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NARRATOR: Our oceans are
the lifeblood of our planet.

My grandfather, Jacques Cousteau,
inspired the world

through his exploration,
sharing the mysteries

of one of Earth's most important habitats.

It was in that spirit that a team
of Disneynature filmmakers

embarked on a quest to shed new light
on this hidden world...

...and on one
of its most enchanting inhabitants.

NARRATOR: For wildlife filmmakers,
the ocean presents the greatest challenge.

It is unforgiving.

And visits beneath the waves
are fleeting.

Here, they will enter a realm
where they are not the masters.

And they must be respectful of the locals.

MAN: No, no, no, no, no!

NARRATOR: The team's mission?

To reveal what it's like to live...

-...in a dolphin's world.

In the Red Sea,
wildlife cinematographer, Roger Horrocks,

is preparing to film
the main character of our story...

bottlenose dolphins.

He has filmed dolphins all over the world,

but it's his first time in this location.

The key to his success
lies with scientist, Angela Ziltener.

Having studied them here
for over a decade,

she is a virtual gatekeeper
to the Red Sea dolphins.

Certainly, the dolphins are
probably one of the most

charismatic animals
that you do get in the ocean.

They're mammals,
people can relate to them.

Um, they're very, you know,
they have a mammalian consciousness.

So, we have a kinship with them.

NARRATOR:
As a highly experienced free-diver,

Roger certainly has the athleticism
to keep up with dolphins underwater.

ROGER: Filming dolphins
is probably the most physical

-because they are incessantly on the move.
-

So, the biggest challenge
is really just keeping up with them

and coming across those moments
of pure, beautiful interaction.

It was massively helpful to have Angela,

who has spent an incredible amount of time
in that location.

Her knowing the dolphins
helped us tremendously.

NARRATOR: Angela is
one of the few scientists in the world

who studies them by scuba diving.

It has allowed her to get to know
over 200 individual dolphins,

-and allowed them to get to know her.
-

ANGELA: To understand the animals,
you actually have to be one of them.

That means not that you are
the animal itself,

but that you are accepted in the group.

You will actually see all the individuals
and that every dolphin is different.

Every dolphin has their own personality,
like humans.

-NARRATOR: The pod knows Angela,

but will the dolphins accept
our strange new cinematographer?

ROGER: I, kind of, knew
literally from the moment that I got in

that this was a great opportunity.

When those dolphins
were absolutely keen to interact,

not only with each other,
but also with me as a cameraman...

-...so that was just such a joy.

Wild animals actually wanting
to be filmed. It was amazing.

ROGER: The more we film,
the more we got a sense

of how they operate as groups.

You know, one thing that was very,
very marked for me

was the degree of interaction
between the dolphins.

It was astounding to see
how tactile they were.

ROGER: Dolphins spent time fin rubbing,

and touching each other,
grooming each other.

I thought initially
it was maybe a romantic thing,

but actually, it's a bonding thing.

They are emotional,
highly intelligent creatures,

-very, very similar to us.
-

NARRATOR: And it wasn’t long
before Roger spotted another example

of their playful intelligence.

ROGER: A group of juveniles just came in
and they were almost showing off.

I remember that feeling of knowing
this is a unique piece of behavior

and probably never going to get
this chance again.

NARRATOR:
They flick their fluke to clear the sand,

exposing a piece of coral.

And voilà, a toy is born.

Few animals spend so much time playing,

yet this perceived playfulness

might also be one of the ways
that young dolphins

-practice their hunting skills.
-

ROGER: You can just, kind of,
see that intelligence

and that mischievousness
about them,

and again, just such an incredible insight
into how intelligent these animals are.

I think dolphins just do it
because they absolutely love it,

and they enjoy the skill
and the challenge.

I think they do it
for the sheer fun of it.

NARRATOR: Angela's research has revealed
another aspect of dolphin life

rarely witnessed in the wild...

sleeping.

This group of dolphins
is so relaxed in her presence,

they take a nap as she watches...

and Roger films.

Dolphins sleep
with just half the brain at a time.

Half the brain needs to be awake
to remember to surf as to breathe

and to keep an eye out for any danger.

As a consequence
of having such active brains,

wild dolphins, just like us,
need lots of sleep.

ROGER: They do these beautiful movements,
synchronized movements where they

come up and they go back down again.

It's very, you know, very soporific,
very slow.

Really, really beautiful to watch.

It just felt very poetic.

NARRATOR: Thanks to Angela,
Roger and the team

are starting to get a taste
of what it's like to be a wild dolphin.

Knowledge they will need to build on,
in the next leg of their adventure.

It was just an absolute privilege
to be... to have that kind of access

to, you know, these animals on their terms
because they choose to be with you.

You know, you can't force them
to be with you, and I think,

you know, of all the locations I've dived,

they were the most welcoming,

um, and that was, you know,
something that I'll never forget.

NARRATOR:
Roger has made filming dolphins look easy,

but will cinematographer, Didier Noirot,
have the same luck in Hawaii

filming the next main characters
of our story?

Humpback whales.

Hawaii is a very good location to film
humpback whales...

because of the whale population.

-DIDIER: You're sure to see whales there.
-

DIDIER: Crystal clear water,
so, that's perfect place to film whales.

NARRATOR: It is also here that every year,
the females give birth to their calves.

And filming a mother and calf
is the team's first task.

They set out aboard the Luckey Strike

where skipper Tad Luckey

and a group of scientists
led by Professor Joe Mobley

are their best chance
for locating these family pairs.

