All language subtitles for Red Sea 4K (2016).en

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[gentle instrumental music]

[narrator] The Red Sea.

A special idyll of the Orient.

A place of silence, strength

and diversity.

The Red Sea is famous
for its high salt content

which especially contributes
to clear water.

Algae can't spread easily here.

This is why its broad coral reefs

can be considered
a true paradise for divers.

We can find lots of highlights
of marine life here.

There are a lot
of colourful shoals of fish,

popular anemone fish,

basses,

vigilant morays,

odd pufferfish,

and, of course, elegant turtles.

The biggest attraction
is colourful coral reefs

shining in the sunlight.

[gentle music continues]

From the Earth's orbit,

we can clearly spot the elongated form
of the Red Sea.

It is a narrow sea,

2,240 kilometres long,

up to 2,604 meters deep,

that borders the Indian Ocean

and lies between Northeast Africa
and the Arabian Peninsula.

The Red Sea contains
about 200,000 cubic kilometres of water.

Its surface is spread
over 438,000 square kilometres

and the water is on average
538 meters deep.

A good question would be
why it is called the Red Sea.

There have already been several
interpretations for it since antiquity.

On the one hand, blue algae
grows in this stretch of water.

It swims right under the surface
of the water.

In its flowering season, it becomes red.

This is why the water seems to be red

if you look at it from above.

But this plant isn't widespread.

Another explanation for the name

could be the red rocks
at the Red Sea's coast.

They are red
because they contain ferric oxide

which causes that shade.

According to legend,

those rocks
have been burned red by the sun.

The Red Sea could also have got its name
from Iranian seafarers

who used colours to name
the four points of the compass.

The colour of the South was red.

The sea is geologically very young.

It was created 25 million years ago

because of the separation of the African
and Asian continental plates.

Then the crack was filled with sea water

and the Red Sea was born.

Because of the constant drift
of those continental plates,

the Red Sea widens out
1.2 centimetres on average per year.

The south of the Red Sea
is especially interesting for us.

Over there, where Eritrea, Djibouti
and Yemen border the sea,

right in the direction
of the Indian Ocean.

There is a narrow place in this area

where the sea is only 29 kilometres wide

and only 130 meters deep.

Because of this natural bottleneck,

there is only a sluggish water exchange

which causes a high salt content.

In these conditions,
plankton and algae can't spread easily

and the water seems to be crystal-clear

as we can already observe
from the shore here.

But also under the water,

the view is much better than elsewhere,

as we are about to see now.

[peaceful instrumental music]

The most widespread creature

is, as well, the most important one:

the coral.

The fire corals and madrepores,
the stone corals,

are the main constructors
of the Red Sea's giant reef.

[peaceful music continues]

For thousands of years,

these animals have been forming
enormous constructs,

right up to whole islands,
all over the world.

The best known among them
are the Bahamas, Bermuda,

and the Maldives.

That is possible because corals,

which belong to the group of cnidarians,

perpetually excrete limestone.

The zooxanthellae, a microorganism
that lives inside the coral,

helps the corals to form lime.

They live in symbiosis,

which means that they provide
and care for each other.

These corals are really sensitive
to water temperature.

It always has to be between 20
and 29 degrees Centigrade.

Therefore, they mostly live in shallow,
tropical and lighted waters.

Stone and fire corals

are actually
just giant colonies of polyps.

Every polyp is only a few millimetres
up to one centimetre long.

Besides the sustenance
through their symbiotic partners,

corals mainly feed
on planktonic organisms

which they catch with their tentacles.

Fire corals got their name
from their cnidocytes, or stinging cells,

with which they can pierce
through human skin

and inject a painful poison.

The symptoms are comparable
to skin contact with a stinging nettle.

But the pain can persist
from two days to up to two weeks.

The injuries can even leave scars
that can be visible for a lifetime.

That's why divers
should be really attentive

and careful not to make
the common mistake

of confusing fire corals with seaweed.

As for distribution
between sessile animals,

fire corals are really successful.

When fighting for light and living space,

fire corals can effectively overrun
their rivals.

