| Genre: | Science documentary |
| Presenter: | Bill Lovin |
| Narrated: | Bill Lovin |
| Composer: | Robert Griffin |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 2 (plus special) |
| Num Episodes: | 14 |
| Cinematography: | Bill Lovin |
| Runtime: | ca. 27 minutes (1991–1992) ca. 58 minutes (1995) |
| Company: | The UNC Center for Public Television/North Carolina Public Television and Marine Grafics |
| Network: | PBS |
Return to the Sea is an American science documentary television series that aired on PBS from 1991 to 1992, with an additional special that was broadcast in 1995. The series focuses on topics of interest in recreational diving and the conservation of oceanic and coastal environments.
Underwater cinematographer Bill Lovin[1] presents the series, in which viewers "return to the sea" in each episode. Episodes cover a wide range of topics including marine biology, shipwrecks and marine archaeology, underwater photography, decompression sickness, deep-sea exploration, threats to marine and coastal environments and undersea archeological sites, and the contribution of everyday people to recreational diving and conservation. Recurring themes in the series are how improvements in diving equipment have made recreational diving safe and accessible for everyone rather than only for scientists, explorers, and adventurers; how human carelessness and thoughtlessness can damage environments and endanger wildlife; and how everyday people can contribute to understanding and conserving marine and coastal environments.
Some of the half-hour episodes broadcast in 1991 and 1992 cover single topics, while others are divided into two distinct segments. The 1995 special is the only one-hour episode and consists of three distinct segments.
Bill Lovin co-produced the series, presents and narrates each episode, wrote some of the episodes, and captured the underwater cinematography used in the series. The UNC Center for Public Television, rebranded as North Carolina Public Television by the show's second season, produced the series in association with Lovin's company Marine Grafics.
Return to the Sea premiered on PBS in 1991 with a run of seven half-hour episodes for its first season. A second season of six half-hour episodes followed in 1992. The final episode, a one-hour special, aired in 1995.
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| Season | Ep No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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In 2020, Bill Lovin created the Web site OceanArchives and uploaded to it all 14 complete episodes of Return to the Sea – as well as separate video files of some of the individual segments of multi-segment episodes – so they can be viewed, downloaded, and used for free for non-commercial purposes under a fair use policy, with a goal of assisting educators and students.[1] [2] Individual episodes and segments are available as follows: