All language subtitles for big.pacific.part.1.mysterious.2017.1080p.bluray.x264-sprinter

NARRATOR: THE PACIFIC OCEAN
IS FULL OF WONDER AND MYSTERY.

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMERS THAT
APPEAR OUT OF THE BLUE,

AND A NAVIGATOR LIKE NO OTHER.

A RACE TO SAVE ANCIENT LIFE,

AND LIFE THAT COMES BACK
FROM THE DEAD.

MYSTIFYING MASTERPIECES...

AND THEIR MAGNETIC APPEAL.

HERE WE FIND
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

AND UNDISCOVERED TREASURES.

THIS IS A JOURNEY TO PLUMB
THE OCEAN'S RIDDLES.

64 MILLION SQUARE MILES.

ONE-THIRD OF OUR PLANET.

THE BIGGEST OCEAN ON EARTH.

WITH SECRETS TO FATHOM.

[WATER LAPPING]

[SONAR PINGING]

NARRATOR: SEPTEMBER ON
OSTIONAL BEACH IN COSTA RICA.

AND ONE OF THE GRANDEST MOMENTS
IN NATURE'S CALENDAR BEGINS:

THE ARRIBADA,
A TURTLE NESTING TIDE.

OVER THE NEXT 10 DAYS,
UP TO HALF A MILLION

OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLES
WILL ARRIVE...

ALL FEMALES.

AT JUST TWO FEET LONG,

THEY'RE THE SMALLEST
OF THE WORLD'S SEA TURTLES,

BUT THE MOST ABUNDANT.

SOME MAY HAVE CROSSED HALF
THE PACIFIC TO GET HERE.

IT'S A HOMECOMING.

LIKE ALL THE OTHERS, THIS YOUNG
FEMALE HATCHED ON THIS BEACH.

BUT EVER SINCE,
SHE'S BEEN AT SEA.

IN 12 YEARS, THIS IS THE FIRST
TIME SHE'S LEFT THE WATER.

IN 12 YEARS, THIS IS THE FIRST
TIME SHE'S LEFT THE WATER.

HOW SHE FOUND THIS BEACH AGAIN

AND ARRIVED IN SYNCH WITH HER
SISTERS IS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD.

THE JOURNEY OF THOUSANDS OF
MILES ENDS A FEW YARDS AWAY,

IN THE DRY SAND
ABOVE THE HIGH TIDE.

SHE MUST DIG A HOLE TO PROTECT
THE EGGS ONE TO TWO FEET DEEP.

IT CAN TAKE UP TO 3 HOURS
FOR AN OLIVE RIDLEY

TO TRAVEL UP THE BEACH TO
LAY HER EGGS AND RETREAT.

SHE WILL HAVE MADE IT
JUST OFFSHORE A SINGLE TIME

AND STORED
THE MALE SPERM WITHIN HER

FOR USE THROUGHOUT
THE NESTING SEASON,

ENOUGH FOR HER TO JOIN
3 ARRIBADAS THIS YEAR

AND LAY 3 CLUTCHES OF EGGS,

AT LEAST 100 EGGS PER NEST.

BUT NOT ALL WILL SURVIVE.

AMERICAN BLACK VULTURES
AND FERAL DOGS

ALL FEAST ON FRESH
OLIVE RIDLEY EGGS.

BUT NATURE FACTORS IN
THE LOSSES.

ACROSS A BREEDING SEASON,

THIS SINGLE BEACH WILL HARBOR
UP TO A MILLION NESTS,

UP TO 100 MILLION EGGS IN ALL,

OVERWHELMING THE THREATS
TO SURVIVAL

WITH SHEER WEIGHT OF NUMBERS.

IT'S CALLED PREDATOR SWAMPING.

BETWEEN THE
SIMULTANEOUS NESTING,

THE ABUNDANCE OF NESTS,
AND THE GLUT OF EGGS,

ENOUGH YOUNG WILL SURVIVE
TO CARRY ON THE SPECIES.

HOW THE SEA TURTLES NAVIGATE
THE BIG PACIFIC IS A MYSTERY.

TO US, THE OCEAN SEEMS
A MAPLESS BLUE.

BUT TO ITS INHABITANTS, IT'S
FULL OF HIGHWAYS AND SIGN POSTS.

[SQUEAKING]

[VOCALIZATIONS]

THEY EVEN SEEM
TO HAVE THEIR OWN GPS.

MALPELO ISLAND, COLOMBIA.

A FORMER VOLCANO ERUPTING ALMOST
12,000 FEET FROM THE DEEP.

LIKE OTHER PINNACLES
IN THE OCEAN,

IT ATTRACTS AN UNUSUALLY
LARGE CROWD OF SHARKS--

HAMMERHEADS,

SILKY SHARKS,

WHALE SHARKS,

SOME OF THEM DRAWN FROM
THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.

