12 Ocean Disaster Podcasts That Will Ruin Your Beach Vacation

Réunion: Shark Attacks in Paradise

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In 2011, the island of Réunion, way out in the Indian Ocean, was struck with the deadliest string of shark attacks the world has ever seen. This “lunatic violence” sparked a war, pitting local surfers, politicians, and business owners against ocean lovers and conservationists worldwide. Turns out the attacks were about much more than the sharks. And in this story, the sharks aren’t necessarily the villains. On Réunion: Shark Attacks in Paradise, you get to visit (with your ears) a beautiful island terrorized by one of but many catastrophic consequences of climate change and discover the surprising way the global crisis is unending our way of life.

The Briny

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The Briny is a show all about how we’re changing the sea, and how it changes us in turn. Each episode is a sound-rich story that takes you to shark-infested waters and beaches, lone boats floating in an endless ocean, and inside the pages of Moby Dick. I recommend starting with “The One Who Came Back,” about Howard Blackburn, a fisherman who lost his fingers and toes to frostbite while lost at sea in a dory in 1883, yet still twice sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on solo journeys, and “Something Fishy,” about how hard it is for small-scale fishermen to make a living.

Shark Week

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Can’t get enough of Discovery’s Shark Week? From Discovery+ comes Shark Week, a podcast all about sharks, the ocean, and how the world’s biggest ecosystem impacts your daily life. Marine biologist Luke Tipple talks to scientists and shark encounter survivors, and tackles the ethical side of living along side sharks—questions like,is it ever okay to kill a shark, even if it’s in the name of science? When you sip your shark fin soup are you supporting human trafficking? New episodes are dropping for Shark Week 2023.

Ship Hit the Fan

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Ship Hits The Fan is all about when shit hits the propeller. Landlubbers Charlotte and Patrick get into the history of shipwrecks and some of the scariest (and dumbest) marine disasters you’ve never heard about. From cannibalism on the Mignonette to what sunk a floating crypto utopia, these stories are all about humans waging battles on (or with) raging waters, and usually losing. It’s dark and stormy material, but Charlotte and Patrick keep the tone light and hilarious. (And offer plenty of nautical chat—remember: Port side is the left side, because they both have four letters.)

Outlaw Ocean

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A 10-minute slow-motion video of unarmed men at sea killed with a semiautomatic weapon. The longest law enforcement chase in modern history. The first time a reporter had ever made it onboard a Thai distant-water vessel using enslaved labor. There are just a handful of stories you’ll find on Outlaw Ocean, where real instances of murder, modern slave labor, environmental crimes, and fishy adventures are revealed. On every episode, Pulitzer-Prize-winner and former New York Times journalist Ian Urbina tells a tale of the lawless sea, stories he documented himself across a years-long journey. Ian uses audio recordings from his reporting to bring you as close as you can get to some of the darkest events unfolding in aquatic wild west.

Beyond the Raging Sea

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In 2016, Omar Samra and Omar Nour started preparing to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean unsupported. Things didn’t go as planned. Nine days into their journey, their boat capsized in a severe storm and the life raft didn’t open, and they came face-to-face with death. The Omars were in top physical condition and had spent months preparing for every occurrence, but nothing could prepare them for the dangers the sea would bring them. Beyond the Raging Sea investigates the mindset required to survive against all odds in one of history’s most impossible journeys.

Paradise

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Off the coast of central America in the summer of 1978, Manchester graduates Chris Farmer and Peta Frampton were hogtied, covered in plastic, weighted down, and thrown off a boat by a man named Silas Duane Boston. His children witnessed the whole thing. Traumatized, Boston’s sons would go on to tell people what they witnessed (and you can hear them share every terrifying detail on this Paradise), yet it would take almost 40 years for justice to be served. Why did Boston do it, and what was the hold up? This creepy, salt-crusted true-crime show investigates.

The Secret History of the Estonia

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On September 27, 1994, the cruise ferry MS Estonia left port in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, for Stockholm. Within hours, it sank, killing 852 people onboard. The sinking took less than an hour. According to an official report, it was caused by the ferry’s front end cover, which allows vehicles to drive onto the ship, falling into the sea. Journalist Stephen Davis says that doesn’t add up, and suspects the MS Estonia was being used to transfer military equipment from Estonia to Sweden and was targeted by a Russian submarine. There weren’t many survivors, but Davis gets some of them to express their doubts and share terrifying details about how they escaped a watery death. The Secret History of the Estonia will appeal to people who love to dip their toes into a good old conspiracy theory.

Into the Depths

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National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts left her job to join a team of Black scuba divers dedicated to searching for the wrecks of ships that carried 1.8 million enslaved Africans to America during the Middle Passage in the 15th to the 19th centuries. Part historical reckoning, part personal memoir, Into the Depths invites us on Tara’s underwater journey as we meet divers, marine archaeologists, descendants of those brought over on ships, and historians to get the facts—and her family and friends, spiritual advisers, and the poet Alyea Pierce, all of whom help Tara discover her roots and give a voice to the enslaved Africans who were lost.

Lost Hills

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Lost Hills investigates the dark side of Malibu, California, and on the third and most recent season (subtitled The Dark Prince), The New Yorker’s Dana Goodyear shares the story of Miki Dora, known as the best surfer in the world during his Malibu rule, from the 1950s to the 1970s. Famous for his exceptional surfing skills and rebellious nature, he made his mark for his wave riding abilities and his anti-establishment attitude alike. But he was a racist conman who, between searching for the perfect wave, evaded taxes, committed fraud, and led the FBI on a seven-year, worldwide manhunt. Lost Hills: The Dark Prince is a Catch Me If You Can story on the sea, capturing all the glory and deceit of a surfing legend who changed the world.

OverBoard: A Below Deck Podcast

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Rich people plus a yacht equals a recipe for drama, but not always death. Still, fans of Bravo’s reality series Below Deck know that the drama that unfolds between the crew and clients on the show is the kind that makes you pull out the popcorn and glue your butt to your couch. On OverBoard, “Below Deck Boys” John Farley and Sean Cole break down every episode of Bravo’s Below Deck, Below Deck Med, and Below Deck Sailing Yacht. They cover everything from crew flirtations to firings, and everything between.

Did Titanic Sink?

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We all think the Titanic sank. But did it? Comedians Tim Batt and Carlo Ritchie aren’t sure. They think it might have been altogether a different ship that went down. Their version of what happened that night in 1912 is a tale of jealousy, greed, villainy—and a whole lot of nonsense. On Did Titanic Sink?, they unfold a funny conspiracy theory about the “unsinkable” luxury vessel that will turn everything you know about this famous nautical disaster on its head.