Shark Special Deadly Pole to Pole

My name's Steve Backshall...

..and this is Deadly Pole To Pole.

Oh!

From the top of the world to the bottom...

Whoa!

..deadly places...

deadly adventures...

and deadly animals.

And you're coming with me every step of the way.

HE YELPS

In this very special Deadly programme,

we're featuring an old favourite, a really old favourite.

They've been around on the planet for perhaps 500 million years

and they are still the lords of the sea...

the sharks.

But for so many people, these perfect predators

are the thing of nightmares

and they've become one of the most feared creatures on earth.

But I want to convince you that sharks are majestic,

fascinating,

thrilling.

Whoa!

What a wonderful, beautiful giant.

HE LAUGHS

And they have far more to fear from us humans than we do from them.

To understand why people are so scared of sharks,

you need to appreciate their business end...

..their mighty mouth.

In the Bahamas, I used some new Deadly technology

to see a shark's bite like never before.

I'm going to try something a little bit new and very special now.

We're using this. It's called a timeslice rig.

It has 20 small cameras,

all aligned around this semicircle of metal,

and they'll all fire off simultaneously,

allowing us to freeze in time the exact moment of a shark's bite.

It'll mean that we can see it in three dimensions,

understand it in super-slow speed, and it should give us

a better understanding of the anatomy of a shark bite.

I've done hundreds of dives with sharks,

but this is a new one for me.

To lure the sharks into the sweet spot,

I've got a bait box filled with fish.

OK, so this is the plan.

We have our timeslice rig lined up here

with Johnny and Duncan holding on to it.

I'm going to try and bring a shark in

and get it to bite right dead in the centre

so the cameras can fire off all around it.

And then, hopefully,

we should be able to break down the bite into its constituent parts.

It might sound easy, but trust me,

it's not going to be.

'I need a clean, clear bite,

'right in the epicentre of the cameras...'

Oi!

I haven't opened it yet. Don't be so impatient!

'..while taking care not to get bitten

'by an over-enthusiastic shark.'

Here's a likely customer.

'Despite being super-keen to feed,

'there's no mindless frenzy here.

'The sharks clearly want to eat the fish...'

Wow.

'..but not us.'

This is absolute craziness.

There are sharks everywhere.

I'm getting absolutely beaten up here.

'Getting a single shark to bite,

'so our camera can get a really good view,

'is proving almost impossible.

'Finally, a patch of calm in our shark-fuelled storm

'and a chance to get some shots.'

Yes!

Perfect.

'Now that we've got the hang of it, our plan is coming together.

'But with this many excited sharks,

'you need eyes in the back of your head.'

Oh!

HE SCREAMS

'It was after the fish in my hand, and I didn't let go in time.

'Good job I had protective chainmail under my wetsuit.'

Well...

I got pretty hammered there.

Got a hold of my hand and dragged me off.

I don't think it meant to bite me.

I just didn't get my hand out of the way in time.

I'm pretty sure, though, that we've got our shot now,

and actually the sharks are feeling a little close for comfort,

so I think it's time to head up.

The crew have downloaded the timeslice footage,

so let's see what it reveals.

So...

you can see the lemon shark coming in here.

Wow. Oh, wow!

That is incredible.

Fantastic.

The timeslice has captured the exact moment of a strike

which allows us to analyse the bite

from every angle.

Now, because the mouth is on the underside of the head,

it needs to lift the nose up quite considerably

to be able to stand any chance of getting a bite.

But the jaws are very, very different

to the jaws that you'd see in a mammal.

We have our upper jaw fused to our skull,

and only our lower jaw can move free.

In a shark, it's completely different.

And you can see that at this moment of the strike.

There.

Both the shark's upper and lower jaw can be thrust forward,

exposing rows of sharp, serrated teeth for slicing and stabbing.

From this angle, it's clear to see quite how big

this lemon shark's mouth is.

It looks big enough to swallow my whole head.

A bucket-sized gulp that vacuum-sucks fish inside.

We've just got time for one last slice of lemon shark action.

It's a spectacle that's utterly overwhelming...

quite literally.

HE SCREAMS

Sharks are often perceived as primitive killers,

but that couldn't be further from the truth.

In fact, a shark's senses are far superior to our own.

From a sense of smell that can detect a single drop of blood

in a million drops of water,

to hearing prey from over 250m away.

But there's also an almost supernatural strategy

for finding prey.

Sharks are able to pick up the electrical signals

given off by every living creature.

It's known as electroreception,

and one distinctive kind of shark is the true master.

Simon! Simon! Simon!

This is one of the most awesome creatures in the sea.

It's a great hammerhead.

'The hammerhead has that distinctive head shape

'to maximise the spread of its electrical receptors,

'allowing it to sense prey from all angles.

'It's a sense that seems to defy science.

I find out more in the vaults of Manchester Museum.

I don't know if you noticed, but as that shark got in close to us

and came right up near to the camera,

it actually shook its head towards the camera.

Now, I don't know if that was a threat display of some kind

or if it was trying to sort out what was going on

with the electrical impulses coming off from the camera itself,

but there's no doubt that hammerheads use that super sense

to find their prey,

and it works in a very similar way to a metal detector.

Now, metal detectors can detect the very, very tiny

electro-magnetic signals that are given off by conductive metals.

Somewhere in this sand is a coin, and I'm going to try and find it

in the same way that a hammerhead would try and find prey

buried beneath the sand.

