The first Netflix Original Documentary to come out of South Africa, My Octopus Teacher, premieres tonight 7 September.

The film, by the Cape Town based NGO, the Sea Change Project,  showcases the delicate ecosystem that lies beneath the waves in The Great African Sea Forest for the very first time.

It features rare and extraordinary footage of a man’s unexpected bond with a curious little octopus.

My Octopus Teacher takes viewers on a journey into the kelp forest, as it follows Craig Foster, who, suffering from burnout, begins a daily diving regimen in the freezing kelp forests at the tip of Africa in order to re-energize himself.

Foster, who is an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of the Sea Change Project, dedicated the past nine years to diving every day in the Atlantic Ocean without a wet suit, documenting the process of how the human body adapts to cold and studying the kelp forest ecosystem.

What he discovers below the water’s surface is a totally alien motivation in the form of an unusually curious octopus.

This beautiful record of an animal’s entire life—something seldom achieved in the wild, let alone underwater—was shot over a full year and explores the habits and personality of a strange, undulating creature that most of us have only ever eaten.

The much anticipated film has been captivating film festivals worldwide, racking up nominations and wins. It’s directed by Cape Town filmmaker and environmental journalist, Pippa Ehrlich, co-directed by James Reed and produced by Craig Foster.

Watch the trailer here: