NARRATOR: They cover two-thirds of our planet.
They hold clues to the mysteries of our past.
And they're vital for our future survival.
But the secrets of our oceans have remained largely undiscovered.
PAUL ROSE: I am with a six gill shark.
Yes! Yes!
NARRATOR: Explorer Paul Rose is leading a team of ocean experts
on a series of underwater science expeditions.
For a year the team has voyaged across the world
to build up a global picture of our seas.
PHILIPPE COUSTEAU: We are doing some pretty un-charted research here.
LUCY BLUE: This is psychedelically purple!
PAUL: We're here to try and understand
the earth's Oceans and put them in a human scale.
NARRATOR: our oceans are changing faster than ever.
LUCY: I've never seen ice like this before.
NARRATOR: There's never been a better time
to explore the last true wilderness on earth.
It's that way. Something quite big.
LUCY: Who! PAUL: Yes, look.
Yes. It's a whale here.
NARRATOR: The team is exploring a unique corner of the Pacific ocean,
the Sea of Cortez.
TOONI MAHTO: Oh, my goodness.
PAUL: This is so beautiful, isn't it?
TOONI: I think that those are fin whales.
And this is the first day, the first day at sea in the Sea Of Cortez.
-It feels good, doesn’t it? -It certainly flipping does.
NARRATOR: The Sea of Cortez is a rich, fertile gulf
separating the peninsula of Baja, California, from mainland Mexico.
This sea is an exceptional marine environment,
home to the greatest variety of whales and dolphins
found anywhere in the world.
But today, this ocean paradise is under threat.
In the last 50 to 100 years,
humans have had a growing impact On the systems
that make the sea so interesting,
the health Of sea lions, sharks and sperm whales,
you know, all these big animals
that are found here in this little, young sea.
NARRATOR: Fishing, tourism and industry have triggered complex changes here
and it's these that the team has come to investigate.
This is definitely On the edge.
NARRATOR: Environmentalist Philippe Cousteau
will examine the shifting balance of this delicate eco-system.
PHILIPPE: Whoa, look at that!
If you see an explosion Of squid,
that is at the cost to some Other species.
NARRATOR: Maritime archaeologist Dr Lucy Blue
discovers how local people have found a way to protect our seas.
They are very aware that the seas Only have a limited resource.
They have to be farmed in a way that is sustainable.
Five sperm whales down there.
NARRATOR: Marine biologist and oceanographer Toni Math
explores how life is responding,
in a rare encounter with one of the largest carnivores on earth.
TOONI: I got sonar boomed.
I felt that boom going right through my body.
The Sea Of Cortez is a sea under change,
and we are going to witness those changes
and I think that's a fantastic mission for a diving expedition.
NARRATOR: This will be a voyage of discovery into a sea of change.
Expedition leader Paul Rose will head up their first mission,
the search for an ocean predator that once dominated this sea.
PAUL: Hammerhead sharks.
As soon as we put together a Sea Of Cortez diving expedition,
hammerhead sharks was the Only image that came to mind.
PHILIPPE: Is this the...
PAUL: Yeah. PHILIPPE: This is the hammerhead video?
This is filmed right here, right underneath us.
NARRATOR: These pictures were taken 16 years ago
in a spot directly beneath the expedition boat.
-That was here! -Yeah, right here.
Right here, that's spectacular.
And the... The research...
NARRATOR: Across the world, sharks are in decline.
Tens of millions are caught each year.
The team has come here to see how that's effecting
this once-thriving hammerhead population.
That's a fantastic shot.
PHILIPPE: That's a great shot, good lord.
There's no real evaluation Of how many there are left
and what their habits are and how they're changing,
and the scientists need more information,
and the way we can do that is get sightings, study their behaviour
and that all contributes. It's all gold dust.
NARRATOR: Hammerhead sharks are easily spooked
so Paul is using special kit that doesn't produce bubbles.
Re-breathers allow you to stay underwater much longer,
but you need to be an experienced diver to use them safely.
There's a few different ways to kill yourself with these
and they're all instant.
You don’t seem... There don’t seem to be near-misses with them.
If you haven't set something up right, it's going to kill you.
Serious business.
NARRATOR: This is the El Baja seamount, an extinct volcano.
It was once one of the best places in the world to see hammerhead sharks.
Now this looks like hammerhead territory.
These are Cortez stingrays, which hammerheads eat
and these are barber fish that clean parasites Off their skin,
so we're definitely in the right place.
NARRATOR: Hammerheads are vital to the health of the ocean.
They weed out the sick and injured and help keep marine life in balance.
But they've been heavily fished,
so Paul doesn't know how many he'll find.