This is always a big challenge.

You don't know what you get,
never in advance.

These whales are so difficult.

It's very tricky for the producer, I mean.

NARRATOR: Finding a whale in Hawaii
is not that hard,

but skipper Tad
has to find the right whale,

and that's the challenge.

DIDIER: To find the right whale to film,

especially mom and calf,
I have no expectation.

That means I never know
what I'm going to get on camera.

NARRATOR: As part of Jacques Cousteau's
original expedition team,

Didier has over 30 years' experience
filming whales.

I have 200.

NARRATOR: But each opportunity
is always unpredictable.

Come on. Come on.

NARRATOR: It is a mother and calf

but will Mom accept Didier
as easily as the dolphins warmed to Roger?

You can try.

Go ahead.

DIDIER: The difficult thing to film
when you film mother and calf

is to get close, silently,
as close as you get.

NARRATOR:
He uses a bubble-free rebreather apparatus

to silently approach.

And any whale that doesn't accept
Didier's presence is left alone.

The team needs to find a friendly whale

that is comfortable around a diver.

Well, they just left.

We were ready to go, but now they are far.

NARRATOR: But attempts to film
another mom and calf...

produced the same result.

DIDIER: When you see mother and calf,
the mother is always very aware.

She's protecting the calf,
so any unknown thing

like me would make her alert.

Take two for nothing.

NARRATOR: Another one gets away.

-The mom and calf left.
-WOMAN: You have nothing, huh?

Go.

NARRATOR:
Didier is becoming all too familiar

with the backsides of mother whales.

DIDIER: So, you have to keep trying,

finding a whale, new whale,
and one that lets you come close.

NARRATOR:
After a long, unsuccessful day,

he makes one last attempt.

DIDIER:
By the way, this is the ninth time.

NARRATOR: Then, a stroke of luck.

Didier has found a playful,
approachable calf.

DIDIER: You don't dive and go straight
for the mom with the calf underneath.

You first have to make friends
with the calf.

If the calf stays around you,
that he is not scared, then turns around,

the whale will know down there,
even if she sleeps,

you know, she knows that there is someone,

but she knows the calf is happy
with this someone,

so she may tolerate that.

NARRATOR: And as it dives back
under its mother to rest,

-Didier follows quietly.
-

DIDIER: Now is the time,
because maybe after the whale will leave,

and I will lose her for good.

So, I decided to swim very, very slowly,

and without making any noise at all.

NARRATOR: Mom watches him carefully,

but she seems content
with him alongside her.

Finally, success.

Divers like Didier...

are just humble visitors
in this vast undersea world...

but even the most powerful of creatures

will sometimes allow you
to get close to them.

After weeks of persistence,

the team finally succeeded in filming
a mother and calf.

This mother's duty is to protect her calf
while it grows quickly,

before the long migration
back to Arctic waters.

As they travel between resting spots,

the mother encourages her calf
to breach repeatedly.

It may look like just some fun
splashing about,

but it's key to helping the young calf
build strength and muscles,

that also develops
their breath-holding abilities.

The close bond
between a mother whale and her calf

provide our filmmakers
with their first inroad

into humpback whale society.

Shallow coastal waters
are the perfect sanctuary

for a young calf
to grow healthy and strong.

Away from the dangers
found in deeper, open waters.

But it is also where it will soon
be introduced

to a greater whale community,

a complex society...

one our team
is just beginning to understand.

To truly understand a dolphin's world...

the filmmakers need to journey
to the very heart of their ocean home.

To the foundations of the whole story.

A delicately balanced ecosystem...

that is sanctuary to millions
of incredible supporting characters.

A coral reef.

Capturing the intricacies
of this underwater world

requires a great deal
of technical camera skill

and an exceptional eye
for precision and detail.

Cinematographer, Doug Anderson,
is the perfect choice for such a job.

DOUG: We wanted to make that experience
of viewing the reef

as immersive as possible.

So, we tried different techniques...

...as many things
as we could think of

to try and get
more engaging photography.

Uh, we used this underwater scooter,

which is like a torpedo
with a propeller on it,

to get that feeling of the dolphin
like gliding over the reef.

We used a jib, which is like a camera
on the end of an arm,

which allowed us to make
for very stable tracking moves

over the coral reef,
and really try and bring

the character of the individual species
that we wanted to include

to the screen.

Of all the underwater habitats
on the planet,

it's coral reefs
that are the most overtly diverse.

Just amazed by the color, and the life,
and beauty in front of me.

Absolutely breathtaking when you're there.

Intense experiences of life.

I like to think of a coral reef
a bit like a city.

The buildings are the corals.

Those buildings provide homes
and habitat for countless animals.

Every animal that lives there
is as important to each other

as the next one.

But there are very obvious animals
in the coral reef

that do very important jobs.

NARRATOR: Doug wants to find
key characters like these...

to highlight critical links
in the community.

These handsome devils
are the perfect example.

Bumphead parrotfish.

They are the local groundskeepers,

clearing the reef
of dead algae-covered coral.

Recently, as our oceans have warmed,
coral reefs have bleached and died.

Reefs with parrotfish are quickly cleaned,

and new coral can recolonize
so the reef lives on.

Reefs that have lost
to their parrotfish rarely recover.

Parrotfish are important
to maintain the health of the reef...

but Doug also discovers
another important fish.

The incredible, workaholic cleaner wrasse.

DOUG: There are moments in the reef
where it becomes very obvious

how controlled and complex

the relationships
between the individual animals are.

