Amazon Abyss (2005) s01e04 Episode Script

The Amazona wilderness teeming with wildlife.
But one part is still totally unexplored.
Under the water.
Hidden in the river lie some of the fiercest and strangest creatures on Earth But the world's greatest river doesn't give up her secrets easily.
Now , they're behind schedule.
To make up time, they travel through the night, to reach their next diving location in the remotest jungle.
We get into the Amazon of the imagination, with great dripping forest maybe narrow river This idea, of going up into what we all affectionately call "The Heart of Darkness" is something that I've been looking for the entire trip.
Their mission : to dive the labyrinth of lakes and forest streams that feed the Rio Negro.
In the Amazon, the strangest creatures swims through the trees of the deepest jungle.
The next afternoon, the expedition is surrounded by virgin forest.
They decide to split into two teams.
Cameraman Mike De Gruy and naturalist Kate Humble will be looking for clear water jungle streams.
Our plan is to go upriver about an hour and find another little stream that comes out and explore yet another lake that has different fish, including electric eels.
Over the thousands of species that lives in the jungle waters the electric eel is king.
They hunt with 600 volt electric shocks and use the same weapon for defense.
This fish breaths air, uniquely adapted to the oxygen-poor waters of the Amazon the lining of their mouths acts like a lung.
Second team lider, Mike Pitts sets himself up for the day.
He's going to a jungle lake, to film fish, but it's also a rumor to have a large crocodile A cayman, one with a grudge against people.
Somebody shot at it, and it's got either an eye missing, or a crease above the eye.
It's been hit by one of the fishermen So, do you think that will make him more nervous ? He might have an attitude he might have an attitude problem.
Nearby, Mike and Kate are looking for a stream with clear water.
They're watched by a huatsu, perched above the water.
I would rather just chuck that rope, and go snorkling first.
Mike finds a world of tangled roots and poor visibility.
They're a lot of the fish we saw, I'm gonna go look in the trees.
Every stream and river is different, and they never know what to expect.
Very muddy.
Not seen anything that we haven't seen before.
They'll have to try somewhere else.
Mike Pitts's team carried their equipment through the jungle, to the lake with the one-eyed cayman.
There are two local guides on the expedition.
Eduardo Gomez and Samuel Basilio.
They belive the lake is their best change to find unusual fish.
We check before, me and Eduardo and there is a big cayman over there I just heard an odd story about snakes here Anaconda, but we never know, there's a lot of stories about it We just wana be sure that nothing can happend to our divers.
3 days ago, the guide saw something at the end of the lake.
The anaconda ? The anaconda, it wasn't that big, about 6 meters.
It's about 18 feet Big enough for me Yeah The team's filming permit doesn't allow them to carry a weapon.
The have to rely on Eduardo's bow and arrow, in case the cayman strikes.
On their way back to the boat, Mike and Kate take a shortcut Or so they think.
Fallen trees are a common obstacle for locals, but for strangers, it's a bit of a puzzle.
Well, let's think is there any way around it ? We could lift that over You wanna lay it down ? It won't leak I just don't want gasoline in that boat We're gonna go over.
Somebody say : I like his idea It's going in the water.
I think that is a great idea.
You got it ? Just make a decision Yeah, I got it.
Mike Pitts's team enter the lake rumored to have the one-eyed cayman.
It's a big lake.
Yeah, lots of places an aligator can hide Eduardo makes baby cayman distress calls.
If adults are here, they'll show themselves.
I'm sure you guys are right, this is gonna be stuff in here.
Local children gather, to watch the oddly dressed strangers.
The circus has come to the jungle.
A school of angel-fish drift by in this underwater jungle.
Most tropical fish kept in captivity came from the Amazon jungle.
Everybody's watching them, and a little boy is saying that he didn't know how these divers can swim with the big shoes and they can't belive that they can swim so fast and go under the trees like that.
It's a big entertainment for them.
Many creatures in these forest waters have evolved extraordinary colors to find one another.
Mike Pitts finds a school of silvery amazon bricons (???).
They glide past searching for fruit fallen from the trees overhead.
Many fish here have developed unique behaviour.
Mike discovers something remarkable.
Two cyclide parents are protecting their home from newcomers including cameramen.
They've dug a deep hole in the sand with their mouths to make an underwater nursery for their babies.
Beautiful fish.
I wouldn't know, being a totally diferent-- sort of game, I think, because-- once that sun drops down, would get-- , I'm sure it's got to change a lot.
so, I think we should be here.
I've just talked with this kind seer and he said : be careful, because at night, everything comes out and there is a cayman and snakes.
But it's not only cayman that come out at night.
When the boats moor for the evening, new creatures appear.
Bats are everywhere.
Some of them could be vampire bats, and the team may be at risk as they sleep.
Vampire bats roost in hollow jungle trees.
By night they fly the forest, feeding on monkeys and other mammals, piercing their skin with razor-sharp teeth.
To find out if they are vampire bats, Kate puts up one of the expedition's nets in the jungle , by the boats.
I'm just setting up this very , very fine net wich will trap any bat flying in this direction So this will allow us to actually get a good look at one without it being harmed.
Right, I think that's ready.
Let's turn the lights off and wait.
Mike Pitts' team are ready to dive.
They're hoping the night will reveal fish that can't be seen by day.
Samuel and Eduardo keep an eye out for the one-eyed cayman.
If we see cayman coming our way, I suppose we all cross our legs and hope the best, and keep filming.