Our plan is to sit here still and quiet
and hopefully the hammerheads will come by.
RADIO OPERATOR: Paul, surface. Paul, surface.
NARRATOR: Unknown to Paul, he's gone silent for another reason.
The boat has Just lost radio contact.
RADIO OPERATOR: Paul, surface. Paul, surface.
NARRATOR: With Paul 40 metres underwater,
this could be a serious situation.
Obviously we've seen the kind Of equipment that he's working with.
If there is a problem, we've got no way Of knowing.
Paul, surface. Paul, surface.
For the time being we don’t actually know where he is Or what he's doing,
which is not great.
NARRATOR: Richard Bull is in charge of dive safety.
It makes me very, very nervous, it really does.
Still if I can relax at all during a dive
it's when I can hear them talking
and they're calm and I haven't got any Of that now.
Paul, surface. Try PTT. PTT. Paul, surface.
PAUL: Yeah, yeah! A sea lion!
(WHOOPS)
PAUL: He's beautiful!
(LAUGHING)
That's a nice surprise.
(LAUGHING)
TOONI: Oh, Oh, laughter.
(PAUL LAUGHING)
Well, something’s very good.
(LAUGHING)
I thought it was a shark.
The Rose chuckle, we like that.
NARRATOR: Paul's now been diving for hours
but still no sign of sharks.
PAUL: This nutrient-rich current should help bring in the hammerheads
but where the heck are they?
-And? -It was an exciting dive,
but no hammerheads.
Not a single One?
Sadly, no.
I really felt that we would find them.
It felt like hammerhead territory, it was all there.
But no hammerheads.
NARRATOR: Paul dives the seamount again and again
but still no sightings.
Just 20 years ago this was a hammerhead hotspot.
It's becoming clear
this shark population is in severe decline.
Three days Of expedition time and, you know, didn't get a sniff Of One.
NO hammerhead.
I'm worried because there used to be
hundreds Of them On the seamount like this
and now we'd be very lucky to find One Or two.
There is a sense in me that says, well, maybe there's none here.
NARRATOR: In the Sea of Cortez
thousands of hammerhead sharks are caught each year,
mostly to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup in the Far East
and there's further evidence of how destructive this trade can be,
as Dr Lucy Blue has discovered.
LUCY: One Of the boat crew found this skull On a beach
On One Of the islands here
and as you can see, this is the hammerhead Of the shark
and it's actually quite a small One.
It just shows that, you know, they're not fussy about what size,
they'll take them small Or big, juvenile Or adult.
Once they've chopped Off all the fins, which is effectively what they're after,
they discard the rest Of it.
The fins can reach something in the region Of like $100 for One kilo
so you’re talking big business, really.
And this is happening On a large scale, so, yeah...
NARRATOR: In this sea hammerhead numbers have been dramatically reduced.
Some estimates suggest only 10% are left.
It's the demand for shark fin soup.
You know, it's barely credible, I think,
you know, for someone from England, you think, well, shark fin soup?
But that's what's happened.
I mean, shark fin soup’s supposed to have some fantastic properties
but it's not worth decimating a whole species for, is it?
NARRATOR: The decline in the number of sharks
is shifting the balance of life in the sea.
Later in the expedition the team will explore
the surprising consequences which that's having here.
Did you see that?
NARRATOR: Next morning this corner of the Pacific ocean
offers the expedition a welcome lift.
PHILIPPE: There's a whole pod Of them.
TOONI: Look at them go. PHILIPPE: SO fast.
TOONI: I think we're seeing a pod Of common dolphins
-but there's quite a lot Of them. -There are.
But they seem very small so I don’t know...
It looks like they're young teenagers who are Out for a laugh.
PHILIPPE: Showing Off.
NARRATOR: More than 30 species of whales and dolphins are found here.
The loss of sharks has reduced competition for food
so dolphins are actually doing well.
It shows how the balance of life
is more complex and surprising than it first appears.
TOONI: Man, they're so lovely.
NARRATOR: For the next dive, environmentalist Philippe Cousteau,
grandson of explorer Jacques Cousteau,
hopes to investigate another part of the puzzle.
We're headed Off to Loss Islets to go diving with sea lions,
which I have to say is One Of my favourite things to do in the world.
NARRATOR: Large breeding colonies of California sea lions are found here
but as commercial fishing increases in this sea
it's starting to affect them.
PHILIPPE: Now there's been a lot Of Over fishing
Of their traditional food, like sardines, in the Sea Of Cortez
so a lot Of the sea lions are suffering because Of that.
NARRATOR: The animals of Los Islets are a mysterious exception.
Somehow these animals are thriving.
Marine biologist Toni Math will be helping to unearth their secret.
