Shark Beyond Bionic

Have you ever wondered

what it would be like if humans

had the super skills of animals?

But who would be crazy enough

to try and fly like a falcon,

grip like a gorilla,

and swim like a shark?

This guy.

I'm Andy Torbet,

and this is Beyond Bionic,

the show where I try and match

the skills of some of nature's most

incredible animals.

Action is Andy's middle name.

I mean, it's Thomas, but...

And now I'm using my super skills to

take on nature's superheroes in the

biggest challenge of my life.

Whoa!

And don't worry,

I'm hanging around to make sure

he doesn't do anything too extreme.

Whoa.

And today,

I take to the water

in a Beyond Bionic challenge

against one

of the world's fastest fish.

Time to dive. I have to go all out,

using the latest tech to try

and match its super skills

as I push my body to new heights.

Now this really is...Beyond Bionic!

Awesome wipe-out, dude!

I've travelled 5,000 miles to the

Pacific Ocean to meet this super

swimmer. In today's episode,

we're off the coast of California,

in the USA.

Hey, do you guys know

where you're going?

We're on a search for one

of the fastest fish in the sea,

a creature that moves so quick

it'll go twice as fast

as we're going right now,

and we're going pretty quick.

Whoa! So what's this superhero fish

you're on about?

Do tell, Andy.

It's the mako shark,

and I'm going to dive in

and get up close.

Shark? Don't be silly, Andy,

we all know sharks are dangerous.

OK, got to go, makos don't hang

around for long.

There's brave,

and then there's crazy silly.

Coming in, coming in.

Shark...

There's a shark behind you!

Meet the mako.

I've dived with sharks before,

but this is the first time I've come

face to face with the mako.

I think he's really pleased

to see you?

Thankfully, the mako that's come

to check me out isn't a fully grown

adult, but at two metres long,

this encounter is still pretty

intimidating.

And if the shark gets too close,

I've only got this plastic pipe

to protect me.

That is a truly amazing experience,

to be in the water

with such a beautiful creature.

But as well as that, it's so

well-designed for what it does.

You can see that beautiful sleek

body that's designed to dart through

the water at such high speeds,

to chase those very fast prey

that it eats.

Just an amazing animal.

And I can't resist one more swim

with this incredible predator.

These animals are super fast

and can reach speeds of up to 46mph,

and their speed even allows them

to jump out of the water, too.

This awesome skill

is called breaching...

..making them one

of the ocean's best high jumpers.

They can reach heights

of up to nine metres.

That's higher

than two double-decker buses.

The mako is definitely one

of the coolest fish in the sea,

and my challenge is to match

its in-water speed,

but crucially also build enough

power to propel myself out

of the water to great heights.

It's time for me to go

beyond bionic.

The mako shark is built for speed.

Its large tail helps to produce

maximum power to propel it through

the water, but it's not just known

for its serious MPH.

It can also do serious miles.

One mako was recorded swimming

1,320 miles in 37 days.

That's over 42,000 lengths of

an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Someone give that fish a medal!

And their teeth are some of the

sharpest of all the shark family.

They've up to 300 thin, razor-like

teeth in their mouth at one time,

designed to catch and grip fish.

They don't like to chew, preferring

to rip their food into bite-size

chunks and swallow it whole.

Eugh! Someone teach that shark

some table manners!

Although the mako is one of the

fiercest predators of the sea,

bugs called copepods choose to live

and feed on them.

So those strange-looking things

hooked on to its fin

actually live there.

Wow, they get, like, a free lunch

and ride all in one.

Freeloaders!

The Beyond Bionic team have given me

the challenge of matching the mako

shark's impressive speed through the

water and then find a way to breach

up to the height of nine metres.

But before I can do any of that,

I need to find a way to stay

underwater for long periods of time.

Us humans aren't designed

to live underwater.

Even with training,

the longest I can hold my breath

is about four minutes.

Is that a shark sniggering?

I've come to the Spanish island

of Mallorca because, apparently,

there's a piece of kit here

that might be able to help me.

Can I have an ice cream?

I'm going on board this 476-tonne

support ship

that looks after this little beauty.

This is not a sci-fi movie prop,

this is the Triton submarine,

an amazing bit of technology

for exploring the deep blue sea.

And guess what? I get to have a go.

This incredible mini sub

can dive down to 500 metres.

Hey, that's like the length

of five soccer pitches.

That's deep!

Here we go, time to dive.

It's also the same depth

a mako can dive to.

We're only about 20 metres down,

but look at that view.

There's just so many fish around us,

there's shoals above us,

to both sides, beneath us.

And our friendly underwater

cameraman.

Hey, buddy,

you are not here to admire the view.

How long can you stay under?

Well, the submarine has

an operational endurance

of about ten to 12 hours.

Usually, it's all

about human endurance.

Typically, people will wear out

long before the sub does.

Yeah, I notice there's no toilet

on board.

That's right!

What? No restrooms,

surrounded by water?

Yeah, that could be tricky.

Better cross your legs, Andy.

This is great, we are directly along

the wall at a depth of seven metres.

Roger that.

The sub ticks the box for underwater

staying power,

but when it comes to speed, it's

more seahorse than super shark...

..because its top speed

is only 3.5mph.

This mako is going to make fish food

out of you!

If I'm going to match the power

and speed of the mako,

I'm going to have to find

a different bit of technology.

But spending some time underwater

has been amazing.

Patrick, could we head over there?

Yes, we can go over there.

Great.

This trip down to the deep

has got me thinking -

how can I stay underwater and travel

at super shark speeds?

So confirm we are clear to surface,

is that affirmative?

Roger that.

But as I'm finding out, this is

going to be one hard fish to match.

So the mako may be the fastest shark

in the deep blue sea,

but how do they compare

to their friends?

It's time for shark versus dolphin

in a head-to-head race.

On your makos, get set, go!

Common dolphins need serious speed

to show off their showboating flips

and tricks, swimming at up to 22mph,

but that's nothing compared

to the mako.

This fishy Ferrari can clock 46mph -

that's over twice that

of the common dolphin.

Sorry, Flipper.

In the sea, size matters.

This is the bull shark,

a giant of the ocean,

measuring in at 2.2 metres,

head to tail.

But at 3.2 metres, there's a whole

lot more shark making up the mako.

Remind me again how tall you are,

Andy.

And that's not all we know.

The mako is one mighty high jumper,

but is it top of the class?

I have a feeling this fact

is going to mako my day.

Meet the great white -

one of nature's most fearless,

fearsome and frightening creatures.

And when this fish wants to get

some air time,

it reaches heights of three metres.

But the mako, as we know,

can ace that at nine.

Slam dunk! That is off the scale!

Animals really are nature's

superheroes, and I'm totally in awe,

but I'm also seriously competitive -

hate being beaten and I like to win.

So if I'm going to stand a chance

against the strongest,

fastest and best-designed animals

in the world,

I need their super skills.

And how do I do that?

I'm going around the world to find

the latest

in cutting-edge technology

and the experts who can help me

transform my body

and go beyond bionic.

My challenge is to swim

as fast the mako shark.

No chance.

And match its ability

to jump out of the water.

I'm sure you'll whizz

through this one.

Better jump to it!

To do this, I need to use science

and technology

to perfect my propulsion,

something the mako is naturally

awesome at.

Propulsion.

Mansplain that to me quick.

Propulsion is the pushing force that

makes an object move forwards and

upwards. Mako sharks create this by

flexing their super strong muscles

to make wave-like movements from

the top of the body to their tail.

This movement pushes them

through the water at top speed.

Oh, OK, so you just need to get

a funky wiggle on, Andy.

If I'm going to take on

this serious swimmer,

I need to find the best tech tools

to create the ultimate pushing force

for speed and height.

It's a multi-challenge.

Two for one!

My next stop is Italy, and

I'm heading to the town of Padua,

where things are about to get

very wet.

What are you doing there, signore?

Building an underwater

evil villain base?

Trying out some new verruca socks?

Ew.

Please say it's not the socks.

If I'm going to match

the mako shark,

I'm going to need some gadgetry

to help me out.

So I've come to Y-40,

the world's deepest swimming pool,

to test out some top tech and see if

I can turn myself

into a shark-like swimmer.

I get it. Ooh, a curvy red thing,

a funky backpack,

and a big one of...those.

That's quite some pool party

you've got there, Andy.

Look at all this fantastic gadgetry.

We're going to start with the lowest

tech of the lot - a monofin.

Now, swimmers use this

to give themselves extra power.

So let's see how it performs.

What I love about the monofin is how

straightforward it is to use and the

way it feels like a natural

extension of my legs.

I love the way it makes you look

like a mermaid.

But the fin isn't really helping me

swim much faster.

But the fin isn't really helping me

swim much faster.

Next to the mako's 46mph

in the ocean...

..I'd look like

I was just treading water.

It's helping to propel me

through the water...

..and I can push myself

out of it...a bit.

Well, that worked...very well,

especially as it's such

a simple design.

So let's how the next one performs.

Got anything a bit, um, techier?

This is the X2 and it's got

two thrusters,

which the makers say can propel you

through the water faster than an

Olympic swimmer.

Let's see if that's true.

Olympic swimmer?

What happened to trying to swim

faster than a mako shark?

Is your brain soggy?

Thanks to my wrist-mounted

thrusters,

I feel like I could swim and swim

and swim and not get tired.