THEY CONGREGATE FOR DAYS,
WEEKS, EVEN MONTHS. BUT WHY?

SOME SCIENTISTS SUSPECT THAT THE
ISLAND SERVES AS A BASE CAMP.

EACH NIGHT, THEY LEAVE
TO HUNT IN DEEPER WATER,

THEN RETURN TO CIRCLE
THE ISLAND,

GLIDING ON THE CURRENTS
THAT SWEEP PAST.

THE OTHER MYSTERY IS HOW
DO THEY FIND THEIR WAY HERE?

THE ANSWER MAY LIE
AT THE CROSSROADS

OF GEOLOGY AND BIOLOGY.

SHARKS RIVAL ANY
PHYSICS LABORATORY

FOR SENSING TINY
ELECTRICAL EFFECTS

AS WEAK AS ONE BILLIONTH
OF A VOLT.

ANIMALS FROM DOLPHINS TO
BEES SHARE THE SAME TRAIT.

THESE HAMMERHEADS'
BROAD NOSES HOLD SPECIAL ORGANS

THAT CAN SENSE ELECTRICAL FIELDS

LIKE THE FAINT ELECTRICAL
SIGNATURES OF THEIR PREY--

STINGRAYS AND OTHER FISH
HIDDEN BENEATH THE SAND.

STINGRAYS AND OTHER FISH
HIDDEN BENEATH THE SAND.

WITH EVERY TWITCH OF A MUSCLE,
WITH EVERY BEAT OF ITS HEART,

THE PREY EMITS AN ELECTRICAL
CHARGE THE SHARKS CAN DETECT.

LIKEWISE, THE EARTH HAS
A POWERFUL MAGNETIC FIELD

THAT TRAVELS ACROSS
THE SURFACE FROM POLE TO POLE.

SCIENTISTS WHO STUDY
SHARK MIGRATION

SUSPECT THEY CAN DETECT
THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELDS

JUST AS THEY DETECT
ELECTRICAL FIELDS.

PINNACLES LIKE MALPELO MAY
STAND OUT AS A MAGNETIC ANOMALY

AND THUS A MAGNETIC LANDMARK,
A BEACON FOR SHARKS.

SCIENCE IS STILL PLUMBING
THE MYSTERY.

60 FEET BENEATH THE PACIFIC,
ANOTHER ENIGMA HAS BEEN CRACKED.

[SONAR PINGING]

IN 1995, DIVERS DISCOVERED
DELICATE PATTERNS

FURROWED INTO THE SEABED
OFF JAPAN'S AMAMI ISLAND.

THEY WERE SHORT LIVED.

THE CURRENT
WOULD SWEEP THEM AWAY,

AND THEY'D REAPPEAR ELSEWHERE.

WHO, OR WHAT, DID THIS?

THE CRYPTIC DESIGNS BAFFLED

AMATEUR EXPLORERS
AND SEASONED SCIENTISTS ALIKE.

THE MYSTERY LINGERED
FOR MORE THAN A DECADE.

THEN IN 2011, SCIENTISTS WATCHED
THE SEABED FOR ALMOST A YEAR.

THEY DISCOVERED NOT JUST THE
ARTIST, BUT A BRAND-NEW SPECIES.

THE WHITE-SPOTTED PUFFER FISH.

SO ELUSIVE,
IT'S RARELY BEEN FILMED.

THE GOAL OF THIS 3-INCH ARTIST
IS TO GATHER FINE SAND

THE GOAL OF THIS 3-INCH ARTIST
IS TO GATHER FINE SAND

TO BUILD A BED
FOR HIS MATE'S EGGS.

OTHER FISH BUILD NESTS,
BUT NONE CREATE ART.

GATHERING FINE SAND
IN A PERPETUAL CURRENT

IS LIKE COLLECTING SMOKE
IN THE WIND.

IN AN ENGINEERING TRIUMPH,

THESE SAND CIRCLES REDUCE THE
APPARENT CURRENT BY ALMOST 25%.

THE RADIAL SPOKES CHANNEL
THE CURRENT TO SWEEP

THE FINEST OF SAND INTO
THE CENTER OF THE LOVE NEST.

THIS DILIGENT PLOWING
LIFTS THE SAND TO BE CAPTURED

IN HIS ARTFUL TRAP.

AS THE DESIGN EMERGES, IT'S
MORE THAN 20 TIMES HIS SIZE.

TO REACH 6 FEET IN DIAMETER

WILL TAKE MORE THAN A WEEK
OF RELENTLESS WORK.

HE CAN'T REST BECAUSE
THE SHIFTING TIDES

THREATEN TO BLUR
THE FINE DETAILS

AND BLOW DEBRIS ONTO HIS CANVAS.

AND NOW THE FINAL TOUCHES.

THE PUFFER FISH VERSION
OF FLOWERS AND CHOCOLATE:

SAND DOLLARS AND SEASHELLS.

