Ghosts of the Pacific
A feature documentary exploring California’s elusive white sea bass and the fishermen, scientists, and shifting oceans that surround them. Official selection at SPIFFest 2025.
Divers chase the myths and migrations of white sea bass along California’s kelp forests, revealing a hidden cycle that links coastal communities, predators, and policy.
California’s kelp forests are nurseries, highways, and hunting grounds. Ghosts of the Pacific follows spearfishers, scientists, and commercial captains as they track the elusive white sea bass through fog, surge, and changing water. What starts as a pursuit of a legendary fish opens into a debate about knowledge, conservation, and who gets to define recovery.
Shot over multiple seasons from Los Angeles to the Channel Islands, the film pairs quiet underwater observation with hard conversations on land. The result is a portrait of a fishery and a coastline in motion.
Fisher knowledge and science can work together when both are heard.
Kelp health tracks with coastal weather and policy cycles.
Conservation has winners and losers. Perspective matters.
🎬 San Pedro International Film Festival
EcoDocs 2 Block
Sunday, Nov 9, 2025 – 3:00 PM
Starlight Terraces, San Pedro
Director
Mike Raabe is an underwater cinematographer, photographer, and expedition leader based in California. With two decades of diving and spearfishing experience, he specializes in telling visual stories from beneath the surface, blending high-end camera work with a deep respect for the ocean. His work spans documentaries, branded campaigns, and conservation projects. Ghosts of the Pacific is his first feature documentary as director, exploring the hidden life of California’s white sea bass and the people connected to them.