‘The Last Dive’ documentary explores how scuba diving helped a veteran heal from PTSD

The film follows Terry Kennedy’s decades-long bond with a giant manta ray and his journey toward healing and ocean conservation.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — For one veteran, the ocean became more than a place to dive. It became a source of peace, healing and an unexpected friendship that would change the course of his life.

A new documentary, “The Last Dive,” tells the story of Terry Kennedy and his remarkable bond with Willy, a 22-foot oceanic manta ray. Through scuba diving and his connection with the animal, Kennedy found a sense of calm that helped him cope with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The documentary screens Oct. 16 through Oct. 22 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Film Center on State Street.

Director Cody Sheehy said the underwater encounters offered Kennedy a chance to escape the noise of everyday life and focus entirely on the present moment.

“You get into the water and, you know, there's this huge creature arrives and it feels like the ocean goes silent,” Sheehy said. “And they just have your entire focus and they're so curious.”

That sense of peace is now associated with a practice known as “blue therapy,” which uses experiences around water to support mental health and well-being.

Sheehy said scuba diving programs for veterans have helped demonstrate how the underwater environment can provide a sense of focus and calm for people coping with PTSD and other challenges.

“We work with veterans and train them how to scuba dive,” Sheehy said. “And then when they get in the water and they experience the kind of focus and peacefulness that you feel in the water, it turns out that it's an effective healing strategy for PTSD and other things.”

For Kennedy, that experience unfolded over decades. Sheehy said the film shows how diving became an important part of his life, even before the practice had a name.

An unlikely friendship beneath the surface

Kennedy’s connection with Willy developed into a remarkable routine that lasted nearly two decades.

According to Sheehy, the manta ray would slap a wing against Kennedy’s sailboat, prompting Kennedy to put on his scuba gear and enter the water.

The encounters grew into a lasting bond between the veteran and the enormous marine animal.

Over time, that connection helped change Kennedy’s outlook on life. Sheehy said Kennedy became less angry toward other people and increasingly dedicated himself to introducing others to diving and protecting manta rays.

“He's a very unlikely conservationist, going from a Hells Angel all the way to the one that played this instrumental role,” Sheehy said.

What began as a personal source of solace ultimately became a mission to help protect the ocean and the animals that inhabit it.

One last journey to reunite with Willy

Now in his 80s, Kennedy embarks on what could be one final journey to reconnect with Willy.

Sheehy said Kennedy had not returned to the remote Pacific island where the manta ray lives in about a decade. The documentary follows an expedition that takes Kennedy roughly 250 miles offshore in hopes of bringing the two back together for one last dive.

“He's not really been out to that island to see Willy in about ten years,” Sheehy said. “And so we put together an expedition and went 250 miles offshore to this remote island out in the Pacific, where Willy lives, with the goal of reuniting Terry and Willy for one last dive.”

The film explores the lasting impact of that relationship — not only on Kennedy’s life, but also on his commitment to ocean conservation.

“The Last Dive” screens Oct. 16 through Oct. 22 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Film Center on State Street.

Tickets are available at SBIFFTheatres.com.