SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL
UNDERWATER FILM FESTIVAL
UNDERWATER FILM FESTIVAL
Author’s country of origin: Tenerife.
Location of filming: El Hierro (Canary Islands).
Running time: 4 minutes.
Language: Spanish.
Award: Special mention for VISUAL IMPACT.
This short film depicts the return of Chaka, a female sunray shark, to shallow waters. Sunfish sharks live at a depth of 1,000 metres and only a few females, apparently pregnant, rise to the surface every few years off the island of El Hierro.
Chaka was last sighted in 2019. During the summer of 2026, she reappeared and was spotted sporadically near the coast. Her elusive behaviour meant that many divers who travelled to the island were unable to spot her. Although hopes were slim, the filmmaker travelled to El Hierro to try his luck, and there she was, at the surface. This behaviour is not observed anywhere else in the world, and this short film shows the first-ever recorded footage of a sunray shark raising its fin above the surface.
Produced by Felipe Ravina Olivares and filmed in the Punta de La Restinga – Mar de Las Calmas Marine Reserve, this film presents previously unseen footage and information, highlighting the value of this prehistoric-looking species and encouraging people to care for, appreciate and protect it.