These corals also have
so-called defense polyps,

somewhat bigger polyps
than the usual ones,

which they use in their fight
for a spot on the reefs.

They use them to sting
their opponents' tissue

and thus, destroy it by poisoning it.

But the fish that you can see here

are not impressed by that.

The Anthiinae, a special kind of bass.

Actually, with them
it's quite the contrary.

Living in groups of thousands,

they use the corals' complex formations

to hide from their predators.

What's interesting is that almost
all of these fish are females.

Usually, only one fiftieth
of the group are male.

At first, adult fish are always females

that later turn into males.

But that mostly just happens
if a male fish dies.

If that is the case,
the strongest female of the group

transforms into a male fish
in just a couple of days,

to take its place.

Another resident of the reef
is the soft coral.

Even though it is related
to the stone and fire coral,

it has a totally different structure.

It gets its stability
from inner water pressure.

Its limbs and strains
are not covered in polyps.

Those are located
at the ends of the arms.

The soft corals' colours
are usually brown, yellow or green.

If it lives in the shadows,

it has a bright red,
orange or purple colour.

Mostly, they are located
on the edges of reefs,

overhangs or on the ceilings of caves.

Corals are really important
for a lot of fish.

They provide shelter
for small and normal sized ones.

That's why they are almost always
surrounded by huge swarms.

If there's an enemy,

they can instantly hide
between the branchy corals

and are almost unreachable
for big predators.

The coral's ability to emit
stinging poison

is a huge advantage here, too.

Although, the fish have to be careful

not to come into contact
with the defense polyps,

because otherwise they themselves
might be the victims.

[peaceful music playing]

Because of natural barriers

and because of the environment

influencing those animals
in a special way,

many unique species which can't be found
anywhere but the Red Sea

have developed over millions of years.

One of those creatures
is the popular clownfish.

This genus here is also known
as the Red Sea anemonefish.

They eat plankton and algae

and are comparatively small.

Fifteen centimetres is the maximum.

The clownfish lives closely
in a so-called symbiosis with anemones.

That means, as we have just learned
about the corals,

that two different species
both profit from living together.

Surprisingly, clownfish
are able to live with anemones

although its cnidoblasts are toxic.

Why doesn't it disturb the clownfish?

Very simple.

It possesses a slime layer

which protects it from the deadly poison.

The anemonefish protects the anemone,

driving out predators like,
for example, butterflyfish.

In return, the anemone protects
the anemonefish from predators.

And those can even be rather
funny looking creatures like cornetfish.

Some of them can become
much bigger than a meter.

Those sit-and-wait predators
drift inconspicuously in the water

to suddenly snatch smaller fish.

This is why they are often pretty shy

and take to their heels
as soon as they spot a diver.

Let's continue our way
under the surface of the water

in search of the most colourful fish
of the coral reef.

And here we see a royal angelfish.

They grow a little bit longer
than anemonefish,

up to 60 centimetres.

The bluecheek butterflyfish

is one of the most
eye-catching reef fish.

They can differentiate
their fellow species

and other butterflyfish
through their colouring.

Most of the time they live in couples

and sometimes in smaller groups, too.

A rather inconspicuous inhabitant
of the Red Sea

is the orbicular batfish.

It's pretty flat and high.

But the older it gets,
the more it becomes discus shaped.

Characteristic for its shade

are the vertical and brown bands.

Thanks to this high contrast,

some predators can't recognize
the form of the fish easily

and assume them to be leaves
washing through the sea.

Older fish seem to be
more silver and grey

so that they look
even more inconspicuous.

In spite
of their inconspicuous appearance,

orbicular batfish
are very active and curious.

Divers often tell about orbicular batfish

nibbling at diving equipment
or grabbing for rising bubbles.

Bannerfish get their name

because of the large colour stripes
on their flat bodies.

Mostly, the colours are black,
white and yellow.

The colours around his eye area
are also really distinctive,

comparable to a raccoon.

Here, we can see
a yellow margin triggerfish.

This species either lives alone
or in a partnership.