The mako is a long-distance swimmer,

too,

and has been known to clock up

a whopping 62 miles in a day.

That's the same as two and a half

marathons.

I feel like a human torpedo,

but can it propel me through

the water fast enough

for the all-important breach test?

Here comes the but.

OK, well, you don't get much

distance out of water

because as soon as the engines

are in the air, they lose power.

Maybe you should try them

on your ankles.

Whoa, wait a second!

What's this thing?

This is the Seabob,

and it works by sucking in water

at the front

and then firing it out the back

in a jet to give power and speed.

I've got high hopes for this one.

Cool, Andy.

OK, watch out for the tun...

Oops!

Straight away, this feels quick,

really quick.

You won't catch me staying still

for long,

something the mako knows all about.

Sharks extract oxygen from water

as it flows across their gills.

So if a mako stops swimming,

it could drown.

A truly breathtaking fact.

Now, that was a lot of fun.

It's got bags of power,

bags of speed.

This is a good bit of kit.

Time to see just how powerful

this underwater tech really is.

Never mind mako, look at you ma-go!

It's a good breach, but not anywhere

near nine metres.

The weight of the Seabob is pulling

me back into the pool

before I can get any serious air.

The machine is good,

but lacked the levels

of propulsion I need.

Well, clearly, there are

some fantastic bits of technology

out there to propel me through the

water and out of it, a little bit.

But as good as that technology is,

it is no match for the power

and speed of the mako shark.

And I think I'll have one more go.

Don't you dare.

Andy, you come back here right now!

Andy! Oh, I give up.

The Beyond Bionic team have set me

the impossible challenge to swim and

breach out of the water

like a mako shark.

I've tried out

some incredible gadgetry,

but so far none have taken me

beyond bionic.

My options are running out to find

the right bionic tech to complete

this challenge. I think to get any

real speed up,

I need a bit more practice.

The question is -

can I find some technology

that will let me beat the mako

at its own game?

For the final part of my mission

to match the mako,

the Beyond Bionic team have sent me

back to where I started.

On my trek to find the right tech,

I'm in California again.

Is this show called Beyond Vacation?

Maybe I should splash out

on some better beachwear.

I've had the chance to use

some world-class technology

to explore the depths of the oceans

and to rack up some pretty

impressive speeds,

but none of it has given me

the ability to zoom through

the water and then leap out of it

just like a mako shark.

But I've had an idea.

I'm going to try using that.

This is the ZR hoverboard.

Inspired by the Back To The Future

movies and the famous Silver Surfer

superhero, the board is designed to

let you ride at high speeds and surf

above the water.

I've got one last chance to complete

my challenge to match the mako for

speed and jumping ability.

Could this top tech be

the answer I'm looking for?

And I'm in safe hands with Paul,

one of the USA's best hoverboarders.

He seems pretty stoked.

How does it work?

Yeah,

so basically the hoverboard hooks up

to the jet-ski and then the water is

re-directed from the jet-ski

to the hoverboard, through a hose.

So I've seen it being used like

a skateboard or a snowboard,

where the person has stood up,

which is really cool,

but do you think there's a way of

using it so that I'm more like

a mako shark?

Yeah, I think if you

lay down,

you can be more like a mako shark.

That's a great idea.

Shall we go for it?

Let's go.

Um, Andy, haven't you forgotten

something?

To match the mako, you need to swim

UNDER the water, too.

All right, so, Andy,

what you're going to do, OK,

you're going to hold the board

like a boogie board,

you're going to hold your hands up

top...

OK.

And you're going to let it take

you, OK?

Uh-huh.

You're going to lay on it.

Yeah.

Hands out.

Mm-hm.

Fully extended, turn left,

turn left.

Got it.

Turn right.

Yeah.

Turn right.

Right.

When I give you throttle,

that board's going to want

to come up.

Oh, yeah.

But just push back down on it

with your arms, OK?

Yeah.

And that will flatten it out.

Yeah.

Yeah.

OK, you got all that, Andy?

Time to hoverboard.

Like a mako shark.

Hey, this guy's pretty good.

I wonder if he can really make you

like a mako.

It seems the key to my success or

failure is how well I can balance.

The mako shark, like most fish,

balances and breaks

using its pectoral fins.

They're on either side of the body

behind the gills.

If only I had some.

I think I'm in for a bumpy ride.

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

You know what they say, Andy,

don't mako before you can walk-o.

Yeah, like a cowboy, whoo!

Yee-haw!

Apart from the balance,

the bit I'm finding difficult is

getting any height above the water,

and that's what the mako shark

excels at.

They're such powerful swimmers that

they can breach up to nine metres

high. That's more than five times

my height.

Hey, you've got a lot to live up to.

So for me to get close,

I need some more tips from Paul.

