OceanXplorers (2024) s01e04 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's
following one of the ocean's
most unique predators.
[Matt Smukall]
Hammer, hammer, hammer
[James Cameron] To
discover the superpowers.
[Eric Stackpole] Look
at the size of him!
[James Cameron] Of
the great Hammerhead.
[theme music plays].
[James Cameron] The team is
powering through the
Atlantic Ocean off the eastern
seaboard of the USA.
[Pilot] Green light
green deck we're lifting.
[James Cameron] Firing up
the OceanXplorer's armory of
cutting-edge gear.
[helicopter whirring]
They're on a mission to search
out one of the strangest
sharks in our oceans and
one of the most recognizable
animals on the planet.
[helicopter whirring]
[Eric Stackpole] That's
what we're looking for.
[James Cameron] The
great hammerhead.
These sharks haven't
changed for millions of years.
They are one of evolution's
most eccentric creations.
But why would nature select
for a head shaped like
a stealth bomber?
Science suggests:
Improved agility and
enhanced electro
sensor capabilities
make this shark one of the
most specialized in the ocean.
[intimidating music]
Hammerheads are found off the
coast of Virginia to the North
and Louisiana to the West.
But highly sensitive
to temperature,
every winter they migrate to
the warmer waters of Florida.
We think the sharks are
navigating this journey,
by following the
earth's magnetic field.
This field generated by
our planet's molten core,
creates the magnetic
north and south poles.
It's believed that hammerheads
can tune into this and use it
like we'd use a compass.
But as a mariner, I know even
one degree out and you're
soon miles off course.
So how do great hammerheads
navigate so accurately
across this vast ocean?
With the hope of
finding an answer
The team is in Florida.
Their plan, to attach a
camera tag to a hammerhead.
[Aldo Kane] Welcome aboard.
[James Cameron]
They're joined by
marine ecologist
Erin Spencer.
[Aldo Kane] Here he is,
welcome aboard.
Let's go.
[James Cameron] And shark
biologist Matt Smukall.
[Erin Spencer] Everyone
ready to tag some sharks?
[engine rumbling]
[Matt Smukall] Hammer!
[Erin Spencer] Hammer!
[James Cameron] The only way
to catch a hammerhead is with
a baited line.
It might look stressful, but
these sharks are tough,
and their wellbeing is the
team's top priority.
[Matt Smukall] Get out of the
way guys, get out of the way.
Alright. Coming up.
Neutral, neutral, neutral.
Go for dorsal.
[Aldo Kane] I have the dorsal.
[James Cameron] The team works
fast to take vital measurements.
[Eric Stackpole] 80 to caudal.
[Matt Smukall] 180 to caudal.
180 caudal.
186 for fork length.
[Zoleka Filander] 186.
[Matt Smukall] Check the
sex Erin, remember sex.
[James Cameron] They
attach a tracking tag.
[Erin Spencer]
Alright, it secure?
[James Cameron] And release
the shark in under 5 minutes.
[Aldo Kane] It's a physical
task holding onto that
main dorsal fin.
You know it's amazing but it's,
like it's a live animal and
it's, you know you, you are
fully tuned, you're focused.
[Matt Smukall] We have
30 seconds to release.
You guys on tail
count it down.
[Eric Stackpole] 3,2,1
Tail's loose.
[Erin Spencer]
Looking good, swimming off.
[Matt Smukall]
Alright, Nice job guys.
Nice job.
[Aldo Kane] How many hammers
have you worked up like this?
[Erin Spencer] So we've worked
up quite a number of hammers
but it's the first time we've
been able to put out a
video tag with our speed sensor.
And so hopefully we're gonna
get some good footage to also
match up maybe with
some of that speed data.
[James Cameron] The tag
is designed to fall off
within 24 hours.
[Matt Smukall] What's that
just, at like 11:00?
[Erin Spencer]
See that floating?
[Matt Smukall]
Is that the tag?
[Aldo Kane] Look how
small that is in the water.
