OceanXplorers (2024) s01e01 Episode Script

[James Cameron] The Ocean.
the last frontier on earth.
So much is unexplored
and unexplained.
To change that
a kickass team of insanely
talented specialists is
setting out to push the
frontiers of what we know
about our oceans.
[Zoleka Filander] Oh my gosh.
[James Cameron] Zoleka Filander,
deep sea scientist.
[Zoleka Filander] Being a
deep-sea researcher means
having front row tickets to
the best movie that everybody
wants to watch.
[James Cameron]
Melissa Márquez
[Melissa Márquez]
Straight ahead, 12:00.
[James Cameron]
Shark biologist.
[Melissa Márquez] We just saw
what no one has seen before.
[James Cameron]
Eric Stackpole
[Eric Stackpole] Scan now!
[James Cameron] Ocean
tech innovator.
[Eric Stackpole] I love
building tools that allow us
to see things in ways
we've never seen before.
[gasps]
[James Cameron] And Aldo Kane
[Aldo Kane] This is insane.
[James Cameron] Former
Royal Marine; special ops.
[Aldo Kane] It doesn't get
any more cutting-edge
exploration than this.
[James Cameron]
Their secret weapon
the OceanXplorer.
The most technologically
advanced research vessel
ever built.
There's never been a more
urgent need to understand
our ocean and the animals
that call it home
Because their lives
and ours depend on it.
This time the team is
among the giants of the ocean.
[Eric Stackpole] I cannot
believe that we are watching
this fight club.
[James Cameron] They face
an unexpected encounter.
[Kerri Seger] Oh my God.
[Mithriel Mackay] I can't
believe we're seeing this.
[theme music plays]
[James Cameron] The OceanXplorer
is in the Dominican Republic,
in the Caribbean.
It's heading 50 miles off
the island's north coast.
To an area of the Atlantic Ocean
Teeming with giants.
[splashing]
[whale song]
Humpback whales.
[Aldo Kane] Humpbacks are
one of the largest whales
on the planet,
they’re about 45 feet long,
and that’s the size
of a school bus.
[Zoleka Filander] We almost
hunted these whales
to extinction, but thanks
to the global efforts
to bring them
back from the brink,
just over 50 years ago,
these whales are now thriving.
[James Cameron] Every winter
thousands of Humpbacks migrate
to these waters to mate,
and give birth.
[blowing]
But as they spend the
majority of their time
beneath the waves,
details of their
lives remain a mystery.
[splashing]
That's why the team is here,
to uncover secrets
of these whales,
in some of the most
intimate moments of their lives.
[Crew] OceanXplorer,
OceanXplorer.
Ok, come in.
[James Cameron]
For this mission
[Aldo Kane] All set?
- Yup.
- Cool.
[James Cameron] The team
will need to draw on the
full capabilities of the ship.
[Crew] Zoom out a bit.
[Eric Stackpole] The
ship is incredible,
we have a helicopter,
we have a deep sea ROV,
we have two submersibles.
any question that we
would want to answer about
the humpback whale seems to be
answerable with the technology
and resources we have available.
[James Cameron] We know
that humpback whales travel
up to 5000 miles from
their feeding grounds
in the North Atlantic to
this small patch of ocean
and that they
come here to breed.
But how exactly does a female
humpback choose her mate?
To find out, Eric's job is
to first spot the whales
[Crew] Yeah you can power up.
[James Cameron] then guide
in Aldo and the dive team,
to get a rare
underwater perspective.
[Aldo Kane] Alright
Captain, good to go.
[James Cameron] Not so easy.
[Crew] Green light green deck.
Copy, green light, green deck.
[Eric Stackpole] Let’s
go find some whales.
[helicotper whirring]
[Crew] Chopper is up,
chopper is up.
[Eric Stackpole] The
conditions are perfect
you could not ask for a better
day to be searching for whales,
the water is extremely
calm so anything that comes
up to the surface of the
water we should be able to see.
Oh my god, there are
whales everywhere.
[splashing]
Oh wow, that is really cool.