A FEMALE FINDS
THE ARTIST'S GALLERY.

SHE SHOWS APPROVAL
BY HOVERING IN THE CENTER.

MATING STARTS WITH
A ROUGH PECK ON THE CHEEK

AND ENDS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.

SECONDS IS ALL IT TAKES.

SHE DEPOSITS HER EGGS
AND SHE'S GONE, NEVER TO RETURN.

THE ARTIST REMAINS WITH HIS
CREATION AND HIS OFFSPRING.

THE ARTIST REMAINS WITH HIS
CREATION AND HIS OFFSPRING.

THE EGGS MUST BE PROTECTED
AT ALL COSTS.

HE FANS THE NEST TO REFRESH
THE EGGS WITH OXYGENATED WATER

AS THE CURRENT SLOWLY
ERODES HIS MASTERPIECE.

WHEN THE EGGS HATCH, HE'LL BEGIN
A NEW CYCLE OF ART AND LIFE.

IT TOOK 16 YEARS TO UNCOVER
THE MYSTERY OF THE SAND CIRCLES,

A DROP IN THE BUCKET OF TIME
IN THE ANCIENT PACIFIC.

AT LEAST 5 MASS EXTINCTIONS
HAVE EACH WIPED OUT

75% TO 95% OF LIFE ON EARTH.

EACH TIME, LIFE CLAWED
ITS WAY BACK,

INCLUDING A PREHISTORIC RELIC
FOUND ONLY IN THE BIG PACIFIC.

[SONAR PINGING]

THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS.

UP TO 10,000 SPECIES
OF NAUTILUS ONCE LIVED.

NOW THERE'S JUST 6...

THE LAST SURVIVORS
OF A GROUP OF ANIMALS

THAT THRIVED IN THIS OCEAN
HALF A BILLION YEARS AGO.

NAUTILUSES ARE CEPHALOPODS,

NAUTILUSES ARE CEPHALOPODS,

RELATIVES OF THE SQUID,

THE CUTTLE FISH,

AND THE OCTOPUS.

BUT THE NAUTILUS
PREDATES THEM ALL.

ONE OF VERY FEW ANIMALS
TO SURVIVE 5 MASS EXTINCTIONS

ALMOST UNSCATHED
AND LITTLE CHANGED.

HOW THIS 8-INCH WONDER SURVIVED
IS THE FIRST MYSTERY.

HOW IT MOVES IS THE SECOND,

BECAUSE THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS

IS ONE OF THE FEW SHELLED
ANIMALS THAT CAN SWIM.

THE ANSWER LURKS IN ITS SHELL--

HOLLOW CHAMBERS,
UP TO 30 IN AN ADULT.

IT CAN CONTROL ITS BUOYANCY
THE WAY A SUBMARINE DOES,

BY FILLING AND RIDDING
THE CHAMBERS OF AIR--

AIR EXTRACTED FROM SEA WATER.

IT SCOOTS ALONG BY JETTING WATER
FROM ITS HYPONOME FUNNEL,

SCAVENGING OR HUNTING
WHATEVER IT CAN FIND,

TRACKING THE CURRENTS,

FOLLOWING THE SCENT OF PREY
AND CARRION WITH

A NOSE-LIKE RHINOPHORE ORGAN.

BY NIGHT,
IT HUNTS ON CORAL REEFS.

BY DAY, IT DIVES AS DEEP
AS 2,000 FEET TO REST.

MAYBE THAT'S THE SECRET
OF THE NAUTILUS'S SURVIVAL
ACROSS EONS OF EXTINCTION:

A REFUGE IN THE DEPTHS,
FAR FROM THE DANGEROUS WORLD.

[SONAR PINGING]

NARRATOR: SOME OF THE OCEAN'S
OLDEST AND STRANGEST ANIMALS

ARE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE TODAY.

THE HORSESHOE CRAB DATES BACK
450 MILLION YEARS.

ALMOST TWICE AS OLD
AS THE OLDEST DINOSAUR,

IT HAS BARELY CHANGED.

WITH ITS HARD CARAPACE, IT COULD
BE MISTAKEN FOR A CRUSTACEAN...

BUT IT'S ACTUALLY
A CHELICERATE,

THE FAMILY OF SPIDERS
AND SCORPIONS.

HORSESHOE CRABS ARE THE
BULLDOZERS OF THE SEA BOTTOM,

PLOWING IN SEARCH OF MEALS

PLOWING IN SEARCH OF MEALS

THEY CAN SETTLE ON
AND GRIND TO A PULP.

SMALL FISH, BIVALVES, ALGAE...

IT'S ALL GOOD.

BUT LIKE THE NAUTILUS,

THEY LEAVE A FEW MYSTERIES
IN THEIR WAKE.

THEIR BODIES ARE STUDDED
WITH EYES.