I think we'll get some stuff so let's go for it.
It this tangled watery forest, the divers risk getting stuck.
And every log can hide the cayman.
But it's worth the risk, as they capture behaviour never seen before.
A transparent sand-knife fish, burrowing through the sediment, to escape predators.
And a striped garr propels itself with the tiniest fin ligaments.
Suddenly, Samuel confronts something in the water.
It's a cayman, but certainly not the giant they were worried about.
This is a red cayman.
They don't grow big 1.
5 meters maximum, but This ones walk very deep in the forest, and are very aggresive While Samuel releases the red cayman the team steal an opportunity to film it.
But it's one-eyed cousin could still be out there, in the dark.
Back in the jungle, Kate checks her bat trap.
Look at this that is a vampire bat.
It's it funny how a creature as small as this, should express much fear.
Pointed ears and this sort of tuckled nose and very elongated canine teeth that what does the damage I think we should let him go I hope to heavens he doesn't double back and bite for revenge.
Next morning, as they head up river, they find a huge cayman.
With just one eye.
It wasn't a rumour after all.
It had moved out of the lake, and into the main river.
Perhaps it was more afraid of the divers, than they were of it.
They film a wide variety of fish, in remote jungle lakes, but there's one creature they haven't seen.
An electric eel.
The expedition decide to fan out to find eel streams deep in the forest.
Mike Pitts's team search for an isolated stream that may have eels.
With no boat access, they're forced to carry their dive gear for two hours.
Kate and Samuel are also hunting for suitable streams, in another part of this great rainforest.
There's something about a tree of the size that kind of render you speechless.
It makes you feel very small and very insignificant.
Look at this , Samuel That's extraordinary.
That's the most enormous ant.
Be careful, that's very poisonous.
Now, what would these ants normally prey on ? Other insects Now you can feel the smell.
Yeah, it's a very strong, acidy smell.
When they sting, it's painful for about 12 hours So it can be like wasp's sting Stronger 6 or 10 times like a scorpion.
It's looking for something to bite and sting.
But electric eels do more than sting, one zap can knock a diver unconscious.
I've been told, if you're down there with-- with a hand grenade with the pin pulled out and you're thinking : that's gonna go off any second if I get too close If you're closer than a meter, it's gonna--- give you a very severe shock, and it's gonna hurt.
Despite reports that this stream contains eels, they're having trouble finding them.
Electric eels can look like sunken branches.
But divers move cautiously.
Mike is confronted by an angry pike-cyclid defending it's adolescent young below.
Pike cyclids are a bit like humans in their parenting skills.
Staying togheter to protect and even feed their family until they are nearly fully grown.
They have the longest parental care of any fish in the world.
We've had a look in this pool and there's no sign of any eels at all.
But unfortunately, we seem to have lost the light, But we'll come back.
Kate's not having much luck finding streams, but Samuel has found an unlikely source of water.
Well, this is a water vine, I'm just thristy, we walk for miles and miles and there's really good water, drinkable water Come here.
This is not good one I thought it was fine, what's wrong with it ? Did you wanted to taste like beer ? Mike De Gruy and Eduardo set off through the jungle.
They're heading for another forest stream, hoping to spot an electric eel.
They must thread carefully, at night the forest floor is alive with snakes and other venomous animals.
Reaching the stream , they begin their search.
No sign of eels, but a chance to listen to the sounds of the jungle.
That's quite amazing to me, there's so many different sounds going on when you sit quietly like this.
But it also makes this wonderfuly rich texture, just sitting here Next morning the whole team joins forces, for one last big push to try and find the elusive electric eels.
They think this overgrown stream is their best bet.
This looks great.
Obviously, these are one of--, the kings of the animal realm and they can kick out a 600 volt wallop when they're threatened, or when they want to kill something to eat.
Anybody comes around, Kapow ! and that pretty much does it.
But before they can get started, the heavens open.
Everything in the jungle takes shelter.
This is one of the wettest places on Earth.
Every year there's more than 2 meters of rainfall.
And animals don't like it anymore than people.
If the rain continues, it will muddy the waters, making finding eels impossible.
But as quicly as the rain started, it stops.
Kate gets into position, to try and spot an eel.
They need to come to the surface to breathe every 15 minutes.
Eduardo tries to attract one by mimicking a fish in distress.
That's the eel, that's the eel.
The eel's on the move.
At first it seems they've missed their chance.
The eels dissapeared.
Everybody watches for the moment when the eel must come up for air.
Finally they begin to capture an electric eel on camera.
The divers edge closer and closer.
If they move too suddenly, they risk being electrocuted.
The divers are now just inches away yet the eel tolerates their presence.
That's good.
The most amazing thing you see rippling along you, and the time I'm sort of waiting for that 600 volts to go through me.
Could you hear anything ? I couldn't hear anything They were very close, that was very dangerous.
The team have taken unique images of the creatures that live in the waters of the deepest Amazon jungle.
But there's one more task.
The expeditions is heading towards its ultimate challenge.
Legend has it that in the center of the Amazon there's an underwater trench more that 100 meters deep.
I'm entering this with a small amount of trepidation.
No one knows what creatures live there.
Can't help but go into it.
Careful.
They will be the first people to enter the very deepest Amazon abyss.
Tomorrow the team use an underwater robot in their search for live at the bottom of the world's greatest river.
And as the expedition is reaching its climax they dive into the depths and find monsters hidden into the abyss.