>> male narrator: CAUGHT ON TAPE 1,000 FEET BELOW THE SEA... >> WHOA! >> OH! >> narrator: A MOMENTARY GLIMPSE OF WHAT SOME BELIEVE IS THE LARGEST SEA CREATURE EVER PHOTOGRAPHED, A LEGENDARY MONSTER FROM THE DEEP. >> A TOTAL LENGTH OF PERHAPS, OH, 40 TO PERHAPS EVEN 50 FEET. >> narrator: NEW TECHNOLOGY IS DEPLOYED TO CAPTURE IRREFUTABLE PROOF. >> THIS DEVICE MIGHT WIND UP FILMING THE LARGEST UNDERSEA CREATURE THAT WE'VE EVER FOUND. >> narrator: DIVERS RISK EVERYTHING IN A DANGEROUS DESCENT INTO THE UNKNOWN. >> YOU'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING. IT'S ATTACKING THE CAMERA. MY ARM. >> I CAN'T SEE YOU. >> OKAY, ROB, PARTY TIME. >> OH, IT'S GOT ME. IT'S GOT ME. >> narrator: WITNESSES AROUND THE WORLD REPORT SEEING MONSTERS. ARE THEY REAL OR IMAGINARY? SCIENCE SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS ON<i> MONSTER QUEST.</i> THE SEA OF CORTEZ, A DEEP CHANNEL OF WATER BORDERED BY MEXICO AND CALIFORNIA'S BAJA PENINSULA, A TRANQUIL AND BEAUTIFUL WATERWAY THAT IS HOME TO A UNIQUE AND RICH ECOSYSTEM FILLED WITH MANY MIGRATORY SPECIES LIKE MANATEES, MANTA RAYS, AND SEA TURTLES. BUT AS<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> FOUND OUT IN ITS FIRST EXPEDITION IN 2006, THERE MAY BE SOMETHING ELSE HERE. CAUGHT FOR A FLEETING, GHOSTLY MOMENT ON<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> CAMERAS, WHAT SOME BELIEVE IS A MONSTER-SIZED BEAST, POSSIBLY THE LARGEST SQUID EVER SEEN. >> THEY ARE THE MOST OPPORTUNISTIC PREDATORS IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ, AND THEY EAT ANYTHING THAT THEY HAVE THE CHANCE TO, INCLUDING EACH OTHER. >> SHE BIT THROUGH WET SUITS, DIVE SKINS, AND A BATHING SUIT. >> male translator: WE'VE NEVER SEEN AN ANIMAL THAT WAS SO BIG BEFORE. >> narrator: A LARGE MANTLE, A BEAK, EIGHT FLAILING ARMS, AND TWO LONG TENTACLES LINED WITH SHARP, SERRATED SUCKERS ARE HALLMARKS OF A SQUID. THE GIANT SQUID, HOWEVER, ARE SAID TO BE MUCH LARGER. RATHER THAN A 6-FOOT CEPHALOPOD, GIANT SQUID ARE SAID TO REACH SIZES UPWARDS OF 100 FEET, LARGER THAN AN AVERAGE FISHING TRAWLER. IN 2006,<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> CAMERAS SET OUT TO CAPTURE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF A MASSIVE-SIZED SQUID IN ITS NATIVE HABITAT OF THE SEA OF CORTEZ. THE PLAN WAS TO FIT A SMALL 6-FOOT SQUID WITH A TROJAN CAMERA SYSTEM IN HOPES THAT IT WOULD SWIM TO EXTREME DEPTHS AND POSSIBLY GET FOOTAGE OF A GIANT. >> IN 2006, WE SET OUT TO FILM A GIANT SQUID IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ, AND WE SET OUT TO DO IT IN A VERY STRANGE WAY THAT HAD NEVER BEEN TRIED, AND THAT WAS TO BUILD A CAMERA SYSTEM TO ATTACH TO A SQUID. >> narrator: DOUG HAJICEK, A WILDERNESS TELEVISION PRODUCER AND INVENTOR OF SPECIALIZED CAMERA SYSTEMS, MASTERMINDED THIS MISSION. >> WE FIRST HAD TO CATCH A SQUID BIG ENOUGH TO CARRY THIS HEAVY CAMERA SYSTEM DOWN WITH ITS OWN LIGHTING SYSTEM, 1,000 FEET OF CABLE. AND IT WORKED. WE ENDED UP CATCHING A SQUID BIG ENOUGH TO CARRY OUR CAMERA SYSTEM, GOT THE CAMERA ATTACHED TO IT. THE SQUID SWAM DOWN PERFECTLY, DOWN INTO THE ABYSS. >> narrator: FOR A SECOND, THIS IS WHAT WE SAW. WATCH THE TOP LEFT OF THE FRAME AS SOMETHING EMERGES BRIEFLY FROM THE ABYSS. >> FIRST IMPRESSIONS, GUT REACTION: IT'S BIG. >> narrator: ROGER HANLON, A BIOLOGIST AT MARINE BIOLOGY LABORATORY, WOODS HOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ANALYSED THE FOOTAGE TO TRY TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIES. >> AS A HUMBOLDT OR SOMETHING ELSE, THAT'S A LOT MORE DIFFICULT. >> narrator: WHILE EXPERTS WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE SPECIES OF SQUID, THEY WERE ABLE TO ESTIMATE THE SIZE. >> I'M SETTING UP THE SYSTEM TO MEASURE BASED ON THE CREATURE'S ARMS AND THE REFLECTIVE EYE. AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION MEASURING FROM THAT REFLECTOR TO THE CREATURE'S MOUTH, WHICH SHOULD BE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ARMS HERE, WE CAN GET A CLOSE ESTIMATE ON HOW BIG THIS CREATURE REALLY IS. >> narrator: PETER SCHMITZ IS A VIDEO ANALYSIS EXPERT AT MOTION ENGINEERING, SPECIALIZING IN VIDEO FORENSICS. USING TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FROM THE CAMERA'S MANUFACTURER, SCHMITZ FACTORED IN THE DISTANCE OF THE ANIMAL TO THE CAMERA IN DETERMINING THE CREATURE'S SIZE. >> BASED ON THIS MEASUREMENT, IT COULD BE UPWARDS OF 60 FEET IN LENGTH. >> narrator: BUT FOR SOME, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE MASSIVE HUMBOLDT SQUID EXIST. >> PEOPLE TRY TO MAKE OUT THAT THE HUMBOLDT SQUID IS A GIANT SQUID, CAN GROW INTO A GIANT SQUID. AND THAT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE. >> narrator: DR. CLYDE ROPER IS A MARINE BIOLOGIST AND WAS RESEARCH SCIENTIST AND CURATOR AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION'S MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS. HE ARGUES THAT HUMBOLDT SQUID DO NOT GET TO MASSIVE SIZES. >> JUST LIKE THERE'S A FINITE SIZE PROGRAMMED IN TO EVERY ORGANISM. OCCASIONALLY, THERE'S A LITTLE TWEAK IN THE GENETICS THAT MAKE THEM GET A LITTLE BIGGER OR A LITTLE