For their eggs, they build big hollows
of sometimes up to two meters diameter,

in which the female
can lay up to 500,000 eggs.

The bale of eggs,
about the size of a fist,

is weighed down by the parents
using coral branches

and watched over by them
until they hatch.

There are a lot
of different kinds of filefish.

Optically, there are numerous variations
in colours and patterns.

But still, there are a lot of parallels
regarding their body structure.

Just like their relative,
the triggerfish,

they have strong teeth.

And there are kinds
that feed on corals, too.

This coral actually looks
kind of gnawed-off at some places.

Maybe that was one of the many relatives
of the orange filefish.

Many inhabitants of the reef
also feed on algae

or other floating plants,

if there's an opportunity like this one.

There are a lot of kinds
of silvery shining fishes.

For example, the rabbitfish.

The Giant Grouper is a true giant.

Up to three meters long,

he is the biggest bony fish
in the coral reef.

The young are black and white-coloured

and have yellowish fins,

whereas the adult fish are grey-brown

with some brighter spots on them.

Striking about them as well
is their grim face,

especially their mouth.

The giant groupers' territory

lays 50 to 100 meters underwater,

sometimes in caves or wrecks.

They usually only leave it

when searching for a partner
or for hunting.

They feed on critters, langoustes,

and small sea turtles.

And sometimes, even small sharks.

However, in heavily fished areas,

there aren't many giant groupers anymore.

This predatory fish
can be really intimidating

because of his size.

And even though they do not look like it,

because of their size
and their very slow way of moving,

they are really aggressive.

Sometimes, they even attack humans.

Thirty-five meters deep down,

we can find the black triggerfish.

This fish is the biggest of its kind

and reaches up to 40 centimetres
in length.

The name of the triggerfish
refers to a mechanism

which protects it
from being eaten by predators.

It uses its strong fins
to cling on to the coral reef

so that it cannot be pulled out
against its will.

The great diversity
of different kinds of fish

is really impressive.

Here under the sea,
it is a true paradise for fish.

But there are also a lot of things
to discover above the water surface,

even for humans.

The long beaches,

directly bordering
on green bushes and forests,

provide a great mix of the atmospheres
of beaches and bathing lakes.

The long sandy beaches along the shore

invite you for relaxing walks
in the salty humid air.

Not only divers enjoy
the great bodies of water.

It is inviting for everybody to either
take part in some sporting activities

or just to simply relax and enjoy it.

[lively instrumental music]

If you are interested in sailing
or water motorsport activities,

you can discover all kinds of yachts,

motorboats or jet skis.

Even so, you should not deny the fact

that the nature of the Red Sea
suffers from human influences, too.

Especially, polluting the water
with dirty sewage, or wild fishing,

really damage the ecosystem.

Another harmful impact of tourism
is wild anchoring.

The anchors rip out
parts of the coral reef

and thus, destroy it.

Diving tourism has also taken on
an overburdening dimension.

However, initiatives
for nature conservancy,

protected areas, and other restrictions,

have already made
a significant difference.

But people need to make more of an effort

to live in communion with nature,

because some species of the Red Sea
are already endangered.

One of them, the beautiful sea turtle.

One of the Red Sea's largest inhabitants

is passing us right here, the sea turtle.

Even though it is longer than 1.5 meters

and weighs more than 200 kilograms,

it manages to daintily float
through the water.

Here, it truly is in its element.

The sea turtle seems to glide
through the water

like a bird glides in the air.

Even though it can move onshore,

it spends
almost its entire life underwater.

Sea turtles are not faithful to a habitat,

meaning that they do not have
one specific place to live.

Every year, it travels
enormous distances in the sea.

When sea turtles are still young,

they feed on crayfish,
jellyfish and fish eggs.

But when they get older,
they become vegetarians.

Sea turtles can live up to 50 years.

[gentle rhythmic music playing]

As I said, the sea turtles
are an endangered species.

The main reason:
in a lot of Asian countries,

they are known to be a delicacy

and their shells are often manufactured
into jewellery and lucky charms.

Since 1979,

hunting and dealing with sea turtles
has been illegal.

But still, every year
thousands of them die

because they are being hunted illegally

or if they accidentally swim
into the shrimp fishing nets.

[gentle rhythmic music continues]

Among the sea turtle
and the large variety of fish,

the moray eel calls the Red Sea
its home as well.

They look really similar to eels.

If you compare them to the snake eel,

it is hard to see a difference.

Both of them have long stretched bodies

that are flattened to the sides.

The moray's colours
are usually brown to black-purple.

But species that are living
in tropical regions

are really colourful and noticeable.

Unlike other fish, the moray
does not have pelvic or pectoral fins,

not even in the larva stage.

They move by meandering.

Due to the structure of its gills,

the moray eel
has to actively breathe under water.

For this process, it has to open
its mouth, close it again

and then push out
the collected water through its gills.

This behaviour often gets misunderstood

as a threatening gesture
by inexperienced divers,

who may start panicking.

Even though they might look scary,
morays are calm animals.

They sometimes even allow people
to pet them.

One still has to pay attention

to not hold on to them
or make them feel cornered.

In that case they may bite,

which can cause a painful infection.

In the worst case scenario,

it's even possible to lose a finger.

Moray eels living in corals that attract
a lot of tourists often get fed.

This, however, effects their behaviour

and only makes them
more obtrusive and aggressive.

The Red Sea with its huge coral reef

offers a lot of great possible hideouts.

Depending on the size of the moray eel,

it can have several hideouts,

up to 200 meters from one another.

Smaller moray species
rarely leave their shelter

and only hunt in their own caves.

To not cut themselves
on the sharp edges of the corals,

their skin is covered
in a thick layer of mucus.

Moray eels are very faithful to their home

and only leave it
to hunt and to reproduce.

Something particularly interesting

is the fact that the moray eel
is nocturnal.

This means the moray can cover itself
in the darkness of the night.

In addition to that,

most of its prey
is resting around this time.

But do fish actually sleep?

For us humans it might be unimaginable,

but most fish don't possess eyelids

and therefore can't close their eyes.

Nonetheless, they must rest
at night to relax

and restore their energy.

Especially coral reefs
with their countless hideouts

are often used as a shelter,

where the fish can switch
into a kind of stand-by mode

which lowers their awareness
and reaction time.

Here we caught a nocturnal porcupinefish

who was looking for a shady place
he could rest during the day.

It's really difficult to say how awake
he must feel right now.

Something we definitely know, however,

is that fish never really fall
into a state of deep sleep.

They are always prepared to react
in case of a sudden threat.

That's also why this porcupinefish flees
as soon as he notices us.

Some species have developed
different kinds of abilities

to reduce the threat
of potential predators.

The porcupinefish is, just like
the puffer fish, a slow swimmer.

He therefore needs
a different option to protect himself.

Regarding protection, the puffer fish,
as well as this white-spotted puffer,

have a truly unique technique.

They can inflate themselves
like a water balloon,

becoming so big that they don't even fit
in the mouth of many predators.

The bluespotted ribbon tail ray,

who prefers hunting
during the night time or high tide,

covers himself with some sand
if he wants to rest well sheltered.

When the sun
starts setting over the Red Sea,

the time for all nocturnal animals
has come.

That means their day begins

when calm time starts
for most other living beings.

Slowly but surely

the sun disappears beyond the horizon

and induces an idyllic atmosphere.

Even from the orbit of our Earth,

the region of the Red Sea
looks simply magic.

Beneath the water surface as well,

we can experience
a completely different world.

The moray eel now starts
its search for prey.

Its big maw and sharp teeth

give it a big advantage during the hunt,

since it's easier
to keep hold of its prey.

If the victim is too big
to be swallowed whole,

the moray can form a knot
around it with its body.

By doing so, the moray
can hold on tight to its meal,

while ripping it
into small pieces with its mouth.

Morays have a great sense of smell,

which helps them to track down prey.

They have four nostrils
that are located over their mouth.

These are the best features
to help tell them apart

from the similar-looking eels.

All these abilities and traits

make the moray a very effective hunter.

