"Angel of the Atlantic" by Tom Young

Presented and narrated natural history of the European angel shark.

Commended Eden Shorts 2015

Tom Young is fascinated by sharks much like Eden Shorts judge Michaela Strachan, who commented:

I am a big fan of sharks and it's always great to see someone else that's just as passionate as I am - especially when it is displayed in the way that Tom has in his film.

Angel sharks are ambush predators and Nigel Marven thought is would have been great pay off to see that behaviour in action.

Angel sharks are ambush predators and Nigel Marven thought is would have been great pay off to see that behaviour in action.

Alongside his interest in extinct British animals, Tom's passion for sharks led him to find out more about angel sharks. Once a common feature of Britain's shores, this bottom dwelling species is now extinct in the North Sea and critically endangered throughout its remaining range.

This led Tom to seek out this enigmatic species in the shores off the Canary Islands, which we see in the opening sequence of Angel of the Atlantic. The presented set-up to the natural history to come was one of Nigel Marven's favourite parts, and he thought it was done with great skill:

We don't want Tom to take our jobs, of course, but this really is some excellent presenting. It's great to start on a contrasting landscape to emphasise the journey into the water, which provides intrigue and hooks the viewer.

The transition to water was one of Tom's most challenging parts, with most entrances "across wave battered volcanic rock." Tom's kit was to be well protected however: "as a big fan of DIY, I knocked together some camera rigs out of some old piping and metal plates to use underwater."

Eight dives, six adults and a juvenile angel shark later, Tom came back feeling he had "achieved one of the greatest wildlife experiences of my life."