FOR PRIMARY VISION, THEY USE
A PAIR OF LARGE COMPOUND EYES

CONTAINING SENSORY CELLS
100 TIMES LARGER THAN OURS.

UP TO 6 MORE EYES
ON TOP OF THEIR SHELL

CAN SENSE VISIBLE
AND ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT.

TWO MORE EYES UNDER THEIR SHELL.

10 EYES IN ALL.

PLUS DOZENS OF
LIGHT-SENSITIVE PHOTORECEPTORS

ON THE TOP AND SIDES
OF THEIR TAILS.

WHY DOES A BOTTOM FEEDER NEED
SO MUCH VISUAL INFORMATION?

SCIENTISTS SUGGEST THEIR EXTREME
SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT

HELPS THEM TREK THEIR WAY
TO THE SHORELINE,

WHERE THEY GO TO LAY
THEIR EGGS AFTER MATING.

HORDES OF HORSESHOE CRABS USED
TO SWARM THIS CHINESE BEACH,

BUT THOSE DAY ARE OVER.

SINCE 2002, SOME POPULATIONS
HAVE DECLINED BY 90%.

A CREATURE THAT SURVIVED
5 WAVES OF EXTINCTION

FINALLY MET A FORCE
IT CAN'T WITHSTAND...

INDUSTRIALIZATION.

[FREIGHTERS HONKING]

POLLUTION, OVER-FISHING,

AND DESTRUCTION
OF MATING HABITATS.

THE MYSTERY NOW IS WHETHER
A RADICAL EXPERIMENT

CAN SAVE IT.

IT HINGES ON PROTECTING THEM
WHEN THEY'RE MOST AT RISK.

HORSESHOE CRABS GROW SO SLOWLY,

THEY TAKE ABOUT
12 YEARS TO MATURE.

AS THEY GROW, THEY REPEATEDLY
SHED THEIR SHELLS.

EACH TIME, THEY'RE HELPLESS
AGAINST PREDATORS.

FOR THE FIRST 5 YEARS,
WHEN THEY ARE SMALL,

THEY ARE PARTICULARLY
VULNERABLE.

IN THE LAB, CRABS DON'T BURN
ENERGY LOOKING FOR FOOD.

THE CONDITIONS ARE IDEAL,
SO THE GROWTH RATE IS SPED UP.

THE CONDITIONS ARE IDEAL,
SO THE GROWTH RATE IS SPED UP.

IN ONE YEAR, THESE JUVENILES
CAN ACHIEVE 5 YEARS OF GROWTH.

[WAVES CRASHING]

A SHORTCUT TO SAFETY.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

SCIENTISTS TEAM UP
WITH SCHOOL KIDS

TO RELEASE THE JUVENILES...

FOSTERING THE NEXT GENERATION
OF CRABS

AND CONSERVATIONISTS.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

JUVENILES REMAIN IN
THE SHALLOWS FOR ALMOST A DECADE

BEFORE HEADING TO DEEPER
WATER AS ADULTS.

THE PROGRAM IS ONLY
A FEW YEARS OLD,

SO THE MYSTERY LINGERS--

CAN CHINA SAVE AN ANCIENT RELIC
FROM MODERN TIMES?

[GULLS CALLING]

NARRATOR: THESE SAME WATERS
ARE HOME

TO ANOTHER UNUSUAL
YET TROUBLED CREATURE.

[DOLPHIN SQUEAKS]

WHITE HUMPBACK DOLPHINS,

FOUND IN THE PACIFIC
AND INDIAN OCEANS

FROM CHINA TO AUSTRALIA
TO AFRICA.

THEY'RE NOT ALBINOS
LIKE SOME WHITE WHALES.

THEY'RE BORN DARK GRAY...

[DOLPHIN SQUEAKS]

BUT SLOWLY LIGHTEN UNTIL
THEY BECOME SNOWY WHITE.

AT TIMES,
SOME EVEN APPEAR PINK,

BUT SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THAT'S A HEAT RESPONSE

THE WAY HUMANS FLUSH WHEN HOT.

WHILE THIS SPECIES CHANGES
FROM DARK TO LIGHT,

SOME OF ITS COUSINS CHANGE
FROM LIGHT TO DARK.

EACH TRANSFORMATION
AS MYSTERIOUS AS THE OTHER.

TO CHINESE FISHERMEN, THE WHITE
DOLPHINS ONCE MEANT BAD LUCK.

TO CHINESE FISHERMEN, THE WHITE
DOLPHINS ONCE MEANT BAD LUCK.

TEEMING IN THE THOUSANDS,
THEY VIED FOR THEIR CATCH.

NOW THE POPULATION
HAS PLUNGED TO 2,500

AND FALLING.

CHINA HAS GIVEN THE DOLPHINS

THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL
OF PROTECTION,

BUT IT MAY NOT BE ENOUGH.

TODAY, TOURISTS TAKE CRUISES
HOPING TO SPY A WHITE DOLPHIN,

BUT THEIR CHANCES OF SUCCESS
ARE DWINDLING.