SMALLER. BUT FOR THE HUMBOLDT SQUID, IT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE FOR IT TO GROW AS LARGE AS A GIANT SQUID. NO WAY. >> narrator: BUT COULD IT BE ANOTHER SQUID SPECIES? ARCHITEUTHIS IS A GENUS OF SQUID THAT GROWS TO HUGE PROPORTIONS. SPECIMENS AS LONG AS 60 FEET HAVE BEEN FOUND IN NEW ZEALAND, NORWAY, AND NEWFOUNDLAND. BUT ROPER SAYS THAT THE COAST OF MEXICO IS NOT THEIR DOMAIN. >> THERE ARE NO RECORDED INCIDENCES OF ARCHITEUTHIS IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ. >> narrator: BUT IN JUNE OF 2008, THIS ARCHITEUTHIS SPECIMEN WAS FOUND FLOATING JUST 20 MILES OFF THE COAST OF SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA. >> LAID OUT ON THE RESEARCH TABLE BEFORE THEM IS THE CARCASE OF AN ARCHITEUTHIS, THE ELUSIVE GIANT SQUID. >> narrator: IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT AN ARCHITEUTHIS HAS BEEN FOUND IN THESE WATERS, JUST 1,300 MILES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE SEA OF CORTEZ. COULD A MONSTER-SIZED SQUID HAVE FOUND ITS WAY INTO THE DEEP WATERS OF THE SEA OF CORTEZ? OR IS THE MASSIVE SQUID AN ALTOGETHER UNKNOWN SPECIES? EVEN HAJICEK SAYS THE VIDEO TAKEN IN 2006 RAISES MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS. >> WE DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AN ARCHITEUTHIS. WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SOME KIND OF AN OVERGROWN HUMBOLDT SQUID THAT HAS SOMEHOW GOTTEN OUT OF ITS NICHE OR IF WE'RE DEALING WITH SOME SPECIES THAT'S JUST NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> RETURNS TO THE SEA OF CORTEZ, MEXICO, IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS. USING IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY, A TEAM OF DIVERS WILL RETURN TO THE LOCATION WHERE THE FOOTAGE WAS FILMED IN 2006. THE GOAL: TO GET MEASURABLE PROOF OF A MONSTER SQUID IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA OF CORTEZ. >> WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS TIME IS, WE'RE GOING TO, ONE, HAVE MORE LIGHTING ON OUR CAMERA SYSTEM. AND WE'RE GOING TO INCLUDE A PARALLEL LASER SYSTEM, A LASER MEASURING SYSTEM THAT WILL COME IN CONTACT WITH THE SQUID. >> narrator: ONCE AGAIN, THE PLAN IS TO CAPTURE A HUMBOLDT SQUID USING A SQUID LURE ATTACHED TO A JIG LINE, THIS TIME ATTACHING THE CAMERA WITH A LASER SYSTEM, WHICH WILL BE USED TO CALCULATE MEASUREMENTS. >> THE LASER IS BEING USED MORE AND MORE IN MY INDUSTRY, BECAUSE A LASER ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE MEASUREMENTS WITHOUT ACTUALLY TOUCHING THE OBJECT. >> narrator: CARL ANDERSON IS A LICENSED ENGINEER. <i> MONSTER QUEST</i> HAS TEAMED UP WITH ANDERSON AND MECHANIC BRAD PETERSON TO REVAMP THE TROJAN CAMERA. >> THE REASON WE USE LASERS IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF PRODUCING A BRIGHT, VISIBLE LIGHT THAT IS VERY ACCURATE. IT DOES NOT DEGRADE WITHIN THE DISTANCE THAT WE USE FOR MEASURING. >> narrator: THE UPDATED TROJAN CAMERA SYSTEM WILL NOW INCLUDE A SOLID ALUMINUM HOUSING SYSTEM, IMPROVED LIGHTING UNITS, AND TWO LASERS. >> WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IS A RIG THAT'S GOING TO HOLD THE CAMERA AND THE LIGHTS. LET ME SHOW YOU THE LIGHTS. THE LIGHTS ARE-- THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS ARRANGED AROUND THE CAMERA. THE CAMERA WILL FIT IN THIS OPENING HERE. WE HAVE A PAIR OF LASERS HERE THAT ARE SHOOTING OUT TWO BEAMS THAT ARE 4 1/2 INCHES APART. SO OUT AT THE OBJECT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO USE THIS AS A 4 1/2 INCH RULER TO MAKE MEASUREMENTS ON WHATEVER IT IS WE SEE UNDERWATER. >> narrator: THE MEN BELIEVE THAT THE NEW AND IMPROVED TROJAN CAMERA WILL HELP SCIENTISTS DETERMINE THE SIZE AND SPECIES OF THE CREATURE. >> BECAUSE WE'RE USING TWO LASERS THAT ARE SIDE BY SIDE AND WE'VE MEASURED THOSE ON OUR CAMERA AND HAVE A VERY DEFINITIVE LENGTH, WHEN THEY MAKE CONTACT WITH AN ANIMAL, WHETHER THE ANIMAL'S 12 FEET AWAY, WHETHER IT'S 2 FEET OR 100 FEET AWAY, THAT DISTANCE BETWEEN THOSE TWO LASERS WILL STAY THE SAME. SO IT'S LIKE TAKING A RULER AND PUTTING IT UP AGAINST THE SQUID. SO WE CAN GET JUST A TON OF MEASUREMENTS, WHICH WOULD REALLY GIVE US, YOU KNOW, AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF DATA ON THE ANATOMY OF ONE OF THESE ANIMALS. >> narrator: SINCE PROPORTIONS OF SQUID ARE CONSISTENT, IT IS ONLY NECESSARY TO MEASURE A FEATURE OF THE SQUID, SUCH AS THE EYE, AND EXTRAPOLATE THE FIGURES FROM THAT MEASUREMENT. >> WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE MEASURING DOWN THERE AND HOW BIG IT IS. THIS DEVICE MIGHT MEASURE THE LARGEST UNDERSEA CREATURE THAT WE'VE EVER SEEN. AND SO THIS WOULD BE THE ONLY WAY THAT I KNOW OF TO GET DOWN AND MAKE MEASUREMENTS OF FEATURES ON THE SIDE OF THE CREATURE. >> narrator: EXPEDITION SPECIALIST AND PROFESSIONAL DIVER DALE PEARSON WAS ON THE TEAM IN 2006 AND IS RETURNING TO SPEARHEAD THIS YEAR'S EXPEDITION. >> THE MAIN DIFFERENCE, I THINK, BETWEEN LAST TIME AND THIS TIME IS, THIS TIME, WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO. LAST TIME, WE WERE FIGURING IT OUT, WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO. THIS