30 Best Sea Movies of All Time

The sea is almost like a universe, a whole lot of unexplored space with all sorts of unique and amazing beings living in it. Also, we love to swim, dive and have fun in it and around it. Because we like sea so much, and movies, we have decided to make this article giving credit to the best sea movies of all time.

If you are a sea lover and want to feel the sea in the comfort of your room, give these movies a go. They will bring the sea right to your doorstep and give you the fix you need until your next visit to the sea.

So let’s check out the best sea movies of all time.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Europe was largely under Napoleon’s rule in 1805, and the only obstacle to complete domination was the British Royal Navy. Captain Lucky Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) is at the head of the warship HMS Surprise, which has the task of sinking or capturing the French warship Acheron, which has done a lot of damage to the British forces.

Opposing ships play cat and mouse for weeks, alternating their roles, until Acheron is the first to decide on an attack in which he almost completely destroys HMS Surprise. Aubrey realizes that the enemy ship is greatly superior to his own, but together with his friend and ship surgeon Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), he decides that he will not return to England defeated and humiliated. They face the difficult task of repairing ship damage at sea and capturing Acheron. Will he have enough strength?

Life of Pi (2012)

Director Ang Lee, according to a book by Yann Martel, has created a masterfully good film that is definitely one of the classics of the modern age. Nominated for as many as 11 Oscars, of which 4 won, Life of Pi is the story of a boy who, after surviving a shipwreck, will create an unexpected connection with another surviving, scary Bengal tiger. This magnificent sea movie shows that, despite the situation, hope and faith must force you to fight for survival.

Kon-Tiki (2012)

Legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl epic traversed over 4,300 kilometers of the Pacific Ocean on a raft in 1947, seeking to prove that it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.

Longitude (2000)

In two parallel stories, Captain John Harrison builds a marine chronometer for safe navigation at sea in the 18th century, and chronologist Rupert Gould becomes obsessed with restoring it in the 20th century.

Captain Phillips (2013)

Captain Phillips is a film based on a true event from 2009 when a group of Somali pirates hijacked the American cargo ship Maersk Alabama. Through the unique lenses of director Paul Greengrass, it is both a tense thriller and a complex portrait of the countless consequences of globalization.

The plot of the film focuses on the relationship between the captain of the Alabama ship, Richard Phillips (double Oscar winner Tom Hanks) and the Somali pirate leader, Muse (Barkhad Abdi) who kidnaps him. Phillips and Muse find themselves in an unstoppable position when Muse and his gang attack Phillips’ unarmed ship; deep in the open sea, 145 miles off the Somali coast, the two will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.

The Perfect Storm (2000)

The port city of Gloucester, Massachusetts, October 1991. “Andrea Gail” fishing captain Billy Tyne (G. Clooney) has little reason to be pleased, as he has returned with a meager catch that does not guarantee him a peaceful winter. Namely, the fishing season is coming to an end, because the weather is expected to worsen soon. In addition, Billy has problems with the owner of the ship Bob Brown (M. Ironside), dissatisfied with the last catch.

Billy, therefore, decides to set sail once more to make up for a lost time. His crew includes the young and inexperienced Bobby (M. Wahlberg) whose girlfriend Christina (D. Lane) is strongly opposed to their new departure, then the recently divorced Dale (J. C. Reilly) who is having a hard time separating from his son, and four other fishermen. Although everyone in the port, including his colleague Linda (M. E. Mastrantonio), warns Billy that time will not go his way, the stubborn captain sets out to sea while an unprecedented storm is brewing.

Pirates of the Caribbean franchise

Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-million dollar Disney franchise that includes a drive of the same name at Disneyland Park, a series of movies, books, comics, as well as several video games. As of August 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean attractions can be found at all four Disney theme parks, and the films have grossed $3,727 billion. The creator of the attraction from which it all originated was Walt Disney.

Related: Pirates of the Caribbean Movies in Order

Finding Nemo (2003)

Nemo, an adventurous fish, unexpectedly finds himself in an aquarium after being caught. To find him, his father Marlin, with the help of his forgetful friend Dora, embarks on an epic journey that will confront them with vegetarian sharks, turtle turtles, hypnotic jellyfish, hungry seagulls and many more.

Cast Away (2000)

Hanks plays a FedEx employee who is stuck on an uninhabited island somewhere in the South Pacific after a plane crash. The film describes his successful attempts to survive on the island using the remains of airline luggage, as well as his later escape from it and return to society.

The Beach (2000)

Vicenarian Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumor has it that it leads to a lonely paradise on the beach, to tropical bliss. Excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.

Moana (2016)

Three thousand years ago, the world’s largest sailors crossed the vast Pacific, discovering numerous islands of Oceania. But then their travels stopped for a thousand years and no one knows why.

