Under the Surface with Ocean Filmmaker Mimi DeGruy and Her New Movie

Ever dreamed of being a National Geographic nature filmmaker? Captain Dan talks one on one with long-time filmmaker and creator of Diving Deep, Mimi DeGruy. An extraordinary and breathtaking movie that highlights our oceans, our connection to them, and the need for ongoing sustainability around our oceans. The movie chronicles the exciting life of her late husband Mike DeGruy, his passion for the seas, and their life of filmmaking together. She shares stories about being cornered by sharks, shark bites, capturing flowing lava, and many other stories of her growth and documentation of our oceans! Tune in for more No Ordinary stories with Captain Dan and celebrate World Oceans Day with this podcast!

Watch Deep Dive The Movie on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Diving-Deep-Life-Times-deGruy/dp/B08QN9RCK7
Follow Mimi DeGruy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimiarmstrongdegruy/?hl=en
Find more at DeepDiveTheMovie.com
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Transcript

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Hey adventures Welcome to the no ordinary adventure podcast, a place we call home for adventure and the conversations you want to have. We bring you inspiration stories from the field and talk with adventure travelers and industry experts from around the world. This is a place to fill your heart and head with travel knowledge. Now, your host Dan Blanchard, a lifelong Mariner traveler and CEO of UnCruise Adventures, a small boat adventure company defining the UN in UnCruise. Let's get started. Maybe I'd like to welcome you to my podcast called no ordinary adventure with Captain Dan zoom, very concerned citizen for everything that you hold through and Mike held through as well. So I'd like to welcome you to our audience today. A lot of followers of small ship cruising and adventure travel as a whole, which I have a feeling are right in line with a woman I'm talking to right now. Maybe. So maybe Mimi, if you wouldn't mind just kind of introducing yourself and sharing with us. Who is Mimi, what makes her tick? Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me as a guest on your show. I'm really grateful for your interest and grateful in general for the work that you do at promoting know our natural world and adventuring safely and in a sustainable way. So my name is Mimi degree. As you said, I'm a filmmaker I'm based in Santa Barbara. I have two children, one of whom is on a boat as I speak on her way to Socorro Island Lucky girl to do about 10 days of diving off of Mexico the other is driving across the country. So yeah, my late husband Mike degree about whom I made the film diving deep and I worked together for gosh, I don't even know the number of years close to 30 making films about the ocean in the natural world. Wow. Well, I it sounds like it's carrying down with the family as well. I bet he's out on Mike levers boat heading out to the islands right now. guy I know is that the same boat possible? It's a boat called the Nautilus. Is that his boat? Yeah. Yeah, she's on the likes a friend. And one of our captains has run with him for quite a while. So yeah, that's exciting that he's on a boat. We both know. I love Mexico. Yeah, she got the invitation just a couple of days ago because somebody canceled or somebody was sick and canceled. And so Ed Stetson, who's this dear family friend and diver got in touch and said, Do you want to come last minute she had gone three years ago and just loved it. So she said sure. dropped everything. Obviously, when Sheila what a great opportunity. I mean, those islands are beautiful. And the diving is even I think even more beautiful islands myself. But yeah, that what a great operation they have down there. So you know, that brings up a point. I mean, it's it's obviously for your daughter, this is something she grew up with, but didn't happen. Were you just naturally interested in that outdoor world? Or is this something new in my life bound together? How did that all progress over time? Well, I mean, I was raised in a family I was raised in Pennsylvania landlocked I really didn't know the ocean very well. I mean, I've been to it, obviously, like most people at some point in their lives. But prior to meeting Mike, I really hadn't spent that much time. So I came to it from a family of people who love the natural world, and were environmentalists, I suppose. Although we didn't use that label. That was just something we were in those days. And when I met Mike, we were doing a film shoot in American Samoa as was ocean based an ocean based sequence in a film about the flag territories for a portrait of America series. So that was Mike was really my was really my first connection to the ocean and through his charismatic love for the ocean, of course, then I fell in love with the ocean as I fell in love with him. And from there forward, we just together made a lot of films about the ocean, and he was the driver in many ways. And then I sort of served as the audience who didn't know as much but I would be that filter and kind