And one of them, for sure,
is watching cleaner wrasse do their work.

They do an enormously important job,

and that's pick the parasites
and dead skin

and scales and everything else off.

You know, they're getting
right inside their mouths

and inside their gills.
They're constantly busy.

They are just so fun to watch.

And they, kind of,
do this funny little dance

to try and bring in business.

Everyone comes to their cleaning stations.

Cute little reef fish.

And then you've got big predators.

I tell you, it really takes
your breath away

when you watch a cleaner wrasse

going into the mouth
of a two-feet predator.

There's just this convention
on the reef,

they do not touch the cleaner wrasse.
It's one of those really lovely examples

of how intricate
the relationships on a reef are.

NARRATOR: While Doug continues
to explore the interconnections

between the fish and the reef...

back in the Red Sea,
Roger is about to find out

that dolphins have similar dependencies.

Angela has discovered
an incredible connection

that dolphins have with the coral here.

ROGER: I was really excited
about this one particular unique behavior

that Angela had told me about,

which I was really determined
to capture on film.

NARRATOR: Angela has brought Roger
to a very special location

that the dolphins
like to visit every day...

and from which they reap great benefits.

ROGER: The key focus for me
was that feeling, as a cameraman,

knowing this is a unique piece of behavior
and is that wonderful pressure...

-...to get it into the film.

NARRATOR: Angela's hard-earned
acceptance by the dolphins

is what allowed her to follow them
and make this incredible discovery.

ANGELA:
There is one certain kind of coral.

It's called the gorgonian coral.

And they really like to rub each body part
in this coral because it's quite soft.

This rubbing behavior seems to be

such an important aspect
in their daily life.

ROGER: So, it's so wonderful
to see them, kind of, lining up.

And they're very gentle.
They don't like fight to get through.

And they're very courteous and allow
the one to go after the other.

And then they circle back
and go through again.

So, it's a wonderful
social ritual as well.

ANGELA: What we also know
about different corals,

they have antibacterial substances.

So, it could also be
that the dolphins actually use also

these corals for medicine, for example,
for even prevention for skin diseases.

It's difficult to really prove it

because it can be also
a very nice feeling,

but we have to find out if it's a really
awareness of self-medication.

NARRATOR:
Angela's groundbreaking observations

have broaden our understanding,

and also pose important new questions
about dolphin behavior.

ROGER: The hypothesis
that Angela's exploring,

and you know,
if this can be proven to be true,

it just highlights the amazing
interdependence

between these mammals
and the coral reefs.

Not only do they come here
to rest and to play and to feel safe,

but they're also actually coming
to heal themselves.

NARRATOR: Angela hopes to reveal
more about these dolphins' lives

so that we can protect them
and their reef home

long into the future.

But a coral reef doesn't always provide
a healthy sanctuary to its residents,

as Doug is about to find out.

DOUG: Obviously we have this vibrancy,
this color, this beauty.

It's that, you know,
the light side of the reef,

but the reef has its back alleys, too.

It's got its dark places.

Places where...

you know, visually, things aren't just
all joy and beauty and vibrancy,

but feel a little bit more
on the sinister side.

NARRATOR: They are the places
that most divers dare not venture.

Doug and his team are in Malaysia,

on their way to Sipadan,

an oceanic island
with a unique and hidden secret

that reveals the dangers
some of our characters face

right in their backyard.

Sipadan is an extraordinary,
little island.

It's a rock in the middle
of hundreds of meters of water.

And it's a marine reserve,

and there is just
an absolute heap of turtles here.

NARRATOR: This reef would seem
like the perfect sanctuary.

But beneath its tranquil shell
hides potential catastrophe

for any wayward turtle.

Inside the reef structure,
there's a catacomb.

And that's what they are here to film.

DOUG: I had heard of Turtle Cave
20 years previously,

and how tricky it was to get in.

...a small operation.
Just even getting the kit in there,

before we even start thinking
of lighting it or doing the photography.

We've got a jib,
which is like a big boom

with a camera on one end
and weights on the other.

We've got communications underwater,

which mean that we can
talk to each other.

We do have comms with the boat,

um, but we lose that as soon
as we're through the cave entrance.

Topside, topside, this is divers.

We are just about to enter the cave.

See you on the other side.

HELEN: They could be down there
for a good three hours.

If anything does go wrong,

there's really nothing
that we can do from up here.

All we can really do is wait.

So, fingers crossed,
it all goes according to plan.

Oh, divers

Divers, divers, are you okay?

We're at the cave

Such a spooky place

Very eerie

Oh, divers...

DOUG: We realize that this is going to be
a really tough place for us to work.

We have to lay lines

so that we could feel our way
in and out of the cave.

There's no light in there.
It's a small passage.

We only illuminate it with a flashlight.

Okay now, so, you're getting glimpses
of just how remote

and how difficult to get into,
and therefore,

difficult to get out of this space was.

I never felt completely at ease.

DOUG: Usually, you know,
when you're diving open ocean,

you get a problem, you run out of gas,
you got an equipment problem,

you just go up. And in a cave,
you can't do that.

You know, there's only out.

And then, obviously, the other big thing
is it's dark in there, you know,

from an equipment point of view,
so we're going to have to light it.

Most of the thought went into how
we were going to logistically do it

rather than the actual visuals
of what it was going to look like.

Then it really wasn't until I turned
the lights on in the cave

that I really got a sense
of what sort of place it was.

What I saw was a tomb.

And on the ledges of these caverns

lay the almost perfect skeletons
of green turtles

that had, over the years, died there.

