0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Woooo!
0:00:05 > 0:00:10And this is my search... for the Deadly 60.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12That's not just animals that are deadly to me,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15but animals that are deadly in their own world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19My crew and I are travelling the planet.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21And you're coming with me!
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Every step of the way.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Deadly.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33This time on Deadly 60, we're in Sri Lanka.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34It's absolute paradise.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38But even paradise has deadly animals!
0:00:38 > 0:00:40South of India, a tear-drop shaped island
0:00:40 > 0:00:43in the midst of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is impossibly exotic.
0:00:45 > 0:00:51'We're going to be glimpsing the big blue, and a true marine monster...'
0:00:51 > 0:00:53There, there!
0:00:53 > 0:00:57'..tangling with a snake that could be the most dangerous on Earth...'
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Whoa!
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:01:01 > 0:01:04'..and facing down the continent's largest land mammal.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:12But we begin all at sea,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15seeking the king of animal record breakers,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17the largest animal ever known to have lived -
0:01:17 > 0:01:19the blue whale.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30Weighing as much as 180 tonnes and 30 metres in length,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33that's as long and heavy as a passenger jet.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Their tongue alone weighs more than an elephant.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39And they're predators. With gargantuan mouths,
0:01:39 > 0:01:44they consume up to four tonnes of small animals called krill
0:01:44 > 0:01:45every single day.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50Which makes them the hungriest predator on Earth.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Despite their size, they're difficult to film.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58They're constantly moving and deceptively fast,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01and our eventual aim is to film them in their world,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03something few people have ever done.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Spotting one will only be the start of our monumental challenge.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Blue whales are an animal I genuinely never thought I'd see.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Until quite recently, they were almost impossible to see.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21They're an animal that's endangered, that lives way out in the deep sea.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But a few years ago, scientists realised that there's a population
0:02:24 > 0:02:28of blue whales actually living off the coast of Sri Lanka,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31between here and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34'The whales are attracted here by an upwelling of nutrients
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'from currents that sweep deep sea trenches near the coast.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40'These nutrients lead to blooms in krill,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43'the animals blue whales feed on.'
0:02:47 > 0:02:51'And richly-stocked oceans lead to an abundance of hunters.'
0:02:51 > 0:02:56Heading towards us, towards us, towards us! Oh-ho-ho!
0:02:57 > 0:03:02Oh, my...! Look down, look down, look down!
0:03:02 > 0:03:03Oh-h!
0:03:03 > 0:03:05'These are spinner dolphins.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09'They're named for their habit of spinning around their axis
0:03:09 > 0:03:11'as they leap from the water.'
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Oh, I don't BELIEVE how high they're jumping.
0:03:15 > 0:03:21Any day where you see a dolphin is, in my book, a very, very good day.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26Even better, when we come across the ocean equivalent of an animal track.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32The water below is filled with fluorescent orange junk.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It kind of looks like melted plastic,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36but it's actually blue whale poo.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40This is all the mush that's left over from that krill diet.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43The crustaceans they feed on are bright, bright orange.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47And these are the indigestible bits that have been pooed out
0:03:47 > 0:03:50of the back of the whale.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Oh, we've actually got some in a bucket!
0:03:53 > 0:03:56So we've hoisted some of this orange goo out of the water.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01That is blue whale droppings.
0:04:01 > 0:04:07Very fierce, bitter, kind of salty smell to it.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Very, very much seafood. Bright, bright orange.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15And that is the indigestible remains of krill and the crustaceans
0:04:15 > 0:04:17that blue whales feed on.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Eugh! Eugh. Actually... Eugh!
0:04:22 > 0:04:23Eugh!
0:04:25 > 0:04:26God, that's rancid.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Don't think I've been quite so excited about poo in my entire life.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35'A whale must have surfaced here just minutes before.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40'But our search is getting harder.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44'The waves are increasing, and we're lurching about all the place.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47'Even a surfacing blue whale could be hidden by the swell,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51'and filming is next to impossible.'
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Spare a thought for Johnny the cameraman.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57This would have to be about as hard as wildlife film-making gets.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Bouncing up and down on a boat,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02being hung onto in a bear hug by Mervyn.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06'But then, a spout,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09'and for a split second, we think we see a whale.'
0:05:09 > 0:05:12The boat's motors have slowed, because...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14There, right in front of us! Johnny, over to the left!
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Right alongside the boat!
0:05:17 > 0:05:21And it's going to dive under us. It's going to dive under the boat!
