Adventure Ocean Quest: Shark Paradise of Polynesia | Episode 1| Free Documentary Nature

sharks it only takes one look to understand who reigns over the underwater world of the ocean whether it's the open sea or coral reefs sharks have found an answer for every challenge in this underwater realm they are the undisputed kings most humans only dare venture into their world with a protection of technology but what happens if you can only approach them closely by rejecting this protection [Music] adventure ocean quest an encounter with the world under the waves [Music] with diver who become underwater beings themselves [Music] they work together with scientists on all the world's oceans [Music] deep under the surface of the water [Music] without a sound and without a breath [Music] adventure in the depths of the sea the likes of which has never been seen before the South Pacific a world of open sea dotted with small islands this is the starting point for an extraordinary expedition into the world of one of the most bizarre and mysterious shark species the great hammerhead their aim is to get closer than ever before to this mighty ocean predator without the help of any technology it is a journey into a different world [Music] the hunt for scientific insights takes courage skill and self-control and a deep fascination with nature in Polynesia the great hammerhead it's the the king of the Sharks I think they were right the whole pollination have seen this creature for probably three or four thousand years there is something about its presence in the water so yes for me is fully the the king of the shark as well Maria an island in the South Pacific that captures the essence of a tropical idle green volcanic Peaks provide an unrivaled view of the surrounding ocean French underwater cameraman Christian Pittman and two of the best free divers in the world are about to embark on their mission the Belgian diver Frederic Bowie holds several free diving world records in the Canadian world-class free diver William win room who will work closely with Fred as his safety diver every island in French Polynesia offers a unique world but they all have one thing in common turquoise bays concealed colorful coral reefs and the sea forms a major part of life for local people Maria is the base of the French oceanographic institute Clio for the shark specialist Johan Mejia conducts his research un Malia specializes on lemon sharks and uses some interesting techniques that can also be used to study other types of shark you also have planned to work with other species somewhere else what's the next step for you we will go to run Keira and try to tag some I married and this is a species that he's usually found in the wrong here but it's very difficult worldwide to find this shark and nobody knows what they do during the year when they're not know you are they might be traveling or maybe he's spending time in open water like oceanic whitetips or something yeah we we only know that we can see some individuals coming to Taronga and but we don't know where they are going so there is two kind of techniques we can use there because we don't know what they do we can put some acoustic tags to end with a receiver resilient shark to see if it's resilient charge and we can also put some satellite tags and if they meet weight we will be able to know where they are going this shark the great America's quite a shy species so that's why you we need your help to to tag it because you don't do bubbles and you will be able to go closer to the shock and it will be easier for us to tag it I'm quite happy to be here again and I'll try to you to do that Pengy Ola lies 250 kilometers to the northeast of Tahiti and with its 80 kilometers length and up to 32 kilometers wide it is one of the four biggest atolls on earth it's name translates as endless sky a reflection of its big skies and open spaces about 2,000 people live on the biggest of this coral island chain which is dissected by hundreds of small channels this is where the ebb and flow of the tides supplies a multitude of food and most of the underwater life congregates this will be the divers starting point we attract some big sharks who's a bait and we see what happened but we hope to see maybe Emirates and maybe Tigers so we never know what to I try but we hope to wait to see big sharks the weather isn't on the side of the divers wind creates waves and difficult currents clouds darken the otherwise bright underwater world but still the sheer diversity of the underwater world at rangiroa is impressive a massive shoal of humpback red snappers is having a rest after the exertions of their nighttime hunting they are predators but during the day they congregate in large shoals to seek protection from bigger hunters [Music] the reef is teeming with wildlife but there is no sign of great hammerhead sharks in the wide expanse of the South Pacific it's like looking for a needle in a haystack again and again the free divers go down to look for them they have to remain vigilant other sharks are ready and waiting grey reef sharks they often congregate in the channels between the islands gray reef sharks are generally curious but not aggressive towards people and in contrast to many types of shark they are still relatively common they make a nice photo opportunity for well [Music] growing to a length of about 2.5 meters they can dive to an impressive depth of around 300 meters in pursuit of prey for the team they're a good sign these sharks are not just hunters they're also prey and they're predators include the great hammerhead perhaps their presence means that the team have a good chance of finding their shy targets after all this shark has already been a target of humans has lost his dorsal fin although Fred and Will