[Erin Spencer] Whoa.
We have a tag!
So you're gonna see what the
shark sees, are you ready?
You can see him turning
to look left and right.
[Aldo Kane] That's amazing
getting that perspective of
the head moving.
[Erin Spencer] We're
moving up towards the surface.
And he's right at the surface,
you can see the
water patterns at the surface.
Now we're back towards the
bottom down to about 80 meters.
[Matt Smukall] It looks like
that's a choice to either be
up at the surface or down, it's
not just like a wandering.
[Zoleka Filander] You're
actually right, cos like if
you look closely, we can
actually see this up and down
movement of the shark, and it,
it resembles a yo-yo pattern.
And it looks like it
happened 20 or 30 times.
And I'm just wondering,
why would the shark be using
so much energy intentionally
moving up and down?
Do you think it has something
to do with its magnetic sense?
[James Cameron] For a shark,
the earth's magnetic field is
clearest at the surface.
But the seafloor also has
local magnetic fields created
by geological formations.
It's believed that hammerheads
yoyo up and down to create a
virtual magnetic map.
This map allows them to
plot a more accurate course.
So that they can eventually
find their destination
hundreds of miles away.
Some hammerheads are content
wintering in Florida,
but others keep going.
Crossing the Gulf stream
into the Bahamas.
And eventually, even pinpointing
the tiny island group of Bimini.
Following in the wake of
the great hammerheads,
The OceanXplorer sets sail.
[James Cameron] Matt's been
studying hammerheads in Bimini
for years, and knows
the best place
for Eric to meet the locals.
[Eric Stackpole]
Ok, let's do it.
[Matt Smukall] Ready.
[SCUBA breathing]
Alright.
[James Cameron] This feeding
station attracts more than
just Hammerheads.
[Matt Smukall] Bull shark!
So those are the sharks that
you know have a
pretty bad reputation.
[Eric Stackpole] Looks like
a shark that means business.
[Matt Smukall] Eric.
Hammer hammer, hammer.
Look at the size of him.
He must be at
least 12 feet long.
I just need to keep telling
myself they don't eat people,
they eat stingrays.
[Eric Stackpole] So do
you recognize this shark?
[Matt Smukall]
Yeah this is Atlas.
He's one of the
regulars around Bimini.
And he's been coming
back at least 6 or 7 years.
[Eric Stackpole]
So he's an old friend.
Maybe he
recognizes you as well.
[bubbles]
Seeing Atlas return to this
island year after year
is incredible.
I mean it's a tiny little
speck in a big ocean,
but you don't get that ability
without having some
crazy navigation skills.
But I guess that's
evolution in action.
[James Cameron] Thanks to
Matt's research, we know
hammerheads like Atlas
keep coming back to Bimini.
But it's only 7 miles long.
Even with geomagnetic
navigation, finding this place
is a longshot.
So how do these
sharks get here?
Could they be using other
senses to help guide them in?
Zoleka wants to map
the seafloor using the
OceanXplorer's sonar.
In the hope it
uncovers an answer.
[computer beeps]
[clicking]
[Zoleka Filander] The sea
floor in this area has never
been mapped to this resolution
before, and so I'm really
hoping we pick up
on some anomalies.
Different features that can
give insights as to how these
hammerhead sharks are
coming here to Bimini.
[James Cameron] The ship scans
for 12 hours straight,
mapping this area for
the very first time,
and generating detailed images
of what lies
beneath the surface.
[Eric Stackpole] Wait so this
has got to be exaggerated relief
right, I mean these are
really sharp features
that we're seeing here.
[Zoleka Filander]
It's not exaggerated.
[Eric Stackpole] This is
actually what it looks like?
There's huge, tall pillars
sticking out of the
bottom of the ocean?
[Zoleka Filander] Yeah. Yeah.
This is very exciting.
[James Cameron] The sonar
reveals a labyrinth-like terrain
hidden on the ocean floor.
[Eric Stackpole] These are
meter marks, it's 100 meters.
