The Outlaw Ocean

The high seas are beyond the reach of international law – and beyond the beat of most reporters. But Pulitzer-Prize-winner and former New York Times journalist, Ian Urbina, has sailed into uncharted territories. Urbina sets out on a years-long quest to investigate murder at sea, modern slave labour, environmental crimes and quixotic adventurers. Part travelog, part true-crime thriller, this 7-part series takes listeners to places where the laws of the land no longer exist. The Outlaw Ocean is brought to you by CBC Podcasts and the LA Times and produced by The Outlaw Ocean Project.

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Recent Reviews
  • echo dog
    Stick with it - becomes riveting!
    I was excited to listen to this but found the first twenty minutes a little flat. I wasn’t sure that the initial style- largely monologue - would keep my attention. So SO glad I returned to it. The story is shocking. The insights fascinating. The reporting superb. Definitely both important and entertaining.
  • OofiOofster
    A Must Listen
    Everyone needs to hear this flawlessly researched & narrated podcast. The ocean & seas make up so much of this planet, yet how often do we actually think about them?! Absolutely fantastic journalism & best podcast I've listened to in the longest time. This needs to win all the awards!
  • Idiza
    One of the Best Podcasts
    I’ve ever listened to Period.
  • mspassell
    45656677 stars!!!!
    I felt like I was in danger just listening to it.
  • Quickster88
    Very interesting…
    Really made me think. Lost me on the abortion ship episode however. We cant focus on human rights and pretend that unborn children dont count as human beings.
  • Mr. Clever
    Amazing!
    Very well done. Great storytelling and everything is backed up with research and fact. This is an important podcast to listen to. And if you like true crime or the environment, you will love it!
  • A1988te
    Absolutely amazing
    I am stunned. This podcast is incredible.
  • littleporkbao
    So Important and Informative
    This is the best podcast I have listened to in a while. It’s so sad and compelling and raises a lot of awareness and questions regarding what modern day slavery looks like and who it victimizes and how we all play a part in this. Well researched as well. I wish Lang Long the best wishes. Please Keep spreading awareness about this.
  • Kozmo 702
    Fascinating
    Loved this podcast series. I don’t have the typical fascination with the oceans, I don’t go on cruises and I don’t go to beaches so I found this series incredibly informative! I highly recommend people give this a listen. Thanks!
  • AliceeTheActivistt
    Unlike anything else
    The investigative journalism and the stories it tells are unlike anything I’ve ever come across. The host is an amazing, honest, thorough reporter. These are stories that need to be heard!
  • CF1112
    Outstanding!
    Such amazing reporting. Highly recommend!
  • Ptop5
    Phenomenal
    This is a fascinating, factual, and extremely well done production. The best I have ever heard.
  • TylerH3232
    Hands down the best podcast I’ve heard in the last 5 years
    Unbelievable episodes. Very informative and shocking. Would have paid $20 to hear this series.
  • damzz711
    Favorite Podcast
    I can’t wait for another season. As I listened it felt like I was watching a docuseries. I could visualize everything that was being said. So informative and intriguing. I learned so much and was moved by a lot of the episodes. I’ve shared this with all my friends and family. Great investigative work. Thank you.
  • sray1210
    Compelling and informative
    Every episode of this podcast was an education and a different window into the experience of living, surviving and witnessing on the sea. Thank you Mr. Urbina for your commitment and the effort required to get these stories, and thanks to you and the team for the outstanding production and writing that went into this series.
  • shanghaishaman
    Haunting riveting addicting
    Such great reporting, and love the way the footage was put together along with the music and Ian’s commentary. I’ve listened through a few times and feels new and raw each time.
  • Kadence404
    Excellent fascinating journalism
    Deeply appreciate this body of work. Highly recommend this podcast to anyone interested in the topic.
  • Xbound24
    Incredible podcast
    The stories covered in this podcast are incredible and valuable and gripping, a perfect grouping. At no point was I bored; in fact I was mostly on the edge of my seat for all of these. They are information dense but also calming in a way to listen to, despite their subject matter - the host has a calming, reassuring voice. My only complaint for the podcast is that his voice is often much lower than the rest of the audio, so when he was speaking I sometimes had to turn up the volume to hear him.
  • Geumpyhistory
    Excellent subject and coverage
    Great journalism. Follows the story where it leads. The ocean feels like a Wild West, where solutions are complex and good deeds can be unforgiving. Important podcast.
  • loloco65
    Sadly FANTASTIC
    WOW. What an eye opener. Had zero idea about this. Happy to be enlightened but devastated for ALL humans AND ALL sea life. What a brave journalist and podcaster. Not to mention the great humans trying to stop and change this disgusting atrocity
  • Mal2348
    Great!
    So interesting. Wonderful podcast. Everyone should listen.
  • ofwafflesandmen
    Holy Fish Balls! Except not!
    This reporting is absolutely mind blowing. Give this team every award ever known to the journalists. I’m no longer consuming fish not directly fished by either myself or friends nearby. Never. I am so grateful to be genuinely exposed to something I had no idea about & I consider myself a highly (albeit even more so thanks to this podcast) educated person. Listen. Now.