THE DOLPHINS ARE NOW SO RARE

THAT GLIMPSING A WHITE HEAD
ABOVE THE WAVES

HAS BECOME A GOOD OMEN
EVEN FOR FISHERMEN.

WHERE THERE'S DOLPHIN,
THERE'S FISH.

THE WESTERN PACIFIC
HARBORS ANOTHER CREATURE

WITH ITS OWN MYSTERIOUS COLOR.

[GULLS CALLING]

[SONAR PINGING]

NARRATOR: BENEATH THE SPRING
FULL MOON,

FISHERMEN AWAIT A VAST MIGRATION

IN THE CHANNELS
BEYOND TOYAMA BAY--

A SPECIAL EVENT THEY HAVE
RELIED UPON FOR GENERATIONS,

MAKING IT AN HONORED PART OF
THEIR CULTURAL TRADITIONS.

[GULLS CALLING]

PULSING FROM THE DEPTHS,
UP TO A BILLION FIREFLY SQUID,

EACH NO LONGER THAN YOUR FINGER.

THEY GLOW LIKE THE STARS.

THE FIREFLY SQUID BOASTS
A TYPE OF LUMINESCENCE

LIKE NO OTHER ON THE PLANET.

AT THE HEART OF EACH
BRIGHT BLUE DOT

IS A CRYSTAL OF PROTEIN...

RADIATING LIKE
AN OCEAN SAPPHIRE.

PERHAPS THE SQUID HITS THE HIGH
BEAMS TO INTIMIDATE A PREDATOR

OR COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER SQUID.

EITHER WAY,
SCIENTISTS ARE STUMPED.

LIKE A FAIRY TALE, THE STARS
AND MOON SHINE DOWN,

AND THE FIREFLIES SHINE BACK.

AND THE FISHERMEN GATHER.

FOR CENTURIES, FIREFLY SQUID
HAVE BEEN A JAPANESE DELICACY--

FOR CENTURIES, FIREFLY SQUID
HAVE BEEN A JAPANESE DELICACY--

FRIED, BOILED, OR RAW.

ALL THE BETTER IF THEY STILL
GLOW AS THEY HIT THE PLATE.

THE FISHERMEN
ARE RUNNING AGAINST THE CLOCK

TO ENSURE THEIR CATCH IS FRESH

BECAUSE ALL THESE SQUID
ARE PROGRAMMED TO DIE

AFTER SPAWNING.

AND IT'S THAT TIME.

EVERY ONE IS A FEMALE.

AS THEY RISE, THEY RELEASE
THEIR FERTILIZED EGGS...

BEADED NECKLACES A YARD LONG.

WITH UP TO 20,000
EGGS PER CHAIN,

EACH EGG IS SO TINY, IT SLIPS
THROUGH THE FISHERMEN'S NETS.

IN 8 OR 9 DAYS, THEY'LL HATCH
IN THE BIG PACIFIC.

AND A YEAR FROM NOW, THEY WILL
RETURN TO SWARM THIS BAY,

MULTIPLY, AND DIE.

COMPLETING A LIFE CYCLE AS BRIEF
AS IT IS BRILLIANT.

FAR TO THE SOUTH LIES
ANOTHER DAZZLING MYSTERY...

BUT THIS ONE IS MAN-MADE.

[SONAR PINGING]

NARRATOR: THE FEDERATED
STATES OF MICRONESIA--

AN ARCHIPELAGO OF MORE THAN
600 ISLANDS ALONG THE EQUATOR.

ONE REMOTE ISLAND HOLDS A SITE

UNRIVALED IN THE ENTIRE
PACIFIC OCEAN--

AN ANCIENT CITADEL CALLED
NAN MADOL.

AN ALMOST MYTHICAL PACIFIC
DYNASTY KNOWN AS THE SAUDELEURS

RULED THE ISLAND OF POHNPEI
FOR ABOUT 500 YEARS...

THEN VANISHED.

THEY LEFT BEHIND
A TROPICAL VENICE--

THEY LEFT BEHIND
A TROPICAL VENICE--

A CITY OF 92 STONE BUILDINGS

WITH WALLS UP TO 50 FEET HIGH,

ERECTED ON CORAL ISLETS
LINKED BY BRIDGES

SPANNING 200 ACRES.

DESIGNED PERHAPS AS
A BASTION AGAINST MONSOONS,

OR MORTALS,

HOW THEY BUILT IT
BOGGLES THE MIND.

A STONE-AGE CULTURE TRANSPORTED
THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILLION TONS

OF BASALT FROM
ACROSS THE ISLAND,

WEIGHING AS MUCH AS
THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE.

NO MACHINES,
YET THEY MOVED COLUMNS

WEIGHING AN AVERAGE OF 5 TONS,

SOME UP TO 50 TONS.