0:05:21 > 0:05:23No more than 20 metres.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Oh, my word!
0:05:27 > 0:05:29No way!
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Yes, I see it, I see it.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38The only comparison I can make is like a nuclear submarine.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Just breaking the surface. It's almost silent,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and you just see the water dripping off its flanks.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49The spray just came back and hit us all in the face. It's that close!
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'There's a reason this is seen as the best place on Earth
0:05:52 > 0:05:54'to see blue whales.'
0:05:55 > 0:05:58There's two animals, side by side,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02and for the first time, you can really get a sense of the scale
0:06:02 > 0:06:07of the animal. It is genuinely bigger and longer than our boat.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Blue whales are the largest of the baleen whales.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Baleen whales don't have any teeth.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Instead, hanging from their upper jaw,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20they have plates of a substance called baleen, made of keratin,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22same thing that our fingernails are made of.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24And they'll open their mouths,
0:06:24 > 0:06:28they'll take in GIGANTIC amounts of water and krill,
0:06:28 > 0:06:29then close the mouth up,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31squeezing all the water out.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33And all the food is trapped on the inside.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35The baleen acts like a sieve.
0:06:35 > 0:06:41They then use their ENORMOUS tongue to slurp down all of that food
0:06:41 > 0:06:43and that can be tonnes of food in a day.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48'Which makes them a very fitting subject for my list.'
0:06:52 > 0:06:54My goodness!
0:06:58 > 0:07:00You beauty!
0:07:02 > 0:07:05This has been an experience I will never forget.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07But, if this has been challenging,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10our next task is even more difficult.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14'That's to get into the water with blue whales and see them
0:07:14 > 0:07:16'in their full glory and in their world.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19'But the conditions right now are not in our favour.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'We'll have to return another day.'
0:07:29 > 0:07:32In the meantime, we're going to look for an animal that is to the land
0:07:32 > 0:07:34what the blue whale is to the sea.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36It's another giant.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Elephants are the largest of all land animals.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47The Asian elephant weighs almost six tonnes,
0:07:47 > 0:07:52and has a strength that is unmatched in the natural world.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Here in Asia, they've been used as a beast of burden for centuries.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04'Three years ago in India,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06'we were charged by a female elephant
0:08:06 > 0:08:08'who was protecting the young of her herd.'
0:08:12 > 0:08:14- ELEPHANT TRUMPETS - Go, go, go, go!
0:08:14 > 0:08:17'Most displays are mock charges designed to frighten,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21'but there's no doubt in my mind that there was genuine intent
0:08:21 > 0:08:23'and fury in this stampede.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Keep rolling, keep rolling!
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Don't stop! Go, go, go!
0:08:34 > 0:08:37ELEPHANT TRUMPETS ANGRILY
0:08:43 > 0:08:46'When female elephants fly into this kind of a rage
0:08:46 > 0:08:49'no animal or person is safe.'
0:08:54 > 0:08:56'But there's a time in the elephant's year
0:08:56 > 0:09:00'when the males can be even more dangerous.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02'To explain, I'm in Udawalawe,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Sri Lanka's top national park for elephants.' At this time of year,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09something happens to the males which turns them into
0:09:09 > 0:09:11a completely different animal.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14It's called musth, and it can happen for as much as a couple of months.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Essentially, the meals are just thinking about finding a female,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and they can become really angry and aggressive.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26When that happens, they can become a totally unpredictable animal
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and genuinely very, very dangerous.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32So, we are hoping to find one, but obviously,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34we're going to have to keep our wits about us.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41'Large herds are dominated by females,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43'and our one frightening experience with them
0:09:43 > 0:09:45'is definitely not the norm.'
0:09:49 > 0:09:52We've just driven right into the midst
0:09:52 > 0:09:55of a full-on herd of elephant.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00There are many adult females. I can't see all of them right now.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And a couple of tiny, tiny calves.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08This is just so beautiful.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11'Mature males keep themselves to themselves,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15'and when they're in musth, females fear for their calves' safety.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17'There certainly isn't a male nearby
0:10:17 > 0:10:20'if the others are so calm and content.'
0:10:23 > 0:10:27We're just turning around, because our guide, Ashoka,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29said that as he drove down this lane,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33he actually smelt the musth of a male elephant.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38He said it smelt like a combination of rotting meat and honey.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41And he could actually smell that as the car drove past.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44That is the value of local knowledge right there.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50'An argumentative male elephant is, to my mind,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52'the most terrifying animal on Earth.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54'They can outrun you,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56'can crush a car like a tin can,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58'and when you're near a male in musth,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00'you must ALWAYS be on your guard.'