The first aim is to check out how healthy this colony is.
He came close!
(WHOOPS)
Like speeding bullets.
Their manoeuvrability underwater kind Of puts us to shame, I feel.
That One Over there is a bit Of a big boy.
I think he's One Of the males.
Oh, and he's certainly coming round to check me Out.
PHILIPPE: Yeah, that is a big male, that's for sure.
He's awesome.
You can see that huge, bony crust On their head.
They use that to reverberate sound so that everybody can hear them
and let them know that they are in the territory and they're in charge.
NARRATOR: Blowing bubbles is a way of saying, "Keep your distance. "
TOONI: Hello.
This looks like the nursery area to me, with all the juveniles.
SO apparently, the pups here is this particular population
spend an awful lot longer with their mothers
than pups Of the same species in different areas.
SO they go and fish with their mothers, so they learn that behaviour.
NARRATOR: The number of pups in the water
is a sign this colony is doing well,
as it means the females are healthy enough to breed regularly.
PHILIPPE: There were about 30 pups a year in the early '90s
and now there are more than 100 a year.
That is a real success story, which is good news.
NARRATOR: But with many fish stocks declining,
the mystery is why this colony's doing so well.
Something else must be going on.
They look so... They look so incongruous On land, don’t they?
And then as soon as he's in the water, he's absolutely perfectly streamlined.
Amazing. Master Of his environment.
NARRATOR: Gathering sea lions' droppings, or scats,
might give Toni clues about their diet.
Sea lion poor number two.
Essentially I'm doing the scientific equivalent Of panning for gold.
I'm looking at the sea lion poor
and what we're looking for are the fish Eoliths,
which are the ear bones Of fish, and from the Eoliths we can identify
what the sea lions have actually been eating.
Oh, there's One.
Gold! I have gold!
NARRATOR: These ear bones could reveal the answer.
And it seems Toni really has struck gold.
TOONI: What we've found here is the fish Utility from a deep water sea bass
that lives pretty much between 75 and 265 metres,
so that instantly shows that this population has,
at some stage, adapted to fishing at much deeper depth.
NARRATOR: California sea lions normally hunt at depths of around 70 metres,
catching fish such as sardines.
But the ear bones Toni’s found prove the animals at Los Islets
have been able to change their hunting patterns.
And that is the reason why that population seems to be doing so well.
NARRATOR: Because of this crucial adaptation,
the Los Islets sea lions no longer have to compete with fishermen
and they're flourishing.
PHILIPPE: The fact that this particular colony has been able to adapt
to the threats and challenges that are facing it and thrive is a great story.
Hopefully, if this colony can exhibit this kind of behaviour,
then others can follow suit
and there might be a bright future for the California sea lion.
NARRATOR: Although life is changing fast here,
change itself is nothing new to our seas and oceans.
In fact, their size and shape are constantly shifting.
oceanographer Toni has brought the team west to the Bay of Conception
because here you can actually see that process in action.
Beneath these calm waters is a giant fracture in the earth's crust.
It's part of the infamous San Andreas fault line
and it created this sea.
The Sea Of Cortez is quite young in geological terms.
The peninsula split away from the main coastline Of Mexico
about five million years ago, so it basically started tearing apart
and the great thing I like so much is the fact that it's still moving.
The whole Of the Baja peninsula is moving pretty much west
at a rate Of five centimetres a year.
NARRATOR: This bay offers Toni the chance to look for evidence
that this sea is getting bigger.
And Paul's hoping she'll cook a snack in the process.
Luis, could we have six eggs, heaves, would that be Okay?
Good man, good man, thanks very much, thank you.
Don’t forget these, yeah.
Mind your head! Good luck, happy cooking.
Thank you.
NARRATOR: Toni and Lucy are swimming over part of the San Andreas fault line.
As the earth's crust is being ripped apart beneath them,
heat and gas from the centre of the planet
are escaping through cracks called hydrothermal vents.
TOONI: Oh, look, look at all these bubbles coming through.
LUCY: Oh, God, yeah.
NARRATOR: It's rare to see a hydrothermal vent
in five metres of water.
They're normally found deep beneath the surface.
TOONI: Oh, look, you can see the heat shimmer.
This is the shimmering water
where the hot water is coming Out Of the ground
and mixing with the colder seawater around it
and that is the evidence Of all the hydrothermal activity,
accompanied by all the bubbles.
Oh, that's... That's hot! That's really hot.
It's actually burning my fingers.
NARRATOR: This hot water is over 90 degrees centigrade.
It once trickled down through cracks in the earth's crust
towards the furnace of the inner earth.
There it was super-heated and forced out into the Sea of Cortez.