TIME, WE KNOW WE GOT TO GET IN THE WATER, WE GOT TO GET THE CAMERA ON THE SQUID AND GET IT DOWN TO THE BOTTOM. >> narrator: PEARSON ALSO HOPES THIS YEAR'S LASER DEVICE WILL SILENCE THE SKEPTICS. >> THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT WE NEED ON THIS TO JUDGE HOW BIG THE ANIMAL REALLY IS AND KIND OF DISPEL ALL THE MYTHS THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT THE ANIMAL WE FILMED LAST TIME. >> narrator: BUT PEARSON WANTS NO SURPRISES WITH THE NEW TECHNOLOGY. HIS FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS UPON ARRIVING IN MEXICO IS TO LOCATE A COVE WITH SOME QUIET WATER FOR SOME TEST RUNS WITH THE TROJAN LASER CAMERA. >> UNDERWATER, YOU HAVE NO POINT OF REFERENCE. EVERYTHING'S BLACK. BUT WITH THAT SYSTEM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO BETTER SEE HOW BIG OR HOW SMALL THE ANIMAL ACTUALLY IS. AND THAT WAY, THERE WON'T BE SO MUCH SPECULATION. I'M PRETTY EXCITED TO SEE HOW THAT WORKS. >> narrator: AFTER A FEW TEST RUNS, THE LASERS APPEAR TO BE DOING THEIR JOB. >> THE TROJAN LASER CAM WORKED FLAWLESSLY. IT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE. >> narrator: JOINING PEARSON ON THE QUEST IS ROBERT ARRINGTON, A PROFESSIONAL UNDERWATER CAMERAMAN WHO SPECIALIZES IN WORKING WITH LARGE AQUATIC PREDATORS. >> DALE AND I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DIVE, BE IN SYNC. YOU CAN BE ATTACKED BY SQUID, WHICH IS GOING TO HAPPEN. WE CAN BE ATTACKED BY SHARKS. YOU CAN BE TANGLED UP. WE'RE GOING TO BE DIVING WITH A HEAVY CHAIN MAIL SUIT. YOU'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS. YOU'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH AIR. AND IT'S THE OCEAN; WE HAVE TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. >> narrator: AND THE TEAM WILL END UP GETTING MORE THAN THEY BARGAINED FOR. >> OH, IT'S GOT ME. IT'S GOT ME. >> narrator: IN 2006, <i> MONSTER QUEST</i> CAPTURED LIVE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF A MASSIVE SQUID 1,000 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ. ESTIMATES IN SIZE RANGE FROM 30 TO 120 FEET. BUT WITHOUT PHYSICALLY MEASURING THE CREATURE, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE THE PRECISE LENGTH OF THE ANIMAL. <i> MONSTER QUEST</i> HAS RETURNED TO THE WATERS OFF THE COAST OF LORETO, MEXICO, ARMED WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY TO GET ANSWERS. BUT DIVING AMONG SQUID IS A DANGEROUS MISSION. HISTORY SUGGESTS THAT EVEN BEING IN THEIR TERRITORY CAN BE FATAL. FROM WORLD WAR II COMES A LEGENDARY STORY. AN INDIAN FREIGHTER SUNK BY A GERMAN RAIDER. A LIFEBOAT OF SURVIVORS IS ATTACKED, APPARENTLY BY A MONSTER SQUID. A TENTACLE LATCHES ON TO ONE OF THE SURVIVORS AND DRAGS HIM BENEATH THE WAVES, NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN. APOCRYPHAL OR NOT, THE EXPEDITION TEAM MUST TAKE PRECAUTIONS AGAINST KNOWN SQUID OF SMALLER SIZE IN THE AREA. >> THE BUOYANCY COMPENSATOR IS THE VEST THAT YOU WEAR WHEN YOU'RE DIVING. >> narrator: DENNIS BULIN OF ZEAGLE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED IS PROVIDING SPECIALIZED BUOYANCY COMPENSATOR VESTS FOR THE DIVE TEAM, WHICH WOULD BE A LIFE-SAVER IN A GRUESOME WORST-CASE SCENARIO. >> THE BUOYANCY COMPENSATOR THAT IS TO BE USED IN THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> PROGRAM IS ONE THAT'S COMMONLY USED FOR SEARCH-AND-RESCUE OPERATIONS. IT'S A VERY HEAVY-DUTY, COMFORTABLE-FITTING PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, BUT IT ALSO HAS A SPECIAL HARNESS BUILT INTO THE SYSTEM WHICH ALLOWS THE DIVER TO BE LIFTED OUT OF THE WATER. EVEN IF A SQUID SHOULD GRAB THE DIVER AND TRY TO PULL HIM DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO EASILY PULL THE DIVER OUT OF THE WATER OR AWAY FROM THE SQUID USING THE HARNESS ASSEMBLY THAT'S BUILT INTO IT. >> narrator: THE BUOYANCY COMPENSATOR'S HARNESS IS ATTACHED TO THE BOAT BY A COMMUNICATIONS SAFETY LINE, WHICH CAN PULL THE DIVER BACK TO SAFETY. PRIOR TO THE EXPEDITION, ROB ARRINGTON MET WITH BULIN TO EXAMINE THE VESTS FIRSTHAND. >> THIS IS BASICALLY THE START OF YOUR VEST. YOU HAVE YOUR BLADDER SECTION, YOUR VEST SECTION, YOUR SHOULDER SECTION, YOUR WEIGHT POCKETS. EVERYTHING IS RIGHT HERE, AND IT'S JUST READY TO BE CUT. >> WHAT KIND OF MATERIAL IS THIS? >> THIS IS A 1600 DENIER BALLISTIC NYLON FABRIC. REALLY TOUGH STUFF. >> narrator: THE HEAVY-DUTY FABRIC AND HARDWARE ARE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND THE ABRASION AND ABUSE THAT OCCURS IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF TECHNICAL DIVING AND RESCUE WORK, SUCH AS OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM MAINTENANCE AND NAVAL SALVAGE OPERATIONS. IT IS AN IDEAL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT FOR THIS APPLICATION. >> WELL, ROB, HERE'S YOUR B.C. >> THAT THING IS BEAUTIFUL, MAN. >> THIS HAS A SPECIAL BUILT-IN LIFTING HARNESS RIGHT INTO IT. IT'LL PULL YOU OUT OF THE WATER FOR ANY KIND OF EMERGENCY YOU MIGHT HAVE. >> THIS LIFT HARNESS HAS BEEN TESTED TO OVER 4,800 POUNDS, SO THERE'S NO WAY A GIANT SQUID SHOULD BE ABLE TO PULL YOU