0:11:03 > 0:11:05White-shouldered kite.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06Ooh, yes!
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:11:10 > 0:11:11- Is this him?- Yeah.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14'So, to have a musth male bearing down on us
0:11:14 > 0:11:16'was, frankly, unsettling.'
0:11:16 > 0:11:20OK, I'm not entirely sure why they've turned the engine off.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Is this safe? Are you sure?
0:11:22 > 0:11:24ELEPHANT GROWLS
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Are you totally sure?
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Yeah, I know him.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35OK, this is a male elephant...
0:11:37 > 0:11:38..in musth.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44I daren't move. I barely even breathe.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52I have to admit, having him stroll past us like that,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54my heart was in my mouth.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58I don't know about you guys!
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- HE LAUGHS - Do you smell him?
0:12:00 > 0:12:05- Yes.- Yeah, it's really strong.- Yeah. An incredibly strong smell.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12'Lucky for us, he was moving on, intent on finding a girlfriend.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15'But I've seen elephants in a far worse mood.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18'When they're being protective, or in a foul temper,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21'they're unstoppable, and for that reason,
0:12:21 > 0:12:22'they take a place on the list.'
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Elephants are the largest of all land creatures,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32with phenomenal strength unmatched in the natural world.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Mostly docile, but not always.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37They may not be a predator,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40but you come face to face with a charging elephant!
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Trust me, they're deadly.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Much of Sri Lanka is covered with rice paddy fields.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Mice, rats and birds love them, and snakes come in to feed on them.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Amongst them, perhaps the most dangerous snake on earth,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58the Russell's viper.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03It's not an evil, malicious snake that wants to cause us harm,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06but nonetheless, causes more human deaths
0:13:06 > 0:13:09than any other species.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I'm here, as the sun sets, to see why.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Sri Lanka's one of the very few places in the world
0:13:16 > 0:13:19where snakes are significantly dangerous to human beings.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Around about six in every 100,000 deaths in this country
0:13:23 > 0:13:26are caused by venomous snake bite,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30and most of those are down to just a few snakes - the cobras...
0:13:33 > 0:13:36..the saw-scaled vipers...
0:13:36 > 0:13:40and probably around 48-50% of those venomous snake bites
0:13:40 > 0:13:43from the Russell's viper that we're going to find now.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53'Several local villagers are helping us out by keeping a look-out.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56'Any snakes we find will be taken far from people
0:13:56 > 0:13:58'and released in the forest.'
0:13:58 > 0:14:01We've just had a call come through that a snake's been spotted
0:14:01 > 0:14:03on the road up ahead of us somewhere.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06We're going to just try and get there as quickly as we can.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08We don't know what kind of snake it is or how far away it is,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11but hopefully it's going to be our Russell's viper.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15And...it looks like it's ahead of us.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21We've got a lot of people.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25OK, it's over in the field, over there.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31So it looks like all of these guys
0:14:31 > 0:14:34have surrounded the snake in the field ahead of us.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36Let's go find out what it is.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40'If we hadn't been here,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42'the snake would probably have been killed on sight.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43'Let's see what it is.'
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Ah, it's a Russell's viper.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53'Many eyes made light work of our snake search.'
0:14:55 > 0:14:58OK, whoa!
0:14:58 > 0:15:01A very violent strike back towards the snake stick there.
