James and the giant beach

Theo James is one the UK’s leading screen actors, bringing humour, adrenaline and intensity to his roles in productions like The Gentlemen, Divergent, The Inbetweeners and The White Lotus.

The 41-year-old has also been obsessed with the ocean since childhood and a keen scuba diver for over 25 years.

Increasingly concerned about the state of the marine environment – he had planned to study marine biology at university – Theo got in contact with Blue Marine Foundation, and asked if he could help out. Today, he’s an ambassador for the charity, helping to spread their anti-overfishing message, most notably in a brilliant (and odorous) campaign film created last year.

Hi Theo! How did you get involved with Blue Marine?

Theo James: I’d been trying to work with a marine charity for years. I’ve loved diving since I was 16 and was obsessed with the ocean as a kid, especially sharks. I was going to study marine biology at Southampton, but at the last minute I switched to a different degree at a different university. But the ocean has always stayed with me.

Now at 41, I’ve seen the changes in the sea, especially diving in the Mediterranean. You notice the decline in fish numbers, particularly larger species, due to overfishing. I read The End of the Line [a book about overfishing by the charity’s co-founder Charles Clover] and saw a reference to Blue Marine at the end. I reached out and said. “If there’s anything I can do, I’d love to help.” That was three or four years ago, and it went from there.

What is it about the sea that interests you so much?

TJ: I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean as a resource we take from but don’t easily replenish, unless we create large marine reserves, which is what Blue Marine does. Unlike farming, where we can manage stocks, we’re just plundering the sea, and it will collapse if we don’t change. The End of the Line was brilliant because it showed the scale of the problem and offered ways forward.

You’ve done a campaign film for Blue Marine, in which you’re a diner and Stephen Fry (as a waiter) opens a netful of bycatch on you…

TJ: Bycatch is the unintentional capture or entanglement of marine animals in commercial fishing gear – and it’s a huge problem for ocean health, especially in Britain. We used real bycatch in the advert – we couldn’t fake it. The amount dumped on my head was the bycatch from just one small UK fishing vessel. It really showed the scale with 27 species including six species of shark and ray: everything, just dumped back dead.

“One-hundred million sharks are killed a year”

Did you need a severe shower afterwards?

TJ: I washed thoroughly before going home!

For people who don’t know, why is bottom-trawling such a problem?

TJ: Bottom-trawling uses huge nets weighted with chains or hooks that drag along the ocean floor. They scoop up everything living on the bottom and in the mid-water column. This destroys habitats needed for fish to reproduce, wipes out plant life and turns the seabed into a desert. You’re depleting a resource which doesn’t have time to replenish itself, so fish stocks will completely collapse because they’re unable to reproduce. Even in the Mediterranean, one of the most overfished seas, you mostly see very small fish now. The food chain breaks down – predatory fish decline, smaller creatures go unchecked, and it creates bigger problems. The solution isn’t stopping all fishing – people’s livelihoods depend on it – but creating properly protected zones where fish can reproduce.

Do we have these in the UK? Britain has many ‘protected’ areas on paper, but bottom trawling and overfishing are still allowed in most. We need real legal frameworks for genuine marine protected areas. Documentaries like Ocean with David Attenborough show that protecting specific zones allows marine life to recover and spill over into surrounding areas. It’s simpler and more effective than trying to protect everything.

As a keen diver, what changes have you seen?

TJ: I’ve dived all over the world. In the Gilis islands in Indonesia, deep-water fish were wiped out by industrial fishing in the 1980s, then local fishermen used dynamite on the coral for quick catches. Now it’s like a graveyard. I’ve dived a lot around Greece – I’m half Greek – and in Italy since I was 16 or 17, so over 20-plus years I’ve watched the oceans empty. Fish populations there have been decimated. Even in the last five years near Sicily, the change is noticeable and terrifying. Off California, near Catalina Island, you used to see mako sharks. Now they’re gone due to overfishing. Great whites still appear in the kelp, but the makos have disappeared. These changes are plain to see.

Have you been anywhere where things are getting better?

TJ: Not personally, but I know of examples. There’s a protected area in Papua New Guinea that was once a shark-finning zone. It was protected 40 years ago and now has one of the most diverse fish populations in the region. The habitat – fish, flora, fauna, coral – has bounced back to near-pristine condition surprisingly quickly, sometimes within five years, when given proper protection with no fishing allowed.

To someone who doesn’t dive, how would you describe the ocean?

TJ: It’s hard to describe without sounding pretentious, but I have a theory. I was one of those babies who started breathing in the womb, so they had to deliver me quickly. From a very young age I had dreams of being underwater and able to breathe. When you submerge fully – whether holding your breath or using a tank – there’s a womb-like tranquillity. No worldly distractions in our fast, distracted world. It’s a rare time when you’re a little outside yourself. The ocean feels pristine. Water makes everything seem clean, and the life there is vibrant with so many colours and dimensions. Marine creatures are often inquisitive, especially in these pristine areas. They come and check you out – like, “Who are you?”. In places with more human activity they’re warier, but in untouched spots they’re very curious.

Any more plans with Blue Marine?

TJ: We’d love to do a project on sharks. They’re a key barometer for ocean health. We know how many are killed each year [an estimated 100 million], but their movements are also changing due to climate change, shifting currents and temperatures, and dwindling prey. That can push them into more populated areas, leading to more human interactions – not because they want to eat us, but through mistaken identity or changed behaviour.

Have you come close to sharks yourself?

TJ: Yes. I was kayaking off California a couple of months ago and a great white shark swam under my kayak. With warmer waters, more great whites are appearing off Los Angeles than before. They mostly interact peacefully with humans. I was a bit startled but fascinated. Great whites are mainly interested in seals or larger marine life. They use camouflage – white belly, grey top – to approach from below. They often hit prey with explosive force to stun it. With humans it’s usually mistaken identity, and it’s still extremely rare.

What's your favourite stretch of coastline in the world?

TJ: There are so many, but I love the Ionian side of Greece. The water is warm and clear. Lefkada in particular – the west coast and the bottom of the island – has beautiful water and diving. I wish the marine life there was better protected. And as much as I like scuba diving – and this goes out to Christopher Ward! – what I’d like to do most is free-dive, just with a watch, a weight belt, a mask and some fins. When you’re scuba diving you’re like an alien, but when you’re free-diving you feel a little bit more like another marine mammal.

How did you learn to free-dive?

TJ: I did a short course when I was about 20, then mostly through YouTube, reading, and practice. I’m still not that advanced – I can't hold my breath as long as some people – but I keep working at it. I’m a determined person, but I get distracted easily. I’ll focus intensely for a period, then move on to something else. I wish I could see things through more consistently!

You’re part-owner of a Roman-style restaurant, Lupa. Is the seafood sustainable?

TJ: One hundred percent! Some of the shellfish comes from a supplier partnered with Blue Marine. The fish is all sustainably caught and, where possible, British.

Finally, have you passed your love of the sea onto your kids?

TJ: Yes. We were in Egypt earlier this year. There’s beautiful coral and sea life, and they’re working on protections because tourism depends on it. My daughter did her first snorkel in deeper water. She found it fascinating though a bit scary as a five-year-old. But she loved it! Theo James is an ambassador for Blue Marine Foundation. He is the part-owner of Lupa and Ornella restaurants in London.

Photo credit: Jeff Gilbert