ship wreck hunting and salvage, his ocean research and his concerns for the marine environment.

The film, Shark Country, will focus on this third point in the triangle.

The YouTube Channel will host the film and also includes an archive of “bite-sized” videos documenting Mr Tucker’s life.

Mr Watson, who has been working on the project with Ms Tucker for about three years trawling through archives of old reels and footage, said: “We have presented Teddy's work in the fields of shipwreck hunting and archaeology, and his ocean research within the www.teddytucker.com website.

“The final area of Teddy's work that we wanted to record was in respect to his concerns for the future of Bermuda's ocean environment. He was a realist and wanted to see the ocean resources managed in a sustainable manner for future generations.”

Mr Watson said that in recovering old archive footage, they came upon an interview from 1994 when Mr Tucker was explaining his thoughts and opinions on what he had witnessed as a fisherman over his lifetime.

Mr Watson added: “We felt it was a good opportunity to present his voice in film form so it combines that interview with additional footage.

“We complement that with interviews of friends of Teddy from 1994 to the present. It is the first-hand observations of people who spend their time underwater — spear fishers, bottle divers, wreck hunters — people who always have their heads wet.

“Teddy’s overall feeling was that of disappointment. He talks about changes that could have been made, that were not, in terms of how we care for the marine environment. He said he witnessed changes to the technology in terms of fishing gear and practices that allowed for greater exploitation.

“The point of the film is not to point the finger of blame at anyone, it’s to say we have seen a change. It doesn’t simplify the problem. There are a number of factors. I think he was disappointed at advice and techniques that were encouraged in Bermuda from sources such as the United Nations.

“They came here and taught fishermen what to do without considering the impact. They encouraged more lines going down and techniques to catch more fish in one go. That was his concern, that it was done without due consideration. He was observing a change that should have been addressed earlier.”

Mr Watson said Mr Tucker’s perspective was interesting because he was speaking as an avid fishermen who wanted to enjoy the resource of fishing and hunting for the future.

Mr Watson said the title of the film was chosen because the lack of sharks in Bermuda’s waters today is one of the most obvious indicators of the state of ocean health.

“Up until the late Sixties, sharks were ubiquitous in Bermuda,” Mr Watson said. “It is not a shark country any more.”

Mr Watson said the YouTube channel takes one to two-minute video clips and “bite-sized” information help to bring to life aspects of Mr Tucker’s experiences.

Mr Tucker was a historian, artist and lecturer and featured in many films and books, including The Deep.

Peter Benchley, author of The Deep, once said of Mr Tucker: “Teddy has brought the world to Bermuda and Bermuda to the world.”

Mr Watson added: “The incredible thing about Teddy is we take underwater video for granted, but it was rare in the Fifties and Sixties. Because of who he was, he attracted underwater videographers to come to Bermuda and test their technology at the sites he was working on. It’s a rare and special insight into his life and work in Bermuda at that time.”

Shark Country is available on the YouTube channel.