DOWN. >> THIS B.C., COMBINED WITH MY NEPTUNIC SHARKSUIT, I'M GOING TO BE JUST FINE. I DON'T CARE WHAT COMES AT ME; I'LL BE FINE. >> narrator: AND WHAT COMES AT THE DIVERS MAY BE AGGRESSIVE. THESE PHOTOS, TAKEN IN JANUARY 2008, SHOW THE POWERFUL MARKS LEFT BY A SQUID ON A DEAD WHALE. >> OCCASIONALLY, ON SPERM WHALES, YOU WILL SEE MARKS THAT WERE MADE BY GIANT SQUID, BY ARCHITEUTHIS. >> narrator: MARINE BIOLOGIST CLYDE ROPER SAYS THAT WHILE NOT COMMON, THESE MARKS SERVE AS EVIDENCE OF AN AGGRESSIVE CLASH BETWEEN THESE TWO OCEAN CREATURES. >> AND YOU WILL SCARS MADE BY THE SUCTION CUPS, AND OCCASIONALLY YOU WILL SEE SORT OF LONG GASH MARKS AROUND THE HEAD AND THE BODY OF SPERM WHALES WHERE THEY'VE TRIED TO CAPTURE GIANT SQUID FOR FOOD. >> narrator: WHETHER THIS WHALE WAS KILLED BY A SQUID THAT IT TRIED TO EAT IS UNKNOWN. BUT THE CIRCULAR RINGS MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE SQUID PUT UP A FIGHT. WITH THEIR GEAR NOW ASSEMBLED, THE DIVE TEAM MUST BE READY FOR ANYTHING. >> YOU GET EVERYTHING, DALE? >> YEAH, THIS IS THE LAST TANK. WE'RE READY TO GO. >> WE'RE GOING TO FIND A SQUID TODAY. >> narrator: AFTER A SHORT DRIVE TO THE MARINA, THE TEAM'S READY TO HIT THE BIG WATER FOR SOME TEST DIVES. >> YOU KNOW, THE MOST INHERENT DANGER IS THAT WE HAVE DIVERS THAT ARE DIVING WITH ANIMALS THAT BASICALLY WANT TO EAT THEM. >> narrator: ROUNDING OUT THE DIVE TEAM IS DALE PEARSON'S BROTHER, MICHAEL PEARSON, A PARAMEDIC. >> JUST BEING OUT ON THE BOAT, OUT ON THE SEA OF CORTEZ IS-- THERE'S ALWAYS A POTENTIAL FOR SOMETHING HAPPENING THERE. >> narrator: BUT EVEN WITH ALL THAT PROTECTION, SWIMMING AMONG HUMBOLDT SQUID IS STILL A DANGEROUS MISSION. >> THEY'RE QUITE AGGRESSIVE AND VIGOROUS PREDATORS. >> narrator: DR. WILLIAM KIER IS THE HEAD OF THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA-CHAPEL HILL. KIER STUDIES THE BIOMECHANICS OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES AND MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEMS. THE ATTACK IS OFTEN SO SWIFT THAT FOR YEARS, SCIENTISTS COULDN'T DETERMINE HOW A HUMBOLDT STALKED AND HARMED ITS PREY. >> IF WE USE A NORMAL MOVIE OR VIDEO CAMERA, THE TENTACLES EXTEND EITHER IN BETWEEN THE FRAMES SO YOU MISS THEM ENTIRELY, OR THE ELONGATION, WHICH IS NEARLY A DOUBLING IN LENGTH, OCCURS IN A SINGLE FRAME SO IT'S A BLUR AND YOU CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF IT. >> narrator: BUT DR. KIER DEVELOPED A METHOD TO WITNESS THE PROCESS FIRSTHAND. >> I WAS FORCED TO USE THE SORT OF CAMERA THAT THE MILITARY USES TO TRACK MISSILES, A HIGH-SPEED CAMERA, IN ORDER TO SLOW DOWN THAT BEHAVIOR ENOUGH SO THAT I COULD ACTUALLY TAKE THE MEASUREMENTS I NEEDED. >> narrator: THIS VIDEO SHOWS ANOTHER SQUID SPECIES, THE LOLIGO PEALEII, WHICH IS SMALLER THAN A HUMBOLDT. BUT WHAT KIER NOTED WAS THAT ALL SQUID SEEM TO HAVE A SIMILAR ATTACK STRATEGY. >> THE FIRST IS REFERRED TO IN THE LITERATURE AS THE ATTENTION PHASE, WHERE THEY ACTUALLY BECOME AWARE OF THE PREY. THEY THEN REORIENT AND APPROACH THE PREY TO WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS AN ATTACK DISTANCE. AND THAT'S TYPICALLY PERHAPS HALF THE LENGTH OF THE ANIMAL. SO, OBVIOUSLY, AS THE ANIMAL GETS LARGER, THAT ATTACK DISTANCE ALSO INCREASES. IF YOU PREVENT THEM FROM GETTING CLOSER THAN THE ATTACK DISTANCE, THEN THEY TYPICALLY WILL NOT FIRE THE TENTACLES. THEY MUST GET CLOSER THAN THAT SET POINT, AND THEN THE ARMS FLAIR AND THE TENTACLES ARE VERY RAPIDLY EXTENDED. >> narrator: WHATEVER WAS IN THE SQUID'S REACH HAS NO IDEA WHAT HIT IT. >> THE STRIKE OCCURS IN ONLY 15 TO 30 MILLISECONDS. THE PREY IS THEN BROUGHT BACK WITHIN REACH OF THE ARMS WITHIN A SECOND OR SO. AND, TYPICALLY, THE FIRST BITE OCCURS WITHIN A FEW SECONDS OF CAPTURE. >> narrator: WITH ALL THE GEAR TESTED AND RE-TESTED, THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO LOCATE A SCHOOL OF SQUID. >> YEAH, CAP, ARE WE ON THEM HERE? IS THIS THE SEA MOUNT? >> narrator: AT THE LOCATION OF THE 2006 EXPEDITION, ARRINGTON AND PEARSON DROP IN A LURE TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE SQUID IN THE AREA. >> I GOT A BAIT. YEAH. THAT'S ACTUALLY WHY I CAST IT OVER THAT SCHOOL. >> WOW. >> WELL, IT'S NOT A SQUID. >> IT'S NOT A SQUID, BUT SOMETHING'S BITING, DUDE. >> BUT WE CAN FEED IT TO ONE. >> RIGHT. >> HOW'S IT GOING, ROB? >> DUDE, I FIRED THIS JIG DOWN TO THE BOTTOM ABOUT A HUNDRED TIMES NOW, AND ALL WE'RE CATCHING ARE BAIT. I DON'T--I THINK THE SQUID ARE EITHER OFFSHORE OR AROUND THE ISLAND. >> narrator: IN 2006, THE EXPEDITION OCCURRED IN THE FALL. NOW IT IS EARLY SUMMER, WHEN THERE ARE LESS SQUID. THE TEAM MUST MOVE POSITION. >> I THINK WHAT WE SHOULD PROBABLY DO, THEN, IS HEAD OVER TO THE ISLAND, JUST GEAR UP, AND HIT THAT DROP-OFF AND DIVE THAT VERTICAL WALL. >> AND JUST FIRE IT UP, YOU KNOW. >> LET'S DO IT. LET'S FIRE IT UP. >><i> EL CAPITAN!