Meet Grumpy Turtle Films – The Company Telling Underwater Stories in The Name Of Conservation

Working on a boat in the Whitsundays led Harriet to diving and ultimately sharing the stories of our precious underwater world, to inspire us to protect it.

Filmmaking dream team Harriet and Woody Spark met on a dive boat in the Whitsundays 10 years ago. To be fair, it wasn’t immediately a Hollywood romance.

‘I was already working on the boat, and Woody came on as a dirty English backpacker, and then he ended up with a job there too. I taught him how to make beds on the boat,’ explained Harriet.

Harriet herself was there almost by chance. After initially chasing a career as a fashion photojournalist in her hometown of Wollongong after high school, she decided on a whim to move to the Whitsundays and took a job on a dive boat.

It was a revelation, and the next step, of course, was to become a dive instructor.

With her fashion photography background, taking photos of her clients underwater came naturally to Harriet, and her underwater photography skills developed.

At the same time, she discovered more about threats to the ocean, like plastic pollution and climate change. Eventually, Harriet made the move from the Whitsundays to Sydney, where her passion for diving led her to the former Manly aquarium, where she worked closely with scientists.

A New Direction for Change

‘I started learning about all the issues the oceans were facing and the impacts we were having on it,’ said Harriet. ‘I also started working with nonprofits and realised how important video and photos were for getting people to care about the issues.’

Most people haven’t personally been diving – the underwater world is invisible to them – so film and photography are vital to helping people understand what’s happening in the oceans.

Read more: How Global Heating Affects Marine Life

For Harriet, it was clear that documentaries, combining stunning imagery with a meaningful narrative, were a powerful tool for showing how incredible our relationship with nature can be.

And, before long, she and Woody moved from working together as dive instructors to launching their own company, named Grumpy Turtle Films.

With Woody as the cinematographer and Harriet’s skills as the producer and photographer, they’ve worked with organisations from the Climate Council to National Geographic, creating narrative-driven content to educate and inspire.

Over the decade they’ve worked together, they’ve been able to learn and develop new skills.

‘For diving you can’t go alone, so it’s been great to have someone to professionally learn and grow with,’ Harriet said.

Recently, they both learned to use rebreathers – a diving apparatus that recycles air, extending the time someone can stay underwater.

Read more: How You Can Help Stop Rubbish Entering the Ocean

Running a Values-Based Company

Another key shared approach is their commitment to only working with brands that align with their values.

‘It can be really tricky as you want to have a sustainable business and also do the right thing,’ explained Harriet. ‘We do it on a case-by-case basis – with any client it’s important to do the research before you end up working with them.’

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Their work has taken them to the Great Barrier Reef where they covered mass coral bleaching, to Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and more.

‘Earlier this year we worked with the Nature Conservancy in PNG,’ explained Harriet. ‘We stayed in a little village and produced and shot footage about the land projects there.

The projects were led by the local community, which is really important for conservatism – lots of First Nations people have been doing what the West calls conservation for millennia.’

What can we all do?

Becoming an advocate for the environment is an ever-evolving journey. ‘When I first learnt about the issues, I was the kind of person who’d yell at someone for not using a KeepCup,’ said Harriet.

To be fair, we’ve probably all been there. But, hopefully, we’re all a bit like Harriet and have evolved like her to see the bigger picture (and not shout at our friends).

‘Since then I’ve come to see things a bit more holistically, and think it’s really important to be politically engaged,’ explained Harriet.

‘I’ve moved from a focus on individual behaviours to a focus of being an engaged citizen because politically is how we can make the biggest difference.’

Taking care of yourself is important too. Climate grief is real. ‘Make sure you talk about when you don’t feel good about it – nature time and talking with friends is what gets me through,’ Harriet advises.

‘It can get dispiriting, but that’s when I remember to get out in nature, and be reminded of how much it’s worth protecting. It doesn’t have to be a huge trip, just getting down to your local beach or national park makes a difference,’ said Harriet.

‘Get out in nature and have a great time, but also stay connected to what’s actually happening, not just enjoying it.’

And don’t worry if you can’t dedicate your working life to protecting the environment.

Let’s face it, the idea of being part of a film-making duo having adventures while you change the world sounds amazing, but also incredibly hard work. For us mere mortals though, there are still plenty of ways to make a difference in our world.

Harriet’s advice is to remember who we CAN influence.

‘We all have influence in our own circles. If you have big conversations with three people in your circles, it has an influence. If we all did that it would have a huge impact, she said. ‘Stay involved politically, stay aware of what is happening, and talk about it.’