Discovery Canada is readying a deep dive to explore the ocean’s unfathomable monsters with the investigative special Sea Monsters: The Definitive Guide from Handel Productions and Arrow Media.

Set to premiere tonight (March 28) at 10 p.m. EST/PST, the 60-minute one-off will feature leading experts as they apply the latest in scientific technology and deep-sea submersibles to examine long-held myths while exposing truths surrounding mysterious sea creatures.

Through rare archive footage, first-hand accounts, CGI and dramatic re-enactments, the film will feature stories and close encounters with such real and mythological sea monsters as the giant squid and the Kraken; the Loch Ness monster and the Cadborosaurus, a Canadian sea serpent also known as Caddy; and the prehistoric beasts Megalodon and Livyatan; as well as “globsters,” unidentified organic masses that wash up on shorelines.

Speaking to realscreen via email, Nick Metcalfe – an executive producer at the London-based Arrow Media – said the production underwent several significant scientific experiments to determine whether these creatures have haunted the ocean’s inky depths, including conducting an autopsy on a giant squid in New Zealand “to see if it had the famous armory attributed to the legendary Kraken.”

“We also conducted a very advanced hydrophone test of Loch Ness with super-sensitive microphones that could pick up a seal from 20 miles away, which produced a very interesting result,” Metcalfe explained. “At Loch Ness, we also surveyed witnesses to analyze whether location influences what they thought they saw.”

The film, which is being launched at April’s MIPTV market in Cannes, is also scheduled to air across National Geographic Channel in the U.S. on April 10, and an unannounced broadcaster in the UK.

“These myths and legends are truly fascinating and have remained present in popular culture through the generations,” Metcalfe concluded. “People love to think about these stories and it seems the world would be an emptier place if we definitely ruled them out. People need myths to excite, intrigue and inspire them.”

Handel’s Alan Handel and André Barro serve as executive producers alongside Arrow Media’s Tom Brisley and Metcalfe, and Discovery’s Bruce Glawson.

• Sea Monsters: The Definitive Guide premieres tonight (March 28) at 10 p.m. EST/PST on Discovery Canada.