“Any day you see a dolphin is a good day!” exclaims acclaimed wildlife filmmaker and explorer Bertie Gregory, whose new adventure-packed show, Dolphins Up Close, set in the alluring Azores, makes a spectacular splash September 18 on the National Geographic TV channel, then streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. This uplifting deep-dive documentary rides the successful waves of award-winning programs steered by 32-year-old Gregory. For scoops about his background and buzz, see What’s It Like To Be A National Geographic Photographer? Bertie Gregory Of ‘Animals Up Close’ Talks Wild Ideas. This month via Zoom, Gregory and I chatted about travel, underwater thrills and the magic of nature.
Laura Manske: “The Azores, a rich feeding ground for migrating predators, exude a gorgeousness and chill vibe, especially attractive for nature lovers. Why did you choose this location to discover the lives of dolphins, whales and sharks?”
Bertie Gregory: “The Azores are basically the Hawaii of Europe—an island chain of volcanoes that rise right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. That means literally anything can turn up, anything can happen—so every day is exciting. Belonging to Portugal, these islands are surrounded by Europe’s largest marine-protected area.”
Manske: “For this show, you lived and worked aboard a boat for five weeks, scouting and filming animals. What is it like to sail for long periods?”
Gregory: “I collaborated with an amazing crew. Our Captain Paulo Gaspar is an Azorian native. We were in great hands. We were on a catamaran-style boat. There were eight of us living together. The feeling of casting off each day was a special one. In terms of our tight living quarters, I was sharing a bed with the sound recordist, Drew. I knew Drew pretty well before [this trip], but I knew him very well after the five weeks.”
Manske: “A fascinating and funny onboard moment?”
Gregory: “One day, when we were at sea, a brown booby, which is a diving bird, landed on our boat—literally on my seat, from which I looked for dolphins each day. The booby was very friendly, sitting on our boat for a few hours and then, when we finally found dolphins hunting fish, the booby immediately got very excited. It flew off and started hunting fish among those dolphins. We thought that was nice, but assumed we’d never see it again. Yet, the same thing happened again a couple days later! And again a few days afterward! And every few days we were visited by this wild bird. It realized that we were both looking for the same thing. So it had hitched a ride with us. That was great!”
Manske: “The bird also left you little gifts.”
Gregory: “Yes. It was a very bad boat-guest. He would poo everywhere. I found that particularly funny, because I wasn’t the one who had to clean it up. Captain Paulo has serious boat cleanliness. So that was endlessly funny watching the booby just crap everywhere and watching Paulo get stressed and have to clean up.”
Manske: “Viewers and film industry folk talk about your approach to nature documentaries as breaking the mold.”
Gregory: “Until recently, there were two types of nature documentaries. First, the pure wildlife films—we call them ‘blue chips’—the David Attenborough-style projects, such as Planet Earth and Frozen Planet. Second, the smaller in scope and production-value films, in which the presenter leads the [narrative]. There hadn’t really been something that joined the two genres. When I worked on David Attenborough’s Planet Earth documentaries, I noticed audiences really resonated with the last 10 minutes, which [featured] behind-the-scenes [details] about how the first 50 minutes were created. That got me thinking: Let’s spend more time showing people what grabs [their attention most]. So my filmmaking is a combination of animal behavior shots at the very highest level and compelling behind-the-scenes stories, so that viewers feel like they’re part of the team.”
Manske: “What is the most surprising aha! lesson about dolphins?”
Gregory: “One of the things we really wanted to show is that dolphins are always on the move. In popular culture, they are [thought of as] cute, friendly, athletic animals who are intelligent and live in family groups. [The interesting story is that] they hunt in enormous armies. They charge across the ocean in search of food. Keeping up with them is a real challenge. That makes it extremely exciting. This film captures the dolphins’ energy and speed, as well as helps the viewers to feel as though they are right there with us, desperately trying to stay with these dolphins on their hunt.”
Manske: “Wow! Your eye-opening film footage forever transformed how I view dolphins, Bertie.”
Manske: “Describe the power of wildlife documentaries. What do viewers take away? Pure entertainment is a fun goal, yet viewers also connect with and appreciate a deeper essence, a profound message.”
Gregory: “I really hope that viewers are stoked about the beauty of the natural world. This show is full of incredible animal encounters and behaviors. We go one step further, showing some of the bad things that we humans have done to our planet. But we spend more time focusing and celebrating how we humans have gotten it right. There’s a lot of doom and gloom in the world now. Wagging your finger at people and saying that they’ve been naughty is not motivating them to do better. We highlight communities that [have made a positive difference]. We celebrate the wins in order to inspire people—rather than shame them. The Azores are a perfect demonstration of that; their industry changed from whale hunting to whale watching.”
Manske: “You met with Daniel Martiniano, known locally as a ‘vigia’—a person who keeps watch. He used to spot whales for hunting, when it was still legal in the Azores. Now he is much happier to spot them for the islands’ growing whale-watching tourism.”
Manske: “Has your work perspective grown since you first launched your Animals Up Close series?”
Gregory: “The more you learn, the more you realize what you don’t know. The more places I go, the more time I spend with amazing people. We are just scratching the surface about the natural world. There are some people who say, ‘Oh, we’ve filmed everything.’ That is a load of rubbish! I’m also seeing around the world that the key to wildlife conservation is not wildlife itself, it is people. Conservation is good for both wildlife and for people.”
The above interview was edited for length and clarity.
For vacation ideas: Visit Azores. To join a 2026 National Geographic Expedition, consider: Portugal and the Azores: Explorers, Ecological Wonders and Epicurean Delights, which includes visits to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites; a kayak excursion on Portugal’s Douro River; a tour of Sete Cidades, a massive volcanic crater with two colorful lakes; and a whale-watching safari in the Azores, one of the world’s largest whale sanctuaries.
For another Bertie Gregory stellar film series, check out: Like Nothing You’ve Seen Before: Nat Geo’s ‘Secrets Of The Penguins’ set in Antarctica.