Beautiful, moving film.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

I purchased this DVD under the impression that this would be an ocean documentary which would show some nice pictures of the ocean, some shark footage and present some fact and figures. I was very annoyed because this movie uses the same kind of entrapment employed by the PETA website. starting out innocent, cute and cuddly, getting you sucked in and if you are viewing this with your children. well you are then confronted with horrific violence.This movie does the exact same thing, with no warnings of the such on the back of the case. This is a highly opinionated puff piece that represents no valid facts, just the opinions of the people interviewed. Also the fact that the footage of the "shark killings" is analogue rather than digital brings into question, How recent is this footage?I would also like to add that it's easy to be brought up in a wealthy family, never work a day in your life, go to a third world country where these people are unlikely to have any sort of decent future and try to destroy any prospects of having a future. No education and No alternatives to make income.AVOID SHARK WATER AT ALL COSTS unless you want to explain to your children what has just happened just like destroying their innocence on the PETA website. some of the oceanography is brilliant and he should have left it at, or put in bold capital letters THIS IS A SNUFF FILM, because I personally don't want to watch sharks being hacked up and having some little people who do not work, preaching to me.Especially when I have too uncounted sharks myself when free diving.

For one, I would like to explain how I like animal life, etc and I care for sharks and so forth.For two, I disagree with this film TOTALLY!So basically this film is directed by Rob Stewart... a middle aged man fighting a decent cause.. with a very simple minded, idiotic reality.The reason why I disagree with this film completely is because 85% of this film was supposed to be about sharks and life in the water and about few industries that are killing off all the sharks yet there are so many in our waters still? How can he know exactly how many sharks we have on our Earth if we haven't even discovered around 75% of our oceans?So anyways, Rob Stewart goes on with his little posse of vigilantes to fight the government because you know.. the government definitely is the problem here (sarcastic) and by little posse, I mean LITTLE POSSE of innocent school children who are brain-fed liberal logic to "start a riot yo" on the government.Instead of Rob Stewart doing something to help the environment, he just goes on with his ridiculous attitude in Mexico to start attacking government officials.. physically.With 85% of the film being riots towards the government, this was an absolutely waste of time. I was tricked by my Biology teacher (Probably not her fault, I am sorry) That it was supposed to be about Sharks and other water-life fish. Not government rioting.I find it pretty crazy how liberals want to keep the world a "greener" place yet they keep spending "green" to force big windmills beside the shore (Probably around 500 mills) which takes up a huge amount of our countries budget. Did I mention that those windmills kill animals too? Don't forget about how many birds die per year because of it!I could go on and on about this horrible film, but I would rather watch some more Sons of Anarchy and get some food to eat. Maybe I'll order Chinese tonight.. oh right.. they feed us with amazing food from shrimps, squid, etc. Remember, don't trust a Liberal!

Sharks, predators of the oceans, are in danger of extinction. It's a horrifying fact that Canadian filmmaker Rob Stewart wants the world to know. These creatures have been around for thousands of years. They are hunted by unscrupulous people that want their fins which are considered a delicacy and command big prices, specially in Asian countries. Mr. Stewart and his team follow the criminals that engage in this illegal activity in places such as Costa Rica and Ecuador. The sharks are an important element in the way they contribute to an ecological balance in the universe. Mr. Stewart shows his admiration and respect for this species as we watch him in a dancelike sequence swimming among these predators without anyone of them disturbing the peace he finds being almost one of them.The documentary is informative and instructive at the same time. Mr. Stewart and his crew have captured amazing images that will stay in our minds for quite some time. Jeff Rona's original music and Mr. Stewart's own cinematography contribute to enhance the viewer's enjoyment.

I had an awfully difficult time getting anyone to see this movie with me. Apparently, a lot of people have issues with sharks. This apprehension was part of the original inspiration for filmmaker, Rob Stewart, to make SHARKWATER. He had been taught his entire life to fear sharks, as have we. The media vilifies sharks every so often to remind us that they are not our friends. It isn't safe to get in the water after all. Haven't you all seen that movie with sharks where they eat all the innocent people? It's as if we have never fully recovered from JAWS. In his career as an underwater photographer, Stewart discovered that these fears are almost entirely unfounded. He could swim with the sharks and get close enough to touch them if he showed them that he did not fear them and that they had no reason to fear him. And so he set out to make a documentary that would demystify our notions that sharks are perversely obsessed with the killing of human beings. What he would discover is that we as humans have already launched a full-scale retaliation against our sworn enemy.Stewart's experience as an underwater photographer does not go to waste in this breathtaking film. Stewart's ocean is one of tranquility and warmth. Over time, it has become his sanctuary and he presents the environment to his audience with the same feeling of security that he claims to get from it. Though he was once very much like a fish out of water, Stewart has found a new home in the ocean and his neighbors don't seem to mind him at all. The imagery of SHARKWATER was what originally drew me to the film and it does not disappoint. Schools of fish of so many different varieties swim past and mingle with each other that the screen becomes a mélange colour and movement that is at times dizzying and hypnotic. And though those same fish scatter when the sharks enter the frame, Stewart does not. Instead, he swims towards them and in one instant you see how two species can forget their supposed feud between them by letting their fear of the unknown fall away. For a moment, two world collide to create an unexpected harmony.This only makes what follows all the more painful. Stewart's shoot took an unforeseen turn when he joined the crew of a militant oceanic watchdog ship that makes it their mission to ensure international treaties protecting the rights of ocean dwellers are upheld. Before long, Stewart and the crew are involved in an international scandal over shark-finning. In some countries, like Japan, shark fin soup is considered a delicacy that when served affirms one's social status. It is popular at massive weddings and can cost upwards of a hundred dollars in a restaurant. According to Stewart, shark fin trading on the black market is only second to drug trafficking. Although the statistic seems a bit skewed, there are still billions of dollars involved in the trade. For the first time in the 450 billion years that sharks have been on this planet, there are certain species of sharks that are facing serious threats of extinction. Once again, human beings plow through other life in pursuit of the almighty dollar without acknowledging the long term ramifications. See, the planet consists of two-thirds water and this water contains a lot of plankton that produces 70% of the planet's oxygen. The ocean is filled with fish that survive on plankton. The shark is the ocean's leading predator of these plankton eaters. If we kill off all the sharks, then the other fish will have free reign over the plankton, which means a diminished production of oxygen for us to breathe. Why do we always assume that our actions have no consequence? And why do we always put money ahead of preservation? You can't spend money if you can't breathe.All of this ecological unrest for soup. Shark fishers remove the fins of the shark, which make up 5% of the shark's body, and throw the shark back into the ocean to die. Stewart and his crew go undercover into the illegal industry to give weight to their accusations. As you stare out at rooftops covered with shark fins drying the sun, you cannot help but be horrified at the sheer size of the operation. SHARKWATER invites you to make friends with the enemy and to see how we as humans are so much worse to sharks than they are to us. The mirror is turned to expose who is the more evil predator and its mouth is not home to sharp jagged teeth but rather to a smiling face sipping down its soup. Sadly, SHARKWATER will not be seen by as many as it should as people prefer their sharks as foe instead of friend. Bring on JAWS 5!