Right. SO we've brought Our eggs with us,
and we're going to bury them here 'cause it's really, really warm here,
and then we're going to take them back On board for lunch.
We're cooking in the sea floor. It's not right.
NARRATOR: Hot, mineral-rich water like this
is only found in places where fault lines are tearing the earth apart.
It proves that directly below the team the earth's crust is slowly moving
and this sea is steadily growing.
Seas and oceans are thought of as immovable features of our planet.
This dive has shown they're anything but.
It's quite amazing to think that this action
Of the tearing apart Of these two landmasses is a continuum
and it's been going On like that for Over five million years.
NARRATOR: But although this process created the Sea of Cortez,
it will also destroy it.
As Baja, California, continues to move northwest,
it will eventually break away from the mainland to become a giant island.
Then the Sea of Cortez will disappear forever,
engulfed by the rest of the Pacific ocean.
Hey, hey! I know what you’re holding behind you.
You can't fool me. Boiled eggs. Hard-boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs?
You know what I'm struggling with is soldiers.
I don’t know what Spanish is for soldiers.
PAUL: They look... That looks perfect. PHILIPPE: It does look good.
A hard-boiled egg.
That's a perfect, perfect hydrothermal vent-boiled egg.
I'm going to... Is it Okay to eat?
Of course it's all right to eat. It's blooming great.
You could do it like an Oyster, couldn’t you?
TOONI: What? In One?
(GROANS IN DISGUST)
That's absolutely brilliant.
TOONI: Did you just down an egg in One?
It's absolutely brilliant. Well, I thought it was worth a go.
You’re disgusting!
Sea Of Cortez, eating eggs cooked by Lucy and Toni On a hydrothermal vent.
PHILIPPE: Awesome! PAUL: Oh, cheers, mate.
NARRATOR: At the start of the expedition,
the team saw how hammerhead sharks were being decimated.
Now they plan to investigate a surprising knock-on effect.
The invasion of another fearsome predator.
They are ugly creatures.
NARRATOR: A few decades ago, there were no Humboldt squid in the Sea of Cortez.
Now there could be over 20 million.
TOONI: They've taken Over in a really short space Of time
and that's to do with the amount Of fishing
that's gone On in this particular sea.
SO they've taken Out the top predators
and now the Humboldt squid have basically
filled in the giant empty space.
NARRATOR: Growing to over two metres long,
these are ferocious, cannibalistic hunters.
PAUL: Look at the beak. That is so strong.
-You see it Overlaps? -Yeah.
If you imagine that... That is kind Of hooked Over
so if your finger's in there, it's gone.
PHILIPPE: Yeah, and look at the eye.
TOONI: Ouch, that's too eerie.
NARRATOR: Humboldt squid are thought to have excellent vision
and are armed with over 30,000 barbed hooks inside their suckers.
PHILIPPE: You can feel them. They are properly sharp, these hooks.
NARRATOR: The team wants to find out
what impact the squid invasion is having.
-Honestly, that is nasty. -TOONI: True.
NARRATOR: And that means seeing them hunt.
Humboldt’s live in the depths of the ocean.
Local fishermen say catching one tempts others up from the deep.
We've got a squid here.
(ALL CHATTERING)
We've got squid in the area!
We've been fishing about two hours and we've run into a huge pile Of squid
and what's really interesting is that every single time we put a hook down,
it brings up a squid that's got marks and rips and bites all Over it.
A number Of the Ones that we pulled up have actually been eaten
so this is demonstrating the sort Of cannibalistic habits Of the squid,
which is really quite unnerving.
You know, watch your mate get caught On a line
and then eat him On the way up.
NARRATOR: To see how they hunt there's only one option, to dive in.
I don’t particularly want to get in there
with a whole load Of arms and suckers and teeth.
NARRATOR: Dive safety supervisor Richard Bull is also worried.
BULL: Yeah, I agree.
There are some very serious reports Of people getting grabbed by them,
divers getting grabbed by them.
One grabs them, another One grabs them, then another One grabs them
and if you don’t react quickly, then you are On your way down to the deep.
This is to keep us safe.
In case something goes wrong, the rest Of the crew can grab...
There'll be a line tied to this and they can grab us and bring us up.
NARRATOR: It's now past midnight
and the weather has started to deteriorate.
The waves are coming in strong.
It's really rough. The wind is picking up.
This is definitely On the edge.
BULL: If you’re not in five minutes, it's Off.
We've got to watch...
BULL: Cur, look at that current.
-GO. -Okay.
TOONI: Flipping heck!
PHILIPPE: That was a very rough entry in the water.
Whoa! Look at that.
TOONI: I can see squid. They're right here.
Look. There are loads Of them.
PHILIPPE: Look, there's One.
