Secrets of the Deep – BBC for National Geographic and Disney+
Identical Media provided full service production in Mauritius for “Secrets of the Deep”, a three-part natural history series produced by the BBC for National Geographic and Disney+. The Mauritius leg followed the resident sperm whale families that gather in the deep water close to the island’s west coast, one of the few places on earth where these animals can be filmed reliably near shore.
Across 22 shooting days, from 24 March to 11 April 2026, our team ran the production end to end. That covered location scouting and locking, marine filming permits and whale watching authorizations, the full crew, transport and accommodation logistics, vessel coordination for daily offshore work, and a coastal base camp built for long days at sea and golden hour interviews on the beach.
Lighting, grip and unit equipment were supplied locally through our film equipment rental company MediaVision Ltd, and integrated alongside the production’s own camera package and specialist underwater housings. Working hand in hand with the visiting crew, our local team kept a complex sea based schedule moving safely and on time.
Mauritius is more than its coastline. Deep water sits within easy reach of shore, Emirates flies the A380 three times daily between Dubai and Mauritius, crews work fluently in English and French, and the island’s production incentives make it a strong base for natural history and documentary work. From here we service the wider Indian Ocean, including Seychelles, Madagascar, Réunion and the Maldives.
To plan a documentary or natural history shoot in Mauritius and across the Indian Ocean, contact us at contactmauritius@identicalpictures.com or ah@identicalpictures.com.
