FROM humble beginnings on the family farm in Harrow, Andrew Wight went to the depths of the oceans, travelled the world and became legendary filmmaker James Cameron's right-hand man.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Wight was a renowned filmmaker in his own right, as well as a world-famous explorer and cave diver.
He died in a helicopter crash with colleague Mike deGruy in 2012.
One of his lasting legacies, James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge, started screening at Horsham Centre Cinemas yesterday.
Friend, colleague and brother-in-law John Garvin said Wight's childhood in Harrow was a long way from the ocean.
"He stumbled into diving from watching a lot of the early Jack Cousteau films and Lloyd Bridges' Sea Hunt," he said.
His fascination became a reality when he discovered cave diving in Mt Gambier.
Cave diving is a high-risk technical pursuit in which people explore natural underwater caves.
Wight made a name for himself as a cave diver in the world-class cave system at Mt Gambier.
Garvin said Wight decided to dive the Nullarbor Caves in the late 1980s.
"He figured 'I'll take a camera and make it a documentary'," he said.
The 1988 film Nullarbor Dreaming was the result of these dives.
"During the making there was a near-catastrophe," Garvin said.
"A freak storm came in and basically dumped a year's worth of rain in the space of an hour and the entire cave collapsed.
"Thirteen divers were trapped underground for 24 hours - thankfully everybody got out safely.
"It was all included in the film that went on to be very popular and launched Andrew's career."
Wight made 40 documentaries based on the long-running Australian series Adventures of the Quest.
The series took him to oceans in Alaska, Mexico, Cuba, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Guadeloupe Islands, Bahamas, Belize and Costa Rica.
Garvin said Wight's career changed after a phone call in the early 2000s from the man behind Titanic and Avatar.
"James Cameron was a kindred spirit in as much as he loved underwater exploration," he said.
"He was looking for somebody to help him produce and make documentaries.
"This rather bizarre phone call took place where James Cameron called Andrew and said 'hi, I'm James Cameron. I'd like to speak to Andrew'.
"Andrew thought it was a prank call and nearly hung up on him.
"It was the real deal and Andrew flew out and joined James Cameron's Ghosts of Abyss."
The pair went on to work on Aliens of the Deep and Titanic Adventure.
In Deepsea Challenge they were pursuing Cameron's dream - exploring the deepest part of the world's oceans.
The Mariana Trench is almost 11 kilometres deep and 120 times larger than the Grand Canyon.
Garvin was responsible for the safety of Cameron who piloted the purpose-built submersible.
The 3D documentary has been nominated for the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Award for best documentary.
Wight and deGruy were in a helicopter in southern New South Wales during the making of Deepsea Challenge when it crashed, killing them both.
"It wasn't just losing the filmmaker, he was our leader - he was everybody's friend," Garvin said.
He said after losing Wight and deGruy, the crew began to question whether the risk associated with making Deepsea Challenge was worth it.
"A few days after the shock of the accident we managed to regroup and realised these guys really did stand for exploration," he said.
"Every single gene in Andrew's body was driven by the need to explore."
Garvin said the final product would have made Wight proud.
"The film is extremely popular, particularly among the younger generation," he said.
"When we show it to a younger generation they're incredibly inspired by the way firstly, science can be fun and has really exciting applications.
"And, secondly, it's okay to follow your dreams and dream big."
Garvin said losing Wight had been felt by everyone he had touched.
"We've just returned from Harrow where we visited Andrew's sister Fiona," he said.
"Everybody in the town loved Andrew very much - he's left quite a mark.
"I'd like to think that everybody from the local community can be really proud of the life he lived."