This turtle behind you

Wondering what you are doing

Filming in the cave

He wants to come with you

With you, come with you...

NARRATOR: Doug must move
very slowly and carefully.

The cave floor is covered
in fine sediment.

Some believe this to be
the powdered remains

of thousands of turtle skeletons
that have crumbled over countless ages.

And one false move
could cloud the entire cave,

making it difficult for the crew
to find their way out.

After hours of meticulous setup,

Doug starts to reveal
the cave's haunting secrets

from the perspective of a turtle
who has tragically lost its way.

DOUG: It felt like being in a church.

I felt enormous respect for the place.

There was a sense of peace and reverence.

An eerie connection to something.

We all felt it.

A coral reef, in many ways,
is a giver of life...

but it also takes.

NARRATOR: Hours later,
they make their way back to the surface

-and to the safety of the boat.
-

For you...

That was so much more special
than I thought it would be.

It was really quite touching
to see all these turtle skeletons

in the bottom of the cave,
and then, you know,

just imagining the turtles
when they got lost in there

and how scared and afraid
they must've been.

NARRATOR: To convey the broader story
of this undersea world,

the filmmakers wanted to balance
these harsh realities

with scenes of beauty and enchantment.

And back in Hawaii,

Didier has found
the greatest enchantment of all.

A singing male humpback whale

with hundreds of others
from miles around joining the chorus.

NARRATOR: Just 50 years ago,
these waters were quiet.

Scientist, Joe Mobley, has been monitoring
their population recovery.

JOE: Humpback whales in North Pacific
were hunted to near extinction

until they were protected in 1966.

At that time, there were probably
under a thousand whales

that came to Hawaii.

But now, 50 years later,

there are maybe as many as 10,000 animals
that visit the Hawaiian Islands.

So, this day on the Luckey Strike,
we were looking for a singer.

To show that the whales
communicate together,

it's part of a community.

NARRATOR: But nothing prepared Didier
for what he was about to encounter.

...hundred feet down
and we can see the back fins.

There are a lot of mackerel showing here,
which is...

That's a whale right here,
this red mark right here.

-It's down a hundred feet.
-He's right there.

-He was singing away...
-DIDIER: I heard it, too.

Well, the girls said they could hear him

-clear as could be on the bow.
-DIDIER: Yeah.

DIDIER: Being on the boat,
we can hear the male singing so strong

when you are right above the singer.

-We can still hear him.
-DIDIER: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, we're very close.

DIDIER:
So, gently, we went down into the water.

DIDIER:
Today I looked down, then two whales came,

and they start to move
and to stop in front of me.

Right in front of me.

NARRATOR: Then, an unimaginable event
began to unfold

before Didier's eyes.

DIDIER: Then, a third whale came,
and they start to dance together.

It's really a gift from nature
to be first row in the theater.

Diving with those giants,

you finally realize how small you are.

That was one of the best moments
of my life.

That was just magnificent.

You can't forget any of those moments

when you are alone, very small
next to those giants, you know.

So, it is really something like it is...

I will keep in my memory forever.

NARRATOR: What Didier has managed
to capture is just a tiny glimpse

into the humpback's complex,
social behavior.

But we are yet to understand
the true meaning

of this magnificent whale ballet.

Dolphins take their social activities
to a whole new level.

And the team wanted to show
exactly how they get their thrills.

ROGER:
They're a symbol of freedom, you know.

They roam the oceans.
They're not constrained.

And you really see that perhaps,
most beautifully expressed when they surf.

NARRATOR:
Surfing dolphins are a regular sight

on the Wild Coast of South Africa,
where Roger grew up.

Now, he's returning to his roots
with a team of big wave specialists

to try and film
this amazing dolphin behavior.

ROGER: The reason we chose the Wild Coast
is that we know it's got dolphins.

We know that in the winter,
when the winter swells come through,

it's got these incredible swells.

NARRATOR: And Roger's goal
is to film them by getting

right inside the surf zone.

Fellow cinematographer, Jamie McPherson,

has attached a gyro-stabilized camera
on the back of a high-speed boat,

while skipper, Carl, negotiates the boat
behind the breaking waves.

Pro surf veteran, Paris,
will use a jet ski

to place Roger
right in front of the break.

The stage is set,

and the dolphins have turned up
as if on cue,

traveling up the coastline
in large groups.

But the crew have just met
their first hurdle.

Ironically, the infamous Wild Coast
has turned completely calm.

We've passed literally, I would say,
two to three hundred dolphins,

maybe, you know, in about
six or seven different pods.

So, the dolphins are here,
but absolutely no swell.

It's good that we got dolphins,
we just need a decent wave.

At the moment we got no decent wave, so...

Hopefully in the next two days,
we're supposed to get some better swells.

So, it's just a case of waiting
and hoping that the swell picks up

and that dolphins actually fancy
having a surf.

But what we did get
was this incredibly clean patch of water,

which in the Transkei
is very, very unusual.

So, we took this opportunity

to try and get some underwater shots
of these dolphins coming through.

Holding fingers, fins,
crossing rostrums and blowholes

and flukes and flippers
and hands and feet.

Everything we can cross, we're crossing.

NARRATOR:
Roger dives into the clear shallows

of the beach break.

And soon, an enthusiastic
dolphin pod approaches.

ROGER: When I got in the water
with the dolphins for the first time,

there's this kind of strange jostling
back flexing behavior.

Now, whether that was some social,
you know, interaction, I'm not sure.

And I've never seen this before
anywhere else in the world.