</i> >> THAT'S OUR DESTINATION RIGHT THERE, THE NORTHERN POINT OF THIS ISLAND RIGHT HERE. YOU CAN SEE HOW IT DROPS OFF REAL QUICK. IT CONTINUES LIKE THAT UNDERWATER. THAT'S THE AREA WE'RE LOOKING FOR. THAT'S THE HABITAT FOR THE GIANT HUMBOLDT SQUID. >> narrator: PEARSON AND ARRINGTON SUIT UP ONCE AGAIN AND HIT THE WATER. >> IT'S READY TO GO, MIKE. YOU WANT TO LIFT MY TANK UP? >> narrator: THE DIVERS DESCEND TO A DEPTH OF 80 FEET. POOR VISIBILITY LIMITS THEIR SEARCHING TO JUST A FEW FEET IN FRONT OF THEM. WHATEVER LURKS IN THESE WATERS COULD BE SWIMMING DIRECTLY BENEATH THEM. AT FIRST, NOTHING. BUT THEN, AS THEY ASCEND, PEARSON AND ARRINGTON NOTICE SOMETHING STALKING THEM. >> HOLY CRAP. >> narrator: A SEA LION. >> HE'S A BIG ONE. >> narrator: IT'S MATING SEASON, AND THE MALE SEA LIONS ARE KNOWN TO BE DANGEROUSLY AGGRESSIVE. AND ONE MALE BULL IN PARTICULAR IS NOT ABOUT TO LET THE DIVERS GET IN HIS WAY. >> ROB? >> YEAH. >> WHERE ARE YOU? >> I'M STRAIGHT DOWN HERE. JUST COME STRAIGHT DOWN THE LINE. I'M HERE. >> DALE, THIS IS MIKE TOPSIDE. DO YOU COPY ME? OVER. >> I'M OKAY. >> narrator: IT IS A LUCKY ESCAPE FROM THE TERRITORIAL SEA LIONS. >> THAT WAS REALLY GOOD HABITAT, YOU KNOW? JUST NO SQUID. >> ONE, TWO... >> narrator: EVEN WITHOUT SEEING ANY SQUID, THE TEAM CONSIDERS DAY ONE AS A SUCCESS. >> ONE THING I'M HAPPY ABOUT: ALL THE SYSTEMS WORK. COMMUNICATION WAS FLAWLESS. AND EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD, YOU KNOW? >> narrator: BUT DAY TWO WILL PUT THOSE SYSTEMS TO THE TEST. >> OH, [bleep], I'M ATTACHED. I'M ATTACHED. >> narrator: THE SEA OF CORTEZ HAS SOME OF THE RICHEST WATERS FOR FISHING. FOR THE THOUSANDS OF LOCAL FISHERMEN, THE PANGUERO, FISHING IS A NECESSITY. THEY MUST FISH TO SURVIVE. BUT IT IS A HARD LIFE. FISHING DAY IN AND DAY OUT ALONE ON THE OPEN SEA, THE PANGUERO MUST BE EXTREMELY SKILLFUL TO COME BACK SAFELY WITH HIS CATCH. EACH YEAR, DOZENS OF FISHERMEN LOSE THEIR LIVES IN THIS TRADE. THE DANGERS ARE MANY. THE SEA ITSELF IS A FORMIDABLE FOE. AND ONE OF THE PREDATORS BELOW, THE HUMBOLDT SQUID, IS ONE OF THE MOST FEARED. <i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS SEARCHING THESE MEXICAN WATERS FOR AN ELUSIVE MONSTER SQUID. IF THE STORIES PASSED AROUND BY THE HUNDREDS OF PANGUERO WHO FISH THESE WATERS ARE ANY INDICATION, IT IS A POTENTIALLY DEADLY MISSION FOR THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> DIVERS. >> male translator: IT'S A CARNIVORE. IT'LL ATTACK ANYTHING SHINY. >> narrator: JOSE RAUL HAS FISHED THESE WATERS HIS ENTIRE LIFE AND HAS SEEN FIRSTHAND THE DAMAGE SQUID CAN DO. >> ON EITHER SIDE OF THE TENTACLES, THERE ARE ROWS OF TEETH LIKE A SMALL HANDSAW. AND WHEN THE TENTACLE LATCHES ON, THE TEETH GRATE ON THE SKIN. EVERYTHING THAT THE TENTACLE TOUCHES BEGINS TO BLEED. AND IF YOU HAPPEN TO FALL IN, THEY CAN WRAP YOU UP AND PULL YOU DOWN AND EAT YOU. >> narrator: LOCALS TELL A STORY ABOUT ONE PANGUERO WHO GOES OUT ALONE, FISHING FOR SQUID. AS THE PANGUERO IS LURING SQUID TO THE SURFACE, HE SUCCESSFULLY HOOKS A HUMBOLDT AND STARTS REELING IT IN. BUT AS HE REACHES OVER THE SIDE OF THE BOAT, THE SQUID LASHES OUT. ARMS AND TENTACLES FLAIR. THE SQUID YANKS THE PANGUERO OVERBOARD AND DRAGS HIM TO HIS DEATH THOUSANDS OF FEET BELOW THE SURFACE. >> IT'S AN ANIMAL THAT EATS ANYTHING. >> narrator: JORGE OUIEDO GUERRERO SAYS THE STORY IS USED TO WARN TOURISTS OF THE DANGER OF SQUID. >> male translator: IT'S A WARNING TO ANYBODY THAT GOES TO THE OPEN SEA TO TAKE SERIOUS PRECAUTION. THERE ARE ANIMALS OUT THERE THE LIKES AND SIZE OF WHICH WE'VE NEVER SEEN PREVIOUSLY. THEY ARE VERY DANGEROUS ANIMALS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO HUGE. >> narrator: PEARSON AND ARRINGTON ARE KEENLY AWARE OF THE DANGERS THAT LIE AHEAD. THEY, TOO, HAVE HEARD THE WARNINGS OF THE MEXICAN FISHERMEN. >> THE REASON THAT THEY THINK THIS IS A BAD IDEA IS, THEY WORK WITH THESE SQUID EVERY DAY. THEY SEE THEM IN ACTION. YOU THROW A SQUID IN HIS BOAT. IT BITES OFF HIS TOE. >> A HUMBOLDT SQUID, WHICH IS LIKE A 150-POUND MACAW WITH TEN LEGS AND A GIANT BEAK THAT CAN TAKE A BITE ABOUT EVERY THREE SECONDS. AND THAT BITE'S GOING TO BE ABOUT THAT BIG. >> narrator: ON A TIP FROM LOCAL FISHERMEN, THE TEAM DECIDES TO TAKE DAY TWO'S SEARCH FOR SQUID FURTHER NORTH. >> WE DID SOME RESEARCH, TALKED TO SOME PANGUERO FISHERMEN, FOUND OUT THAT THE FLEET IS UP IN SANTA ROSALIA, AND THEY'RE GETTING 100 TONS A NIGHT. SO WE REMOBILIZED THE ENTIRE CREW FOUR HOURS NORTH. >> narrator: BETWEEN 300 TO 500 FISHING BOATS HUNT IN THESE WATERS DAILY FOR HUMBOLDT SQUID. THE OCEAN IS TEEMING WITH THE CANNIBALISTIC CREATURES, WHICH ARE HARVESTED AS CALAMARI STEAKS. SANTA ROSALIA IS A SMALL FISHING VILLAGE 110 MILES NORTH OF LORETO. THE REMOTE LOCATION MAKES THE DIVE AN EVEN RISKIER VENTURE AND PUTS DIVE MEDIC MICHAEL PEARSON ON HIGH ALERT. >> THERE'S REALLY NO MEDICAL FACILITIES. THE CLOSEST CLINIC IS ACTUALLY BACK IN LORETO, WHERE WE WERE STAYING, AND THEN THE NEXT HOSPITAL FROM THERE IS IN LA PAZ, WHICH IS ANOTHER TWO TO FOUR HOURS FROM LORETO. WE HAVE AN AIR COMPANY OUT OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, THAT WILL FLY DOWN HERE, THOUGH. WE'VE GOT ALL THAT IN PLAY. IT'S JUST HOPEFULLY WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. >> LOOK AT THAT! >> narrator: MILES FROM THE COAST, A SCHOOL OF SARDINES IS A GOOD SIGN. >> LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT THAT. OH! >> narrator: A NATURAL FOOD SOURCE FOR NORMAL-SIZED SQUID, WHICH, IN TURN, COULD BE FOOD FOR A MONSTER. THE TEAM GETS EXCITED. >> LOOK AT THAT SWARM. >> LISTEN; CAN YOU HEAR IT? IT SOUNDS LIKE RAIN. IT'S BIG. >> narrator: ONCE AGAIN, THE TEAM PREPARES A JIG LINE WITH A SLIGHT MODIFICATION. >> IN ORDER TO TRY TO FIND OUT IF THERE WERE SQUIDS IN THE AREA, WE TOOK A CAMERA, AND ROB RIGGED A SQUID JIG BELOW THE CAMERA. >> WE'RE GOING DOWN. >> AWAY WE GO. >> narrator: THE TEAM LOWERS THE LINE, ANXIOUSLY WATCHING THE FOOTAGE ON THE ONBOARD MONITOR. >> LOOKS LIKE WE'RE A GO ON THE CAMERA. >> WE JUST GOT BIT RIGHT THERE. WE GOT ONE ON. WE DEFINITELY GOT ONE ON. >> HE'S NOT ON. >> I AM--I HAVE GOT A SQUID ON THIS JIG. >> OH, I THINK I SEE HIM. >> narrator: ARRINGTON BEGINS REELING IN THE JIG LINE WITH THE SQUID STILL ATTACHED. THEN, OUT OF THE DEPTHS... >> men: OOH! >> NO WAY! >> HOLD ON; HOLD ON. I GOT IT. >> AS WE'RE BRINGING IT UP, A LARGER ONE-- FIVE, SIX FOOT--CAME OUT AND JUST RUTHLESSLY JUST HIT HIM FULL IMPACT, SO HARD THAT IT RIPPED ONE OF ITS FINS COMPLETELY OFF THE SIDE OF THE ANIMAL IN, LIKE, AN INSTANT. >> narrator: THE MEN REEL THE INJURED SQUID UP. >> GO AHEAD AND BRING HIM TO THE TOP AND SEE WHAT WE GOT. >> OOH, HE'S HIT AGAIN! >> LOOK. >> narrator: IT'S A FATAL BLOW. >> LOOK. DUDE, HE GOT NAILED! >> narrator: PART OF THE SQUID HAS BEEN COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF BY A LARGER CANNIBAL. ALL THE ACTIVITY HAS LURED MORE SQUID INTO THE AREA. THE JIG LINE CAMERA HAS SHOWN THE BOAT IS SURROUNDED BY HEFTY 5- TO 6-FOOT SQUID, THE PERFECT SPECIMENS ON WHICH TO ATTACH THE TROJAN LASER CAMERA. THE SQUID WILL THEN CARRY IT INTO THE DEPTHS, HOPEFULLY TO GET AN ACCURATE MEASUREMENT OF A MONSTER. AND DALE PEARSON AND ROBERT ARRINGTON ARE PREPARING TO COME FACE TO FACE WITH A FEROCIOUS PREDATOR. >> IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO FEAR OF PEOPLE. IT WILL STRAIGHT ATTACK YOU JUST 'CAUSE YOU'RE THERE. YOU LET IT GO, IT DOESN'T TRY TO GET AWAY. IT'LL TURN AROUND AND ATTACK YOU. >> narrator: NOW IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING THE DIVERS INTO THE WATER. THE GOAL IS TO CAPTURE A SQUID LARGE ENOUGH TO CARRY THE LASER CAMERA. THE TEAM ON THE BOAT MANS THE JIG LINE AS THE DIVE TEAM WAITS BELOW THE SURFACE TO ATTACH THE CAMERA. >> I'M DESCENDING. >> THIS IS MIKE ON TOPSIDE. COPY, YOU'RE DESCENDING. I'M GOING TO TETHER OUT YOUR TETHER AS YOU GO DOWN. STAND BY. >> narrator: WITHIN MOMENTS, A SQUID ATTACKS THE LURE WITH ARMS AND TENTACLES FLAILING. HE'S HOOKED. >> TELL THE CAPTAIN TO SLOWLY RETRIEVE THE JIG. LET'S PUT THIS CAMERA ON HIM AND SEND HIM TO THE BOTTOM. >> narrator: THE TEAM BEGINS CAREFULLY REELING THE SQUID IN. THE SQUID FIGHTS TO GET AWAY, SQUIRTING INK INTO THE ALREADY MURKY WATERS. THE SQUID THEY'VE CAUGHT IS AVERAGE SIZE, ABOUT 4 1/2 FEET. HE IS ENRAGED AND READY FOR A FIGHT. AFTER A STRUGGLE, THE DIVERS SUCCESSFULLY ATTACH THE CAMERA. BUT JUST AS THE DIVERS ARE READY TO DEPLOY THE LASER CAMERA, PEARSON'S ARM BECOMES SNAGGED, AND THE SQUID WHEELS AROUND TO ATTACK. >> DEPLOYING. THREE, TWO, ONE. OH, [bleep], I'M ATTACHED. I'M ATTACHED. >> narrator: PEARSON FIGHTS AGAINST THE STRENGTH OF THE ANGRY SQUID, PUSHING HIS ARM BETWEEN HIS HEAD AND THE ANIMAL. THE DIVER FINALLY BREAKS FREE OF THE SQUID'S HOLD. BUT AS IT TURNS AND PLUNGES INTO THE MURKY WATERS, THE MONITOR TAKING THE VIDEO FEED FROM THE CAMERA ON THE SQUID GOES DARK. >> narrator: TERRIFYING TALES OF ENCOUNTERS WITH GIANT SQUID HAVE BECOME LEGENDARY. BUT PROOF OF THE CREATURES IS FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. ONE SUCH EXAMPLE WAS THIS 40-FOOT, HALF-TON COLOSSAL SQUID THAT WAS HAULED FROM THE SEA IN 2007. IT IS THE LARGEST SQUID EVER CAUGHT. AND IN JULY OF 2008, ITS DISSECTION REVEALED MORE ABOUT THESE MASSIVE SQUID. IT HAD THREE HEARTS. A RAZOR-LINED TONGUE ACTS LIKE A CHAINSAW FOR CHEWING UP FOOD. AND HUGE EYES, THE LARGEST OF ANY ANIMAL, WERE AS ROUND AS BEACH BALLS. WHILE DISSECTING THE ANIMAL REVEALS MUCH, FOOTAGE OF A GIANT SQUID IN ITS NATIVE HABITAT COULD TELL US EVEN MORE. IN 2006,<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> CAMERAS CAPTURED THIS VIDEO 700 FEET BELOW THE SEA OF CORTEZ. COULD THIS BODY OF WATER BE HOME TO A GIANT SQUID? DALE PEARSON AND HIS BROTHER, MICHAEL, ALONG WITH ROBERT ARRINGTON, HAVE BEEN SEARCHING THE SEA OF CORTEZ FOR TWO DAYS, TRYING TO FIND OUT. AFTER MOVING NORTH TO SANTA ROSALIA, THEY SUCCESSFULLY MOUNTED THEIR TROJAN CAMERA ONTO A HUMBOLDT SQUID. BUT AS THE CREATURE RETREATED INTO THE DEPTHS, THEIR TROJAN LASER CAMERA AND THE LIGHTS FAILED. >> YOU SEE IT--"BRR, BRR"-- FLICKER A LITTLE BIT. AND IN MY HEAD, I WAS THINKING, "AH, MAN, THAT'S GOT TO BE PRESSURE," YOU KNOW. AND THEN ONE LIGHT GOES. THE NEXT LIGHT GOES OUT. AS THE SQUID WENT DEEPER, I SAW THE PROBLEMS MOUNT. >> narrator: A SUSPICION CONFIRMED ONCE THEY RETRIEVE THE CAMERA FROM THE SQUID. >> HE GOES DOWN SO FAST THAT THE LIGHT SYSTEMS-- TWO OF THE LIGHT SYSTEMS-- IMPLODE. THE OTHER TWO LIGHT SYSTEMS ALSO IMPLODE AND FAIL FROM FLOODING. >> narrator: DAY THREE, THE TEAM MUST COME UP WITH A BACKUP PLAN. THEY'RE GOING TO REPLACE THE BROKEN COLOR CAMERA WITH THE BLACK-AND-WHITE BACKUP CAMERA THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE SQUID JIG LINE. >> WE KNOW THAT THIS IS THE DAY THAT'S GOING TO MAKE IT OR BREAK IT. WE GOT THE CAMERA RETROFITTED. I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE DAY. WE SAW A LOT OF NICE SQUID THE DAY BEFORE. AND NOW IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING OUT THERE ON THE WATER, TACKLING SOME SQUID, GETTING THE CAMERA ON THEIR BACK, AND TRYING TO FILM THE BIG ONE. >> narrator: AND IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG BEFORE THEY'VE CAUGHT THEIR FIRST SQUID OF THE DAY. PEARSON AND ARRINGTON IMMEDIATELY SUIT UP AND HEAD FOR THE WATER. >> THIS ONE IS A LITTLE SMALL, I THINK, FOR THE CAMERA. IT'S JUST MUNCHING THE HELL OUT OF MY ARMOR RIGHT NOW. OVER. >> narrator: SINCE IT'S TOO SMALL TO CARRY THE CAMERA, PEARSON RELEASES THE SQUID, AND IT SWIMS OFF. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, AN EVEN LARGER SQUID IS HOOKED ON THE SQUID LURE. >> DALE, THIS IS MIKE ON TOPSIDE. WE HAVE ANOTHER ON THE LINE. >> DID IT FEEL BIG OR SMALL? >> YOU DON'T THINK HE'S BIG ENOUGH TO PUT THE CAMERA ON? >> UM... >> THAT'S BY FAR THE BIGGEST ONE WE'VE CAUGHT SO FAR. >> narrator: THE MEN TRY TO POSITION THEMSELVES IN ORDER TO PUT THE TROJAN LASER CAMERA ONTO THE SQUID. BUT THINGS TURN NASTY QUICKLY. >> THIS GUY'S ANGRY. >> BE CAREFUL WITH HIM. >> narrator: AND IN ADDITION TO FIGHTING WITH THE SQUID, THE JIG LINE GETS TANGLED. >> TOPSIDE TO DALE. THE JIG IS NOT CLEAR. I'M GOING TO NEED A HAND. I'M GOING TO NEED A HAND. YOU GUYS, COME UP. >> OKAY, OKAY. WHAT DO YOU NEED, MIKE? >> GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE REEL RIGHT HERE SO I CAN TALK TO THE DIVERS. >> I'M GOING TO CHECK THE IMAGE. >> RIGHT NOW, THE DIVERS ARE IN THE WATER. THEY HAVE RETRIEVED A LARGE SQUID. AND WE HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE SQUID JIG BEING ATTACHED TO ONE OF THE DIVERS. IT WAS REMOVED. IT'S CLEAR NOW, AND THEY'RE ATTEMPTING TO PUT ON THE CAMERA AS WE SPEAK. >> narrator: AND THEN, AS THE DIVERS STRUGGLE TO ATTACH THE CAMERA... THE WASHER THE TEAM HAS FASHIONED TO ATTACH THE RETROFITTED TROJAN CAMERA TO THE SQUID IS HEADED FOR THE OCEAN FLOOR. ARRINGTON GRABS THE WASHER JUST IN TIME. THE TWO SWIFTLY ATTACH IT TO THE PRONGS AND ATTACH THE COTTER PINS. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. >> TWO. ONE. DEPLOY. BYE-BYE. >> DIVERS, TOPSIDE. COPY. SQUID HAS BEEN DEPLOYED. >> SQUID IS DEPLOYED. THERE HE GOES. >> LINE IS BEING DEPLOYED. >> PERFECT! >> THE LINE. >> EVERYTHING WENT PERFECT RIGHT THERE. >> narrator: THE SQUID SLIPS AWAY. THE LASERS SHOOT OFF INTO THE BLACKNESS. THIS IMAGE IS FROM THE SQUID-MOUNTED CAMERA, PENETRATING DEEP INTO THE ABYSS. IT'S A MOMENT THE TEAM HAS BEEN WAITING FOR. BACK ON BOARD, THE VIDEO CABLE SPOOLS OUT AT A REMARKABLE RATE. >> SO WE LET THEM KNOW THAT THE COMMUNICATIONS IS OUT. >> THERE'S GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY TO MAKE A LIVING. >> COULD HAVE GOTTEN HAIRY QUICK, MAN. >> THAT COULD GET SO HAIRY SO FAST. IT'S HECTIC DOWN THERE, HUH? EVERYTHING'S GOING ON. YOU GOT--YOU GOT COM CABLES. YOU GOT CAMERA CABLES. YOU GOT A FRICKIN' ANGRY, MAD SQUID THAT'S BITING THE HELL OUT OF YOU OVER AND OVER. >> narrator: NOW THE TEAM WAITS. AND WHILE THERE WERE PLENTY OF SQUID BEFORE, SUDDENLY THEY'VE MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED. AS TIME PASSES, THERE IS NO SIGN OF SQUID. DISAPPOINTMENT AND FRUSTRATION ARE GROWING. >> MY CONCERN IS, WHEN WE WERE UP IN LORETO AND WE WERE DIVING WITH ALL THE BAIT AND ALL THE OTHER FISH, THEY WEREN'T CONCERNED WITH THE LIGHT. BUT, MAN, IF THAT LASER HIT THEM, THEY WERE LIKE, "WHOA!" >> narrator: COULD THIS UNFORESEEN PROBLEM HURT THEIR CHANCES OF SEEING WHAT SOME BELIEVE TO BE A 100-FOOT BEHEMOTH AGAIN? THE TEAM DECIDES TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS. AS THE TOPSIDE TEAM REELS THE SQUID BACK UP, THE DIVERS HEAD BACK INTO THE WATER TO TURN OFF THE LASERS. AS SOON AS THE SQUID SEES THE DIVERS, THE ANGRY ANIMAL FLAIRS. >> OH, IT'S GOT ME. IT'S GOT ME. OH. >> narrator: IT TAKES ALL OF ARRINGTON'S STRENGTH TO FEND OFF THE FURIOUS SQUID. THE 4 1/2 FOOT HUMBOLDT HAS ALREADY BEEN REELED IN ONCE, AND IT IS NOT HAPPY ABOUT BEING BACK. 9-INCH-THICK TENTACLES COVERED WITH SERRATED SUCKERS GRASPS AT THE CAMERA LENS. ARRINGTON AND PEARSON ONCE AGAIN MUST SUBDUE THE SQUID IN ORDER TO DETACH THE LASER. >> YOU'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING. IT'S ATTACKING THE CAMERA. IT'S GOT MY ARM. OH. >> DALE, THIS IS MIKE TOPSIDE. DO YOU COPY ME? OVER. >> I'M OKAY. I CAN'T SEE YOU. OKAY, THERE YOU ARE RIGHT THERE. >> DALE, THIS IS MIKE TOPSIDE. >> NEGATIVE. STAND BY! >> STANDING BY. >> OKAY, ROB. WATCH OUT; THIS GUY'S A [bleep]ING MEAN ONE. OW! OKAY, ROB, PARTY TIME. IT'S TIME TO DO THIS [bleep]. >> ROB, THIS IS MIKE ON TOPSIDE. ARE YOU FREEING THE LINE, AS IN WE NEED TO SPOOL OUT LINE? >> YES, LET THE SQUID GO. >> narrator: IN 