- The sun is setting
at Tiger Beach, and we just started
shark diving yesterday. Never been night diving before. But somebody thought
it was a good idea we go diving with
sharks at night. Was that you? - Definitely was not me. - No, no, it was this guy. - It's gonna be fine, you guys. It's gonna be fine you guys. (creepy music) - Welcome back to Tiger Beach, the site of our fist ever
shark dive on Blue Wilderness. If you want to see sharks,
like a ton of sharks, you come here. Tiger Beach is a small,
pristine, white sand flat, about an hour's boat ride
from West End Grand Bahama. And it's one of the
few places on earth where you can see up to
five species of shark all at the same time. Divers who make
the pilgrimage here are rewarded with
the chance to swim with scores of reef
and nurse sharks, dozens upon dozens
of lemon sharks, and if they're lucky, massive
hammerheaded tiger sharks. The last time we entered this
warm, crystal clear water, we found ourselves in the
middle of a shark frenzy. When swam alongside an
incredible hammerhead, and Coyote and I got
up close and personal with a massive tiger shark. Well, maybe a little too
close, in the case of Coyote. So how do we top that? Well, on this episode
of Blue Wilderness, we're going back in the water, but this time, we're waiting
until the sun goes down. All right guys, well, the sun
is setting at Tiger Beach, and we just started
shark diving yesterday. Never been night diving before. But, somebody thought
it was a good idea we go diving with sharks at night. Was that you? - Definitely was not me. - No, no, it was this guy. - It's gonna be fine,
you guys (laughs). - I mean, I don't know,
is this a good idea for guys who haven't
gone, you know, night diving at all? - [Jonathan] What's the
worst that can happen? - [Mark] I mean we're
surrounded by sharks. - Right, but, you know,
they're probably sleeping. - And we can't see. (Jonathan laughs) - [Mark] Wait, don't
sharks feed at night? Aren't they nocturnal predators? - It's gonna be fine. - We're gonna give
it a shot, guys, so let's get geared
up, get in the water with the sharks, at night. This dive into the darkness
will test my resolve more than almost anything
I've ever done before. But that's what
drives me forward. At the core of every
great adventure, lies a thin line
between thrill and fear. And the moments where you
nerves start to scream, turn around, go back, is exactly when the
teammates next to you matter the most. - I'll tell you what, if I was nervous about diving
with sharks during the day, I'm very nervous (Mark laughs) while diving with
sharks at night. See ya. - Well, in case this
is the last time, I'm Mark Vins, Mario's
already down there, it's time to go dive
with sharks, at night. As soon as we dip
below the surface, the world opened up. The last bit of
twilight after sunset, combined with the white
sands of Tiger Beach, allow for a lot more visibility than we could have
ever expected. But as we neared the bottom, the fleeting light that
remained, began to disappear. And so did our
peripheral vision. Hey Mario, watch out, there's a, yep, big tiger shark
right behind you. Within minutes, the entire
landscape turned pitch black. And our only field of view
was directly in front of us. Other divers in the distance
appeared as alien craft with orb-like lights
designating their location. With ominous shadows
stirring the now murky water, we were surrounded on
all sides by two things that have terrified humans
since the beginning, sharks, and darkness. But our focus was sharp, and as soon as we got our
bearings, our fear was gone, mostly. And then we noticed something we didn't expect
to see at night, color. You see, water is excellent at absorbing color
from natural light. The deeper you go, the
more color disappears. Red is the first to be absorbed, then orange, and then yellow. The same order as the
colors of the rainbow. At our depth during the day, the reef can look pretty
bland and washed out. But under the cover of night, our powerful dive lights illuminated a
completely new world that had been right in
front of us the entire time. Even the fish were more vibrant. And then, while we were
all completely mesmerized by the colors of the reef, from out of the darkness, ghostly figures flew
gracefully into view. These rays are
filter feeding fish. Their flight pulls plankton and other nutrients
into their systems. And spreads water
across their gills, allowing them to breathe. Like spaceships flying
across their night sky, just as fast as they
appear, they were gone. The rays may have vanished, but if there's one
constant at Tiger Beach, it's, well, sharks. And more specifically,