Titanic (1997)

The seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a dear but poor artist on the luxurious and unhappy R.M.S. Titanic. The movie follows their short and tragic adventure at the sea.

Jaws (1975)

It begins with a legendary scene in which a great white shark attacks and kills a girl, inciting tension and worry in a small coastal town, which depends on tourism revenues.

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Far out at the sea, in the great depths of the ocean, a group of scientists will find out in the most difficult way possible how laws, social and natural alike, must not be violated at any cost, because otherwise there will be punishment. In this case, deadly! A group of researchers and scientists are working on a remote submarine and are on the verge of discovering a nerve stimulant that could successfully treat Alzheimer’s disease, made from shark brain extract.

However, without informing the rest of the team, project leaders Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) and Jim Whitlock (Stellan Skarsgård) used illegal genetic manipulation techniques to enlarge the brains of the observed sharks to get spectacular results as soon as possible. During a major sea storm, the celebration of the success of the expedition, the sharks try, and eventually succeed, to escape from their cages, and it seems that they have achieved this by more intelligent grouping. To save their lives, scientists, led by hunter Carter Blake (Thomas Jane) and chef Preacher (LL Cool J), need to get to the surface as soon as possible.

Aquaman (2018)

AQUAMAN reveals a story in which young Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the throne of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis to which he must return and save his people.

Sphere (1998)

A spaceship under three hundred years of coral growth on the ocean floor has been discovered. The expert team reveals shocking data that it is actually an American spacecraft that was traveling through time. With the help of the ship, they discovered that they could enter the metal sphere and gain a special power.

The Big Blue (1988)

Enzo (Jean Reno) and Jacques (Jean-Marc Barr) have been friends for many years. The friendship began in childhood in the Mediterranean and since then they are bound by an insatiable love of diving. After Jacques’ father was killed in one dive, the boys lost contact. A few years later, a young clerk Johanna (Rosanna Arquette) has to go to Peru. There he meets Jacques, who works for a group of scientists.

Johana falls in love, but fails to get to know him better. Shortly afterward, the office learns that competition for divers is being held in Taormina, Italy. To see Jacques again, she invents a story for the company to send her on a business trip. There is also Enzo in Taormina, a world champion who knows that only Jacques can beat him. Johanna and Jacques get closer, but Jacques is more of a dolphin than a man in his heart-

The Abyss (1989)

A U.S. nuclear submarine crashes after encountering a mysterious object, and the military hires employees of a nearby underwater oil platform to reach it and check for survivors. The chief of the oil company is Virgil Bud Brigman, and the military side of the rescue crew is led by Lieutenant Coffey.

The Buddha’s wife Lindsay, who now works for the army and intends to divorce the Buddha, also has a prominent role in the team. Approaching the submarine, the team members realize that something unknown and mysterious is present in these waters.

The Deep (1977)

During the break, divers David Sanders (Nick Nolte) and Gail Burke (Jacqueline Bisset) with the help of Romero Treece (Robert Shaw) discover a sunken World War II treasure off the coast of Bermuda. They also find a stockpile of narcotics. David and Gail are instantly caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with gangsters and treasure hunters as the drama culminate in the final explosive battle under the sea.

From Peter Benchley, the celebrated author of the international thriller Jaws, comes the drama, danger and brilliance of the Depths.

Men of Honor (2000)

“Be the best,” his father told him, and Carl Brasher remembered those words well. When he joins the Navy, Carl spends two years writing hundreds of letters before accepting his application to join the Diving School. Carl’s coach, Billy Sunday, doesn’t want Carl or his ambitions there at all.

Sunday, the celebrated chief of naval divers, whose problematicity is as legendary as his diving successes, ruthlessly tortures and challenges Carl, expecting him to break down and give up. But Carl has different ideas. His goal is clear, his determination great. Nothing will stand in the way of him becoming a naval diver. Not even Billy Sunday. Years later, after Carl becomes disabled after an accident, he and Sunday unexpectedly team up.

As he never misses an opportunity to shake up the system, the rebellious officer helps Carl sort out the naval bureaucracy, get over the loss of his leg, and make military history. Before they retire, Carl will gain the esteemed title – Master Diver and Master Chief, the highest rank in the Navy.

Crimson Tide (1995)

Stars Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman face off in the suspenseful action thriller Scarlet Tide, now on Blu-ray as well. Viggo Mortensen and James Gandolfini also star in a movie in which “continuous action” (Los Angeles Times) does not abate for a single moment in this pulsating new format!

In the midst of the global crisis, the crew of the USS Alabama submarine was ordered to fire its nuclear missiles, signaling the beginning of III. world war. When the submarine commander and his executive deputy clash over the correctness of their decision, a real epic battle for control under the sea begins.