NARRATOR: As luck would have it,
with Roger now in amongst the pod,

a set of waves finally comes in.

And our lead actors are in business.

ROGER:
The speed that came through was amazing.

You actually see the way
they are using the energy of the wave

to gain the momentum.
They're riding the pressure wave.

And then you see them turn,
sort of build up speed,

and then they bank left.

And it's that pressure that shoots them
out the back of the wave.

And it was just marvelous
to be in amongst all of that.

It was just such a bonus.

NARRATOR: But soon,

the swell begins
to get dangerous for Roger.

Time to get out.

At last, surf is up.

And with it, more dolphins.

Hello, do you read me?

There's quite a lot of dolphins
that are moving for the surf zone.

So, yeah, looking very strong.
I think we're going to get something.

Come on down.

NARRATOR: Finally,
it's action stations for Jamie's team.

JAMIE: Dolphins in the wave.

NARRATOR: Carl must maneuver his boat
skillfully inside the surf zone...

and get Jamie into the best
possible position.

JAIMIE: You have to outrun the wave.

But then, at certain point,
you have to get out, which means

going over the top
of the 15-foot wave,

so there's a 15-foot drop
in the back of it.

NARRATOR: As they battle the waves,
Carl must also guide Jamie to where

the dolphins might leap out.

Watch out. There they go.

CARL:
Yeah. So, we got in the face of that wave.

JAMIE: Technically, it's very tricky to be

tight on a dolphin
that's swimming through a wave whilst

you're driving the other way
at high speed.

NARRATOR:
But it finally starts to pay off

as Jamie captures wave after wave
of dolphin magic.

JAMIE: It's the most exciting,
dynamic thing that I've done.

NARRATOR: But Carl mustn't get caught
too far in front of the waves.

If they begin to crest,
they can easily flip his boat.

This is where Roger and Paris come in.

-Time to deploy the jet ski.
-Yeah. Let's go.

ROGER: It was the first time
that I've ever attempted

to film dolphins from a jet ski.

But what we hoped for was just to get

one or two unique shots
in front of the wave.

Those waves were big, you know.
It's a big wave.

You've got a really skilled pilot
trying to get you

into these really difficult situations

where that wave could just swamp you
at any time.

Paris was just astounding.

He was able to just anticipate
how the wave was going to break.

I'll never forget that moment where

there was a really nice break
coming through,

really good-sized pod of dolphins.

We really had a go at one wave...

and then I just remember seeing dolphins
in the face of the wave.

Paris has got to wait, wait, wait.
He's got to judge it.

Just this, you know, wonderful image
of them all racing down the wave.

And then, as that wave breaks,
he's going to accelerate us out of there.

And it happened so quickly.

ROGER: It was really the shot
that I was so hoping to get.

This is so exhilarating.
You've been waiting for so long, you know,

you're sitting,
you're waiting for, like, days and days.

And then suddenly, you know,
the set's here and everything's right.

And in the next minute, you know,
Stevie just picks up,

he goes, "Pick up the things,"
and, bang, you know, on it,

exactly as we predicted,
just jumping down the face,

surfing the wave together,
jumping out the back.

ROGER: I mean, it's fantastic, yeah.

NARRATOR: Our filmmakers have captured
some incredible, dynamic scenes

of dolphins letting loose.

But a dolphin's daily life
is not all fun and games.

They also need to find food,

not often found on the reef itself.

And one of the most amazing
dolphin feeding grounds

is in the Bahamas.

Onboard the Dolphin Dream,

our Bahamian team are relying
on skipper Scott Smith,

a veteran dolphin finder,
to take them to the action.

Joining the crew
for this portion of the story

is cinematographer Paul Atkins

a marine biologist and dolphin specialist
who's filmed them all over the world.

PAUL: I've been filming dolphins
and whales for over 30 years.

So, I've filmed bottlenose dolphins
in the Bahamas before.

I always look for an opportunity
to go back.

It's just always a thrill
to get in the water

and to see animals that I'm familiar with.

And sometimes,
I feel like they remember me,

that they're coming up to me
and saying hello.

Eventually, when they stop paying
attention to you,

and then you become a part of their tribe.

And it's an extraordinary experience
when you can just travel with them

and see what they do.

NARRATOR: Paul is here to capture
dolphins hunting in a very special way.

They use a type of sonar
called echolocation,

which works kind of like x-ray vision.

They emit a series of rapid-fire clicks
that bounce off hidden objects,

allowing them to locate food
beneath the sand...

food like razorfish.

PAUL:
When you're with a group of dolphins,

you feel privileged
to be witnessing their culture.

Dolphins are one of the few animals
besides humans and great apes

that actually have been shown
to have culture.

And that culture is based
on ways of finding food.

NARRATOR: Around the world,

dolphins have developed
different feeding strategies

depending on their habitat.

And some of them involve
extraordinary levels of teamwork.

These shallow tidal mudflats in Florida

are a rich feeding ground
for many marine and coastal animals.

And with its great abundance of fish,

it has given rise to a unique
and spectacular dolphin hunting technique

known as mud ringing.

Scientist, Laura Engleby,

has brought cinematographer
Jamie McPherson onto these tidal flats

in search of this remarkable phenomenon.

For Jamie, it may not be as heart-stopping

as filming dolphins surfing the big waves,

but it is just as difficult.

-JAMIE: Oh, damn it.
-

JAMIE: From the boat, it's tricky because
you have to work out where they are.

The camera's right on sea level.

You only see them when they surface.

So, you see the fins occasionally.