  • johnglassett1984
    Northwest Fisherman
    Wow.. blown away by every episode. Incredible work.. I couldn’t stop listening. Thank you for this and the incredible effort/fortitude it took to bring to life. Looking forward to any new episodes/reporting. Sea ya soon🌊🙏🏼
  • xxxxxtttttfffffeeeeehuguh
    God bless you
    God bless you for investigating this ongoing atrocity and having the courage to report it. Well done.
  • Lu-la-bell
    So good
    Should be required listening for all humans. Heard it was one of the top recommended podcasts of 2022 (by The Atlantic?) and binged in just a couple days. Enjoyed listening with my hubby so we could chat about it together.
  • maldivine
    stand out !
    this is the kind of show I'm always looking for and i wish there were more seasons of it. No chitter chatter or distractions by the hosts. it's clear, sensitive, investigative journalism of a topic that needs public awareness. I love it !
  • FreyrXII
    Good podcast with poor narration & mixing
    The host tends to speak very softly and not enunciate his words, so he’s frequently difficult to understand over the loud background music. The other speakers are louder and easier to hear.
  • Goinpostalonu
    Tried but had to stop
    I gave it 3 episodes but I had to stop during the fourth..the third episode was the most interesting but other than that very boring..hardly talked about the actual subject of this podcast
  • Jason E L.
    Important Listening if Depressing
    An essential and important series that covers the woefully neglected subject of the structural systems that underlie the rampant criminality, violence, and environmental destruction that are wrecking the ocean and thousands of innocent lives while nations do practically nothing.
  • dateeverynight
    Well Done
    Such an interesting podcast! It’s evident that much research went into each episode and the delivery is flowing and appealing. Kudos!
  • J_H_Marie
    A must listen
    This is a podcast anyone who cares about our planet and human rights should listen to. I was impressed by the reporters ability to weave important details into a common themes that left me thinking in a whole new way about our oceans and what we eat.
  • Leesaaaaaaaaaaaa
    A must listen
    As a mariner this podcast hits home but would be interesting to anyone that lives on planet earth. Thought provoking and relatable. I hope there is more someday. I cried, I smiled, I had hope and fear throughout the series.
  • RFM VT
    Unbelievably good. Deep storytelling.
    I couldn’t stop listening and felt enthralled by the threading of people’s stories and facts. The complexity of the politics, policy and corruption is well done. And I’m awestruck of how invisible today’s slave trade is, especially at sea.
  • MSfromKY
    The Outlaw Ocean
    Very interesting and often shocking, but the stories unfold quite slowly. The narrator adds unnecessary details which are distracting. Maybe he’ll get more succinct as he gets more practice.
  • Jwunsch
    Awesome podcast!
    This is not something that I would typically listen to… but am so glad that I did! What a thoughtful, smart and interesting podcast! Great work.
  • walking the dog listening t
    Best podcast I have stumbled upon
    Otherworldly! Love the story flow and the sound .
  • theblackmariah
    The best podcast I’ve ever listened to
    Eye-opening. Heartbreaking. Beautiful story-telling.
  • Projekt_Isotope
    The gold standard is exactly here.
    This is the most profound podcast I’ve ever heard. Bar none. The effort and danger and stories on display are unparalleled.
  • jeffnanna
    Eye Opening!
    Thank you for educating me about the events that happen in our ocean waters.
  • BSZ26
    Eye-opening
    Engaging, impactful, and honest. Thank you for putting this series together and making the information accessible to all of us
  • rickdoss
    Very boring
    I couldn’t make it through the first episode.
  • Bschora
    Excellent
    Didn’t want it to end. There’s so much going on out there that no one knows about. Having this world illuminated was incredible.
  • RaeOn1999
    Master class
    Thank you so much for this wonderful series marvelous reporting everyone should hear this, but you know that. I’m a fan!
  • caikahu
    Ocean lover loves this podcast!
    Omgosh this is a terrific podcast. Learning about things I just had a little info about is fantastic and sometimes frustrating. The topics that are discussed are so interesting. I can’t wait for the next season!
  • Neil_Trader
    Interesting start, but then makes the preachy turn
    I really liked this podcast in the beginning. I think the narration is excellent, as well storytelling. However after a few episodes the focus started to shift from the terrible abuses endured by those forced into labor and perhaps pursuing some type of justice for those incidents, into typical the well known gospel of pollution and climate change.
  • Breebit
    Great, captivating
    But dude, they are called “interpreters”, not “translators”. Translation is for written text, interpretation is for spoken/signed utterances.
  • TNizzle777
    WHAT A GREAT PODCAST
    The way that this podcast tells the stories of what we as normal non sea going folk will never understand is incredible. The stories, the lives, the horror of what happens in international waters is absolutely mind blowing. This is WAY worth a listen people. We need more of this.
  • Miz Luv
    Exceptional.
    So good. One of the best investigative journalism podcasts in quite a long while. Fascinating reporting of important issues. Relevant. Compelling. Moving. I can’t think of anybody who shouldn’t be interested in the subject matter. This is old-school, boots on the ground journalism. I wish all podcasts were produced with this much evident integrity and professional competence.
  • GCR64
    Great stuff
    Will make u think. Wish episode 6 spent less time repeating over and over the impact of plastics and more on suggesting reasonable ways we can do something different.
  • greyacat
    Excellent content, poor sound
    Just finished the first episode in the car. Very interesting story. I wish the sound was better. Voice is very quiet and monotone and hard to hear. Not good while driving
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