0:15:05 > 0:15:11I'm holding in my hands what could be the most dangerous snake
0:15:11 > 0:15:13to human beings in the world.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16And it's fed fairly recently.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18If you look at the centre of its body,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21you can see a couple of large lumps, one particularly big one,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23which is probably a rat
0:15:23 > 0:15:27that this snake's been feasting on in this field.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31And that's exactly what attracts Russell's vipers into areas
0:15:31 > 0:15:33where they come very close to human beings.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36The reason that the Russell's viper
0:15:36 > 0:15:38is one of the only snakes in the world
0:15:38 > 0:15:41that is significantly dangerous to people
0:15:41 > 0:15:45is down to its hunting strategy. This is a classic viper.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49It'll sit in one position and wait for prey to come nearby.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53When someone steps close to it, it strikes out at it, very, very quick,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and injects venom from its hinged fangs,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58which are at the front of the upper jaw.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01That venom is very, very toxic indeed,
0:16:01 > 0:16:02and very harmful to human beings.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05If people can't get to hospital in time,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07then it's going to be very bad.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10But obviously, it isn't a snake that actually wants to do us harm.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12It's just reacting to having
0:16:12 > 0:16:14something warm-blooded walk close to it.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19The Russell's viper - unpredictable,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22with an incredibly rapid strike and seriously toxic venom.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26It's a superb hunter of rats and other rodents,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and probably the most dangerous snake to people on the planet.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32And for that reason, it's going on my list.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Quick to strike and with penetrating venom,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42its virulent toxins work fast on its rodent prey.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46But it's also one of the few snakes that's dangerous to people,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50and is a fiery addition to the list.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00We told everyone we were looking for snakes, so the calls kept coming,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04and one rather bigger snake was brought right to us.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12So, this snake was found close to people,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and needs to be released into the forest.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17But let's see what we've got.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Oh, my word.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28That is beautiful and absolutely enormous.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32'An Indian rock python, one of the world's serpent giants.'
0:17:34 > 0:17:36OK, I'm going to need to tip this out,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38because they can be quite snappy.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41So, everyone, watch yourselves.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57That is absolutely massive.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03And very, very strong.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04OK, where's it going?
0:18:06 > 0:18:07OK.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17OK, what I need to do is get control of the head.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Cos once you've done that, you have control of the snake.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30OK, yes, got it.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Crumbs, that was harder than I was expecting! OK.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38HE EXHALES DEEPLY
0:18:38 > 0:18:42'This snake is near four metres long, mightily impressive,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45'but they can be up to six.'
0:18:45 > 0:18:48It's extraordinarily strong, and obviously doing very,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51very well for itself, because this particular animal is very fat,
0:18:51 > 0:18:56very healthy, and has obviously been feeding with great regularity.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00It senses its prey with highly sensitive scales
0:19:00 > 0:19:03running down the upper lip,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06which can actually pick up warmth from warm-blooded prey.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12'These lip or labial scales help pythons to detect prey.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16'Once it's been caught, the snakes in this group will constrict,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19'enveloping their victims in muscular coils,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22'squeezing and squeezing till there's no life left.'
0:19:28 > 0:19:33A snake of this size could quite easily feed on pig or deer,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and it would swallow them in one mouthful,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37as all snakes have to do,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39because they're not capable of chewing their prey,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and swelling - this head just distending the jaw
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and walking it down,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46the massive animals that it's capable of feeding on.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53It was found near the village, possibly on the hunt for livestock.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Normally, it would have been killed, but for us,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57they're agreed to spare its life.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01This marvellous, precious,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05beautiful snake will now go back to the forest, where it can be
0:20:05 > 0:20:08safe from people - as far away from human beings as possible.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11But before we do that, you've got to say,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15this huge, incredibly strong, muscular,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19magical animal has to go on the Deadly 60.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Indian python. Deadly.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27It has long, thin teeth, and lots of them.
0:20:28 > 0:20:34Constricts the breath out of its prey, and grows to an enormous size.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38No danger to us humans, but they're big, bold and brilliant.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47'We started our Sri Lankan adventure on a marine mission,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49'in search of blue whales.'
0:20:53 > 0:20:55There, right in front of us!
0:20:55 > 0:20:58There! Over to the left, right alongside the boat!
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Oh, my word!
0:21:02 > 0:21:04'Now we're back, to try
0:21:04 > 0:21:08'and film these wild record-breakers in their own deep blue world.'
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Now, you've seen how fast they move,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14you've seen how difficult they are to predict.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17This is one of the biggest challenges we've ever taken on.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20We've got a small rib behind us, which is more manoeuvrable,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23which'll make it easier for us to get into a good position,
0:21:23 > 0:21:24and then Johnny the cameraman
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and I are just going to have to dive in and swim like crazy.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29But if we pull it off,
0:21:29 > 0:21:33it'll be one of the greatest things we've ever done on Deadly 60.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36'My hope is to free dive with them,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39'with both Johnny and I filming on underwater cameras.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'We'll use the rib to position ourselves
0:21:42 > 0:21:45'where we think the whales might surface.'
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Now that we're in the rib, we're much more manoeuvrable.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51It's much easier to get ourselves into a good position.
0:21:51 > 0:21:57- You see it? Johnny's got a vision on it. How far?- 150 metres.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58150 metres ahead of us, OK.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Hold on to your hats!