You're trying to work out
where they're going to go.

It's very hard to coordinate that.

It's very tricky to be in the right place
at the right time.

NARRATOR: Suddenly, the dolphins
look like they are teaming up

and coordinating their efforts.

WOMAN:
No, Jamie, now they're to the right.

-To the right.
-JAMIE: Coming where?

-WOMAN 1: To your right.
-WOMAN 2: Right.

WOMAN 1: See them?

NARRATOR: They've started to hunt.

Jamie zeroes in on the action
with his zoom lens.

JAMIE: Well, you see a lot of splashing.

They don't put their heads up to catch
the fish until the very last second.

The dolphins still have to try and catch
fish that's flying through the air.

So, to see the look on their faces
and see how quick they are

at reacting to the fish that are flying
really immerses you in it.

But to understand the behavior
and really see what was going on,

we had to get in the air.

NARRATOR: Spotting dolphin pods
across these vast mudflats

is much easier in a helicopter.

I see some dolphins right down here.

NARRATOR: Each day,
dolphins travel up these tidal channels

into dangerously shallow waters,

lured here by the sheer bounty
of fish to be had.

It looks like they're in
really shallow water there.

NARRATOR:
It's so shallow here at low tide,

they often have to swim on their sides.

This one certainly seems
to be having fun hunting in the sea grass.

What are you doing?

NARRATOR:
But this is not the hunting behavior

the crew are looking for.

So, they continue their search.

-PILOT: Yeah, I'm bringing it around.
-LAURA: All right.

-PILOT: Yeah, preparing...
-LAURA: Yeah...

PILOT: ...turning the nose right now...

JAMIE: Yeah, I will. So, we'll just

come back to these guys
if we can't find anything else.

NARRATOR: Nearby,

another group of dolphins
reveal some of the risks

of hunting in such shallow waters.

-LAURA: Oh, they're definitely stranded.
-JAMIE: Yeah, they're definitely stranded.

LAURA: Quite amazing. They made
a little mud hole for themselves.

They have come around in tight circles
and have created a mud hole

to where they can at least swim

and not get sun burns
and not flip on their sides

because the worse thing,
when they're stuck like that,

is they can crush their internal organs
with their own body weight and overheat.

JAMIE: It's horrible to see
'cause you can see they're stressed out,

you can see they're worried,
and there's nothing you can do.

You're in a helicopter flying around
and no one can help them.

NARRATOR:
Laura knows the tide is rising,

so the dolphins will soon be freed.

And before long, they spot something.

Mud clouds.

As they approach, they can see
the dolphins are definitely hunting.

LAURA: From the air,
it offers a whole different perspective

of what's going on.

They're clearly chasing some prey,
but this is a feeding strategy

that hasn't been documented
in the literature

that we're just now,
through this aerial footage,

able to really see what they're doing.

NARRATOR:
But this still isn't the hunting behavior

they've come here to film.

Then, finally,

Jamie spots what they've been looking for.

This dolphin beats up the mud
with its fluke, creating a perfect circle.

A mud ring.

Aww. Wow. Aww.

NARRATOR: This technique in itself...

showcases
the dolphin's remarkable intelligence

as they use the muddy substrate
to form the perfect fishing net.

I see they've got
a shoal of fish surrounded.

Yeah, it's really nice.

NARRATOR: Other dolphins have
corralled the shoal of fish into the ring.

And the entrapped fish,
in trying to escape,

leap straight into their waiting mouths.

Absolutely perfect,
there's a whole shoal of fish.

You can see the dolphins
trying to get around them.

-Look at that, there.
-

-LAURA: That is amazing.
-JAMIE: That's pretty amazing.

JAMIE: I've never seen anything
that coordinated.

And they're definitely working together
and communicating

to better coordinate the ring

and make the fish leap
and land where dolphins are waiting.

-It's, yeah, an amazing display.
-

NARRATOR:
The team's patience has paid off.

They've finally captured on film

this remarkable cooperative
hunting strategy of bottlenose dolphins.

In much deeper waters
off the coast of Hawaii,

our whale team have returned to film

a great gathering of male humpbacks.

But this gathering

is not in the same cooperative spirit
as the dolphins.

Quite the opposite.

An intense competition is brewing.

Here, they gather in the greatest numbers

to take part
in the most spectacular battle in nature.

Back on the Luckey Strike,
Tad has now teamed up

with Paul Atkins
to film this great ritual.

They are following a female humpback
who has a number of males in hot pursuit.

PAUL: There's definitely an air
of excitement and tension when you're

headed out to film one of these battles.

You're never quite sure
what's going to happen.

They're going really fast
at eleven o'clock.

NARRATOR: Professor Joe Mobley
is documenting the activity from the bow.

And as the boat catches up with the pod,
things really start to heat up.

The battle is about to commence.

The males begin to chase one another.

It's a pretty fast-moving pod.

As Paul begin to film
some spectacular surface behavior,

more and more whales join the competition.

All these challengers
are racing to catch up

and displace the current front-runner,

wanting to become the ultimate champion.

Out in front,
the female is setting the pace.

But this surface view does not reveal
the whole combat,

as Joe has speculated for many years.

JOE: The frustrating thing is I'm bound
to the above-surface world,

where we're limited to probably
less than ten percent

of their total behavior.

You know, most of what's important
is going down below.

Looks good for pole cam, right?

Go ahead.

We're going to give it a try.

JOE: So, increasingly, I've been
relying on opportunities like this

to work with film crews
with their high-tech equipment.