So that's like a
300-foot tower.
I mean, I'm just trying to
picture that standing up
from the bottom of the sea.
[James Cameron] These towers
are the height of the
Statue of Liberty.
[Aldo Kane] This is
off the west coast then?
[Matt Smukall] Right on the,
right on the drop off to
the gulf stream.
[Erin Spencer] Is this what
you thought, is this a surprise?
[Matt Smukall] We
didn't know this was there.
There's a lot going on there,
that's really exciting.
[Zoleka Filander] It would be
great to do a sub dive and
to get like some visuals
on what's there, you know.
We always go out to find the
known unknowns, but we stumble
on the absolutely unknowns,
like something we've
never seen before.
[James Cameron] To discover if
these towering outcrops could
be influencing the great
hammerhead's navigation,
Zoleka and Matt take a
dive into the deep.
[Zoleka Filander] This is
real, real exploration.
No idea what we are
getting ourselves into.
[SO] Bridge, SO
that's Neptune off deck.
[Bridge] Copy that!
[splashing]
[Pilot] Ah Roger SO.
SO, this is Neptune,
venting now.
[SO] Venting now.
[James Cameron] The sub team
will be accompanied by the
remotely operated vehicle.
Controlled from the surface
it sends up live pictures
from the seafloor.
[Pilot] Control, control.
This is Neptune,
passing 500 meters.
Descending.
Depth under keel 21 meters.
Over.
[SO] Roger.
[Aldo Kane] Where these
pinnacles are is, is right in
the gulf stream and that gulf
stream is, is cranking north
the whole time
there's no rest there.
[Pilot] That's a
strong current.
[James Cameron] The Gulf stream
is the fastest ocean current
in the world, running
up to five miles per hour.
And 1600 feet down
the deep dive team
is feeling its force.
[Pilot] Zoleka can you see?
[Zoleka Filander]
I can't see much.
[James Cameron] The strong
current is picking up sediment
and visibility is
reduced to near zero.
Conditions us sub pilots
refer to as "off-nominal".
Out of the gloom.
[Pilot] Ah man,
that's massive.
[James Cameron] A
towering pinnacle.
[Zoleka Filander] Oh
this is so beautiful.
[Pilot] Control,
this is Neptune.
Intention is start
working up wall, over.
[SO] Roger, walking up wall.
[Eric Stackpole] Oh my gosh.
[Matt Smukall] A
mountain underwater.
[Pilot] Shark port side.
[Matt Smukall] Oh yeah.
There it is there, night shark.
Oh came right under the
came darting under the uh
[Zoleka Filander]
There it is. Port.
[Matt Smukall] Ah.
He darted off pretty quick.
[Zoleka Filander] Yep.
[Pilot] We are at the top.
[Zoleka Filander]
Ah look at this.
[Pilot] Control,
control this is Neptune.
We are at the top of
the first pinnacle.
Depth 408 meters.
[Zoleka Filander] The minute
we got to the top,
it was beautiful.
Absolutely stunning.
[Pilot] Guys do we wanna
move to the next pinnacle?
[Matt Smukall] Yep. Yep.
[James Cameron] Now the sub
and ROV teams begin to survey
the pinnacle field,
looking for sharks.
[Matt Smukall] Oop
little shark here.
[Pilot] Oh yeah.
[James Cameron] A
dusky smooth hound.
[Erin Spencer] Ohh.
Look, shark, shark, shark.
[James Cameron]
And a Tiger shark.
Just like Atlas, tiger sharks
must cross hundreds of miles
of open ocean to find
their way to Bimini.
And this complex field of
pinnacles could hold the key
to getting them there.
[Aldo Kane] When I'm navigating,
I don't just use a map
and compass to
find out where I am.
I use other senses like sight
to look for landmarks and
that's what we think sharks
are doing but with smell.
[James Cameron] As water
from the Gulf stream hits the
towering pinnacles, nutrient
rich water is forced to the
surface, creating
distinctive 'scent trails'.