[splashing]
[James Cameron] With eyes in
the sky it doesn't take long
[Eric Stackpole]
Oh look at this.
[James Cameron] to spot
some courtship action.
There's a single adult
female surrounded by males.
Peaceful gatherings like
these can suddenly erupt.
[blowing]
Turning into a frenzied pursuit.
[splashing]
[Eric Stackpole] Woah what
was that move all about?
The female is
leading the pack
She has a suitor and he's
following right behind her.
Female's speeding up.
If he loses his position,
the chance to mate with
her will be up for grabs.
Woah is it pushing that
one out of the water?
[Crew] Yeah.
[Eric Stackpole] It's
pushing it out of the water,
oh my gosh.
White water everywhere.
No wonder some scientists
call this 'a fight club'.
I mean there's just so much
muscle and energy in that.
I mean each of these weigh
more than a truck you know
and they're pounding
against each other
speeding through the water.
I cannot believe that we
are watching this fight club
like right below us.
[Aldo Kane] Mike Delta,
Mike Delta.
This is Eagle Ray.
[Eric Stackpole] Eagle Ray this
is Mike Delta we're watching,
we counted 11 whales,
in this group.
They've generally been
holding the same direction.
[Aldo Kane] Yeah, Roger that,
once we get on location,
we'll try and get in the
water if it's safe to do so.
[Eric Stackpole] This
is definitely a sprint and
it's gonna be
survival of the fittest.
[Aldo Kane] Roger that out.
[James Cameron] If
former Special Ops, Aldo,
and cameraman David can get
in the water with the whales,
they may be able to
record behavior that’s
invisible from the surface.
[Aldo Kane] Have you been in
the water with 11 whales before?
[David] Only once
before was I ever in a,
in a group this big.
So it’s pretty violent in
fact for the whales, and,
so we’ve just got to be
careful where we are.
[Aldo Kane] Every time I get
in the water with big animals
I am apprehensive you know this.
[David] Yeah.
[Aldo Kane] We are
in their territory,
in their environment and
we are tiny in comparison.
If you get on the wrong side of
one of those pec fin slaps
or a tail slap, then
it’s going to be game over.
[David] Yeah.
[Aldo Kane] Let’s try
and get in ahead of them.
[David] Yeah absolutely.
[Eric Stackpole] Oh
look at that quick turn,
the whole group just
turned 90 degrees.
[Crew] Just the whole
group turning like that.
[Aldo Kane] They’re
turning away, we missed it.
[helicopter whirring]
[Eric Stackpole] Alright,
I'm scanning around
for anything else.
[Pilot] There is a
big group 3:00.
[Eric Stackpole]
Yeah, there’s something.
[Pilot] Alright.
Go check these guys out.
[splashing]
[Eric Stackpole]
Devil Ray, Devil Ray,
Mike Delta we are moving over
to some breaching whales.
That’s the direction
we are going now.
[Aldo Kane] Copy that.
[James Cameron] There are
more males around a female,
but this group
appears more relaxed.
[splashing]
[David] You may want to try
to get in the water here.
[James Cameron] With
very little known about the
whales’ courtship rituals,
Aldo is concerned that any
bubbles could spook the animals.
[blowing]
So they’re diving without tanks.
[Aldo Kane] Free diving is the
closest that you can become to,
to being a mammal
in that environment.
In one breath you can dive
down and be in their world.
[James Cameron] Holding his
breath, Aldo swims to a
depth of 70 feet.
[majestic music]
These whales seem totally
at ease with their visitors.
[whale song]
[whale song]
There's a female
surrounded by five males.
The mood couldn't be more
different from the fight club.
She wants the fittest
father for her calf.
But how will she choose him?
One male moves closer.
He gently blows a stream
of bubbles onto her belly.
[whale song]
An encounter this intimate
has rarely been seen.
We need to try and
understand what's going on.
[whale song]
[dramatic sweeping music]
[grunting]
[lauhging]
[Aldo Kane] That was
has to be one of the best
experiences I’ve ever had.
Like when they cruise
underneath you,
it’s literally like having a
small plane underneath you.
We can take those shots
back and show some of the
scientists on board,
they can look at behavior,
they can maybe tell us
what those whales were doing
in that social circumstance.
[David] Yeah.
[blowing]
[Asha de Vos] Hey Eric.
I’ve got some cool stuff
for you to look at.
[James Cameron] The
footage will be analyzed by
whale scientist Asha de Vos.
[Asha de Vos] The more
we observe and the more we
document the more we can
start to actually understand it
from the viewpoint of the
whale and I think that’s what’s
really interesting
and unique for us.
[Eric Stackpole] Devil Ray,
Devil Ray, Mike Delta.
[James Cameron]
For the next week,
Asha joins the dive team.
Their aim
[David] Oh three
[James Cameron] to collect
as much footage as possible
[Aldo Kane] Hey
whale dead ahead.
[James Cameron] of
as many courtship groups
as they can find.
[Crew] Yeah we just saw
its fluke as it went down.
Ohh oh.
[James Cameron] Very
little is known about a
female's mate selection,
but by going
through every frame
[Asha de Vos] I hope you are
excited about what we’ve found.
[Eric Stackpole] Yeah I am too.
[James Cameron] Asha's
made some observations,
about the female
that Aldo dived with.
[Asha de Vos] We know
this is the female and
you can see her tail
is very characteristic,
I call her asymmetrical
because it's not
a symmetrical pattern.
She's, you know,
clearly rolling around
displaying herself.
We see this very intimate
moment where they're hanging,
they're not moving much,
and for about 15 minutes
they just stayed in
one place like this.
You feel like a
really strong bond,
then you're thinking this
can only lead to mating.
We find another group of six,
if you look carefully,
see that's her tail
remember asymmetrical.
I don't recognize any of
the other males in the group,
so she's found a
complete new group of guys.
[Eric Stackpole]
But I don’t understand,
she already found her mate.
[Asha de Vos] Well
that's what we thought,
she does similar things,
she rotates,
she does these
intimate movements.
And then we find a
group of 11 animals.
Amazing moment,
and then we start
seeing this pec-slapping
event going on.
And this pec belongs
to the same female
[Eric Stackpole] No.
[Asha de Vos] we saw in
the previous two encounters.
[splashing]
She has slipped from one group
to the other, to the other.
[Eric Stackpole] This is
more like dating and the
relationships just
aren’t quite working out,
but she’s still trying
to find the one.
[Asha de Vos] Yeah, she
wants a nice strong calf that
can survive into,
you know the future,
and she’s gonna take her time.
[Eric Stackpole] I have to
look at this, kind of like
online dating, you know swiping
away and trying to find,
you know, "Mr. Right swipe".
[Asha de Vos] Your ideal mate,
yeah exactly.
And in the short time
we've been here we now
have a little intimate peek,
into the life of this
little lady and how she's
chosen to maximize her time
here on the mating grounds.
[James Cameron] We don't
know if this female
mates with any of the males,
or carries on looking
for the perfect match.
But in this rare footage,
the team has observed
just how choosy a
female humpback can be,
and there's still so
much more to learn.
[splashing]
[James Cameron] Off
the Dominican Republic,
the Humpback breeding
season is in full swing.
But why do the whales come
to this specific patch in the
North Atlantic every year?
To find an answer, the team
is going to focus on another
Humpback behavior.
We know that for adult males,
it's important to sing
during mating season.
[whale song]
And they do this often.
and for hours at time.
[whale song]
The team wants to test a
hypothesis that the unique
underwater landscape here,
could provide an advantage
for the singing males.
Leading the mission is
Deep Sea Scientist Zoleka.
Armed with detailed
bathymetry
[Zoleka Filander] Hi Dave.
[Pilot] Hi.
[James Cameron] She’ll be
diving to a depth of 250 feet.
[Zoleka Filander] The
OceanXplorer has mapped
the sea floor and it's revealing
a hidden underwater world.
There are great mountains
rising to up to 2000 feet and
these are topped with a
plateau that stops just
below the surface.
So these plateaus have
bowl-shaped edges on
the wall which are around the
size of a football stadium
and these are what
we are interested in.