And those kinds of instruments
basically give us

a whale's eye view.
It puts us in their world.

Much more likely to answer
the kinds of questions

that we've been asking for decades now.

TAD: Okay, you've got it?

PAUL: So, we designed the granddaddy
of all pole cams,

and this had never been tried before.

MAN: Okay, I got it.

PAUL: And the pole cam system
has to be beefy and sturdy enough

to withstand moving through water
at four to five knots,

sometimes six knots.

NARRATOR: Paul hopes to capture
a unique underwater perspective

of this great contest.

On top deck,
he prepares the viewing monitor.

As the boat races to catch up
with the charging giants,

skipper Tad must get his boat
right alongside them.

PAUL: Okay, there's two whales.

Now there's three whales in the frame.

Okay, there's one
dead center in the frame.

This is great position, Tad.

Oh, he's coming up right here,
right here, this is good.

Stay in and let these guys catch up.

NARRATOR: By combining
Paul's underwater and surface filming

with aerial footage by helicopter...

PAUL: Oh, this is great, Tad. Hold this.

...he starts to reveal the intensity
of this battle like never before.

Okay, there's one below that's coming.
This is great position, Tad.

PAUL: And he's coming up right here,
right here, this is good.

Wow.

Geez.

NARRATOR:
All the whales dive down into the deep.

PAUL: Diving, diving.

And there they go.

Now, we can see them all
diving towards the bottom,

going down about 200 feet.

Sometimes it goes... so we can follow them

straight down the bottom
and you see them.

Looks like they're rubbing on the bottom
at 200 feet.

If we could get a camera down there,

we might find out
where's it's all really happening.

Maybe that's where the actual mating
is occurring.

-Who knows?
-Coming up.

They're still stuck on us right here.

NARRATOR:
Suddenly, erupting back up from the deep,

the conflict resumes
at an even greater pace.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, because this is...

Yeah, this is really getting good.

NARRATOR: Over 25 male whales
charge past the camera,

blowing streams off aggressive bubbles.

-PAUL: Lot of bubbles.
-MAN: Yeah.

-PAUL: Tons of bubbles.
-MAN: Coming up.

NARRATOR: Those in the rear
try to force the front-runners under,

ruthlessly ramming them to slow them down
and take the lead nearest to the female.

This is the most immense
ocean competition in nature.

Finally, as the other males tire,

the two fastest and strongest
take primary positions

hot on the heels of the female.

In the last moments,
a challenger lunges forward

and forces his rival under...

and out of the race...

claiming his place as the victor.

And they're gone.

PAUL: And there they go.

NARRATOR: This battle is finally over.

One mighty humpback has fought
and won the right

to be the protector of our lone female.

Filming this magnificent event
was only possible

because protection has allowed
whale societies to rebuild.

Unfortunately,
such success stories are rare.

And unlike the humpbacks,

the populations
of our ocean's greatest predators

are in huge decline.

Over a hundred million sharks
are fished each year

to satisfy the demands
of the shark finning industry.

Giants like the tiger shark
are becoming increasingly rare.

And their overblown reputation
as frightening and deadly predators

has not helped them.

Paul, however, having filmed sharks
for many years,

knows they are nothing like
this cartoonish stereotype.

The first time I saw sharks underwater,
what impressed me was

how extraordinarily beautiful they are,
how graceful they are,

how perfectly adapted that
they're swimming and how agile they are.

And then, the next thing
that impresses you about sharks,

because you grow up with all of this fear,

is they don't seem
to be threatening you.

PAUL: They don't seem to be that scary.

When tiger sharks show up...

their presence
kind of dominates the scene.

Pretty much, you have your attention
on the tiger shark,

and you never turn your back on it,

because they tend to know
which direction you're looking at,

and they tend to want to come up
behind you.

But they like to test,
they like to see what you are.

And part of that testing
can be pushing its nose into you.

And what you can do
is just put your hand on its nose

and just gently push them away.

PAUL: What other predator on land
could you do that with?

If you did it with bears
that were feeding, or lions, or tigers,

you'd probably get mauled.

And yet, here with one of the biggest,
baddest, predators on the planet,

in terms of the way we feel about them,

and it's perfectly safe to do that, so...

NARRATOR: Sharks are not only
misunderstood by humans,

but their important role in maintaining
a well-balanced ocean ecosystem

is often overlooked.

A healthy coral reef has many sharks,

but in today's oceans, these reefs
are increasingly hard to find.

Underwater cinematographer,
Denis Lagrange,

has known for years
about one of the last strongholds on Earth

for large gatherings of grey reef sharks.

He's in French Polynesia, preparing
to dive these shark-infested waters.

On an incoming tide, hundreds
of reef sharks school in this channel.

Like Paul, Denis has no fear
of these apex predators,

for he knows he is not on their menu.

DENIS: For me, sharks are
one of the most of incredible creature

in the ocean, and you really feel it.

And when we have
all these sharks gather together

and they're really concentrated,

it's an amazing spectacle,

and French Polynesia is the last place,
I think, in the world,

where you can see that.

We try to justify why sharks
should be saved and not killed,

try to fight against shark finning,
but I think it's important to repeat it

because they are
at the top of the food chain.

They're cleaning the reef
of all natural sickness.

So, if you have no predators,
the reef will just not be in good shape.

It's a reality.

We have to try our best
to protect the shark.

And French Polynesia,
it's one of the only country in the world

who really protect the shark.
It's written in the law.

You're not allowed to kill sharks,
you're not allowed to fish sharks.

