Best Ocean Shows for Kids

We LOVE animals in our house but Lil C especially loves marine animals and getting up close and personal with a dolphin is her favorite creature encounter EVER (full disclosure: the above dolphin encounter at Clearwater Marine Aquarium was actually her second time with a dolphin, first time was in Mexico when she was 4). I'm fairly certain I've learned more about animals in the past several years watching kids' shows and documentaries with my kids than in my entire school career. 

Here are some shows that have taught us about the ocean and so many of its amazing and weird creatures:

Octonauts - Octonauts is a Disney Junior show and all seasons can be watched on Netflix as well as some bonus movies. The Octonauts are a crew of animals who live underwater in an Octopod and embark on adventures exploring, rescuing, and protecting the ocean and the creatures who live in it.

Wild Kratts - Wild Kratts on PBS Kids is an amazing show for learning about ALL the world's creatures, but there are plenty of episodes featuring marine animals.

Blue Planet/Blue Planet II - This BBC Earth docuseries is available to watch on Netflix with episodes about the deep seas, open seas, frozen seas, coral seas, and more. The footage they are able to get of creatures all over the oceans are always mind blowing!

DisneyNature Dolphin Reef - This cute documentary available on Disney+ follows the story of young dolphin, Echo, as he learns that if he is to survive, he must learn to find food and be a helpful member of the pod. Dolphins are such amazing animals and getting to see the personalities of these dolphins is so much fun!

Dolphin Tale/Dolphin Tale 2 - Lil C fell in LOVE with Winter and Hope after seeing these movies which is why our trip to Clearwater Marine Aquarium was so special and memorable for her. She is hanging out with Hope in the photo at the top of this post. These movies are fictional, but based on the true story of Winter the dolphin's rescue, rehab, and eventual pairing with Hope. We love these movies because they show the love and dedication of marine biologists, vets, and aquarium staff when it comes to rescuing, rehabilitating, releasing, and caring for animals who cannot safely be released. It also highlights the constant dangers humans pose to marine animals and has made us want to be more active in helping to protect those animals. 

We've only watched Blue Planet, but this article lists 7 other ocean documentaries on Netflix: 8 Inspiring Ocean Documentaries Streaming on Netflix. We'll have to check out more of them!