of help keep it general. So that wider audience might be receptive to what he was saying and doing. Well. That's wonderful is it? You know, as time went on, and YouTube became this, this Power team really for? I think that I would say in my own words, just everything under the surface, right? I mean, all the work that YouTube did really lit off I think, a second generation of people concerned I kind of looked at course a Christo earlier on when I was a child and are you finding that that this isn't really in our script at all, but are you finding that young people Today or is crafted to what you and Mike did in those. Those those films and all that footage that you've got, as maybe they were for me in the in the 60s and early 70s growing up? Yes, I would actually say yes. It's interesting, my son when he's driving across the country, it's just too bad to begin working with a big operation. I can't really say the specifics of it yet. It's not quite my secret to share. But it's an ocean based production. And based on the number of people that were interested in working with this particular production, I think I would say that, as the population has grown exponentially, I think people's interest in the ocean has grown exponentially. And I think kids are really excited by it. And there's certainly a sensationalism around the ocean and its issues that I'm not always a huge fan of, but if it captures their attention, and then they you know, become educated about the issues and out of that grows a an activism. I'm, I'm okay with it. But I think sensationalism and going off a little on a tangent, but sensationalism for its own sake, and getting people be entertaining people and appealing, I think to our lesser selves is not such a great thing. But if the outcome of all of that is an activism, activism and engagement that kids might not have otherwise had, then I think it's okay, I hear what you say, right, you're saying about the sensationalism, and sometimes using those things to our forward and being on beat, looking at it from behind the curtains, that can seem a little bit too much at times, we'll share and I think you'll find this interesting, we work with a group called Southeast Alaska discovery, which is all about getting young people out into the wilds. That's a nonprofit, and it's similar to what you're talking about getting people to expose themselves to this. So they grew up and later vote in the right way, or what I would consider the right way. You know, that's a wonderful thing. I think we can bring our world world and you you have and Mike, in the past, obviously has brought that reality to children. And I think changing the way we see our world. And and that begs the question. I mean, how did you take this work you were doing with CNN? And then what Pat all over into National Geographic, what what made that magic moment happen? So I started at CNN working in news transition from there to Turner Broadcasting, which was the parent company of CNN. And they had a long 52 part series, maybe even more called portrait of America. I was working on an episode of that. And it flagged territories. And it was there that I met Mike, as I said earlier, and and so I stayed with portrait for a little bit longer. And then I went to PBS on another show. And then I just said Mike and I stayed in touch and became obvious we were going to be together. And I said, Okay, I'm leaving PBS, and I'm going to work with you. And together then we made a show about sharks. So I for National Geographic, so I transitioned because of Mike into the natural world of natural history and an ocean filming, and forever grateful. I mean, the most it's really the most fun, that kind of work I could ever have imagined. I mean, hard. No question. But just as you know, I mean, being around the ocean and just being in that environment. And that's your work. Wow. You know, couldn't ask for more. count our blessings every day. I can't agree with you more. And I'm curious, you know, obviously, you've seen a lot of changes in filmmaking needed in this type of thing. I mean, it's changed dramatically since you first started. What advice from just a filmmaking point of view? What advice would you give a 20 year old young man or woman that saying I'm going to start creating, you know, movies, film, go for it on my own? What What advice do you have for that person today and in today's world, you know, I think you just it there's a little bit at the very end of the film of Mike talking it gets me teary because he's so impassioned, and I was so moved, putting together that sequence in which he says, I tell kids just get out there make you know, take it, take your iPhone, take, you know, whatever camera you have access to. And if you're lucky, you have a housing you can go underwater. Just get out there and tell stories and you know, you'll make mistakes, but you'll learn by making those mistakes. I think some of the most powerful teaching there is is to watch bad movies and you know, realize as well as of course watching good ones, but you realize what not to do, and just do it just get out there. And I think one of the most