[Pilot] Ok team here we go.
[Zoleka Filander] OK.
[James Cameron] Zoleka is
joined by marine mammal
scientist Mithriel Mackay.
From her aerial surveys,
Mithriel has developed
an intriguing hypothesis.
[Mithriel Mackay] We could see
whales tucked into these
half circles, they remind
me of an amphitheater,
is it possible that they're
using these to do something
with their song, to make
their song easier to hear,
or maybe farther
to hear or louder,
for other whales and
so we started getting
into this whole hypothesis of,
whales are using
the amphitheaters,
these features out here
to sing in order to
broadcast their sound better
for humpback whales and that
could be a way to improve their
chances of finding a mate.
I saw something right above us,
just like a flash,
it was really strange.
[Pilot] I can hear whales
[whale song]
100%
[gasping]
[Pilot] 100%.
[whale song]
[gasping]
Oh my god.
[Zoleka Filander] I'm really
excited to see if Mithriel's
hypothesis is correct.
In order to test it,
our plan is to set up
a series of microphones,
within the bowl,
both deep and shallow,
to record soundwaves.
[Pilot] Ok where do you want it?
[Zoleka Filander]
Try right there
right in that same patch.
Yeah.
[James Cameron] Using
the sub’s robotic arm,
they carefully place the
deeper microphones around the
sides of the bowl.
[Mithriel Mackay] Very nice.
[Zoleka Filander] Testing
the amphitheater hypothesis
this is exciting hey.
[Mithriel Mackay]
It's very exciting.
[James Cameron]
Directly above them.
[Eric Stackpole] Alright,
I’m going to get four in the
bucket on my side.
[James Cameron] Eric and
acoustic scientist Kerri Seger,
are setting the shallower mics.
[Eric Stackpole] So
this is the actual part,
all of the work is being
done by this little bit here,
that's the hydrophone,
this is gonna be listening
to the sound reverberating
off the amphitheater.
[Kerri Seger] Right.
[Eric Stackpole] Alright,
here’s the hydrophone.
[Kerri Seger]
Alright, hydrophone in.
Ready to mark.
[Eric Stackpole] Ready to mark.
[Kerri Seger]
Number 11 in water.
[Eric Stackpole] Number
11 way point marked.
[James Cameron] A waterproof
speaker will play humpback song.
[Kerri Seger] So the plan is
that this is going to be about
the same depth that male
humpback whales sing at.
- Okay. And starting.
- Alrighty.
[Eric Stackpole]
Waypoint marked.
[Kerri Seger] And
we're not going to hear
[whale song]
Oh, we do hear it.
[Eric Stackpole] We can hear it.
Oh my gosh.
[James Cameron] All the
microphones, both shallow and
deep will register the volume
of the whale song recording.
[whale song]
Then it's back to the ship
to find out the results.
The acoustic data
has been processed.
[Zoleka Filander]
That's very exciting.
[James Cameron] And can
now be visualized in the
ship’s state-of-the-art hololab.
[Eric Stackpole] The hololens,
of all the different
pieces of equipment on the ship,
is the most futuristic,
it feels like living in
a science fiction movie,
where it's like you are
interacting with an imaginary
world like something
that's inside of your head,
but you can show it
to everyone else,
this is a great tool for
helping visualize and
communicate with others.
It looks like we have
gotten some results,
Kerri what have you seen?
[Kerri Seger] The first thing
we are going to see is the very
first sound signal
coming from speaker A.
Exactly what we would expect
from a soundwave moving away
from the wall.
The orange is a little quieter,
yellow quieter than that,
and then green is,
you know the quietest.
Now we're gonna add in
the echo from the wall and
see if it amplifies
these numbers.
So here's our echo, yup,
coming right off the wall,
and boom, boom, boom.
Look at the
added intensity there,
so everything's red,
everything's in the 90
decibels like 10, 11 decibels,
that's a huge amount of extra
sound energy in the system.
[Eric Stackpole] 11 decibels
that's like a multiple.
[Mithriel Mackay] So now
we know the benefit is,
that they could get
that sound to be louder and
behind them and
reach more whales.