0:22:04 > 0:22:07'The plan is to predict where we think the whales will come up,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10'and make sure we're there waiting for them.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12'But with the whales moving at 20mph,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14'that's a tough task.'
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Tracking them down is next to impossible,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19particularly when you've got this vast expanse
0:22:19 > 0:22:21of open blue ocean to look in.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23There, though, there, right over there!
0:22:25 > 0:22:26Gear up, Steve?
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Yes, it's no more than 100 metres away.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Get the gear up.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Can you see it, Johnny?
0:22:34 > 0:22:38'Blue whales can be as long and heavy as a passenger jet,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42'so you'd think seeing them would be easy. Well, no.'
0:22:44 > 0:22:49This is even harder than I thought it was going to be!
0:22:49 > 0:22:50'But we're learning.'
0:22:50 > 0:22:51We're beginning to build up
0:22:51 > 0:22:53a reliable picture of what this animal's doing.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56At the moment it seems to be spending
0:22:56 > 0:22:58about two or three minutes at the surface, and then diving.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02And it's going down for almost exactly eight minutes.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05In all probability, what it's doing is diving down
0:23:05 > 0:23:08to maybe 200 metres below the surface and feeding on krill.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09There are probably great big, thick
0:23:09 > 0:23:12mats, shoals of those crustaceans down there,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and it's taking enormous mouthfuls of them - probably tonnes
0:23:15 > 0:23:19with every single dive, and then coming back up to the surface.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I mean, it is an extraordinary thought that these deep blue seas
0:23:22 > 0:23:27that surround us are home to this incredible deep blue giant.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'Suddenly, the whale surfaces, just metres away from us.'
0:23:43 > 0:23:47'An animal I've waited a lifetime to encounter.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51'Very few people have ever managed to film them underwater.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55'It's a vast, blue shape in the crystal-clear seas.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57'Sunlight dapples its flanks.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00'It cruises past, barely seeming to move at all.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05'But no Olympic swimmer could ever keep pace.'
0:24:08 > 0:24:11'Both the whales and I have to surface to breathe,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13'but while I can dive for just minutes,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15'whales can disappear for an hour or more.'
0:24:17 > 0:24:20'This is our big chance. It's diving right in front of me.'
0:24:23 > 0:24:26'The tail flukes can be as broad as a bus,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29'yet swoosh past my eyes mere metres away.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32'It's disappearing to impossible depths
0:24:32 > 0:24:33'in search of krill to feed on,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36'and my lungs are bursting.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:41HE GASPS
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I think we got it! I think we got it.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51It swam right underneath me, it dived in front of me,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55and I just saw the tail flukes disappearing below me.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00I think I may have just got a shot of the largest animal on earth
0:25:00 > 0:25:01swimming underneath me.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14'Johnny and I head back to the big boat to check our shots.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18'But before we have a chance, another whale surfaces.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21'And this one is right alongside us.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23'We get kitted up in record time,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26'and jump straight off in hot pursuit.'
0:25:31 > 0:25:34'For a second, it seems we've missed our golden opportunity.'
0:25:43 > 0:25:47'But it practically swims right over the top of us.'
0:25:56 > 0:26:00'This whale's more relaxed, less eager to return to the depths.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04'For a few seconds, we have the privilege of sharing the seas
0:26:04 > 0:26:07'with a true marine marvel,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11'as it blows out bad air and gulps in oxygen.'
0:26:15 > 0:26:18'I've never felt so tiny in my whole life.'
0:26:25 > 0:26:28'Then its nose drops and the tail flukes go up.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34'This one will be a deep dive, and I follow as far as I can.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37'But I'm just a temporary visitor here,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40'this is definitely a whale's world.'
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Whoo!
0:26:49 > 0:26:53That was like nothing I have ever seen before.
0:26:53 > 0:26:59Just a giant submarine cruising below us, and totally at ease.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Didn't seem to care at all that we were there in its world,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06and I have never felt so utterly dwarfed
0:27:06 > 0:27:08by a living creature in my life.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The largest animal that has ever lived.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14The blue whale, definitely on my list.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Yes!
0:27:20 > 0:27:24It's the biggest creature that's ever known to have lived.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25With the largest appetite,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28eating four tonnes of food every single day.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32No krill is safe with this deep sea predator around.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36And I for one will never, ever forget it.
0:27:42 > 0:27:48'Join me next time as I continue my search for the Deadly 60.'
0:27:48 > 0:27:51This is one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life!
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd