After the 1979 book and before the 2012-2014 TV series of the same name, there was this classic 1981 cinema box office hit by Bruce Beresford. It centres on two teenage girls and is about coming of age and self-identity amid the Australian teenage surf culture of the 70s.

Tensions mount in a small fishing village between a family of long-time locals and a family with a holiday house. Foreboding. Perceptive. Filmed in black and white and starkly beautiful in sight and sound, this 2019 debut film by Mark Jenkin was multi-award winning.

This film has a big rep – one of the best surfing films ever made. But it’s far from only for surfers. Kick back to the phenomenal custom-made soundtrack and be amazed by skillful surfing and the beauty of nature in this 1972 film by Albert (Alby) Falzon, a co-founder of Tracks magazine.

A massive killer shark. A town increasingly riven by fear. A trio of potential heroes who are unlikely to combine well. In 1975, Steven Spielberg took these elements and more and wove a tight web of suspense with them. Be caught in it.

This 2019 multi-award-winning film in black and white by Robert Eggers is a journey into madness. It's astonishing for the visuals and much else, including a script with the ‘taste of Melville’ (Dafoe’s words). Disappear into another time (1890s) and place (New England) and be horrified.

Luc Besson’s 1988 utterly beautiful ode to the ocean, in a gripping tale of two free divers who’ve been competitive with each other since childhood. More than that, it’s the story of a love triangle between a man, a woman, and the sea.