Bonnie Hancock’s Diamond of the Sea ushers in world premiere

The battles of Bonnie Hancock - including crocodiles and other scary scenarios during her world record breaking paddle - has its world premiere this week. SEE WHAT SHE SAID

Athlete Bonnie Hancock broke world records when she circumnavigated Australia on a surf ski. It took the former ironwoman eight months to paddle the 12,700 journey where she encountered some of the most dangerous seas in the world.

Now the 34-year-old is strapping in to bring her gruelling story to a global audience with the world premiere of her feature length documentary – Diamond of the Sea – at the Gold Coast’s HOTA on Friday.

“I wasn’t sure if we were going to make a documentary – but we got to the end and just the stories and experiences that happened – I thought we’ve got to do something with this,” she said.

Former Gold Coast ironwoman Bonnie Hancock. Photo: Supplied

Ms Hancock said while she faced terrifying scenes like crocodiles in the Northern Territory, the most challenging situations weren’t always tangible.

“I knew if one of them was to attack me I would have no chance,” she said.

“My tactic was to keep my speed up, never be idle too long and put the complete trust in my crew – but it was the loneliness, the isolation and the anxiety I went through in actually getting this done that was most challenging.”

Asked what spurred her to take it on, Ms Hancock said she wasn’t sure if it was a sense of adventure she was craving. But the most valuable thing was everything she learnt along the way.

“This film is so raw and real – all of it is authentic and we could not have made up what was happening. This was one of a kind,” she said.

Diamond of the Sea filmmaker Jack Lawrence and Bonnie Hancock. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“People are going to be surprised and ride an emotional rollercoaster with me when they see it – we could capture footage from a perspective that’s never been seen before.”

Diamond of the Sea debuts on Friday at the Gold Coast Film Festival.

Tickets are available via www.gcff.com.au