When Samsung launched the first-gen Gear VR in Australia, part of the launch promotion was the release of an immersive Shark Dive video filmed by a free diver off the coast of South Australia. The video has just been released on YouTube as a 360° video you can enjoy in YouTube, giving you the option to also experience it in Google Cardboard.
The video was created in partnership with surf film director Taylor Steel and shows viewers sharks from various angles swimming freely, with no cage between the diver and the shark. The experience is haunting as sharks swim freely around, before a shark appears and disappears, and then finally makes a move, culminating in the final shot from inside the sharks mouth.
When the video launched, Samsung brought the experience to residents of Alice Springs in Central Australia, a town over 1,000 km from the nearest ocean. Residents were invited to view the experience on the Gear VR, but now anyone with a smartphone, cardboard headset and an internet connection can check it out for themselves.
The video offers quality ranges from 144s, all the way up to 1440s – s meaning spherical vs the standard P for progressive scan. The video is now available to watch on the Samsung Australia YouTube channel or you can check it out here:
At the end of the clip – awesome!