Oh, my goodness!
We can see the squid, which are kind Of racing and pulsing Out Of the darkness.
NARRATOR: As they come closer,
the squid seem to be doing something peculiar.
PHILIPPE: There are several Of them flashing their colours
and we can see these ghostly light shadows that are flashing red.
You see the colour Of him? That red, red flash.
NARRATOR: These flashes may be a form of language
that could possibly help groups of squid to communicate as they hunt.
PHILIPPE: They are definitely attracted to the lures.
TOONI: Oh! PHILIPPE: Yeah, there it is.
TOONI: God, they move quick.
NARRATOR: The squid have started to attack the team's bait in a pack.
PHILIPPE: There's, like, 10 Or 20 Out here.
TOONI: Invertebrates don’t normally hunt together like this.
But Humboldt squid are intelligent.
By flashing, they might be Organising themselves into a hunting pack.
NARRATOR: And that's helping them to devastate local fish stocks,
eating an estimated 10,000 tons a night.
Underwater, Toni and Philippe are unaware
of how windy it's become on the surface.
It's kicking up. It's getting pretty rough...
It's definitely deteriorating, Paul.
I'm thinking we're On the edge, it's my job to say no.
Agreed.
We've put Our men at the edge Of Our capability
and the seas have picked up
and the weather is Obviously getting worse,
so time to bring them back.
NARRATOR: The rough seas will now make for a dangerous exit from the water.
(ALL TALKING EXCITEDLY)
PAUL: Get him Over to that ladder quickly.
-Well done, mate. -TOO rough really, wasn't it?
(PANTING) It was One heck Of a dive, that's for sure.
TOONI: Oh, man.
-Are you all right, mate? -I'm popped.
What time is it?
3:10.
SO we've been squid digging since 8:00, 8:00 this evening.
(EXCLAIMS)
NARRATOR: The success of the Humboldt squid
is having a radical effect on this ecosystem.
PHILIPPE: If you're seeing an explosion of squid,
that is at the cost to some other species.
They'll eat their way down the food chain
till there's nothing left down there.
NARRATOR: And this problem isn't Just affecting the Sea of Cortez.
Many invertebrates, like squid, are booming throughout our oceans.
The expedition has witnessed one of the great changes
affecting life in our oceans today.
After the late night, Paul gives the team some time off.
It's a very good part Of the expedition,
right in the middle Of it, and in the thick Of it.
TOONI: I'm loving this sea.
Just looks like it holds those hidden jewels
that essentially we are all here to try and find.
PHILIPPE: Now I have this real sense Of Ownership
and it saddens me to think that anything at all
is being done to harm this special, beautiful place.
NARRATOR: The team has already seen
some of the surprising effects of man's impact here,
but there's more to explore in this remarkable sea.
There's still a lot Of challenges ahead.
We've got sperm whales coming up yet.
All these great things we've still got to do
in the northern part Of the Sea Of Cortez.
NARRATOR: For maritime archaeologist Dr Lucy Blue,
oceans aren't Just about the creatures living within them.
For me, it's the connection between the people in the past,
their relationship with the sea
and what that can tell us about people living today.
NARRATOR: Lucy's been researching a shipwreck
that tells a tragic story of man's relationship with the ocean.
It's a boat that was smuggling migrant workers
with the aim Of trying to get into the Unites States Of America.
It is a bit like an investigation into, you know, the lives Of these people
as they took this treacherous journey across the sea.
Was this a transport ship Or what?
Yes, exactly, a transportation Of people.
And there will be clues left within the shell Of that boat
to give us an indication Of what life On board was like.
LUCY: You can just see it emerging Out Of the bottom Of the sea.
This is the wreck Of the Fang Ming, sort Of eerie as you swim around
these abandoned pieces Of decking and rotting ropes.
The Fang Ming was formerly a working vessel in China,
possibly a fishing vessel,
and then she subsequently crossed the Pacific
carrying this cargo Of Chinese migrant workers.
NARRATOR: Lucy wants to find out
where the Chinese workers were kept during the crossing.
LUCY: Wow! You first.
It's like walking into a deserted building.
It feels a little bit like a slavery ship Or a prison.
NARRATOR: This was meant to carry boxes of fish.
Instead, in this tiny, dark space,
88 men and seven women were kept for weeks at sea.
Imagine what it would have been like all crammed in here.
It must have been quite horrific.
Apparently, there were actually people employed On the boat to control them,
to keep them crammed in these confined quarters.
NARRATOR: The Chinese workers were just hours from their destination
when the Fang Ming was seized by the authorities.
Everyone on board was sent back to China.
In 1999 the Fang Ming was sunk,
to become the first artificial reef in Latin America.
