A rare peek at 2 historic underwater shipwrecks off P.E.I.

A new short film uses 360-degree virtual reality technology to take viewers under water to explore two shipwrecks along Prince Edward Island's North Shore.

The five minute mini-documentary is called In the Shallows: A Tale of Two Shipwrecks. It was created by filmmaker Will Beckett and his assistant director Jeremy Pickering.

The pair spent two days filming the remains of the ships — the Sovinto and the George N. Orr — with underwater cameras.

Beckett said he has always been interested in video technology and shipwrecks — so he decided to bring the two together.

"I've always kind of wanted to bring audiences and viewers with me on these historical journeys," said Beckett who now lives in Rothesay, N.B.

It took about a decade for that technology to really catch up to what I want to do.— Will Beckett, filmmaker

"This VR camera and the technology offered that opportunity."

The finished project featuring the shipwrecks has been posted on YouTube and can be viewed for free. Those viewing on a computer can use their mouse to look around and those viewing on their phone can move their phone around to see different angles.

"If you watch it on a headset it is a very different experience," Beckett said. "You get the sensation of being completely surrounded by this underwater world."

Not a lot of people enjoy going underwater and this is a way for them to do that, he said.

"This kind of gives them the opportunity to see what is beneath the surface."

Beckett said he has been looking into virtual reality cameras since the 1990s, but the technology "just wasn't there yet."

"It took about a decade for that technology to really catch up to what I want to do," he said.

'Sediment city'

Using this type of camera, Beckett said many may think the editing process would be the most difficult aspect of the project, but it was the weather that caused problems.

"We spent all of July trying to get in the water just to little bits of the Sovinto wreck," he said.

"It would look beautiful on the surface — nice and calm — and you'd get under water and it would just be sediment city."

You never know what is lurking close by.— Will Beckett, filmmaker

He said he had to try to capture the wreck "a few times" before he could get anything usable.

"Filmmakers who shot on the water will talk about the frustrations dealing with tides and weather," Beckett said, adding filmmakers also have to deal with things underwater they can't see on the surface.

Beckett said the mini-documentary has been on YouTube for about a week and has a couple hundred views with little promotion.

"It's done quite well and people seem to really enjoy it," he said. "That is always heartening to see when you create something that people enjoy."

Beckett said viewers have said the video has inspired them to learn more about shipwrecks and that is why he wanted to make it.

History on P.E.I. is a lot closer than people sometimes think, he said.

"You never know what is lurking close by," he said. "These are just a little bit offshore."

He said people rent cottages near the beach where the George N. Orr wreck sits.

"People swim off that beach, and most of them know the wreck's there, but a surprising number of them don't. That's the thing, these are close by — little bits of history very nearby," he said.

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