are surrounded by sharks they remain calm their controlled movements and noiseless presence means the Sharks are relaxed and allow them to stay nearby but bad weather means it's too dangerous to stay in the water the storm is brewing the expedition abruptly has to abandon their search today not a lot of light very rainy but you see it's really messy that's the lagoon of hunger and you see the lagoon is like a rough sea which is not common and it's bad weather the boats have to be secured although this is the rainy season the constant bad weather is very unusual one low-pressure system follows the next bad underwater visibility makes the search for the hammerheads even more difficult and the rough waves would make it impossible for the divers to return to the boat but there is a glimmer of all the weather forecast for the next few days sounds reassuring [Music] perhaps their environment the weather clears out the team is up early to get ready for their outing carefully they load the expensive camera and scientific equipment their destination is the outer wall of the reef where a channel opens from the islands into the open sea it's the beginning of a long day the marine biologists usually have to contend with a serious disadvantage during their efforts to observe the animals underwater their diving equipment is noisy and can be heard from far away it is disruptive and frightening for the animals freedivers on the other hand glide noiselessly through the water years of training allow them to stay even at greater depths for minutes at a time it makes them perfect underwater natural ists without any technical aids they search for the shy hammerheads and manage to get close to them they're not perceived as a threat and here he is the king of the Polynesian sharks it emerges as if from nowhere and quickly disappears again but at least the divers now know that this is a good spot to place their receivers these will serve to register signals emitted by the transmitters that they hope to attach to the Sharks [Music] they install a concrete base at a depth of 25 meters to anchor the receiver an eagle ray approaches they are one of the main prey species for the hammerheads perhaps this too is a good sign Fred also finds a Hawksbill turtle nearby they are now critically endangered and a very rare find marine turtles are still hunted for their meat and shells and threatened with extinction they are usually very shy but this one doesn't seem to feel threatened by Fred's presence it's busily looking for food mainly sponges that live amongst the corals [Music] while the scientists install the receivers at different locations around the reef Fred continues his search for the hammerheads but since his brief encounter he's not seen any sign of the Predators but there are other types of shark everywhere the divers have to stay alert at all times the receiver is installed very carefully hopefully it'll record valuable data for the next four years silver tip sharks emerge from the depths of the ocean [Music] it's certainly a lot easier to observe these sharks since they are very curious and approach the divers they want to find out if it might be worth launching an attack they invest a lot of time to weigh up the situation [Music] tread and we'll don't take the situation lightly and stay very alert they make sure never to turn their backs to the Predators as long as they can maintain eye contact and don't give the Sharks a chance to launch a surprise attack they're safe the Sharks will not take the risks of attacking an unknown adversary without the element of surprise while the gray reef sharks always stay near the coral at all these bigger Silvertip sharks often venture further into the open sea the outer reef area is their preferred habitat [Music] they're not known to be aggressive towards humans but down here nothing can be taken for granted the Sharks do keep a very wary eye on Fred and will then the divers receive other visitors mammals just like themselves curious and playful in the weightlessness of the ocean they come to investigate the divers dolphins are essentially perfectly adapted free divers they can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes and reach incredible depths of up to 300 meters [Music] the Dolphins of rangiroa have been used to people for a very long time they're inquisitive and keep only a very small safety distance to the divers [Music] humans have always been fascinated with the dolphins playful group behavior and curious nature and while many shark species also prey on their own kind dolphins are very sociable animals [Music] these highly developed and successful predators don't spend all day in pursuit of prey dolphins have time to play and to enjoy life for many people they represent an ideal lifestyle free and full of a love for life they decide how long they want to spend with people then they vanish again in the wide expanses of their underwater [Music] it's been a gripping dive but the mission to meet great hammerhead sharks face to face with disappointing at freedom there is a lots of eager ray in the past that is one of the favorite prey of the beretta merit and maybe the Sharks are not very excited because they already have eaten any praise and are not angry yet at the moment so we see to to try again and maybe get back an attack shark yeah all the boats fine tiger sharks and hammerheads and we find silver tips which for me is my first time with the silver tips and they're cool I like them but they are that one was just like a Galapagos behind and you turn around he's like still there's a lot of life here oh yeah huge amounts of fish huge huge huge suck it's a nice i6 paranor it's good to be in the water it's just centered on what we need yep time for a well-earned rest while waiting