LUCY: All these Old pipes and walls
have just been colonised by marine life, so it's just completely taken it Over.
NARRATOR: But for Lucy, the Fang Ming
will always be a reminder of a deeper human story.
LUCY: You start to think about, you know,
they had reasons to put their lives at risk in that way,
to endure that experience and it's sort Of representative
Of migrant workers, illegal immigrants, you know.
The sea is providing an access for people to move around the globe,
for reasons that we wouldn’t have necessarily seen in the past.
NARRATOR: For anyone navigating these waters,
the weather can be dangerously unpredictable.
The expedition arrived just after a hurricane
and now the weather's threatening again.
TOONI: Whoa! LUCY: Hey!
That's a bit Of a bolt.
Yes, first time we've seen this weather, isn't it?
LUCY: Absolutely.
Does that mean the hurricane's coming back?
PAUL: I checked with the captain a couple Of hours ago
and he said the weather's going to be all right.
The wind's going to pick up, but no hurricane, he said.
What about the thunder and lightning,
where does that fit into the whole equation?
PAUL: He didn't mention it, he just talked about wind.
(ALL LAUGHING)
LUCY: There's going to be no wind
but we're going to be struck down by lightning.
Yeah. I don’t know, I'd better check again. Yeah, amazing.
LUCY: I didn't think it rained here... Oh, my goodness.
It's funny, I was just thinking about, you know, a passage making brief,
you know, get Ourselves Organised for the big crossing.
I'd better incorporate some severe weather briefing, I think.
NARRATOR: Paul was hoping to move north
but because of the weather the team is stuck here.
PAUL: We really are, you know, squeaking
every possible thing into this expedition.
We don’t really need too much bad weather, that's for sure.
SO we're going to anchor for probably at least five hours
and then, say, at 3:00 Or 4:00 in the morning, make way again.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(RAIN PELTING)
NARRATOR: once the storm has blown through, they set sail again.
The team is heading north to meet one of the most isolated tribes in Mexico.
They're known as guardians of this sea and Lucy's keen to find out why.
This is the area where the Seri Indians live
so they're basically indigenous people who live here and fish the seas
and so it's that sort Of symbiotic relationship
between what's happening around the edges Of the Ocean
and the people that live there and how they, sort Of,
work with the Oceans and fish the seas, etcetera.
NARRATOR: Just over 450 Series exist today.
Lucy's been invited to see their approach to managing this sea.
PAUL: That must be Chap then, yeah?
Chap, hello, Chap? My name is Paul.
-Lucy. -Lucy.
Chap, thank you so much for your help.
NARRATOR: Eighty-three-year-old Chap Barnett
is the village shaman or Holy Man.
He still fishes with his son Raymond.
Okay, thank you.
NARRATOR: They work in a notorious area called Hell's Channel,
so Chap asks the sea gods for a safe passage.
(CHANTING)
(NOISEMAKER RATTLING)
Chap and Raymond are going to collect scallops.
Lucy wants to see how they go about it.
LUCY: He's basically walking along the seabed with the bag between his legs
and it looks like he is gathering them in the way that you might harvest crops.
Quite a nice comparison,
harvesting Of the land and harvesting Of the sea.
NARRATOR: In Just a few minutes, Raymond has almost filled his bag,
but the Series are careful to manage the stocks.
Well, I spoke to Raymond.
He implied that they basically do crop rotation.
If they feel that they're Over harvesting One area,
they move to another area and maybe fish Octopus,
so the principle is sustainable.
NARRATOR: This approach clearly works.
In Hell's Channel, the scallop beds are productive and healthy year after year,
a stark contrast to the rest of the Sea of Cortez,
where shellfish production is collapsing.
-CHAPO: For you. -Oh, thank you, sir.
Thank you.
-Mom, that is delicious. -CHAPO: Yeah.
I'm never going to cook a scallop again, that is absolutely gorgeous.
Oh, yeah, no kidding. May been, thank you.
Thank you.
NARRATOR: The Seri Indians demonstrate a technique
that balances the needs of people with the health of the sea.
PAUL: Okay, anchor?
LUCY: They are living in a modern world.
They have to compete with large commercial fishing Operations
and yet they're also very aware that the seas Only have a limited resource.
They have to be farmed in a way that is sustainable.
NARRATOR: For the last target of the expedition,
the team aims to carry out pioneering research
on one of the planet's largest carnivores.
I've asked a couple Of sperm whale scientists
who work specifically within the Sea Of Cortez
to come and join us for a few days On board.
PAUL: How are you?
NARRATOR: Dr Karin Acevedo-Whitehouse and Dr Diane Gadroon
are experts on whales.
