Filming underway in Port Douglas for teen series ‘Dive Club’
ON SET IN PORT DOUGLAS
Filming is well underway for the Netflix and Network 10 teen mystery drama Dive Club, being shot in Port Douglas.
The cast and crew have been busy shooting at various local locations including the Port Douglas Sugar Wharf and in waters on the Great Barrier Reef.
The 12-episode series will showcase the region to the world when it is released in 2021 to more than 190 countries on Netflix.
Ahead of its Netflix release, Dive Club will also premiere to Australian audiences on Network 10.
This series is the latest project from Brisbane-based production house The Steve Jaggi Company, who also filmed the movie Kidnapped in Port Douglas in September.
Starring Miah Madden (Australia Day, The Unlisted), Georgia-May Davis (Young Talent Time, Disney Backstage Pass), Sana’a Shaik (Reckoning, 2067), Mercy Cornwall (The Queen’s Gambit, The Heights) and newcomer Aubri Ibrag, Dive Club follows the story of 16-year-olds Maddie (Madden), Lauren (Davis), Anna (Ibrag) and Stevie (Shaik).
On the surface they’re regular teenagers navigating life, friendship and romance, but under the water the skilled divers enter a whole new world of adventure.
It’s an idyllic existence that’s suddenly shattered when the fictional coastal town of Cape Mercy is battered by a cyclone and Lauren, the group’s charismatic trailblazer goes missing.
The mystery of her disappearance, the arrival of a new friend, Izzie (Cornwall) and with suspicious holes in the official investigation, the girls are plunged into a desperate search of their own that raises more questions the deeper they dive.
It is expected the cast and crew will spend around 16 weeks in Port Douglas, filling an estimated 80 hotel rooms, as well as utilising the region’s restaurants, shops, and services.
Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich confirmed the production will inject nearly $8 million into the state economy and create more than 110 jobs for local cast and crew, particularly in the Far North Queensland region.
“Dive Club is a 100 per cent Queensland-made production and the third project by The Steve Jaggi Company that Screen Queensland has supported, including This Little Love of Mine, which also filmed in Far North Queensland.
“With its stunning beaches, turquoise waters and unspoilt tropical locations, Port Douglas and its surrounds is the perfect place to film an adventure series like Dive Club, and we wish cast and crew all the best for a safe and happy production run in beautiful Far North Queensland,” Ms Munnich said.
Producer Steve Jaggi said Dive Club is a culmination of a lot of hard work and Imagineering from a talented group of writers and filmmakers.
“Every detail has been meticulously planned – from Cape Mercy’s colourful history through to each costume and prop seen on screen – all with the objective of creating a unique series which will captive audiences around the globe,” he said.
Rounding out the cast is Australian model and digital creator Joshua Heuston making his screen debut, Alexander Grant (Radio Waves), and Joseph Spanti (Coffee Lover).
Behind the camera is a strong collection of talent and experience, with Directors Rhiannon Bannenberg, Hayley MacFarlane and Christine Luby, and Showrunner and Series Creator Steve Jaggi.
The series producer Spencer McLaren said the team has been fortunate to be able to undertake projects during Covid.
“The team has created a safe environment in Port Douglas, and we’re spoilt with the most amazing locations of natural Far North Queensland beauty,” he said.