Yeah I agree it really seemed like a wealth adventure porn but some of the moments he recorded, like when the shark chases left me speechless at the intelligence...problem solving skills in the face of dire consequences...shattered my cynicism a bit.
All of that also made me question the entire narrative of the friendship with the octopus. I'm sure it's possible, but it's also easy to edit things to fit a narrative if you're a documentary film maker. I'm probably just being cynical though...