important things to remember is is the power of good storytelling. So not just to take images and string them together and hope that, that people like it, you have to tell a story. And I think, to tell an effective story, you have to go deep within yourself and kind of think of it, what do I care about? And what, what interests me and then from that, tell a story. So there's a fair amount of self reflection, as well as self discipline to just pull out the camera and get in there in the first place. In your experience, where's the balance between imagery? And as you said, the story because obviously, you can have great image without a great story, and it kind of flops. Where's that? How do you reach that balance? It's hard. And I think I think especially with wildlife, you know, you can have the best intentions and the best plans and it doesn't happen. Similarly, you can go in there and something totally unexpected happens. And and you cannot believe your good fortune. So I think two things, your intuition and your synapses firing so that you're receptive to those moments, and you got to be ready. And you've got to spend a huge amount of time, what does that great expression, luck comes, I can't remember, I'm terrible with those kinds of things. But like comes to the most prepared or something. So you've got to create the situations in which you will be lucky, you know, in other words, spending lots of time in the ocean, or wherever it might be that you're waiting for something to happen in the natural world. So you spend a lot of time you get that footage, or you don't get that footage. And then when you get back into the edit room, you just spent a lot of time looking at it and thinking how can I tell the story, I guess I should back up and say prior to going out, I mean, you have an idea of what you're hoping to get. So you've got some kind of story in your head. That's the hope. And then you go out and you either get it or you don't and you get that plus, you know, and then some. And then you get back and you sift through all of those images and figure out what supports what you want to say what might be an additional thing that you can say based on what you got. So you go in prepared. But you also are ready for the unexpected, and you incorporate this and you're just nimble, I think being nimble is key. And I love the closing statement there too about being nimble, or I wouldn't say athletic is very key. I just finished reading during COVID number of Malcolm Gladwell, his books, and he talks about how to really be a professional. It just takes time it takes 10,000 hours, if anything you do. And I kind of get that, from what you're saying too, is just being there. Yeah, I think it's absolutely true, I think you can expect to jump in the water. And you know, that all sorts of magic will happen. I mean, a lot of the sequences in my film that Mike had shot are the result of just hours upon hours of waiting, waiting, waiting and, and being athletic, being nimble, having your instincts on so that you kind of know when something might happen and just being ready to get it. But yes, it's an enormous number of hours spent in the water and on the water. I can only imagine how many hours you must have been cold in a dry or wet suit. Even even where you're at on Santa Barbara, the water can be a little cool. The water is very cold here. Very Oh, you know, as you look back at those experiences of, you know, planning, waiting and watching. So one memory of being on the waters, exploring that just just it's so strong in your mind. Yeah, I think, you know, yeah, you sent an email asking me about this. So I did have a moment to think about it. And I think for me, the most amazing experience of all of those years, was to spend about two months out on turn Island, which is then in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which is now a preserve that George Bush preserved and then Obama enlarged and turn Island is no longer they don't have the research station, but at the time we were there. They did and and it's a bird sanctuary there somewhere, I don't know dozens of nesting birds endangered Monk Seals threatened sea turtles. And so we live there and from there, we went out every day to the surrounding areas and one place in particular stands out and that was, I think it was called East Island and from there these fledging albatross are learning to fly. And you know, because their babies are adolescents. They land in the water and so Tiger Sharks show up at just that moment during the season when they do that, and they take advantage of this easy source of food which is the poor old albatross. It can't make it, you know, it has to land in the water. And so being there to witness that was just such such a privilege. And you know, it was it was a mixed thing because we'd grown attached to these Albatross, they're so funny, and they're and you watch them trying to fly and they land and the tiger sharks get them. And so it's just nature at its most powerful. It was just a really, really special time to be out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by this incredible sea life, all