Domain One follows a surfing expedition to the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula region, advocating for the area to be made a Marine Protected Area. Two brothers, the “Gauchos Del Mar” (sea cowboys), have been going on film expeditions together since 2010. But this is their first time on expedition to the Antarctic.
Amongst other adventures, they encounter this winsome leopard seal. Photo: Screenshot
Heading south
Alongside Joaquin and Julian Azulay, marine biologist Rodolfo Werner and researcher Manuel Novillo provide scientific and social background.
The brothers begin with the difficult process of preparing for an Antarctic expedition. On top of physical training, the logistics of packing and acquiring supplies, and managing everything on their sailboat, there is legal red tape.
First, they navigate permit difficulties. Soon after, they are navigating the infamous Drake Passage. To reach Antarctica, their sailboat must cross the deadly seas around Cape Horn. However, Joaquin’s health takes a turn. He’s had a cancerous thyroid removed, after which his condition improved, but the rough waters of the passage have left him sick and weak.
While the Gauchos Del Mar’s little boat continues toward the South Shetlands, Werner discusses the Antarctic Treaty. We also meet more researchers involved in Antarctic marine biology.
Even in relatively calm water, the little sailboat seems perilously dwarfed by the sea. Photo: Screenshot
The waves of Domain One
The expedition finally reaches its first stop in the Domain One zone: Deception Island. Things are going well, and the brothers are catching waves. Then a fur seal, curiosity swiftly giving way to territoriality, arrives and chases them out of the water. While filming, Miguelito sustains a deep bite.
They decide to hike over the top of the island’s active volcano and seek less toothy waves on the other side. As they do, the film weaves in footage of Novillo and his fellow scientists, who are nearby investigating a krill fishery. While regulated under the auspices of the Antarctic Treaty, intensive krill fishing could destroy the ecosystem.
The Gauchos Del Mar trudging over Deception Island. Photo: Screenshot
Relying on satellite images to navigate, the brothers soon find themselves facing impassible cliffs. One could say that Deception Island did, in fact, deceive them. Discretion being the better part of valour, they decamp for Trinity Island. There, amidst penguin rookeries and lounging seals, they wait for swells. Instead, they find melting sea ice and crumbling glaciers.
The closer they get to the continent, the more dangerous it is to navigate the ice. But they keep island hopping in search of waves.
Paddling through chunks of sea ice. Photo: Screenshot
The future of Domain One
The film’s disparate threads pull together as the brothers converge with Novillo at Snow Island. Meanwhile, Werner prepares a call to make Domain One a protected reserve, making use of Novillo’s data. We see Werner present his argument before the regulatory board, as the Gauchos Del Mar finish up their expedition off the Antarctic coast.
Then, the bad news: the proposal fails to pass, blocked by powerful nations like Russia and China, who have commercial fishing interests in the region. Still, as Werner reflects on the future, he remains optimistic.
On a final hopeful note, the cowboys of the sea finally find the right conditions and surf “the southernmost wave on Earth.”
