By Noma Faingold
Steve Peletz, 65, underplays his high-risk activities. He’s been scuba diving for more than 40 years. He joins marine biologists on expeditions in remote, exotic waters off the coast of Costa Rica, Columbia, Mexico and the Galápagos Islands. As a volunteer “citizen scientist“ his task is usually to tag different types of sharks so they can be tracked.
In 2019, he took up swimming in the ocean, specifically with a group at China Beach on the West Side of San Francisco. Peletz brought his GoPro camera on virtually all of more than 1,000 swims. He combined his lifelong love of photography and the ocean into his first film, “Lands End,” a nine-minute short getting its world premiere at the Green Film Festival of San Francisco (October 24-30), at the 4-Star Theater. “Lands End” will be screened along with “The Last Dive” on October 26 at 3:30 p.m.
Director Steve Peletz. Photo by Bryan Hanson
For those unable to make the “Lands End” premiere, it will be available with “Last Dive” online from November 1-15 here.
Peletz has lived in the Inner Sunset for more than 33 years with his wife, Kyra Minninger. Their two adult children live in Cole Valley and Austin, Texas, respectively. His wife, who he met in a research diving class at Berkeley, pretty much let go of diving decades ago. “She was afraid we might orphan our children,” he said.
His first love, scuba diving and his latest obsession, filmmaking, are the priorities, as he eases out of his career as owner of a real estate/construction company. Although Peletz earned an undergraduate degree and then an MBA at UC Berkeley decades ago, he is enrolled in his ninth class at City College of San Francisco in the film and broadcast departments. “I call this my life 3.0,” he said.
During Covid, open water swimmers discover China Beach and plunge into the Pacific surf outside the Golden Gate. Swimming West, they face their fears and explore San Francisco’s rocky shoreline, finding marine life, freedom, adventure, and camaraderie.
“Lands End” is a beautifully shot, upbeat film about the group he swims with. “I thought of it as a gift to my friends,” Peletz said. “The way I see this story is we all come to China Beach for different reasons. It’s a diverse crowd. People come from all walks of life but they do share a love for the ocean. The sense of community is remarkable. We watch out for each other.”
In the film, one swimmer talks about feeling free in the ocean. Another describes the sensation of the ocean as “hugging” her. “I do it for the adventure,” Peletz said.
He admits that there are dangers. “The surf, the swell and the wildlife are serious considerations. Drowning and hypothermia are much bigger risks than worrying about sharks. Sometimes you can get into trouble, fighting the current. A swell can send you flying backwards. It’s powerful. It can be like being inside of a washing machine,” Peletz said. “You learn to respect the ocean.”
Peletz also uses more elaborate film gear (Sony A7 mirrrorless and video lights) for scuba diving, when he wears or carries over 70 pounds of equipment. Thirty-mile bike rides on weekends help him stay fit for diving and filmmaking. “I’m hooked on it,” he said. “I love seeing these wild creatures up close. I’ve been in the water with whales, sharks, dolphins and sea lions. There’s no substitute for seeing them with your own eyes.”
He plans to make other shorts, building up to helming a documentary feature about shark science and research expeditions. “It’s got a science and marine conservation story that’s a clear arc. But I also think you need a human story to make it interesting,” Peletz said. “The angle would be the dedication of this small group of marine biologists. It’s a hero’s journey.”
“Lands End” has also been accepted into the Tennessee International Film Festival, November 6-9. The film will be part of the opening night programming. Peletz will attend. “I’ll go see what that’s like,” he said. “I’m still learning but I will try for other festivals next year.”
“Lands End” will be screened, along with “The Last Dive” on October 26 at 3:30 p.m., during the Green Film Festival of San Francisco (October 24-30), at the 4-Star Theater. Director Steve Peletz will be a guest and participate in a post-screening Q&A.
It will also be available online as part of the Green Shorts 1 program streaming through November 15, 2025.
Director Steve Peletz out of the water. Photo by Noma Faingold.
Steve manages DeepBlueMonthly.com which publishes information on scientific diving, marine research, and conservation.
Tickets and Festival schedule.
Some of the films are available to stream at home though it is always more exciting to join and audience for the big screen experience if you live in the bay area. For those unable to attend the “Lands End” premiere, it will be available online as part of the “Last Dive” program from November 1-15 here.
Bryan Hanson swims in front of Arch Rock near San Francisco’s Cliff House at Ocean Beach. Photo by Scott Witthoff.
Steve Peletz photographs underwater life for other projects. We couldn’t resist adding a few.
Adam Dorfman photographing a Giant Pacific Manta at Mexico’s Archipelago de Revillagigedo in 2018 . photo by Steve Peletz
Steve filming a sperm whale in Dominica where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean in February 2025 (under a government permit). Photo by Tatiana Szerwinski.
Nat Geo photographer Filipe DeAndrade with a tiger shark butting into his camera housing in the Bahamas at a dive site known as Tiger Beach. 2019. Photo by Steve Peletz.
Steve adds “There we find tiger sharks, lemons, bulls, Caribbean reef sharks, great hammerheads, nurse sharks and more!”
Noma Faingold is a writer and photographer who lives in Noe Valley. A native San Franciscan who grew up in the Sunset District, Faingold is a frequent contributor to the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon newspapers, among others. She is obsessed with pop culture and the arts, especially film, theater and fashion. Noma has written about artists Tamara de Łempicka, Isaac Julien, and Wayne Thiebaud, numerous independent filmmakers, and singer/songwriters Janis Joplin, Diane Warren and Linda Smith for EatDrinkFilms.
eatdrinkfilms.com 