TODAY'S ISLANDERS
SAY THE ROCK PILLARS

WERE FLOWN HERE BY SORCERERS--

THE TWIN BROTHERS
WHO FOUNDED THE DYNASTY.

THE TRUTH IS LOST IN TIME,

BUT LOST DOESN'T ALWAYS
MEAN GONE.

IN THE BIG PACIFIC,

THE PAST SOMETIMES
MYSTERIOUSLY REEMERGES

JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT
IT WAS DEAD.

[SONAR PINGING]

NARRATOR: 350 MILES OFF
THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA,

A LONE ISLAND STANDS VIGIL.

TALLER THAN
THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING,

BALL'S PYRAMID
IS A FORBIDDING SPIRE.

IT RESISTS HABITATION

AND DEFIES EXPLORATION.

IT'S HOME TO A SPECIES
AS LONELY AND MYSTERIOUS

AS THE PYRAMID ITSELF.

BUT THIS STRANGE TALE
BEGINS 13 MILES AWAY

ON ANOTHER ISLAND.

LORD HOWE ISLAND IS SO REMOTE,

IT SAT UNDISCOVERED UNTIL 1788.

IT'S A GARDEN PARADISE
THAT ERUPTED FROM THE OCEAN

7 MILLION YEARS AGO...

[ANIMALS CHITTERING]

NEVER PART OF ANY LANDMASS.

NEVER PART OF ANY LANDMASS.

INHABITED BY A UNIQUE
POPULATION OF BIRDS,

LIZARDS, AND INSECTS...

EACH TRANSPORTED
TO THE ISLAND

BY WIND, WAVES, OR WING.

[ANIMALS CHITTERING]

ONE OF THE STRANGEST WAS
THE LORD HOWE STICK INSECT.

THE TREE LOBSTER, AS EARLY
SAILORS CALLED IT.

6 INCHES LONG, HEAVY,

SOLID, AND SLOW...

DINING UNFETTERED
ON THE LUSH VEGETATION

UNTIL A SHIPWRECK
IN 1918 RELEASED RATS.

THEY GORGED THEIR WAY
THROUGH THE LORD HOWE FORESTS,

EATING EVERY HELPLESS
TREE LOBSTER THEY FOUND.

A CREATURE MILLIONS
OF YEARS OLD

GONE IN TWO YEARS.

[FLY BUZZES]

NARRATOR: 1920 WAS THE
LAST RECORDED SIGHTING

OF A LIVING LORD HOWE
STICK INSECT.

BUT THEY SURVIVED...

IN RUMOR, HINTS THAT
THEIR STORY WASN'T OVER.

THROUGHOUT THE YEARS,
EXPLORERS WHO TRIED TO
CONQUER BALL'S PYRAMID

CLAIM THEY SAW THE CORPSES
OF STICK INSECTS RECENTLY DEAD.

COULD THE PYRAMID HARBOR
A POPULATION OF CASTAWAYS?

ALMOST 80 YEARS
AFTER IT WAS LOST,

THE LIVING INSECT WAS
REDISCOVERED BY ROCK
CLIMBERS IN 2001...

CLINGING TO A CLIFF OVER
200 FEET ABOVE THE PACIFIC.

THE SPECIES' TERRITORY?
A SINGLE BUSH.

IT'S POPULATION?
JUST 24 ANIMALS.

ODDS OF SURVIVAL HERE?
1 MILLION TO 1.

A SINGLE STORM COULD HAVE
WIPED OUT THEIR HOME.

A SINGLE STORM COULD HAVE
WIPED OUT THEIR HOME.

IN A BEHAVIOR
RARE AMONG INSECTS,

TREE LOBSTERS PAIR OFF
IN BREEDING COUPLES

THAT SEEM MONOGAMOUS,
AND THEY PRODUCE EGGS
PROLIFICALLY.

THANKS TO INTENSIVE BREEDING
AT ZOOS AROUND THE WORLD,

EGGS FROM THOSE
24 SURVIVORS MULTIPLIED...

AND IN 15 YEARS BECAME
MORE THAN 13,000 TREE LOBSTERS.

THE SPECIES IS NOW RESCUED...

A LAZARUS SPECIES,
BACK FROM THE DEAD.

BUT HOW DID IT GET
TO THESE ISLANDS AT ALL?

IT TRAVELED 13 WATERY MILES TO
BALL'S PYRAMID FROM LORD HOWE.

BUT THE LARGER MYSTERY IS
HOW DID THE STICK INSECTS

GET TO LORD HOWE ISLAND
IN THE FIRST PLACE?

ITS DNA SUGGESTS IT TRAVELED
ALMOST 400 MILES FROM AUSTRALIA,
MAYBE ON DRIFTWOOD...

A JOURNEY AS EXTRAORDINARY
AS IT IS INEXPLICABLE.

THE TREE LOBSTER HAS BEEN
DISCOVERED TWICE.