NARRATOR: And the protection of sharks
in these waters

allows them to fulfil their role
as vital hunters.

But most sharks don't hunt
during daylight hours.

The serious hunting action occurs
after dark.

So, Denis's next dive
would be a much greater challenge,

filming sharks hunting at night
for his very first time.

They put on special chainmail shark suits

designed to stop a reef shark's teeth
from puncturing the skin.

Sharks don't often
intentionally bite humans.

But in the heat of a feeding frenzy,
it's wise to take precautions.

We expect a lot of shark action tonight.

I hope we will survive.

-MAN: Should we go now?
-We should go.

Yeah.

-MAN: Are we good?
-Are we good?

Yeah.

NARRATOR:
It's more like a special forces operation.

And it needs to be.

NARRATOR:
A few sharks appear straight away.

Then the numbers build quickly.

DENIS:
When you first dive down to the reef

and you see this amazing
number of sharks altogether,

you feel a little scared.

NARRATOR: The surface team is anxious.

They can see the sharks
amassing from above.

DENIS: We've never seen that before.
Daytime, the shark kind of lazy,

but as soon as you're diving
at night with them,

you really see how powerful they can be.

NARRATOR: While the fish
remain hidden, they are safe.

But a nervous reef fish breaks cover...

and the feeding frenzy is on.

DENIS: To be eaten by a shark
is a really big issue.

When you have hundreds of them
in front of you or coming right at you,

they don't care about you,
they just want the fish.

DENIS: No, no, no, no, no!

On l'a fait! On l'a fait!

No, but then you have to pay attention

-to the little fish going between us.
-Oh là là,

-yeah, yeah, yeah.
-"Get away, get away."

When they're frenzy, you know,
there are a lot of them.

DENIS: If they come to you,
I mean, they kick you down.

I really felt it, you know,
a little fish went out of the coral,

and they went on it,
and they don't care about you,

you know, just going for the fish.

It was like a river, water flowing.
And then afterwards, another image,

he was the middle of the LA,
Los Angeles traffic.

-MAN: You know, like in the movie?
-

You know, the big turnaround
and, like, cars everywhere.

Huh? Highway, but full of cars,
like big traffic jam,

and this was Denis in the middle of that.

-I went to LA...
-It was just like flowing,

like water, sharks flowing around him.

They've been around here,
they've been here for 400 million years.

I mean, those species are like...
When you see them hunting,

it's like, you know, okay,
evolution made them so powerful.

It's like the top.

When they hunt,
it's just like beautiful to watch.

Beautiful.

NARRATOR:
On our cinematographers' quest

to share with you
a tiny glimpse into a dolphin's world,

they visited some unique places,

many of which
are some of the last examples

of thriving ocean communities.

Healthy coral reefs, rich in life,

once fringed every landmass
across our tropical oceans...

yet today, very few remain.

We are killing them.

Pollution and unsustainable fishing

are just a few of the destructive
practices causing their demise.

Sadly, during the three years it took
for the team to make this film,

a third of the Great Barrier Reef
bleached and died.

Without immediate action,
most scientists agree

that almost all coral reefs
will be destroyed in just 50 years.

Countless creatures will cease to exist.

And our dolphins will have lost
their vital home.

But there is hope,
with one of the simplest of solutions...

protection.

The best example,
the islands of Palau in Micronesia.

Didier has come here
to film a very special event.

DIDIER: So, when I knew I was going
to go to Palau, I was very excited

because I have never been.

When I first put my head in the water,
I realized how beautiful it was.

It's that sort of place
where you have strong upwellings

bringing rich water from the depths,

very rich in nutrients.

Makes a top-class reef, very rich in life,

with all those fish everywhere.

And not only the small ones.

Giants and other predators...

all kind of fish.
We have all the food chain.

Mantas, hundreds of sharks,
everyone is here.

NARRATOR: In 1998,

everyone thought that this reef
might have been lost forever.

An El Niño event had bleached
and killed the coral.

But you-know-who stepped in to clean up...

our trusty bumphead parrotfish.

And with the added help
of government-enforced protection...

the reef is now as good as new.

Not surprisingly, Palau is now famous
for its great fish gatherings.

Every full moon, all the bumpheads
gather at dawn to spawn.

This is the legendary spectacle
Didier has come here to film.

DIDIER: To film the bumpheads spawning
is a special event

because this is something I do
for the first time.

First, you see all those fish...

and it's not ten, 30,
it's hundreds of them.

They are big massive fish,
like 20, 30 kilos.

For a cameraman,
this is something unique.

NARRATOR: Didier must remain poised
and ready the whole time,

because the actual spawning event
could occur at any moment.

DIDIER: When they aggregate,
you are on the reef,

so you wait, you wait,
and all of a sudden,

they stop to go out in the blue,

and this is where the action will start.

This is where...

things get complicated because you have
to swim against the current,

and we can't compete with the fish.

You know, they are much faster than us.

When the first female comes to spawn,
then they will all come together.

They go up, swim up,
and all the males follow.

You have two, three, four,
sometimes up to ten.

And you have to be very reactive
because this is very fast.

Not missing any action.

NARRATOR: Millions of parrotfish eggs
are released into the warm ocean currents,

creating the next generation
of reef saviors.

In discovering these spectacles
across the world,

our filmmakers have also given us
a valuable insight

into how we can help our fragile oceans.

With international protection,

more places like Palau
would be able to recover...

creating a healthier,
more productive ocean.

One full of incredible characters...

-...that can continue to thrive

long into the future.