@ksbw_8: Whalefall," a new thriller filmed at several locations across Monterey County, tells the story of a young diver swallowed by an 80-foot whale off Monastery Beach in Carmel, with only an hour of oxygen to escape. Monastery Beach, located near the Monterey Submarine Canyon—one of the deepest underwater canyons in the world—sets the stage for the film's dramatic premise. Local divers shared their thoughts on whether such an encounter could happen. "Is it possible that it could happen? I guess it's possible, likely, highly unlikely," Luke Kilpatrick, of Sanctuary Cruises, said. John Richardson, owner of Monterey Bay Scuba, said, "Maybe eating a human with scuba gear is a little bit of a stretch, and it's kind of bulky, but it's plausible." While a real-life encounter like this is unlikely, the underwater world depicted in the film is familiar to local divers. "When we dive, we dive on the edges of that canyon. But that depth is what allows these large creatures to potentially come up through here," Kilpatrick said. Monterey Bay Scuba, a local dive shop, was another filming location. The shop's owner described the experience as nerve-racking. "We didn't really understand originally what we were getting into when we first started it," Richardson said. There were so many people here. There were camera crews and lighting systems everywhere. It was pretty fun." Filming in Monterey County brought nearly $930,000 in local production spending, according to the county film commission. Other local filming locations included Jack's Peak, Carmel Crossroads, Monterey Bay Charter School, and Monterey High School. Some hope the movie will spark more interest in protecting the oceans. "Our oceans are changing, and we want to be making sure that we're both monitoring and protecting what goes in and what comes out of our oceans," Kilpatrick said. For local divers, the film may inspire more people to take up diving. "I think it'll drive people towards diving more, you know, than it would be then and adversely affecting them," Richardson said.

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Friday 16 October 2026 17:38:16 GMT