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

The devastating danger emerges from the depths of the sea, and the destiny and future of the human race are in the hands of one man. Sometimes, betraying your own country can save the whole world. The Soviet Union created a deadly weapon that could mark the beginning of new world order. The technologically advanced nuclear submarine is a new trump card of the Soviet arsenal, but the submarine’s captain, Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), decides to flee to prevent a world power war.

The U.S. Navy is convinced that a submarine traveling toward them is planning to attack them, but CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) is trying to convince U.S. forces that this is not a threat to U.S. security. On the other hand, the Soviets are by no means ready to leave their last miracle of war to the Americans, so they are trying to destroy “Red October” at all costs.

Das Boot (1981)

In 1942, the German submarine fleet was intensively involved in the Battle of the Atlantic aimed at sinking English transport ships. We follow the crew who, in difficult conditions, carry out the orders of the Nazi regime, whose captain (Jürgen Prochnow) is slowly losing touch with reality by questioning the ideology of the regime he serves.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

Set in 1820, the plot of the film In the Heart of the Sea recounts the sequence of events in which the ship Essex and its crew found themselves after they set out in search of a great white whale. The incredible adventure he went through was first dictated to the young writer by the only survivor of that journey forty years later.

All Is Lost (2013)

In the middle of the Indian Ocean, a sailor wakes up and water enters his boat. He soon finds out that during the night his sailboat collided with an abandoned floating container. While repairing the damage to the hull, he notices that the water destroyed his radio and mobile phone. A storm is rising soon…

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

In 1868, the world’s seas were filled with fear and panic due to the frequent sinking of ships and numerous human casualties. The reason for them was allegedly a huge sea monster of unprecedented strength and cruelty. Surviving sailors described the horrific events, fueling the fear that no ship was safe from the mysterious plague.

The US authorities, therefore, decide to invite the world’s most respected marine expert, French Professor Pierre Aronnax (P. Lukas) from the Paris National Museum. Boarding an American warship to search for a dangerous monster for the next few months, Professor Aronnax will be greatly helped by his servant Conceille (P. Lorre) and harpoon expert, sailor Ned Land (K. Douglas).

After several weeks of sailing, the ship’s crew encounters a vessel that is just experiencing a ordeal identical to the stories of the surviving sailors. Unable to help the drowned, Professor Arronax’s ship was struck by the same force and the crew found themselves at sea. Conceille, Ned and the professor avoid drowning and swim to the mysterious object that sank them, and they are amazed to realize that this is not a sea monster, but an incredibly modern submarine called “Nautilus”.

Soon, his crew notices them and brings them to Captain Nemo (J. Mason), a genius scientist alienated from the rest of the world. And while the astonished Professor Arronax tries to gain Nemo’s trust and discover his motives, Ned plans to escape.

The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Poseidon, the largest ocean liner, will set sail on December 31st. A few minutes after midnight, Captain Harrison (Leslie Nielsen) notices one of the biggest tidal waves. This is the last image that Harrison, along with passengers and crew members, will see in his life because it is this wave that will capsize their ship.

Just a few survivors: Mike Rogo (Ernest Borgnine), Linda (Stella Stevens), Acres (Roddy McDowall), Belle (Shelley Winters) and Manny (Jack Albertson) Rosen. Led by the charismatic priest Frank Scott (Gene Hackman), a group of trapped survivors in an overturned ship seeks to find a path that will lead them to freedom.

Unbroken (2014)

It is an unbreakable biographical drama about the exceptional athlete and hero Louis Zamperini who survived a plane crash with two fellow pilots during World War II and spent 47 days in the Pacific Ocean after being found by the Japanese Navy and taken to a prisoner of war camp.

U-571 (2000)

The year is 1942. America entered the war, but its big problem in its intention to help the European allies is represented by the German forces in the Atlantic. Lieutenant Andrew Tyler is plagued by a problem Lieutenant Dahlgreen has prevented his long-desired promotion.

However, their conflict will have to be left aside as the command sends them on a secret mission, where they are joined by intelligence lieutenant Hirsch and Marine Captain Coonan. The German submarine U-571 is damaged and must meet the German supply submarine in the Atlantic. The U.S. Navy discovered the time and place of the encounter and rearranged its S-33 submarine to look like a Jena submarine, and the U.S. crew in it changed into German uniforms.

Their task is to fraudulently take over a German ship and steal the “Enigma”, a super-secret cryptographic machine that allows the Germans to communicate with their submarines without fear of Allied eavesdropping.

Greyhound (2020)

Captain Ernest Krause with a convoy of Allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers crosses the treacherous waters of the North Atlantic as Nazi submarines try to catch them. He will easily beat one of them, but that is just the beginning. The action historical drama is based on the novel “The Good Shepherd” by C. S. Forester.