IN THE 21st CENTURY,
THE PACE OF DISCOVERY
UNVEILS MORE MYSTERIES.

[SONAR PINGING]

A WORLD LEADER
IN DEEP OCEAN EXPLORATION

PREPARES FOR A JOURNEY
TO FIND THE OLDEST LIVING
CREATURES ON EARTH.

PHIL NUYTTEN IS THE MARINE
VERSION OF A WRIGHT BROTHER.

THEY TOOK US TO THE HEAVENS.
HE TAKES US INTO THE ABYSS.

FOR 40 YEARS, PHIL HAS
ENGINEERED SUBMERSIBLES
AND HARD SUITS

USED BY EVERYONE FROM NASA
TO THE U.S. NAVY TO
TREASURE HUNTERS.

HE AND HIS MACHINES HAVE
MADE SOME OF THE WORLD'S
DEEPEST DIVES...

REVEALING THINGS WE'VE
NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY
OVER RADIO]

ROGER THAT.
ROGER THAT.

MAN: FLOATING TANKS
PROCEED TO BOTTOM.

NARRATOR: THE "AQUARIUS"
SUBMERSIBLE CAN CARRY 3 PEOPLE

TO A DEPTH OF 1,000 FEET.

TO A DEPTH OF 1,000 FEET.

NUYTTEN: MY URGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN
TO GO DEEPER AND STAY LONGER

AND SEE THINGS THAT ARE NOT
NORMALLY SEEN OR SELDOM SEEN.

NARRATOR: A PLACE AS ALIEN
TO US AS ANOTHER PLANET.

MAN: ROGER.
CABIN PRESSURE IS 0.

02--21 DECIMAL 0. OVER.

NUYTTEN: ROGER THAT.

NARRATOR: THE PRESSURE ON THE
CRAFT QUICKLY DOUBLES.

THE RISK TO THOSE INSIDE
MULTIPLIES WITH IT.

BEYOND 400 FEET, A PLACE THAT
SUNLIGHT BARELY TOUCHES.

IT WAS ONCE THOUGHT THAT
ALMOST NOTHING COULD LIVE HERE,

BUT WE WERE WRONG.

THIS ALIEN AND SUNLESS WORLD
IS HABITABLE.

OUR DESTINATION IS ANOTHER
100 FEET DEEPER.

AT THIS DEPTH, EVERY SQUARE INCH
OF THE "AQUARIUS"

BEARS THE WEIGHT OF MORE THAN
200 POUNDS OF SEA WATER.

PHIL'S GOAL? A REEF
MORE THAN 20 MILES LONG...

HOME TO A RARE SPECTACLE,

ONE OF THE FIRST CREATURES
TO EVER INHABIT THE EARTH.

GLASS SPONGES.

THEY'VE LIVED ON EARTH
MORE THAN 500 MILLION YEARS.

100 TIMES OLDER THAN MANKIND'S
EARLIEST ANCESTOR,

PERHAPS THE ANCESTOR
OF ALL COMPLEX ANIMALS.

THIS IS WHAT EARTH'S FIRST
MULTICELLULAR LIFE FORMS
LOOKED LIKE.

LIKE THE TREE LOBSTER,
THEY WERE THOUGHT EXTINCT.

WE KNEW THEM ONLY FROM
THE FOSSIL RECORD,

UNTIL A DEEP DIVE IN 1987
TURNED UP LIVING FOSSILS.

UNTIL A DEEP DIVE IN 1987
TURNED UP LIVING FOSSILS.

NUYTTEN: WE DIDN'T KNOW
A WHOLE LOT ABOUT THEM WHEN
I FIRST STARTED SCUBA DIVING

'CAUSE, OF COURSE,
THEY ARE FAIRLY DEEP.

YOU SEE THEM IN CLUMPS
IN VARIOUS PLACES AROUND HERE,

BUT TO GET DOWN TO A SPONGE
REEF, ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

NARRATOR: EXPLORERS LIKE PHIL
HAVE FOUND RARE REMNANT
POPULATIONS OF GLASS SPONGES

IN ALL OUR OCEANS.

THEY'RE FILTER FEEDERS,
SIPHONING SILICA FROM SEA WATERS

TO PRODUCE THEIR NAMESAKE
GLASS SKELETONS.

THIS REEF IS 4 STORIES HIGH.

LIVING SPONGES GROWING
ON TOP OF DEAD ONES.

AND THE LIVING SPONGES
HERE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
CAN BE UP TO 6,000 YEARS OLD.

NUYTTEN: SO THE SPONGE REEFS
THAT WE HAVE HERE

ARE QUITE UNIQUE IN
THEIR BREADTH AND DEPTH

AND THE LENGTH OF TIME
THAT THEY'VE BEEN AROUND.

NARRATOR: SCIENTISTS HAVE
FOUND GLASS SPONGES
IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

THAT ARE 11,000 YEARS OLD...