2006, <i> MONSTER QUEST</i> CAMERAS CAPTURED VIDEO FOOTAGE OF WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE A MONSTER-SIZED SQUID SWIMMING 700 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE IN MEXICO'S SEA OF CORTEZ. THIS VIDEO EXPERT ESTIMATED THE SIZE TO BE BETWEEN 60 AND 108 FEET. BUT THIS MARINE BIOLOGIST SAYS IT IS UNLIKELY. AND THESE DIVERS ARE PUTTING THEIR LIVES AT RISK TRYING TO CAPTURE NEW, MEASURABLE PROOF OF THE CREATURE. THEY'VE BEEN CHARGED BY SEA LIONS, ATTACKED AND BITTEN BY FEROCIOUS HUMBOLDT SQUID, AND SACRIFICED VALUABLE EQUIPMENT ALL IN THE ATTEMPT TO ATTACH AN UNDERWATER CAMERA ONTO A SQUID AND RELEASE IT BACK INTO THE WATER'S DEPTHS. FINALLY, THE TEAM HAS SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED THE TROJAN SQUID. BUT WHEN THE SQUID ARE SUSPICIOUSLY ABSENT FROM VIEW, THE TEAM SUSPECTS THE LASERS COULD BE THE CAUSE. AS THE DIVERS RETURN TO THE WATER TO TURN OFF THE LASERS, THEY ARE ONCE AGAIN VICIOUSLY ATTACKED. PEARSON COMES TO ARRINGTON'S AID AND HELPS FEND OFF THE ANGRY SQUID. ONCE THE LASERS ARE TURNED OFF, THE EXHAUSTED DIVERS RELEASE THE SQUID AND HEAD BACK TOPSIDE FOR A MUCH-NEEDED BREAK. >> ONE TIME, HE GRABBED MY ARM. HE JUST--FIRST HE COMES LIKE THIS. >> HAVE I GOT ANY MARKS ON ME HERE? >> I DON'T KNOW. YOU HAVE TO, MAN. >> I COULD HEAR IT. I COULD HEAR IT HITTING THE ARMOR, GOING, "CLINK, CLINK." >> I SAY WE TAKE OUR TANKS OFF, DISARM... >> YEAH. >> AND WATCH THE MONITOR THERE AS TO WHAT HAPPENS. >> narrator: THEIR HYPOTHESIS WAS CORRECT. WITH THE LASERS GONE, THE SQUID COME OUT IN DROVES. >> WITH THOSE LASERS TURNED OFF, WE HAVE BIG ANIMALS COMING IN, GOING TENTACLE-TO-TENTACLE STRIKES WITH MULTIPLE ANIMALS, BIG 7- AND 8-FOOT HUMBOLDTS JUST CRUISING LIKE A B-52 RIGHT BY THEM. >> narrator: THE TEAM ANXIOUSLY WATCHES THE MONITOR, LOOKING FOR ANY SIGNS OF THE MONSTER. AFTER MORE THAN TWO HOURS, DARKNESS BEGINS TO FALL, AND THE TEAM MUST REEL IN THE TROJAN SQUID FOR THE FINAL TIME. AFTER FOUR DAYS AND SIX LONG DIVES, THE TEAM MUST CAREFULLY REVIEW ALL THE FOOTAGE FROM THE SQUID CAM FOR EVIDENCE OF A MONSTER. >> NO ONE REALLY HAS TIME TO MONITOR THE SQUID CAMERA THE ENTIRE TIME HE'S UNDER THE WATER, AND HE CAN BE DOWN THERE FOR A COUPLE HOURS. >> narrator: ONCE SAFELY BACK AT THEIR HOTEL IN LORETO BAY, MEXICO, THE GROUP IS EAGER TO SEE WHAT THEIR UNDERWATER CAMERA HAS PICKED UP. OUT OF THE BLACKNESS COME DOZENS OF SQUID, THEIR ARMS FLARED, STRIKING THE SQUID WITH THEIR TOOTHY TENTACLES. ONE LARGE HUMBOLDT IN PARTICULAR SENSES THE SQUID'S DEFENSES ARE COMPROMISED AND STRIKES. >> men: WHOA! >> HOLD ON. WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. >> narrator: AFTER A CAREFUL REVIEW, THERE IS NO FOOTAGE OF A GIANT THIS TIME. BUT COULD THE TROJAN SQUID ITSELF OFFER PROOF OF ANOTHER KIND? THE SCARS IT BEARS FROM A SQUID ATTACK INDICATE A VERY LARGE PREDATOR. >> narrator: IN SLOWING DOWN FOOTAGE OF THE TROJAN CAMERA SQUID JUST BEFORE IT SWIMS OFF, THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT SOMETHING HAS ATTACKED IT. SUCTION MARKS, EACH OVER AN INCH ACROSS, COVER ITS BODY. WHAT COULD HAVE DONE THIS? WAS IT ANOTHER SQUID, PERHAPS LIKE THE ONE SEEN ON THE FIRST<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> EXPEDITION IN 2006. >> OH, YEAH, THERE WAS BIG SUCTION CUP MARKS. >> MASSIVE SUCTION CUPS ON HIM. >> LIKE SOMETHING HAD GRABBED HIM AND WRAPPED HIM AND HE GOT AWAY. THERE'S, LIKE, ALL UP HIS BODY-- >> narrator: SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, ZOOLOGIST CLYDE ROPER SEES THE ATTACK FOOTAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME. >> BOY, THIS IS DYNAMITE FOOTAGE. REALLY GREAT. >> narrator: ROPER SAYS THE FOOTAGE OFFERS REVEALING VIEWS OF A SQUID'S AGGRESSION AND FEEDING BEHAVIORS. >> ONE WAS VERY TYPICAL, AND THAT'S WHERE THE TENTACLES SHOT OUT AND GRABBED THE PREY. WE ALSO SAW A SORT OF A SPREAD-OUT APPROACH WHERE THE ANIMAL, WHOLE ANIMAL, MOVED IN AND THEN GRASPED THE PREY. THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES. AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THE SQUID WOULD USE ONE VERSUS THE OTHER. >> narrator: WHILE THIS LATEST <i> MONSTER QUEST</i> EXPEDITION DID NOT FILM A GIANT SQUID, IT SHED LIGHT ON ONE OF THE OCEAN'S MOST LEGENDARY PREDATORS. WHATEVER WAS FILMED IN 2006 REMAINS BOTH THE BEST EVIDENCE AND A MYSTERY. >> I DON'T WONDER; I KNOW THAT THERE'S A GIANT SQUID DOWN THERE. I KNOW THAT, 'CAUSE I'VE SEEN THE FOOTAGE OF WHAT WE GOT LAST TIME. THAT'S A MASSIVE ANIMAL. >> I BELIEVE HE COULD BE 30, 40, 50, 100 FEET LONG. HE LIVES IN THE DEPTHS, WHERE IT'S COMPLETELY DARK. >> narrator: CONSIDERING THAT MORE THAN 70% OF THE EARTH IS COVERED IN OCEANS, THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT SOMEWHERE IN THE UNEXPLORED DEPTHS, A SPECIES OF GIANT SQUID IS LURKING MILES BELOW THE SURFACE. >> AND THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SPECIES, DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANIMALS THAT ARE YET WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED DOWN THERE. Captioning by<font color="#00FF00"> CaptionMax</font> www.captionmax.com