This is pretty cool to
see that, you know, we've,
we've uncovered something
that's going on here.
[James Cameron] Mithriel and
Kerri now have proof of concept,
that the bowl-like features
really do amplify a whale's song
by as much as 11 decibels.
This could be one reason why
so many whales come here.
[Mithriel Mackay] Just
absolutely ground-breaking and
huge and a culmination of so
many years of my work that um,
it doesn't really get
more satisfying than that.
[James Cameron] It seems
that the underwater terrain
is providing an advantage
for humpbacks seeking a mate.
But it's not just whales
looking to breed that come here.
Females that became pregnant
here last year have returned
to give birth and to
rear their calves.
The warm shallows
which lie above the
submerged mountain tops,
provide the perfect nursery.
[splashing, blowing]
These waters are believed
to be the main reason why
a Humpback mother
travels up to 5000 miles
to raise her young.
[Asha de Vos] This is
a very important place,
it’s not just that
the calves are born,
but they are taught life skills.
This is a big schoolyard,
this is where they also
come to teach their young
how do you survive if
there are predators around,
so they don’t have a lot of time
to teach those life skills
before they have to
basically pack up their bags
and take this long
migration all the way back
to the North Atlantic.
[James Cameron] If
whale scientist Asha and
Cameraman David can get
an underwater perspective,
they may be able to capture a
rare glimpse of the intimate
bond between mother and calf.
[splashing]
[James Cameron] They approach
the mother and calf slowly and
the pair seem undisturbed.
Only the females are
involved in parenting.
[blowing]
This is mom's time to pour all
her energy into her single calf.
[calf trilling]
[mother calling]
Just a few weeks old,
the calf bonds with
its mother through touch.
Only able to hold its
breath for a few minutes,
the calf stays with the
mom near the surface.
[calf trilling]
It's entirely dependent on her,
guzzling 50 gallons of
her rich milk every day.
There's no food for mom here.
She hasn't eaten
for five months.
[bliwng]
But she must continue to
nurse her calf until it's
strong enough to
survive the journey to
their feeding grounds.
[Asha de Vos] The calf
clearly got curious,
came to see what this other
little object in the water was.
All kids are curious,
all kids are like
what is that new thing?
But then you know a mother's
instinct is to make sure that,
that she's protecting
their calf so mamma was
like you know what,
not right now,
and she just, you know
she did a u-turn
underwater and I guess the calf
knew immediately it
was time to leave.
[David] Yeah it's a
good protective mother,
for the survival of their
calves they need to be,
very protective.
Life for these young
whales just to survive,
to make it through
that first year,
to get to be an adult
humpback is not easy.
[James Cameron] In the
nursery grounds mothers and
calves are relatively safe.
[blowing]
But when they enter
deeper waters,
what dangers does a
young humpback face?
To find out, the team now plans
to tag a mother and a calf,
as they start their
migration north.
[helicopter whirring]
It's down to Eric to find a
mother and calf on the move and
guide in Aldo and
the tagging team.
[Eric Stackpole]
OK here we go again.
[Pilot] What’s that
straight ahead,
definitely a blow
and some action.
[Eric Stackpole]
Oh yeah I see that.
[James Cameron] This pair
have left the nursery grounds.
[blowing]
For the hungry mother,
timing their departure is
a life-or-death decision.
[Eric Stackpole]
OceanXplorer, OceanXplorer
this is Mike Delta.
[Aldo Kane] Mike Delta send.
[Eric Stackpole] Hey guys we
are seeing what appears to be a
mother and calf,
you may want to
take a look at them.
[Aldo Kane] Roger that,
thank you, out.
So we're going out to put
these tags on, they have
cameras, temperature, depth,
acceleration sensors,
so with these,
we're definitely going to
get some good scientific data.
[Eric Stackpole] There's
something else in the water,
just forward of that.
[James Cameron] Orca.
[Eric Stackpole] Oh wow.
[James Cameron] Also
known as Killer Whales.
These are the ocean's
apex predators.
It's a family of
adults and juveniles.
