Filmed off the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa, Wild Ocean chronicles the migration of sardines, which provides the focus of a plot involving our favorite sea creatures (dolphins, sharks, whales and seals, to name a few).

The photography and close-ups is enough to make viewers wonder throughout the film: How on earth did they get that shot? The camera seems only inches away during the head-on shots of dolphins traveling at what seems like hundreds of miles per hour and humpback whales breech for what seems like the audience’s own private show.

Perhaps the most stunning sequence involves a giant “bait ball” of sardines moving rhythmically as one giant mass. Although surrounded by predatory dolphins jabbing for a bite, the fish continue to dance to a beat like only ocean-dwellers can.

The documentary ends with a pungent message, asking: What can you do to keep the oceans safe? After this 45-minute film that reveals the richness of ocean life, viewers may truly feel inspired.

Grade: A

Wild Ocean 3D (IMAX) is currently at the California Science Center.