And its menu is long.

Because there is no such thing
as a food specialist among them,

morays actually eat
pretty much everything

that consists of meat,
even rotting carcasses.

But still, bigger morays are pretty modes
about the search for food

and so only go hunting once
every two or three nights.

Other animals deal with the darkness
in a totally different way.

These triggerfish, for example,

hide in caves and crevices at dusk.

There they can use
their trigger mechanism

to clip on to the underground

and not drift in the water current.

Sea turtles as well, sometimes
use the technique of wedging

to get some rest somewhere
without getting disturbed.

This is mostly what they do

when they feel molested
by other big creatures.

For example, pushy divers
that swim after them

for a long time, trying to film them.

Well, at least the turtle's look
tells us very clearly,

and we obviously want to respect that.

Sea turtles also do not have
the special luxury

of being able to rest in the dark.

Especially for turtles
living in open waters,

the night is a peculiar matter.

During the breeding season,
they only swim by night

and travel
around 2,000 kilometres eastwards.

They are heading
to the beach of their birth,

using the Earth's magnetic field
to orientate.

When they have reached that target,

they dig a hole
in which they lay their eggs,

all in the darkness of the night.

Optically, their eggs look really similar
to birds' and chicken eggs.

During breeding time,
countless turtles lay their eggs

on the same beach,

where they can then be hatched by the sun

Interestingly, this is the point

when the sex of the offspring
is determined.

If temperatures are lower
than 29.9 degrees Centigrade,

it's male.

If they're hotter, it is female.

Because all the eggs have been laid
at about the same time,

there are a lot of baby turtles hatching

at the end of the breeding season.

[gentle instrumental music]

This means that more of them
have the chance to survive

their difficult and exhausting
first journey into the ocean,

because on their way there,
they can get eaten by other animals.

Seagulls especially,

but also ravens
and various land animals,

for example, raccoons.

The small and soft turtle babies
are a tempting snack for those animals.

But when all of them hatch at once,

even hungry predators get replete quickly

because, obviously, they can only eat
what fits in their stomachs.

In that way, these small sea turtles

hopefully go successfully on their way

and contribute to the raising
of the sea turtle's decreasing population.

When looking at the turtle swimming,

we can truly only wish
to have these glorious creatures

on our planet forever.

[gentle instrumental music]

Back to the night in the Red Sea.

The nocturnal predators are coming out.

One of them
is the bluespotted ribbontail ray.

On the menu today:
shellfish, crayfish and starfish.

Rays feel very comfortable
on the soft seafloor 40 meters deep.

Stingrays have the habit
of burying themselves in the sand,

so they cannot be seen
while they are waiting for prey.

Sometimes they just do it to rest.

The bluespotted ribbontail ray

is easily distinguishable
from other ray species

by his colour and special blue dots.

He can change their intensity
if he wants to hide.

Buried and with low colour intensity,

he is almost impossible to spot.

What's good for the stingray

can easily ruin a nice vacation.

The ray reacts within a split second

with a sting using his venomous thorn.

The poison is not deadly,

but the thorn can injure internal organs.

Visitors should be very careful

in places with a high stingray population

[gentle electronic music playing]

Big relatives of the stingray
behave a little bit differently.

For example, the spotted eagleray.

He has more similarities
with the good old manta ray.

Both like to swim in deeper water,
especially at night.

During the day,
they can be seen near the surface,

also closer to the coast.

Mostly just to warm up.

He has a blackish, dark blue colour,

with a white stain pattern
on the top of his rhomboid body.

His belly is white
with some random dark stains.

Measuring from tail to head,

they can reach over 3.3 meters long

and three meters wide.

On their tail is a sting
with barbs placed on it

to defend themselves against enemies.

Let's hope that he does not have to use it

on his way down
into the darker and deeper water.

Also, we get to meet
the porcupinefish again.

Finally he is moving.

Now we can see
his special way of swimming.

He is not using his tail as a drive.

He is using it for steering.

For thrust he is using his breast fins.

To defend himself,

Mother Nature gave him,
besides little spikes on his body,

a, for fish, deadly poison.