[blowing]
They need to eat
and they're heading straight
for the mother and calf.
[blowing]
[splashing, blowing]
[Eric Stackpole] Oh my gosh.
[Gavin] Steamed in there.
[blowing]
[Eric Stackpole]
They’re like wolves.
They’re surrounding the thing.
Look at that she's
keeping the calf on her
back to keep it from being
attacked from underneath.
Its belly is the
most vulnerable spot.
[splashing]
The baby just went off the
side it's trying to get back.
Nobody's ever filmed this here.
[splashing]
[blowing]
This is so tough to watch.
[blowing]
I mean these
Orcas are relentless.
But we've got a chance to
understand how mom defends
her calf and these orcas are
some of the most intelligent
creatures on the planet.
This is giving us a
chance to see how they
organize their attack.
[blowing]
What a horrible
situation to be in.
I mean it's,
I can just picture the
emotions this mom has.
[splashing]
Look at that,
magnificent and terrifying.
[splashing]
[James Cameron] Mithriel
changes the plan on the fly.
[Mithriel Mackay] Can you
see flippers on the surface?
[Aldo Kane] Dead ahead,
400 meters.
[James Cameron] She now
wants to tag an Orca.
It could give the team the
first-ever scientific insight
of a hunt in these waters.
[James Cameron] Kerri is in
charge of tag deployment.
[Kerri Seger] I see flippers,
it’s resting underwater,
100 meters blow.
[James Cameron]
For everyone's safety,
including the animals,
timing is critical.
[blowing]
[Aldo Kane] Everyone set.
[Kerri Seger] Alright, you
guys I'm ready to tag whenever
you're comfortable.
[James Cameron] The tag's
four suction cups will attach
to the orca without hurting it.
They'll released after 12 hours.
[Aldo Kane] Yeah,
OK we're ready to tag,
[James Cameron] If
they can get the tag on.
[blowing]
[Aldo Kane] Killer
whale coming this way.
[Kerri Seger] Just let it go
under, just let it go under.
[Aldo Kane] Woah,
look at the size of it.
[Kerri Seger] Killer whale
underneath us.
[Aldo Kane] Yeah killer
whale underneath.
[blowing]
[Kerri Seger] I got
one right in front.
Killer whale’s coming up,
it’s killer whale's
under my tag.
[Aldo Kane] Tag on!
[whislting, clicking]
[James Cameron] They've
tagged the lead female.
And she's with some
pregnant females,
who need to eat for two.
And juveniles who
need to learn to hunt.
[splashing]
This is a battle
between two families.
[splashing]
[Eric Stackpole] Oh wow.
[James Cameron] These strikes
aren’t risk-free for the orca.
To protect their
vulnerable lower jaw,
they hit with the
top of their heads.
[crashing]
[splashing]
[Aldo Kane] To see it
this close is brutal.
[Mithriel Mackay]
Everybody's got to eat,
and that's something a
lot of people forget,
it's important to remember that
there's a balance here they're,
they're doing want they do best.
[James Cameron] The orca
appear to be co-ordinating
their attack.
[whistling, clicking]
[splashing]
Their strategy, to separate
the calf from its mother.
Hold it down and drown it.
[Eric Stackpole] Looks
like this is a long fight.
Mom's a formidable opponent,
I mean she's got pectoral fins
that are 15-foot-long,
and those are
covered in sharp barnacles.
She's not giving up.
[James Cameron] Orca's
hunting calls can travel up to
nine miles through water
they've been heard.
Another group arrives.
[blowing]
[Eric Stackpole] I’ve heard
about this happening that
sometimes two orca groups
can come together for a kill.
- That is
- Oh that's
[Eric Stackpole] Oh my gosh.
[Kerri Seger] Oh my god.
[Mithriel Mackay] Those
are reinforcements.
[Aldo Kane] They are everywhere.
[Eric Stackpole] Alright
we've now got two humpbacks
against 18 Orca.
[blowing]
Oh, poor mom has got
to be exhausted and
this is all happening,
I mean how long can she go.