kinds of sharks, all kinds of all kinds of sea life and it's something I'll never forget. And I'm guessing, having been out that way myself as well. I imagine you saw some Hawaiian Monk Seals as well. We did see monk seals and in fairness, I think they were upstaged by the tiger sharks, the albatross, we were also filming some white tips and some schooling, gray reefs. And so the monk seals, they were just sort of lumbering around on the beach, but yes, very special considering their status. It just another boat story to one of the boats I purchased years ago, which is now the safari floor was about called the rapture, which used to do a lot of research out in those islands together, just by chance run across that boat. Not I didn't but Mike and his his partners is still making partners before me, grace and Paul Atkins, and Keith Turner, they may have that was my one experience in that part of the world. The wild place out there by French for Digital's and the all those islands, they have no idea how they string all the way to Midway, you have no idea how large supply and chain really is. Well, that that's really quite interesting. I love that story. I've always been fascinated by those waters. And it can be kind of rough out there to manage all that and must have been quite a feat. But I I understand how the tiger sharks might upstage? How did that then go? Kind of into the, you know, this whole part of the movie with, you know, a flow and all this kind of thing? It was pretty intense stuff going on there. As I recall, in the movie, Mike have, I would say pretty hair raising experience, anything you can share, kind of pull the covers back on that one a little bit for us on the on the lava in particular? Yeah. Well, I think again, that was a situation where they were nimble, you know, they were ready that they were doing a film on the Hawaiian Islands for the BBC. And it's just before I met Mike, that they'd started that so and they weren't really sure of the storyline. And the lava started flowing. And they were there and ready and went over. And they spent, you know, lots of time filming from the shore filming from a boat. And then finally that one particular day, as we described in the film, they got in the water. And it was a rather tumultuous, dangerous day. And that was the end of that. But the course of that actual shoot, they got just phenomenal footage that really no one had ever had gotten before. So I think, you know, that's also the case of athleticism. I mean, they were all incredibly and the remaining three are still very athletic. Mike was an athlete, by training. I mean, he was a springboard diver. And an it really experienced scuba diver. So those those advantages put him in a spot that some other people might not have. And he was also he was also really determined, you know, he was very determined to share what he was seeing. So he would put himself in situations where other people might not. But typically, I mean, a lot of people comment on the danger and his appetite for risk being greater than the average person and I think that is true to some extent. But I also think he was cautious and he really would watch a situation to gauge whether or not it was safe and then you would make a calculated choice. In the case of the volcano. I think they were excitement got them and they just got jumped in there and you know, and got that footage, not sure they gave it a lot of thought. And they were lucky to get that because they I have to assume they had no idea that that was going to happen. I think they knew the lava was going into the ocean but that particular moment I think they just decided now's the time and they jumped in and they the footage, you know is just stunning. It's and they're just lucky they came back they came out alive frankly. Yeah, that's true. pretty risky situation there mentally. Well, that's actually another other They're kind of beside the scenes stories you can share from those years of filming that kind of stick in your mind, as you know, because we all end up like, we plan for things. And then there's the quicker lengths of time, I would say where opportunity like you just described presents itself. Are there other kind of memories you have of that as well? Sure. I mean, I think, you know, Mike was bitten by a shark in the late, late 70s, I guess. And we went back for the shark film to try to recreate that. I mean, when I say recreated, he was protected in a chainmail suit, he had this plexiglass hood. And the whole purpose was to show the behavior that preceded his attack, which was this very distinctive posture where the gray reef shark lifts its snout. It lowers its pec fin pectoral fans and it kind of arches its body. And Mike, in taking a picture of it had made a mistake. He thought it was injured. So he took a flash picture and it broke his posture and it attacked him. So we went back to show to film that the day we arrived, we did a fun dive, we just went out in the boat and just jumped in the water and a grey reef postured and backed us up against the reef. And we were all pretty scared and startled, and, but then it swam off when it