Ocean Girl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ocean Girl |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Jonathan M. Shiff |
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| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 78 (list of episodes) |
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| Producer(s) | Jonathan M. Shiff |
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| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
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| Original network | Network Ten |
| Picture format | PAL (576i) |
| Audio format | Stereophonic |
| Original release | 29 August 1994 – 22 December 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The New Adventures of Ocean Girl |
Ocean Girl is an exciting Australian science fiction TV show. In the UK, it was called Ocean Odyssey. It's about a special girl named Neri who lives alone on a secret island. The story takes place in the near future.
Neri becomes friends with people who live in an amazing underwater science base called ORCA. ORCA stands for the Oceanic Research Centre of Australia. The show teaches us about protecting our oceans and the environment.
Ocean Girl also inspired an animated series. This cartoon was called The New Adventures of Ocean Girl. It ran from 2000 to 2001. The animated show is a new version of the story.
Contents
The Story of Neri and ORCA
Neri is a unique young girl. She has a special connection to water. She can swim very long distances. She can also hold her breath for a super long time. Neri lives all by herself on a deserted island. She sleeps in a cozy nest high up in a tree.
Meeting the Bates Brothers
Early in the show, Neri meets two Australian boys. Their names are Jason and Brett Bates. The Bates brothers live at ORCA. This is a cool underwater research facility. It's located near Port Douglas, Queensland.
At the start of the series, their mom, Dr. Dianne Bates, moves to ORCA. She is there to study whale songs. She hopes to learn how to talk to whales. Many parts of the show happen at ORCA. We see what life is like for the scientists and their kids.
Jason first finds Neri while on a whale trip. He tries to tag a whale. Suddenly, Neri appears in the water. She puts herself between Jason and the whale. She shouts, "No, no!" Jason stops and doesn't tag the whale. His mom, Dr. Bates, is very upset. She doesn't believe Jason's story about a girl in the water. The other kids at ORCA also make fun of him.
Brett is the second person to learn about Neri. At first, Neri is scared of other humans. So, Jason and Brett keep their friendship with her a big secret.
Neri's Secret Past
As the show goes on, we learn more about Neri. She came to Earth on a spaceship when she was little. Her father was with her. But he died soon after their ship crashed. Neri had to learn to live alone.
Before meeting Jason and Brett, Neri's only friend was a humpback whale. Neri calls him "Charley." She can talk to Charley using her special abilities. Later, Neri explores ORCA. Dr. Bates studies Charley's whale songs. She realizes the songs are meant for Neri.
Eventually, Dr. Bates and Dr. Winston Seth learn Neri's secret. They help Jason and Brett keep her safe. They also do tests to understand how Neri talks to whales.
The UBRI Corporation
At the same time, a rival group appears. This is the UBRI Corporation. It's led by the bad Dr. Hellegren. UBRI knows a spaceship landed near ORCA. They start looking for any survivors.
UBRI also works on projects that harm the ocean. They plan to build "ORCA City." This would be a huge underwater city. It would destroy much of the natural life on the seabed. Dr. Bates's job changes. She goes from studying whales to protecting the environment. This becomes a big part of the show, especially in later seasons. The show gets more serious as UBRI moves onto ORCA.
Neri's True Purpose
Neri learns more about her island and ORCA. She also starts to understand her bigger purpose. This happens even more when she meets others like her.
In the second season, she finds her sister, Mera. They get a chance to go back to their home planet. Mera decides to go. But Neri stays. She wants to find out what her father was trying to do on Earth.
In the third season, Neri gets into the crashed spaceship. She finds another person from her home planet. His name is Kal. He is the son of the ship's commander. Kal helps Neri access the ship's memory. She finds a log from Kal's mother. It explains that Neri's father was meant to fix Earth's oceans. He was going to use a special device called the Synchronium.
Neri then decides to finish her father's mission. This gives her a strong purpose. Kal gets jealous of Neri's friendship with Jason. He starts to dislike Neri's friends at ORCA. Kal leaves the island. Neri and her friends look for him. But UBRI captures him. UBRI tricks Kal. They make him believe he should be in charge. Kal then works with Dr. Hellegren. He helps steal the Synchronium pieces. Neri and Mera had hidden these pieces in a secret cave.
New Friends and Challenges
In the third season, many of the kids at ORCA change. New kids and adults join the ORCA staff. The main characters get new reasons to act.
As Neri starts her father's mission, she travels farther from her island. Some episodes in the third season take place on land. By the fourth season, some episodes are even set in Egypt! Her father's quest eventually leads her back to the "Ocean Planet," her home world.
The stories about the other kids at ORCA become less important. This allows more time to explore Neri's home world. Several new characters from Neri's species are introduced. The threat from UBRI also fades. A new group called PRAXIS takes its place. PRAXIS stands for Preventative Response and eXtraterritorial Intelligence Service. They protect Earth from extraterrestrial life. Their agents believe Neri and her people are a danger. They chase Neri and the Bates boys around the world.
A mysterious underwater pyramid is found. Neri and the Bates boys enter it. They learn more about the Ocean Planet. They also learn more about Neri's mission on Earth.
Saving Earth and the Ocean Planet
A rebellion grows on the Ocean Planet. Mera escapes to Earth and finds Neri again. But PRAXIS sees the pyramid as a threat to Earth. Much of the final season is about PRAXIS trying to attack the pyramid. There is also a "Red Virus" spreading in the oceans of Neri's home world.
In the very last episode, Jason, Brett, and Neri stop PRAXIS. They also stop the rebellion. Earth is saved! Neri stays on Earth. She becomes an ambassador for the Ocean Planet. Neri and Jason finally become a couple.
The Bates family, Winston, Neri, Charley the whale, and the ORCA computer H.E.L.E.N. are the only characters who stay for the whole show. H.E.L.E.N. stands for Hydro Electronic Liaison ENtity. Dr. Bates is played by a new actress, Liz Burch, after the second season. H.E.L.E.N. also gets an "upgrade" in the final season.
Characters
Main Characters
- Neri (played by Marzena Godecki): The main character, a mysterious girl from another planet with special water abilities.
- Jason Bates (played by David Hoflin): One of the first humans Neri befriends. He lives at ORCA.
- Brett Bates (played by Jeffrey Walker): Jason's younger brother, also a close friend to Neri.
- Dr. Winston Seth (played by Alex Pinder): A kind scientist at ORCA who helps Neri.
- Dr. Dianne Bates (played by Kerry Armstrong in seasons 1–2, and Liz Burch in seasons 3–4): Jason and Brett's mother, a scientist who studies whales and later protects the ocean.
- Dr. Hellegren (played by Nicholas Bell): The main bad guy from the UBRI Corporation.
- Mera (played by Lauren Hewett): Neri's sister, who she discovers in the second season.
- Kal (played by Jeremy Angerson): Another person from Neri's home planet, found in the third season.
- Cassandra "Cass" Clayborn (played by Brooke "Mikey" Anderson): A new kid at ORCA in later seasons.
- Paul Bates (played by Gregory Ross): Jason and Brett's father, who appears in the fourth season.
- Shersheba (played by Tharini Mudaliar): A new character from Neri's species in the fourth season.
- Ilona (played by Rhona Rees): Another new character from Neri's species in the fourth season.
Many other characters appeared for shorter times. Some kids were replaced because their parents moved away.
Episodes
You can find a full list of all the episodes here:
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Ocean Girl: A New Generation
In 2013, there was talk about a new series called Ocean Girl: A New Generation. We don't know yet how it will be connected to the original show.
Images for kids
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The Ocean Girl logo.