THE LONGEST LIFESPAN
OF ANYTHING ON EARTH.

THE PACIFIC IS SO VAST,

UNFATHOMABLE MYSTERIES TURN UP
EVEN IN ITS SHALLOWS.

[SONAR PINGING]

SABAH, IN MALAYSIA.

SOME OF THE WORLD'S
RICHEST RAIN FORESTS
RUN TO THE WATERLINE...

WHERE A NEW NATURAL
WONDER BEGINS.

A CORAL REEF SYSTEM
OF IMMEASURABLE RICHNESS...

THAT HIDES A MYSTERIOUS
GRAVEYARD.

THROUGH A DARK CLEFT
INTO A MAZE OF DROWNED CAVES,

A PERILOUS JOURNEY FOR
EVEN EXPERIENCED DIVERS.

60 FEET DOWN AND THEN MORE
THAN 200 FEET INTO
THE HEART OF THE ISLAND.

60 FEET DOWN AND THEN MORE
THAN 200 FEET INTO
THE HEART OF THE ISLAND.

THE TOMB OF THE LOST TURTLES.

ONE TURTLE MIGHT WANDER IN
AND NEVER WANDER OUT...

BUT DOZENS?

AFTER VISITING IN 1998,

UNDERSEA EXPLORER
JACQUES COUSTEAU

LIKENED IT TO A GRAVEYARD
FOR AFRICAN ELEPHANTS...

A PLACE WHERE THEY GO TO DIE.

BUT AFRICA'S ELEPHANT
GRAVEYARDS ARE A MYTH,

AND SEA TURTLES DON'T
GATHER TO DIE.

THIS IS THE ONLY
ONE WE KNOW OF.

OTHER CLUES ONLY
CLOUD THE MYSTERY.

DOZENS OF SHELLS
LAY IN THE SAND.

THEY'RE ALL THAT'S LEFT
OF STILLBORN OFFSPRING.

BUT FEMALES LAY THEIR EGGS
ON BEACHES, NOT IN CAVES.

THE WATER IS PITCH BLACK,
SO WE MIGHT GET LOST IN HERE.

BUT TURTLES?

THEY CAN HOLD THEIR
BREATH UP TO 7 HOURS,

AND THEY'RE ONE OF THE BEST
NAVIGATORS IN THE SEA.

HOW DO THEY MANAGE TO
CROSS THOUSANDS OF MILES
OF THE BIG PACIFIC,

YET NOT FIND THEIR WAY
OUT OF HERE?

THE CRYPT REMAINS
EVER CRYPTIC.

AFTER 50 DAYS UNDER
THE HOT COSTA RICAN SUN,

LIFE EMERGES.

SEA TURTLES TAKE
THEIR FIRST BREATHS

AND EXERCISE THEIR FLIPPERS
FOR THE FIRST TIME.

TO SURVIVE, THEY MUST
GET TO THE SEA...

BUT THEIR DESTINY
WAITS FOR THEM ON THE SAND.

BIRDS HAVE GATHERED.

IT'S A RELIABLE FEAST.
S

THE HATCHLINGS
CRAWL FROM THE SAND

AT THE MOST DANGEROUS MOMENT
IN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES.

[BIRDS SQUAWKING]

LESS THAN 8% MIGHT MAKE IT
TO THE OPEN OCEAN,

BUT THAT'S STILL A MULTITUDE.

NOW THEIR MOTHER'S DRIVE
TO NEST IN THE TENS OF
THOUSANDS PAYS OFF.

BUT IT'S A MAD SCRAMBLE
TO OBLIVION.

BECAUSE ONCE THESE LITTLE
TURTLES HIT THE SEA,

THEY VANISH FROM US.

SCIENCE IS ONLY BEGINNING TO
UNDERSTAND THEIR LIFE'S JOURNEY.

SOMEWHERE, WE KNOW
THEY LIVE AND THRIVE,

BUT WHERE HAS NEVER
BEEN DISCOVERED.

IF THIS VOYAGER SURVIVES,
SHE'LL RETURN ONE DAY
TO THIS SAME BEACH.

BETWEEN NOW AND THEN,
HER LIFE, LIKE SO MUCH
OF THE BIG PACIFIC,

REMAINS A MYSTERY.

- [Announcer] Next
time on Big Pacific.

A fight for dominance
leads to unknown territory.

A secluded island
with 20,000 traps.

And the Earth erupts
with destruction.

The stakes are high in
the violent Pacific.

(dramatic music)

"BIG
PACIFIC"
IS AVAILABLE

ON BLU-RAY
AND DVD.

THE
COMPANION
BOOK IS

ALSO
AVAILABLE.

TO ORDER,
VISIT

SHOPPBS.ORG
OR CALL

1-800-PLAY-PBS.

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IS ALSO
AVAILABLE

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ON ITUNES.