Historic Donation from the Legacy of Swedish Diving Pioneer Bengt Börjeson | Ocean Archive

URL: https://oceanarchive.net/stories/borjeson-donation

Films, photographs, production materials and historical documentation from some of the earliest Swedish underwater film productions — including the legendary Expedition Red Sea — a

Donations

Films, photographs, production materials and historical documentation from some of the earliest Swedish underwater film productions — including the legendary Expedition Red Sea — arrive at Ocean Archive.

Ocean Archive Team

May 2026

6 min read

Ocean Archive has received a significant donation of films, photographs, production materials and historical documentation related to some of the earliest Swedish underwater film productions, including the legendary Expedition Red Sea. The donation has been made possible through the generosity of Bengt Börjeson's son, renowned underwater cinematographer Eric Börjeson.

The collection represents an important piece of Swedish diving and film history. At its center is material connected to Expedition Red Sea (Expedition Röda Havet), the groundbreaking documentary directed by Bengt Börjeson following an ambitious expedition undertaken by members of the West Coast Diving Club in 1956. The team converted an old cutter, named her Red Sea, and sailed from Sweden through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal to the Red Sea, documenting marine life, shipwrecks and local cultures along the way. The resulting film became one of Sweden's earliest and most influential underwater documentaries.

Original photo albums and envelopes from the Bengt Börjeson collection, including two leather-bound 'Expedition Red Sea' albums.

Photo: Micke Tilja - Ocean Archive

For its time, the production was remarkable. The expedition captured rare underwater footage of sharks, barracudas, manta rays and historic wrecks, creating images that were virtually unprecedented in Swedish cinema. Contemporary accounts describe the film's underwater sequences as unique and technically groundbreaking.

Bengt Börjeson was not only the expedition leader and filmmaker but also one of the pioneers of Swedish sport diving. Historical records show that he helped establish the West Coast Diving Club, one of Sweden's earliest diving organizations, and was among the driving forces behind the famous Red Sea expedition.

An archivist carefully inspects a film reel from the Börjeson collection. Cotton gloves and methodical handling are standard practice for fragile analogue material.

Photo: Micke Tilja - Ocean Archive

The newly donated archive extends far beyond the Red Sea production itself. It includes background material, production-related documentation, photographs and film elements connected to several of Börjeson's underwater projects, providing valuable insight into the development of underwater cinematography during the formative years of recreational diving.

"This donation preserves an important chapter of both Swedish diving history and underwater filmmaking. The material offers a unique window into the pioneering spirit that helped shape modern underwater exploration and documentation."

— Ocean Archive

A 16mm film reel from the Börjeson collection in its original red case, awaiting cataloguing and digitisation.

Photo: Micke Tilja - Ocean Archive

The donation was facilitated by Bengt Börjeson's son, Eric Börjeson, who has continued the family tradition as one of Sweden's most accomplished underwater cinematographers, contributing to numerous international film and television productions.

Eric Börjeson inspects film from his father's collection at the Ocean Archive facility.

Photo: Micke Tilja - Ocean Archive

Ocean Archive will now begin the process of cataloguing, preserving and digitising the collection to ensure that this important cultural and diving heritage remains accessible for future generations of researchers, divers, filmmakers and historians.

Our archivist inspects 16mm film from the Börjeson collection on the editing table.

Photo: Micke Tilja - Ocean Archive

As the archive grows, the Börjeson collection stands as a reminder of a time when underwater exploration was still largely unknown territory, and when a small group of Swedish pioneers set sail for the Red Sea with cameras, diving equipment and a vision to document a world few had ever seen.

Sources: Svenska Filminstitutet; Svensk Dykerihistorisk Förening (SDHF); Oceaneye.