for better weather conditions the South Pacific continues to present itself from aside that isn't exactly the way it's portrayed in travel catalogs the divers use their free time to look at a receiver that Johan has recovered from the seabed so now we have this to sharks data there is an interesting pattern so that would be really interesting to to tag more sharks to see what happened to see if they're all obvious behavior because we at this point we had only two jacks so they seem to stay in this array until February and to tagged with acoustic both with acoustic and satellite tags we we could gain more information about ideally two tags and it would be good yeah this is a satellite tag so on this tag we have a different sensor that will store information about the temperature the death of the shark and also the light and with the light you can with a great determine the position the position of the shark and so we can usually we put this for a couple four different months like usually it's better to to put like five or six months of data and after you you get this full information when the tag is vintage the Hammerhead is a big pelagic shark that navigates a lot and when you find him oh I would say more when he finds you you have like 30 seconds to react because it's very shy animal and it's just doing one or two turns check you out and any leaves and disappear in the blue and sometimes you wait for two and a half hours to have 20 or 30 seconds of possible encounter so within these 30 seconds you have to do a dive approach him without scaring him and find the right spot for the attack so it's not easy and here we we struggle a lot we did a lot of dive a lot of days in the water the same place waiting waiting for him and so we are really curious to see where that shark went because they are very strong swimmers so they might be thousands of kilometres we have no idea so it would be really cool to have the the data s from the the tag and see where the animal went but Johan has to return to his base in Moorea on the next available flight the search for the great hammerhead sharks has to be put on hold because his ongoing lemon shark research cannot wait any longer pred and will will join him again on Maria but first they plan a visit to a very special place on rangiroa the blue lagoon it is a protected area and plans to build hotels and tourist resorts we're thankful they never put into action [Music] the palm trees on the beaches are home to a rich variety of bird species it includes a number of turns like blue and black noddies [Music] even the violent lorikeets which is vanished from the majority of South Pacific Islands still survives here [Music] the Blue Lagoon is also a nursery for black tip sharks in this sheltered Bay they have little to fear and grow up in relative safety [Music] although some adults have been measured at two meters blacktip sharks generally only grow to about one and a half meters away about 18 kilos there are only a few places left on earth where animals are left in peace from tourists and protected from hunters the Blue Lagoon of rangiroa is one of them Fred and we'll return to Moria to join Johann and his work with lemon sharks just like the Blue Lagoon of rangiroa there are special places on Maria we're young lemon sharks grow up in peace UN puts out nets to examine the young sharks in more detail how long will they stay in here before they're big enough to go out to the outside of the reef um we we don't really know but I'm sure they still stayin for maybe one year I have a sample an individual two year for two years and on the same site okay so reasonable the same individual but I think when they are growing they are expanding their Orma range and the range is growing and they will they will go further and further in the lagoon but this still come here to protect they keep coming in this area to aunt or sing like this and after the first lemon sharks we saw outside the reef is about two meters so I think they they are using the lagoon to grow until 2 meters and after they can start to come by to go on the outside of the outside of the reef the researchers capture some of the young animals to study their development in detail the Sharks yellow or olive coloration now becomes obvious it is a kind of camouflage against the reefs and sandy sea bottom of their home range so here we have a Chanel so I will just need Alper to carry the sharp we have here look we have the America under Icarus car so it's a new individual just born like months ago okay well can you grab it at birth these sharks are about 60 centimetres long but by the time they reach adulthood they will have grown to around three and a half metres adult lemon sharks may look threatening but lethal attacks on humans are unheard of so it's a 69 feature I would pick a gent example yeah relative to their little bodies okay did you put off I stock up in there I put the sample in our co2 for future agenda can I resist extract DNA so it can just take it for good if all the the big one behind small yeah we look like the real for little creatures their eyes are amazing adult lemon sharks are only found outside the Bay's of Moriah the crew gets the necessary equipment ready for their dives the next day free divers don't need much equipment but there's special carbon-fiber flippers allow them maximum maneuverability with minimum effort in order to tag the Sharks the free divers use modified harpoons Johan will have to use conventional diving equipment complete with air tanks so taking always using bloody fights period it's a special shaft what if I to insert the dot of the tag in the short but otherwise the spigen is a is a regular experience just to shuffle this what if I'd the team is aiming for the outside of the reef surrounding the