Welcome, thanks for joining Our expedition.
NARRATOR: With the scientists on board,
the team prepares for the challenge ahead.
PAUL: I'll show you around.
Sperm whales, that's all we care about.
We can't even speak Or think Or do anything clearly
because we're full Of sperm whales.
TOONI: There are certain experiences that could stay with you
for the rest Of your life
and I think if we do manage to snorkel with the sperm whales
I don’t think I'd ever, ever forget that. Ever.
NARRATOR: Next morning, the search begins.
Relatively little is known about sperm whales.
They live far off shore and are hard to find.
Locating them is the first task.
SO Our plan is to go about another hour northeast
and begin Our search pattern and see what we can find.
NARRATOR: Sperm whales dive for up to 40 minutes at a time.
Diane and Philippe are using a directional microphone
to try to track them underwater.
Anything within this spectrum Of the cone, it's going to pick up.
Anything Outside, like here, like my voice,
which is quite loud right next to it, it doesn’t pick up. It's pretty cool.
Let's see what we can hear.
NARRATOR: Sperm whales are amongst the loudest animals in the world.
Their clicks reach 220 decibels, louder than a shotgun blast,
so they can be heard for many miles under water.
SO you can hear the sperm whales clicking.
As soon as I turn it Off Of where the sperm whales are,
the sounds, the clicks go away.
DIANE GENDRON: SO that way, we know where to go, right?
KARINA ACEVEDO-WHITEHOUSE: Yeah, they are this way.
PAUL: Rogers, that's all copied.
SO do you have an estimate On numbers in the group, Over?
ROGER: Got a pretty broad sweep all along the port side.
It seems like there would be more than one group.
That's great news.
Whales, we've actually come right Onto a really large group,
so we're timing this pretty perfectly.
A very exciting time.
NARRATOR: Lucy catches the first glimpse.
Oh, is it going to turn? It's going, it's going, it's going.
(LUCY EXCLAIMS HAPPILY)
PAUL: Here we go, look.
(PAUL WHOOPS)
Did you see that? I hope these guys saw it as well. A fluke.
A big fluke!
You couldn’t book him, could you?
NARRATOR: This is the team's chance to take a closer look.
Learning more about sperm whales is important
because they're a vital part of the ocean's food chain,
particularly here in the Sea of Cortez where their main diet is Humboldt squid.
We've decided to pop in the Pang and kind Of get a bit closer
and see how they respond to us being around them
and maybe getting in the water with them.
And we've got some dolphin escorts here
that are swimming right around the Pang, right next to us.
You could almost reach Out and touch them.
NARRATOR: Then the moment Toni’s been waiting for.
TOONI: Oh, my goodness, look at these.
NARRATOR: The whales rise up to breathe.
Part Of the challenge in studying these animals
is that you really Only get the briefest glimpse Of their lifecycle
by witnessing them Only On the surface,
so the Opportunity to try and get underwater
and film them is very important.
NARRATOR: But that's not going to be easy.
TOONI: NO, he's diving.
PHILIPPE: NO, he's diving.
(TOONI LAUGHING)
Gone.
Seeing as it's the deepest diving mammal On Our planet,
we could be here for some time.
NARRATOR: Sperm whales can dive to over 2,000 metres
so until they re-surface, studying them underwater will be out of the question.
Right, we do Our absolute utmost to get to swim with sperm whales
and as soon as they see us, they're just like, "You know what?
"I'm not interested today,"
and that's it, with One flick Of the tail...
Gone.
NARRATOR: Lucy and Karin want to find out how healthy these whales are.
Good luck!
NARRATOR: Their sheer size makes taking blood virtually impossible,
so Karin is the first scientist
to try to capture a sample of the whale's breath in the wild.
KARINA: SO we take the lids Off, basically, Once we are really close.
Well, actually, we are very close.
NARRATOR: Germs in the whale's breath will tell Karin
if they have any infections in their lungs.
But taking a sample is easier said than done
as the sample dishes have to be held right over the whale's blowhole.
Oh, no!
NO!
TOONI: Please, please, don’t. NO, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Oh, how very disappointing.
-Reel her back in. -Next time.
Yes, next time.
NARRATOR: They fail to capture a single sample.
But Karin has an ingenious plan B.
PAUL: Oh, wow!
What a superb looking thing.
It's a fabulous idea to link science collecting
with a small miniature helicopter.
Wow!
NARRATOR: With sample dishes attached,
the helicopter can fly straight through the whale's breath
without disturbing them.
But pilot Augustine Pane has strong winds to contend with.
AUGUSTINE: Oh, the wind, the wind, the wind. NO problem.
It's a very tricky thing to fly this.