realized we were just going to sit there backing up against the reef and not bother it, it swam away. And we got back to the boat, we thought, well, this is going to be easy. We're gonna get this right away. Well, I mean, it was three weeks of endless diving every single day. And the last day of that, shoot, we, I mean, I just was standing in the boat thinking, I don't know what we're gonna do. We've come all this way. We spent all this money, we don't have our footage. And we, I was on the boat. I wasn't on these dives, and the team jumped in the water. And sure enough, you know, they got a gray roof to posture, we were able to get the footage. But I'll tell you what, those were two and a half very long weeks. We were all very worried. And that's, you know, that's the nature of Natural History filmmaking, you can't predict and you can't control the word that comes to mind. I'm not even sure if it's word, but stick to itiveness Oh, my gosh, you guys were out on the water for a long time to get that. Yes. A lot of fortitude. Let me tell you, I do you ever get seasick when you're out there? Fortunately, I don't get I guess I did have a day. When we on the way out to the French Rachel's to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, it was a three day motorcross. And on the way back, it was really rough. And I think I did get seasick then. But that I think was the only time Mike never did. He just he was had an iron constitution. Better than me. I sailed across the oceans, but I find that there's just a certain way waves can kind of formulate and move the boat that just doesn't do me well. So so good on you, you know, as we're as we're looking towards, we were going to be celebrating World Ocean day. What does that mean for you and how you typically celebrate it over the I mean, truthfully, for me, I think, and I feel slightly an imposter saying this because I would say certainly of the two of us, Mike was the ocean person, you know, he was a marine scientist, first and then a filmmaker. And, and then as he, particularly after the oil spill, he became more of an activist. However, by association, and by my own interest I've been involved in, you know, the stuff for a while. I feel every day is ocean day, World Ocean day, I mean, and so I haven't found myself changing my behavior in any particular way on World Ocean day. That said, I think it's great that there is a day that is recognized, you know, worldwide by the UN to be a day when we all think about the ocean in ways that is, you know, critically important to our own survival. So we've got to darn well better take care of it. And I think, you know, this, I believe is the onset of the decade of the ocean. I think this this year, particularly. So I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for Biden and his administration saying 30 by 30, you know, protect 30% of the natural world nationally by the year 30. By the year 2030. I think anything that brings attention to the fragility of the ocean and its importance and motivates people to think about it is a great thing. And I think as you were saying with your trips, I think anything that we can do that helps people understand the majesty the but more importantly, just the fundamental importance of oceanic health is great, and I hope that people People use World Oceans Day as a way to recognize the issues and to recognize who amongst their legislators supports those issues. And then they vote them in those people who are opposed to it, get them out of there. And I think the young people are becoming increasingly engaged. And I think I hope they recognize that democracy is theirs, you know, and it's up to them to take it by the horns and just say, okay, and down to the very down to every I mean, at every level school board, your local judges, your local representatives, absolutely every step of the way. Just, you know, keep the ocean in mind when you're making those decisions on the ballot. Yeah, I am picking up what you're putting down I, I can tell you we share similar arguments. Yeah, I loved what you said about the fact that you're kind of living this all the time. And that World Ocean Day is a thing like it is that's maybe the day we celebrate, but what you were sharing about how it's a day to day thing with you really resonate strong in my mind. And I also really love what you said about the kids. I mean, I'm a real believer that if we're going to change our world, and respect and and let's just hope and pray that you know that 30% actually happens. But I believe that's going to come through our children and our children's children, it's been an interesting thing to work with my kids I work with in southeast Alaska on that, and see them now is in their 20s 30s and, and how it has impacted them. And I've just deeply respect what you're doing there. And it means so much. I can't say enough. Likewise, I respect what you're doing. And I've not been to Alaska, but my son did a Knowles trip up there a number of years ago. Boy did he love it. Well, you'll have to find your way up here. And so we can arrange we have a little space on the boats here in June in July. So you