island the scientists want to pass through a channel in the reef and target a spot where they've repeatedly come across lemon sharks in the past [Music] here we really have to be careful to tag the shark after it passes you okay so like from the the side the back side of the shark so when you tug it when you will start because he feels the shaft and the tag inside him he will run away and if you tie get when it's facing you you might run away and feel trapped and maybe try to bite you so always have the Sharks passing you and then tag it so we can just run away in open water that's very important Christian patron will follow the free divers at a distance they can't afford to have any disturbance to their work it is simply too difficult and too dangerous it's much easier to type sharks without any bubbles from the tanks diving things and so that they can they can't disturb the Sharks and going closer to the Sharks and tagging in the good way and so I will show side with shock to tag and he will try to tag it we try to we try to tag a resident shark today it's a resident female we are looking for and so we up there and there is a radiant female underwater lemon sharks are impressive animals they're among the biggest sharks in the ocean the divers work starts with trying to get the animals used to their presence lemon sharks have very few natural enemies the only threat comes from a select few other shark species or chillingly their own kind other kinds of shark are also inquisitive and approached the divers they are gray reef sharks and blacktip sharks lemon sharks tend to hunt all sorts of fish including smaller sharks and even juveniles of their own kind but stingrays crustaceans octopus and squid are also on their menu but although the free divers can get close to the animals the real test is to get the right angle for a successful shot near the back fin Johan stays at a distance and takes photographs of the animals for his database fred is a very experienced fish tagger his calm patience ensures that the animals aren't nervous only a calmly swimming shark can be harpooned with precision frightened animals will quickly disappear or worse aggressive animals could launch an attack since sharkskin is unusually tough the harpoon has to be fired from point-blank range to penetrate it it is quite a tall order again and again the freedivers select a target but decide not to shoot at the last minute to avoid accidentally injuring the animals Johan checks the receiver four years underwater is a long time [Music] Fred finally decides to shoot the transmitter is well-placed Johan documents the tag fred has reloaded the harpoon and is ready for another attempt he's in luck a big female makes for an ideal target this transmitter is also secure and well-placed [Music] in the next few years researchers will find out where the lemon sharks spend their time around Maria if they have a preference for certain locations or if they spend their time spread right around the at all Johan passes the next transmitter to Fred [Music] the mission is complete it's been an all-around success for Fred and will this was not a difficult operation but that will be quite a different matter when it comes to the great hammerheads even just tracking these sharks is a serious challenge they return to base once again the divers have witnessed the distinctive sense of behavior that different types of shark have developed and each individual shark has its own personality it doesn't do them justice just to distinguish between more or less aggressive animals here on during that trip I can say I made the grumpy lemon shark because these guys are really grumpy they are like old man always be frustrated and trying to get a bite and you never know exactly what they think but at the end you see they are just like other sharks and beautiful creatures and fragile that we have to try to to protect but they are very grumpy the team returns the run giro our one last time divers there have come across some great hammerheads and contacted Johan they're spotted more often at this at hole than anywhere else probably because their main prey the grey reef sharks and rays is available in large numbers yuan spends the remains of the day to prepare the satellite tags without this revolutionary technology scientists would have practically no chance to track the movements of underwater creatures amongst other details Johan programs the tags with a positioning data at the beginning of the expedition he also pre determines the amount of time the tags should remain in place before it is released but he remains skeptical everything is ready and we will see to get a shock to tag it the hope to finally get an insight into the secret lives of the great hammerheads depends on the small satellite transmitter but it can only serve its purpose if the freedivers actually managed to tag a shark everyone is apprehensive we just have to be at the right place at the right time I think it would be difficult for them to thank okay we'll have the chance to do it we do our best the job isn't any easier for the cameraman they're not allowed to interrupt the work of the researchers yet they're out to get the most sensational pictures of these rare animals it is almost an impossible task and to have any chance at all of succeeding in their mission the freedivers need help the Shia great hammerhead sharks have an exceptionally well developed sense of smell so Yohan has resorted to using a bait fish a dead reef shark its scent will be carried on the ocean currents over many kilometers [Music] the divers try to remain as inconspicuous as possible and wait then in the distance they spot the contours of a great hammerhead shark Fred remains motionless to see if the animal is going to come any closer [Music] but the scent has also attracted a tiger shark one of the most dangerous sharks for a human being in the water and this one is not at all shy some of the biggest sharks in the world now gather in the immediate vicinity of the free divers greet hammerheads tend to stay close to shore along the tropical and subtropical coastlines of the world a fully-grown hammerhead can reach between 3 & 6 meters and weighs up to 500 cars there are monks the most impressive creatures in the ocean but science still has no concrete answer to the question of why these sharks have such a bizarre head shape the researchers want to find out what advantages the hammerhead sharks get from this strange adaptation some scientists think it provides aerodynamic advantages the shape could provide greater stability during lightning fast maneuvers in the water hammerheads have also been observed using their heads to pin rays to the ground before eating them the extreme width of their heads could make it easier to receive the electromagnetic signals of their prey or perhaps the hammerheads are able to build up three-dimensional impressions of their surroundings through their sense of smell but all of these theories have yet to be confirmed [Music] gradually the hammerhead shark approaches the bait but the tiger shark is also still nearby [Music] [Music] slowly the circles of the hammerhead around the bait are getting tighter bringing the shark closer to the divers the freedivers finally have the chance to take some photographs for yo.hannes catalog [Music] now they're ready for action Fred collects the tagging harpoon a second hammerhead shows up it's a great sign perhaps the divers will finally be in luck the animals seem to be gaining in confidence around the divers [Music] [Music] but to be successful in their tanking mission everything has to be just right this will be far more difficult than tagging the lemon sharks the best time to approach is when the shark is busy tucking into the bait fred approaches directly above the shark but the tip of the harpoon bounces off the tough skin of the shark will tries a different strategy he stays on the seabed until he spots a chance to shoot he lies in wait like a hunter and the chance arrives the shark passes him at close range but still will decides against a shot he could easily injure the animal from this angle they have to get the timing exactly right and they need a double dose of luck eventually success the transmitter is secure a hard day's work for the free divers the hammerhead is very tough skin the first shot Fred was for any other shark perfect perfect position close enough but it bounced off so and the rush was on to retrieve the tag reads out the gun replaced the tag and then wait for the animal to return but the second shot was perfect it's very difficult to work with they don't come from the direction you expect but the thing is is not arriving upstream like other sharks it's always the first time every time he was on the site becomes downstream yeah yeah they don't they don't come from the direction the current is flowing they come from which will be our every secret sure it's coming up yeah up current and these things are going down so maybe the sores feel it before and do a big turn and come back together they set it when they go around and they are it comes early they just go to the source the dive team has completed their work but this is only the beginning for the scientists [Music] they now have to hope that the transmitter can collect as much data as possible when it eventually returns from the depths of the ocean it will cast some light on the secret life of the king of the Sharks every time you work with a new species you have to adapt because the shark won't add up to you of course so basically the technique as this are the same I used the syncing technique we use in spearfishing or waiting technique at the bottom but you always have to trim it because every animal reacts differently the great hammerhead is very fast won't stay long on sight turning around you just satisfy his curiosity and then leave all the Sharks will stay there for half an hour and you have a lot of time to figure out how are you going to work with him so you have to be very very adaptive and I noticed that within the hammerheads they also have different personalities one was more I would say [Music] curious about us and stayed a bit longer and came back and came back every five six minutes it was coming back but another one just came 30 seconds and left we haven't seen him so you really have to be prepared and adaptive that's also the fun part of of that job but it's probably the most difficult shark at work with and probably one of the most difficult thing I ever did free diving to tag that hammering even though it was in 15 or 16 meters of water not a long dive but just the big vacation the timing the mindset and all that putting everything together he had a lot of current that day and also being able to have a camera not too far it was very difficult to put everything together for for success so yeah it was probably one of the most difficult thing I did free diving [Music] [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 134,886

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, Polynesia (Region), Adventure Ocean, Action, skin diving, diving, Scuba Diving (Interest), free diving, pacific, polynesia, Shark (Animal), Hammerhead Shark, Hawaii, Swimming, Quest, Water, under water, documentary - topics, documentary (tv genre), Polynesia, Polynesia sharks, shark documentary, Free Documentary Nature, Ocean Documentary, Ocean Life, Marine Life, french polynesia, Adventure Ocean Quest, Sharks

Id: zaY3NrgGLLo

Length: 52min 5sec (3125 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 05 2020