New David Attenborough documentary filmed in Ayrshire with focus on oceans

Film crews descended on Ayrshire for the landmark film.

A hugely popular island centre has been praised by a filming director after it was featured on a critically acclaimed documentary by veteran wildlife and nature guru Sir David Attenborough.

The North Ayrshire Council Community Learning and Development team are proud to reveal that Arran Outdoor Education Centre was one of the filming location bases for Ocean, Sir David’s new record-breaking documentary.

Released in May to mark Attenborough’s 99th birthday, Ocean has become the highest grossing documentary of 2025, earning £2.5million around the globe.

Over the last few years, film crews were dispatched across the globe to capture the extraordinary footage that makes Ocean such a powerful cinematic experience.

Of those locations, the highly-rated centre played a critical role, hosting the production team on two separate occasions.

The documentary has drawn praise for its urgent message on ocean conservation.

Filming Director Doug Anderson, a veteran of high-profile nature documentaries, praised the Arran Outdoor Education Centre’s location beside Scotland’s only No Take Zone, as well as its facilities and staff.

He said: “Perfectly situated beside Scotland’s only No Take Zone, Arran Outdoor Education Centre offered everything we needed, a safe slipway to launch our boat, secure storage for our extremely expensive film equipment, and a quiet, supportive environment that allowed us to focus on our work. The staff are experienced, helpful, and truly exceptional.”

Martin Wood, Arran Outdoor Education Centre Team Leader hailed the documentary team and was honoured to host them.

He said: “It was great to be able to accommodate the Silverback Productions Crew, their work in the making of this incredible documentary perfectly complements the ethos and mission here at Arran Outdoor Education Centre.”

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