tiger sharks. We knew they were out there, but at night, we
couldn't see them until they were
right in front of us. They drifted in and out of
our light like phantoms. The effect was
chilling and surreal. And so unnerving, in fact, that I started to actually
become numb to it. Here I am sitting at the
bottom of a pitch black ocean, surrounded by deadly
nocturnal hunters, and I'm totally at their mercy. And then, suddenly,
we came upon something that would change my
perspective of sharks forever. It was a lemon shark. And it appeared to
be, well, sleeping. Okay, so sharks
don't actually sleep. At least, not like we sleep. But some sharks, like nurse
sharks, or this lemon shark, go into restful periods
that appear like sleep. But trust me, this shark
was still wide awake, and ready to defend
itself against anything, including, a curious
first time night diver. But did that stop me? Nope. This would be the
perfect opportunity to get some great
closeups of that shark. And of course, its
razor-sharp teeth. Lemon sharks can grow
up to ten feet long, and weigh over 400 pounds. But despite their imposing size, they tend to be gentle giants, and are not responsible for
any known human fatalities. Although, like any shark,
they will bite if provoked. They can be found
in shallow waters and hunt with their
incredible electroreceptors. And just in case
you're wondering, they do have a slightly
yellow tinge to their skin, you know, like a lemon. Gentle or not, I knew
this sleeping giant was still an apex predator, capable of inflicting
life threatening injuries. And the last thing I wanted
to do was provoke it. Especially at night,
this far from shore. But, we film with grizzly
bears and badgers. This was my chance, I
had to get the shot. And to my surprise, I was
able to lie right next to the nearly ten foot shark. This was amazing. A life changing experience,
to say the least. And now I would never
approach a tiger shark, or other top land
predator like this, but laying there beside
this incredible creature, I could sense it's
gentle nature. And it became clear that
it had accepted my presence and was allowing
us to film with it. And then, I reached out. Testing its trust, I
couldn't believe it. It actually let me make contact. I was literally petting a shark. This chance encounter
cultivated within me a growing sense of connection, not only to this creature, but to its entire aquatic realm. Swimming during the day in
a frenzy of tiger sharks, and now petting a lemon
shark on my first night dive, reminded me of how
misunderstood these animals are. Our fear of them, like
our fear of the dark, is really just a
fear of the unknown. Every single time we go out for
a Blue Wilderness adventure, we've managed to see
something unexpected. And this incredible dive,
our first night dive, was no exception. Swimming among them, and
literally lying beside them, in the darkness of
Tiger Beach at night, brought home to
me more than ever, how meaningful our
adventures could be to better understanding
the mysteries of the ocean. Ascending back to the surface, I couldn't wait to
celebrate with the team what had just happened. I knew that this
night would be a story that Mario and I would share
for many years to come. All right, we're back,
and we officially survived night dive number one. Now, I will say, guys, it was a little intimidating
when we first got in the water, but once we got down there, it was absolutely incredible. We saw all kinds
of cool creatures from sting rays,
to sea cucumbers. And we even got to
pet a lemon shark. Man, I definitely can't wait until our next night
diving adventure. I'm Mark Vins, be
brave, stay wild. We'll see you on the next dive. The oceans have
depended on sharks for over 400 million years. They are true
survivors, and yet, many species of shark are facing overfishing and
habitat destruction, leaving their
populations vulnerable, and on the verge of collapse. These ancient animals
are certainly not the nightmarish killing
machines depicted in movies. They are a critical part
of our ocean's eco-system. And we must all do our
part to ensure their home, the ocean, is protected. We would like to extend
an extra special thanks to our friends Jonathan Bird, and The Blue World Dive Team for making this
adventure possible. Please make sure to check out some of Jonathon's
other adventures by clicking on the link
in the description below. If you enjoyed this dive, make sure to go back and
watch the time we got up close with a gian hammerhead shark. And don't forget, subscribe, and click the notification bell, to join me and the crew on the next Blue
Wilderness expedition.
