SBIFF Movie Spotlight: Swains Island

Famed oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau stars in a captivating adventure like no other in the documentary Swains Island: One of the Last Jewels of the Planet. The tiny island located about 200 miles of American Samoa, has recently been added to the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Cousteau and other scientists explore the island to study it’s uniqueness.

The Island is full of life, possibly because there is plenty of fresh water and is not only fascinating for its remote location and beautiful landscapes, but also because it has a rich and deep history of use by early Polynesians who helped populate the Pacific Islands. So what does the future hold for this tiny island in the Pacific? Well, you’re just going to have to watch the movie for that answer.

Filmmaker Jim Knowlton took some time away from all the great adventures he gets to go on to answer some of my questions about this enthralling documentary.

Could you please speak about the preparation involved to produce such a riveting documentary, as is Swains Island?

Swains Island is located 200 miles north of American Samoa, and its reachable only by boat. To get to Swains Island, I took a flight from Santa Barbara, to L.A., to Honolulu and then to American Samoa, where we spent the night before our morning departure to Swains. It took about 50 hours to get to the Island, and the boat ride was 22 hours of the travel time.

To prepare for a filming expedition to such a remote location I needed to make sure that I had everything I would need to film there since there wouldn’t be any way to buy or borrow what I would need on the Island. So, I assembled every piece of gear ahead of time to make sure everything works. I charged all my batteries since we really weren’t sure how much power we’d have on the Island. While on the Island, we slept in tents but we were very fortunate that the Jennings family, who own the Island, set up a generator for us so that we could charge batteries and work on laptops to process our work daily.

I tried to learn about the Island before I left but there was very little about Swains Island online. So, with cases of fully prepared video production gear I headed to the Island to learn what this special place is all about.

What you had to choose, what was one of the most interesting things to you about Swains Island?

There are so many things about Swains Island that are fascinating that it is really hard to choose just one. The area of the Island is less than a square mile and its highest elevation is supposedly 30 feet above sea level, though, I think it was mostly just flat with a forest of tropical hardwoods and coconut palms. It’s surrounded by amazing coral reefs that Jean-Michel Cousteau calls some of the most beautiful and healthy corals he has seen. The beaches are covered with white crushed coral. And coconut crabs live on Swains Island. These colorful crabs are the largest land-living arthropods in the world – able to grow over a meter across. These crabs are awesome.

Something that really set Swains apart from most other Island sin the world is that is has a lake in the middle of the Island that covers about one-third of the surface area of the Island. Natural lakes are rare anywhere in the world, but to have a natural lake on an island that is located 200 miles from any other island is truly remarkable. This lake must a huge influence on what can live on the Island and how the Island has been used by people for hundreds or thousands of years.

A geomorphologist on the expedition wanted to know if the lake was ever open to the ocean making the lake a saltwater lagoon. She searches the Island for clues and her findings support her theory that the lake was once open to the ocean. In addition, Jean-Michel Cousteau and I dived in the lake and found remnants of corals and saltwater shells – further supporting her theory.

What were some of the most challenging moments you had to face in the making of this documentary?

Since we only had about eight working days on the Island, one of my challenges was to film as much as possible about the Island, including Jean-Michel’s dives and explorations and the work of the scientists. I filmed continuously and prepped cameras at night to be ready for the next day. I knew once we left the Island that the image-gathering phase would be over.

What was the most dangerous aspect of this expedition to the island?

Since Swains Island is so remote, everyone was diligent to stay healthy and to not take risks that could endanger their health or the entire expedition. If someone needed to be evacuated it would likely mean that everyone would need to leave since transportation to the Island is infrequent and limited. Fortunately NOAA – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who organized the expedition, included a doctor on the expedition who could help administer care for minor injuries. Fortunately nothing major happened during our stay.

What was so unique about this expedition compared to all of the others you have done?

This expedition was exciting because many people and scientists were focused on learning as much about the Island as possible in a short amount of time. We shared a common goal and a camaraderie that I will always remember. I am very appreciative that the scientists trusted me to share their research and I am also very appreciative of the Jennings family that trusted me to tell their family’s history of living on the Island.

The Jennings family, now represented by David and Alex Jennings, operated a copra plantation on the Island that lasted over 100 years. Copra is made when the meat from coconuts is dried and later used to make coconut oil. The Jennings were excellent hosts to our group and we are all very appreciative of their efforts to protect the coral reefs for future generations by including the Island into the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.

What was your most memorable moment at the island?

Everyday on the Island was spent filming something awesome. I really enjoyed diving with Jean-Michel Cousteau and filming him as he explored the coral reefs. Jean-Michel Cousteau is like a big kid who is curious about everything and he shares his excitement constantly as he discovers new marvels. He is fascinated by how the coral reefs on Swains Island are composed of different species on different parts of the Island and he wonders why reefs are different on a tiny little island.

Jean-Michel’s happiness and curiosity are infectious and he inspires those around him with his positive message of ocean protection. Jean-Michel says that the ocean is our life support system – and when we protect the ocean we protect ourselves.

Is there anything else you wish to add?

The process of making a film about Swains Island can best be described as magic. So many things went just perfectly for all of us and so many people contributed to make the film possible. Creating a film about Swains Island was the vision of Dan Basta, the head of the National Marine Sanctuaries, who knew that bringing Jean-Michel to Swains Island would help people learn that Swains Island was recently added to the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. And the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation supported funding for the making of the film.

Gene Brighouse, the Superintendent of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation was instrumental in the planning and support of the expedition and the making of the film. I am grateful to the people on the expedition who shared their photos and video for the film. The music in the film really helps tell the story – thanks to Doug Morton, David Jennings, Joey Cummings and Lawrence Lua. And, I am grateful to Jean-Michel for taking me on the expedition and trusting me to tell this amazing island story.

Swains Island screens on January 28th at the Metro 4 Theater. There’s an additional screening on February 3rd. For times CLICK HERE.

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