Sir David Attenborough pondered his life while narrating beautiful images of our world and its seas.

The next documentary featuring the 98-year-old, Ocean with David Attenborough, will be released next Thursday (May 8), which also happens to be his 99th birthday.

It will be a fresh addition to Attenborough’s extensive portfolio of wildlife films, which includes Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Africa.

In a video posted before its premiere in US theaters, the British biologist discussed the issues that Earth is experiencing and how the ocean is being impacted.

“When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity,” Mr. Attenborough said.

“Now, as I near the end of my life, we see the reverse is true.

“After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land but at sea.”

In the documentary, Attenborough will explore the story of our ocean’ to reveal the greatest age of ocean discovery and underline the ocean’s fundamental importance while revealing its challenges and presenting prospects for marine life recovery.

In Ocean with David Attenborough, the narrator characterizes the ocean as humanity’s ‘biggest asset against climate change,’ before adding, “Today, it is in such poor health that I would find it difficult not to lose hope were it not for the most remarkable discovery of all.”

“If we rescue the sea, we save our planet. Nothing is more essential to me after a lifetime of documenting our earth.”

It is unclear if Attenborough will appear on screen in the one-hour, 35-minute film.

Scenes of the London-born adventurer visiting remote parts of the world, which were once commonplace in his films, are becoming increasingly rare.

The environmentalist admitted in 2020 that he was reducing the amount of travel he was willing to undertake for his shows, stating that as he grew older, his ‘heart was sinking more and deeper’ at the prospect of spending time on long flights.

Attenborough has also admitted that he feels locked in a ‘paradox’ when it comes to the environmental cost of travelling to produce environmental documentaries aimed at raising awareness about climate change.

But, he told the Radio Times, seeing nature up close still has a ‘hypnotic charm.’

While Ocean with David Attenborough will only be released in theaters, it is expected to be available internationally on National Geographic, Disney+, and Hulu later this year.