might just have to make that sooner than later. Maybe this may be surprising to you. But off our boats, we offer snorkeling to our guests, which you know, these are very cold waters. For simplicity we use you know wetsuit, which you know, across the back of the body are about 17 mil. You can only imagine moving it around in a 17 mil wetsuit, you feel like the big O tire that amazing thing about it as people come up, you're and I think they get excited about doing the snorkeling because of the novelty. But then as soon as that mask breaks the surface, what is going on in these nutrient rich waters is just talking good for you for getting them beneath the surface. That's, that's hard. I mean, especially with the thickness of those wetsuits and it gets dry suits or it's too complicated. Yeah, too much training me go into the dry suit. And, and we don't even we don't even have them with weight belts generally unless they're experienced snorkelers. So it's more of just a you know, title, title, cool title intertidal zone look that they see fish all the time they see just plantations for us of this kind of thing, as you can imagine. Another thing I'll just plug, you know, one thing about coming up to Alaska, maybe as everything is actually expanding, most of the wildlife is expanding rather than retracting. So we're because it's been so well protected. So you'll have to come up sometimes it's on my list, believe me? Yeah, absolutely. Well, how can people get in touch with you and follow up and learn about what you're doing? Is there a way they can? Yeah, yes, for sure. So we have a website, it's called diving deep movie.com. And go to that website, you can see where the film is streaming, you can send us an email, you can sign up to get, you know, alerts from us. So that's the best way? Well, and I have to say, for those listening, you won't be disappointed. I had a chance to look at the site. And it's, I think, if you're concerned or just love the water, or love, anything to do with what's underneath the surface, you're gonna love getting on this site, some of the imagery is I've seen a lot of that imagery maybe before. But even when I look at it again, it's just shocking. It's a beautiful. Thank you. Thanks very much. Well, is there anything that you can add for our audience that maybe we haven't covered? Well, I would just encourage people to really get familiar with the current issues facing the ocean and find out what appeals to them and where they might be able to lend a hand and certainly, you know, look at your own representatives and see where they stand on the issues and get engaged with those that support the ocean, I would say, you know, the opposite is Let those who don't go. Because I think we need every voice at every level, trying to support really strong legislation. I don't think any of these protections, continued protection and Alaska, you know, trying to achieve the 30 by 30. And that the Obama Biden administration is proposing, none of that's going to happen without strong support. And without strong legislation. I agree. You know, we have to protect these areas and move forward. I feel really blessed. This has happened in southeast Alaska and I, another area not very far from you, and where your daughter's at right now. We operate down in the Sea of Cortez and, you know, they a number of years ago, they set aside a whole bunch of islands in what they call biosphere National Park. And I'll tell you, that has changed very dramatically. It's not only cleaned up, because all the random fishing camps aren't there anymore, but the sea life has returned. girdles are returning. It really is proof that when we make wise decisions, and we get quite leaders in there that good things can happen. I just excites me to know that I have a partner in crime, maybe we're all same page. Well, resilience is certainly possible. You know, I would never want to stay out. I wouldn't want to underestimate the scale of the issues. But it is helpful. And I have a lot of hope in the next generation of kids. I think they love the ocean, and they're gonna really do the right thing. Those are the right words to end with. Thank you so much, Mimi, for joining me today. It was really great to have Mimi on board with us. I talked about Kindred hearts. I really feel like what Mimi expresses in her words and works is really the heart and soul of what UnCruise Adventures is as well. It's, it's not just about travel. It's about appreciating physical places and in saving those physical places for the future. And I particularly loved what she said about educating young people that really resonate strong. So on behalf of be captain Dan and UnCruise Adventures thanks for joining us on no ordinary adventure thanks for listening to no ordinary adventure sharing locally harvested stories about adventure. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, tell a friend and help spread the word we are a community of nature lovers, intrepid travelers and outdoor adventurers mostly from the comfort of a small boat and we want to spread our love of this fascinating planet. That's it for this episode. Now get inside