Even humans who eat parts of the fish
that have traces of poison

are in danger of dying.

Contact can lead to paralysis,
or even death.

Good for the porcupine fish
that we are not here to eat him.

Let's leave him alone

because the night is short.

The calm night and beautiful silence

is truly romantic.

Even the moray eels
realize and appreciate it.

They go out at night
to look for possible partners.

But how do corals reproduce?

Most soft corals are male or female.

But a small number of them
is hermaphrodite.

Depending on the species,

there are two different ways
of reproduction.

The first method is the ejaculation

of the ova and sperms into the water

where they both meet.

The chance for the successful pollination
is very low.

That's why everything
has to be perfectly timed and coordinated

In the case of success,

the larvae then float
in the water and drift away.

If they land on free reefs or stones,

they will transform to normal polyps

and start spreading into a big colony.

The second method
is a little bit different.

The coral only ejaculates the sperms

which float in the water
until they hit the ova on other coral,

which never left the coral.

The fertilized ovum
evolves into a ready polyp.

It will not be repelled in the water
until it is fully evolved.

The time of day does not play
a role for the coral.

While the sun is rising,
lots of inhabitants of the reef

get into their regular day-to-day rhythm.

The Moray eel now has time to relax

after filling his stomach
and getting back to his home cave.

Already waiting: a cleaner wrasse.

The fish climbs in the eels mouth

and eats the remaining food off its teeth

It is an advantage for both.

The moray eel has clean teeth

and the cleaner wrasse is fed.

Most fish that live in this reef

are getting really active now.

In this environment, as a fish,

you have a strategic advantage
if you stay in groups or swarms.

Not only birds live in big groups.

Fish do it as well.

But not every swarm stays the whole year.

Some fish only group up
for a couple of months,

some only if the situation requires it.

Swarms can be separated
into two different types.

The proper and the irregular.

The jack mackerel,
butterflyfish and the bigeyes

belong to the proper type.

The pure swarm includes mostly fish
of the same species and age

and always has the same number of members

If one member is left alone,

they seem stressed,
confused and disorientated.

Quite the contrary

if they are in the company
of the rest of the group.

Everything is well coordinated.

They stay organized due to communication
between each other.

That's why the distance
between the fish and the speed

always stays the same.

Proper swarms can be found
in salty waters.

They live under the constant pressure
of predators.

The colouring is perfectly adapted
to the swarm life

and a big advantage for the fish.

It's supposed to confuse enemies.

Besides the proper swarm,
there is also the irregular swarm,

which has several similarities
to the first type.

They are also known as group fish

because of their habit of only gathering
if predators are nearby.

Fish of various different species
and age

can be found in such a swarm.

Even if the fish are left alone,

they can get along
as well as they did in the group.

Irregular swarms
live mostly in freshwater.

[rhythmic electronic music playing]

Swimming in groups or swarms
holds the advantage

that it is more likely
to survive an attack by a predator.

It is much harder for one fish alone
to escape the enemy,

because for predators,
focusing on only one

is easier than on all of them at once.

In addition, the high number
of members in the swarm

helps spot offenders faster.

But ironically, this vast amount of fish

also attracts enemies and predators.

Swarm formation is actually
only profitable

when the habitat is large,
food portions are widely spread

and big enough
to provide for the whole group.

But swarms are useful for hunting, though.

When using techniques
like encircling or pushing,

prey can be caught
much more easily and faster.

For us as observers,
these totally mixed swarms

obviously provide one kind
of selfish advantage.

They are just incredibly beautiful
to look at.

[peaceful music playing]

It is amazing how many abilities
and strategies

you can find in the reef's creatures

that are all sharing one habitat

but are using it
in totally different ways.

Through diversity, a giant kind
of organism is created

in which the smallest component
adds its part to the puzzle,

which is even more than just the sum
of its component parts.

Our trip through the reef is over now.

But the Red Sea is always worth a visit.

In the variety of its inhabitants,

there's always something new to discover.

On that note, goodbye and see you.

[peaceful music continues]