Basically, what you're going to do

now to get more lift is you want to

shift your weight back towards

the back of the board.

As you start to get higher,

push back down on the board

and that will level you out.

All right, sounds good,

let's give it a try.

All right.

Time to put theory into practice,

and it's not long

before I'm reaching heights

nearer those of our sharky friend.

Yeah, whoo!

Mako shark!

Um, kind of surf dude!

But, Andy, you know what goes up

must come down.

And down. Down and down again.

Awesome wipe-out, dude!

I'm not having any problems

getting airborne,

I'm getting right out of the water.

But I'm just not really getting

any speed under the water.

I think I'll have another go.

This bionic board is great for speed

and lift on the surface.

But try as I might, I can't push

the board under the water.

It's simply not happening.

Go, Andy! Yeah!

The angle of the water jet makes it

too difficult to try and go down

underwater.

Whoo!

Ride 'em, cowboy!

And that's where the mako shark

really trumps me.

Its nose, fins and tail

are engineered

for underwater swimming, and its

body is designed to be a perfect

torpedo shape to move at speed

through the water.

I need to face facts - I can't match

the mako for underwater speed,

but this tech does give me a chance

to propel myself out of the water.

The question is -

can I hit the nine-metre mark?

Here goes!

Oh, that's one way

of getting underwater.

That's got to hurt.

Andy, are you all right?

Are you OK?

Good job, mate.

Sorry, Andy, I think it's time

to pull the plug.

That big powerful jet of water

at the back was propelling me

right out up in the air,

but unfortunately it's just not

deciding to go underwater.

I just couldn't match

the mako shark.

Don't be down, Andy.

You gave it your best shot.

Forget about the what-ifs.

What if a mako shark raced

an Olympic breaststroke swimmer

over 50 metres?

The mako is so fast it would finish

the race in only 2.5 seconds.

That's ten times quicker

than the world record.

What if you hugged a mako shark?

It won't be very cuddly!

That's because its skin is rough as

sandpaper, and it's all down to the

thousands of teeth-like scales

that cover its body.

What if humans had as many teeth

as a mako shark?

Well, we'd get a lot of visits

from the tooth fairy.

The mako shark

has over 300 gnashers,

which continually shed

and replace themselves,

meaning they get through thousands

in their lifetime.

There's one final machine

that's been inspired by sharks.

It's designed to give riders a

glimpse of the mako's raw power.

I've just been told I get to have

a go in that mean machine.

This is going to be awesome!

This is the Seabreacher, a mashup

between a speedboat and a submarine.

And it looks more than capable

What's up, man?

You ready to feel like a mako?

I certainly am, can I jump in?

Yes, sir.

Sweet.

My pilot is Anthony.

It's a little choppy, so...

And he's going to put

this shark-inspired torpedo

through its paces.

This I got to see.

So, Anthony...

Yes, sir?

How fast can this thing go?

It can do about 60mph.

Can you show me?

Yes, sir, I can.

You know what rhymes with shower?

What rhymes with shower? Power.

Whoa!

I like this guy, he's cool.

The speed and acceleration

of this thing is incredible.

It's like being in a jet fighter.

This is really fun and it's given me

an idea of what it's like to be a

powerful mako

cutting through the water.

And it even looks like a shark, too!

Check out that fin and those teeth.

Argh!

So that's what it can do

on the surface,

can it actually go underwater

for a little bit as well?

Oh, yeah.

OK.

That's when it gets fun.

Andy, you're having

way too much fun.

And with its underwater top speed

of 40mph,

it's clear the Seabreacher can

match the mako on the power front.

What about breaching then,

like a mako shark does?

Oh, yeah. You want to breach

a little?

Yeah, let's try it, breach.

All right.

Power and breaching all in one?

You go, shark boy!

So can the Seabreacher take me

totally mako?

Whoa!

That's incredible.

This shark-inspired Seabreacher

is as close as I can get

to matching the mako's power.

But it can't get me to breach

as high or swim as deep

as the mighty mako.

OK, people, that's a wrap.

This has been an amazing experience

from start to finish.

It was incredible

to come face to face

with one of nature's best swimmers.

I went fin to fin with the mako to

try and match its super swimming and

jumping skills, using an awesome

mini submersible

in the Mediterranean,

trying out tech to propel myself

through the water in Italy.

And then riding the hoverboard that

got me leaping out of the water.

But in the end, I just couldn't

match the mighty mako.

Yep, I had access to some

of the best technology in the world

and yet I still couldn't come close

to matching the millions of years

of evolution that

has made the mako shark one

of the fastest

and most agile creatures on the

planet. So, mako shark,

you win this one.

And my work here is finished.

Finished, get it? Fin-ished.

Fin, like a shark's fin.

No? Suit yourself.