Sharks like Atlas, with their
powerful sense of smell,
are able to detect these
scent trails and follow them,
like an underwater signpost
pointing straight to Bimini.
The discovery of this vast
pinnacle field could finally
answer how these sharks locate
this tiny group of islands.
But once here, does this
unique adaptation give them
any other advantages?
The team meets in the mixed
reality lab to investigate.
[Aldo Kane] I notice just how
huge that cephalofoil is and
then underneath it how,
how small in comparison
the, the mouth is.
[Matt Smukall] You can tell
they're just not designed to
take down massive prey but
what they are designed to do
is actually chase down rays
or smaller sharks and use that
big cephalofoil, almost
sometimes pin down the animal
and then that that mouth is
right underneath there and
they could potentially, you
know, bite off one of the
wings of a stingray and
kind of incapacitate it.
[Eric Stackpole] But also
they're a sensing machine right?
They've got all these um, you
know sensing olfactory glands,
they can detect electrical
signals from fish and
I imagine that's
got to be useful?
[Matt Smukall] Yeah, and and
having all of those senses
spread out over a wider area
can probably help them hone in
on certain things like
a stingray that's buried
under the sand.
[Zoleka Filander] So it's the
spread out array that's making
the Hammerhead sharks
such an accurate hunter?
[Matt Smukall] Absolutely.
That's what allows them to be
such an efficient predator.
[boat motor rumbling]
[James Cameron] To observe the
shark's hammerhead in action
Aldo and Matt are going out
with a camera tag designed
to give them a
view rarely seen.
[Aldo Kane] 1, 2, 3 go.
[James Cameron] But to attach
it, first they must get
up close and personal
with the hammerheads.
[Aldo Kane] She is big.
These sharks are huge.
They can be up to 900 pounds
and when you're in the water,
they are all around you.
You need your
head on a swivel.
But with this mask you get
quite a lot of tunnel vision.
Shark coming in your right.
[Matt Smukall]
Alright here we go.
[dramatic music]
[Aldo Kane] Here she comes.
Almost, almost.
Coming in again.
Ah man that's on.
[Matt Smukall] Yeah that one
looked like it went
on really well.
Topside, topside.
If you copy, that's
successful deployed tag.
[peaceful music]
[James Cameron] After
eight hours, the tag releases.
And once retrieved, the
footage is ready to view.
[Matt Smukall] You know you can
actually just see what a
nice view these cameras are
giving us of what the shark's
actually doing
in that habitat.
[Zoleka Filander] He's got his
head down, and scanning
back and forth.
It looks like it's hunting.
[Matt Smukall] He's cruising
along relatively calm,
probably looking
for some prey there.
[Zoleka Filander] Yeah they
generally cruise at
five miles per hour and they can
burst to like 20 miles per hour.
Look he's picking up speed.
He must have gotten
his eyes on something.
With its wide-angle field of
view, this camera tag reveals
where the great
hammerhead is hunting.
[Matt Smukall] That little
strip along the the reef where
you kind of have the
convergence of two habitats.
You have the the seagrass
flats coming to meet the
the reef area.
That is the area that they're
using most of the time and
probably hunting in both
of those types of habitats.
[Zoleka Filander] Yeah.
[Eric Stackpole] Is this,
this is night-time now.
[James Cameron] Even in the
pitch-black waters of the night,
using its electro sensors,
this hammerhead
[Zoleka Filander] Fish.
[James Cameron] Can
still detect prey.
[Zoleka Filander] Whoa.
He senses the fish and
goes precisely at it.
He's sensing the
electric field, or vibration.
This network of sensors that you
find along this broad head.
[James Cameron]
No luck this time.
But the team has gained
key information on where
the hammerheads are hunting.
[seagulls cawing]
[boat engine rumbling]
[James Cameron]
Eric and Matt head out,
their destination: the
seagrass flats of Bimini.
[Eric Stackpole] It's amazing
because this is a really
shallow area.
I, I wouldn't have expected
hammerhead sharks to come
around here.
[James Cameron] These shallows
are home to the hammerheads'
favorite prey,
the southern stingray.
[Matt Smukall] Look
at all the stingrays.
But see how they're all right
up close up to the shore?
[James Cameron] These waters
offer the rays protection,
and a place to hide.
Too shallow for
most predators.
But not the great hammerhead.
It's a shallow
water specialist.
And these rays
carry the scars.
[Matt Smukall] You can see right
there at the base of her tail.
She actually no
longer even has a barb.
So you can imagine that might
be from a shark coming in and
biting off a
section of that tail.
[James Cameron] Now they know
what and where the hammerheads
are hunting, the
team sends up the Helo.
[helicopter whirring]
If the aerial crew can
capture footage of a hunt,
the team on the ship
will see how the
hammerhead is uniquely
adapted to life
in these shallows.
[helicopter whirring]
[helicopter whirring]
[James Cameron] The aerial crew
returns with footage to share.
Once again the shark is
head down looking for prey
[splashing]
and this time it finds it.
[Erin Spencer] The
tail movement is wild.
[Eric Stackpole] Oh!
[Erin Spencer] Oh yeah.
[Eric Stackpole] Look
how quick it can turn.
[James Cameron] To lock on
this stingray, the hammerhead
attacks from the side.
[Zoleka Filander] These waters
are only one meter deep,
it's really well adapted for
hunting in these shallow waters.
[Matt Smukall] As the water
starts murking up she's still
able to use all her other
senses beside sight to keep
tracking that ray down.
[splashing]
[Eric Stackpole] In this
visibility it must be using its
electro receptors to detect the
electrical signal from the ray.
[Zoleka Filander]
This is so wild!
[splashing]
[Erin Spencer] This is
really a gem of an encounter.
[Zoleka Filander] Oh, hectic!
Look at those sharp turns.
[splashing]
[splashing]
[Matt Smukall] The shark is
trying to pin that ray down
whereas the ray's trying
to come up to the surface.
Which is basically the safest
spot because the mouth is
actually on the
underside of that shark.
[splashing]
[Eric Stackpole] The
hammerhead is making much
tighter turns than I would
have pictured possible for an
animal that size.
You know maybe even the
cephalofoil is useful as, as
being a sort of extra control
surface to help it get those
tighter turns.
[Matt Smukall] It does shows
you how powerful and agile
they are.
[Eric Stackpole] I mean the
hammerhead is like a perfect
ray hunting machine.
[Matt Smukall] Right there.
[Erin Spencer]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You can see the instant
that, that ray is captured.
[James Cameron] Rarely filmed
in its entirety, the hunt
lasts nearly four minutes.
A long arduous battle of
attrition, finally won
by the great hammerhead.
[Eric Stackpole] It's
the ultimate shark
for this environment.
[dramatic music]
[James Cameron] In their time
following the great hammerheads,
the team has deep
dived into the world of
this mysterious creature.
[Aldo Kane] The great
hammerhead has a sixth sense.
Opening up a magnetic map,
leading it across the ocean
and that is just incredible.
[James Cameron] They've
revealed hidden landscapes
on the ocean floor.
[Eric Stackpole] Oh my gosh.
[Zoleka Filander]
Absolutely stunning.
Every single time we scan the
seafloor, we find something
that we never knew existed,
and these are the
sort of clues that help us
solve the greatest
ocean mysteries.
[James Cameron] And they've
captured images that offer
a rare insight into
the lives of these
little-understood creatures.
[Eric Stackpole] I mean the
camera tag got us right in there
and we got to spend a
day watching what the
shark does from its perspective.
[helicopter whirring]
[James Cameron] The team was
able to study hammerheads here
because the Bahamas
is a shark sanctuary.
But elsewhere in our oceans,
great hammerheads are
critically endangered
and they need our protection.
We have to do all we can to
safeguard the future of this
extraordinary species.
[peaceful music]