We're moving up On some whales right now,
nice and slowly to parallel their course
and then he can swing this in and collect a sample Of the blow
so it's all a matter Of timing.
GO, Augustine, it's perfect, man!
GO, buddy!
Just a bit further Out, Augustine.
He's going to dive. Yeah, can you believe it?
NARRATOR: Toni and Philippe aren't having much luck, either.
TOONI: I think there's a whole load Of sonar conversations
going On down there at the moment,
which is basically the sperm whales telling each Other
there is a bunch Of wannabes knocking around On a boat
and to get the heck Out Of here.
You can just see them. They're all just diving all around us.
PAUL: Okay, Augustine, get in there, buddy.
NARRATOR: Despite the strong winds,
they're finally getting closer with the helicopter.
PAUL: Good man, get in there.
Forward, mate.
Now, now.
(PAUL WHOOPS)
That's the sample, he's got it.
NARRATOR: The germs caught in the dish will help reveal
more information about the health of the sperm whale population here.
PAUL: Well done, that's perfect.
AUGUSTINE: Can you... PAUL: Yeah. Okay.
NARRATOR: And with each sample so hard to collect,
this one will be important for Karin’s research.
-Thank you. -Perfect, thanks very much.
KARINA: Okay, that was a good sample.
PAUL: And what is it that you’re specifically looking for with these?
KARINA: Micro-bacteria, for example, the agent that can cause tuberculosis.
Haemophilic. That's a very common germ that causes infection in the lungs.
It can cause severe problems, even meningitis.
It's just a list Of germs to start with.
NARRATOR: Karin’s early findings
suggest whales could have caught some of these bacteria from humans,
perhaps through activities like whale watching.
PAUL: Ready? KARINA: Okay, go.
Her groundbreaking work has highlighted this problem for the first time.
It might be an important development in protecting sperm whales.
Look, One, two, three, four...
NARRATOR: After almost five hours
the whales finally seem to be staying at the surface.
Philippe and Toni are desperate to observe them underwater.
I'm Off.
TOONI: There's five sperm whales down there.
NARRATOR: The large females in this group are over nine metres long
and can weigh more than 12 tons each.
Now you can see how they just turn around
and touch Other and so, so social.
NARRATOR: The whales are socialising. This is a rare sight.
It suggests their food stocks are plentiful
as they can afford to take time out from hunting.
It shows the explosion of Humboldt squid
might actually be benefiting these animals.
Suddenly Diane spots something astonishing at the surface.
(DIANE WHOOPS)
DIANE: That's a big male.
This is amazing.
NARRATOR: A large, mature male has Joined the group.
This giant in the centre of the pack could weigh over 40 tons.
Male sperm whales have the largest brain of any animal that's ever lived.
DIANE: We don’t see that every day.
NO, seriously, this is... You’re lucky.
It's a treat.
NARRATOR: Adult males usually live in small groups
in the cold waters around the poles,
so this one has probably come here to breed.
After a short time, he grows sexually aroused
and starts courting the females.
This behaviour is seldom seen
and it shows how important the Sea of Cortez is
as a breeding ground for sperm whales.
More than any other, this dive has illustrated
why the health of this sea is so vital to the life within it.
I'm blown away.
I must be One Of the luckiest people On the planet right now.
There just aren't words to explain how incredible that feeling is.
I got sonar boomed.
I heard and felt that pulse just, boom, going right through my body,
as it was doing the kind Of X-ray scan Of what the heck I was.
I want a hug.
Oh, man, I felt like crying.
Which is a really strange reaction,
but you feel like crying when you watch them.
NARRATOR: It's a spectacular end to the expedition.
How was it?
Oh, my God, it was fantastic! Paul, Lucy...
NARRATOR: A voyage that's offered a remarkable window
into the world of our changing oceans.
PAUL: Well done, well done indeed.
The Sea Of Cortez is a place in flux and there's so many things we don’t know
and so many things that we're doing carelessly,
and what is that doing to the natural balance?
NARRATOR: This sea has revealed how destructive man's impact can be.
But it's also shown us we can live in harmony with the ocean.
And that in the face of great change, life can adapt and even thrive.
The Sea Of Cortez at the moment still seems to be an incredibly rich place
so, yes, it's changing,
but I personally feel like the sea finds its Own equilibrium.
NARRATOR: This shifting balance will create winners and losers,
but as yet it's impossible to predict who they'll be.
Next time, the team braves the wild Southern ocean
and explores its unique underwater world.
TOONI: Very, very strange creatures, aren't they?
NARRATOR: Parts are warming twice as fast as other oceans,
pushing marine life to the brink.
The expedition sees what can be done.
Oh, it's lobster everywhere!