[Aldo Kane] They're just
really, they're just
wearing the calf and the
mother down, aren't they?
[splashing]
It's just like a battle
of attrition, isn't it?
[splashing]
[Eric Stackpole] It seems to
be reaching a breaking point.
[whistling, clicking]
[James Cameron] The
orca finally succeed in
isolating the calf.
And they drown it.
This calf will feed
the orca family.
[whistling, clciking]
Studies suggest that other
whale species grieve at the
death of a calf,
maybe humpbacks do too.
[helicopter whirring]
[Eric Stackpole] What we saw
today has never been seen,
not with the kind of view
that we just had, but I'm,
I'm still taking
it in honestly,
like I feel
emotionally exhausted.
[James Cameron] All the footage
from the hunt has been studied
in fine detail and
the team is gathering
in the ship's hololab,
where Mithriel
can share their findings.
[Mithriel Mackay] When I
started to look at the still
photos I took from the boat,
and the video footage
from the helicopter
it looked from the surface,
that the orca had
a simple strategy,
and that's to pursue
the mother and the calf
until the point of exhaustion,
but once I looked beneath
the waves with the tag video,
it became clear just how
complex and how coordinated
their strategies actually are.
[Eric Stackpole] Mithriel
you've been able to sort of
decipher what was
really going on here.
[Mithriel Mackay] What
I realize is that we have
something really organized.
The alpha male was part
of the group on the outside,
their main job was to keep
mom moving and tire her out.
[Eric Stackpole] So the alpha
male moves into position.
[Mithriel Mackay] So he did what
we're calling a fluke clap,
it's it's actually
cupping that tail,
slapping it against the water,
that appears to
initiate some kind of
signal communication
within the group.
[James Cameron] Mithriel
believes the fluke clap is a
signal to two of the
Orca to swim in front of
the mother humpback,
forcing her to slow down.
[blowing]
The next play comes
from the lead female.
[Mithriel Mackay]
She does a hit,
she comes up over mom’s back,
hits the calf,
knocks the calf off mom’s back.
Mom comes down,
she takes a swift dive down and
puts her flippers way out,
and picks up that calf
back in the water again,
recovers the calf.
[James Cameron] Mithriel’s
analysis is that by working
together the orca can
maintain a relentless attack,
constantly forcing the
mother to recover her calf.
[Mithriel Mackay]
The way she did this
over and over
and over again,
really made me think
this has to be a mother
humpback whale
that's had experience.
We got a picture
underneath her tail,
we submitted that
to the catalog.
This mom was sighted
1992 and 1993,
she's at least 30 years old.
This was not the first time
she's had to deal with this and
she did a great job
of recovering that calf
over and over.
[blowing]
[James Cameron] At this
age the mother may have had
9 or 10 calves.
Some will have become
mothers themselves,
returning here to
raise their own calves.
Here in the Dominican Republic,
with the tools of
the OceanXplorer,
the team have made
breakthroughs
[Zoleka Filander]
That's very exciting.
[James Cameron] in
understanding the secret lives
of these humpbacks.
[splashing]
[Eric Stackpole] Oh my gosh,
I cannot believe that we are
watching this fight club
like right below us.
[James Cameron] They
may even have figured out
why the whales come here.
[Kerri Seger] Boom boom.
[Zoleka Filander] There is
absolutely nothing more
rewarding, than doing new
science and finding answers.
[James Cameron] They've
captured new details in the
mating rituals of these giants.
[Aldo Kane] I was free diving
with those six big whales,
and you're in their world,
they're doing
courtship maneuvers,
from my point of view it's,
it's been amazing.
Tag on!
[James Cameron] But their
greatest revelation comes from
their surprise encounter,
shining new light on
the battle tactics between
humpbacks and orca.
[Eric Stackpole] For me,
every single day has been
a revelation, it’s
overwhelming to be frank.
[James Cameron] The team’s
discoveries will be shared with
scientists around the world.
[Asha de Vos] This is
just a gold mine.
[James Cameron]
Increasing our understanding
of humpback whales.
The better we know these
incredible creatures
the more we can ensure
they continue to thrive.