So, the hammerhead would move along the bottom...

..doing circuits...

..until it picks up a very, very weak field.

The animals that it's feeding on

can't help but give off those fields,

even if they're lying perfectly still.

Just the beating of their heart...

..is enough to create a field that the hammerhead can sense,

and when it does sense that,

its senses will fire off...

..telling it to target in on its food.

The hammerhead's electroreception is kind of like us

being able to detect a household battery

from half a mile away.

It's right there. OK. I've got a beep.

So, once the hammerhead has had one signal...

BEEPING There it is.

It'll usually circle around and around,

using its flexible neck...

to find the epicentre...

of the signal.

It's right there.

And then it'll go in for the kill.

And there it is.

In this case, a two pence piece. In the shark's case, lunch.

But despite all these skills, senses and weapons,

sharks pose little threat to human beings.

In fact, some species of shark are so shy,

they're almost impossible to find.

In the Philippines, I went looking for a shark

I've waited my entire life to see.

That animal is a thresher shark.

They're extremely elusive,

often solitary, animals and spend most of their time

prowling the abyss of the deep oceans.

Certainly no threat to us humans.

The animal we're looking for is a hunter that

usually either is active at night or in the deep, deep sea.

This is the only time when it's going to be up here at our level,

and we stand a chance of seeing them,

so we need to get in as soon as possible.

You ready? Ready to go.

OK. Let's rock.

Did I just say let's rock on camera?

Yeah. Let's rock! Let's lock and load.

'Right. Time to get serious

'and get in the water to look for them.'

We're dropping down into the gloom.

This is really exciting.

'We're heading for one very special place.

'It's known as a cleaning station,

'kind of like a salon for sharks,

'where small fish, known as cleaner wrasse,

'do their job of giving bigger fish a wash and brush up.

'The team and I wait in position in the hope that

'this magnificent shark will appear.

'And then suddenly, out of nowhere...'

Look!

Coming towards us.

No way!

It's a thresher shark.

Oh, my life.

It has an incredible silvery sheen to the body.

It's almost like the entire body has been covered in titanium or silver.

You can see him just hovering there to allow the cleaner fish to come in

and pick off parasites, dead scales and scabs.

'I can hardly believe my eyes.

'It's like nothing I've ever seen before.'

If you look at the thresher shark's body,

it's completely different to any other type of shark.

The eyes are very big and dark...

..so it can see down in the deep waters or at night.

It has a small mouth

because it only feeds on fish

and doesn't need a massive mouth like a great white

that feed on mammals.

'Instead, the thresher shark's magnificent tail

'is its killing tool.

'They sweep it through the water, hitting and stunning fish

'which they then polish off.'

I've waited my entire life to see one of these things...

and it's still utterly, utterly awe inspiring.

I don't want to even breathe in case I scare him off.

I can't believe this.

This is one of the greatest things I've ever seen.

'Looking like it's shrouded in silver foil,

'moving with easy majesty

'and possessing one of the most dramatic physiques

'of any animal, this is surely a shark that could charm anyone.

'But even the sharks that have on very rare occasions attacked

'human beings are not the crazed killers they're made out to be.'

To me, the sharks are the most exciting, the most dramatic,

but perhaps the most misunderstood group of animals

on the whole planet. I think what we have to do is convince people

they have nothing to fear.

Fewer than ten people a year are killed by sharks in the whole world,

which means you're hundreds of times more likely to be killed

by a bolt of lightning.

The few freak cases are usually thought to be

a case of mistaken identity.

In Hawaii, we went in search of a shark

with one of the worst reputations.

The oceanic whitetip is a cousin of the great white

and is an endless rover of the big blue.

They're known for being the first on the scene of a sinking ship.

This is a shark that lives in the open ocean

where there isn't an enormous amount of food.

They have to test out every single thing

that they see as a potential meal to find out if it's good to eat.

Food is so scarce out here that they need to be curious

about everything they come across in order to survive.

But even these pugnacious, inquisitive sharks

are not a true threat to human beings,

and I hope to prove that.

This was once one of the world's most numerous

and widespread predators,

but it takes us three days to find our first.

Shark on the other side! On the other side.

Shark on the other side.

Spotted a shark, I think, but...

'The crew have spotted a shark-like shadow by the boat,

'but it's hard to tell if it's the creature we're looking for.'

We have a shark!

Our first oceanic whitetip.

'It's unmistakable.

'With its white-ended, wing-like fins,

'this is our oceanic whitetip.'

Two! There's two of them.

'True to form, both sharks sail straight over to check us out.'

She seems really interested in the cameras.

But she's just testing them out,

seeing if they might be something good to eat.

If they want to test something, feel what it's like,

they have to do it with their teeth and with their snout.

'This is exactly what gets them into trouble.

'But those bumps and nibbles aren't part of any frenzied attack.

'Instead, their bold and curious nature

'is part of a survival strategy that enables them to live

'in such a tough environment.

'If sharks were the cruel, menacing man-eaters

'the media makes them out to be,

'I would probably have been eaten years ago.

'Instead, I honestly believe that these animals know

'we're not prey. To prove that, I'm heading to Mexico

'and the most feared animal on earth.'

I've developed a fascination, bordering on obsession,

with the true icon of Deadly...

the great white shark.

I've been lucky enough to bounce up against one

in a tiny inflatable boat...

Wow! Next to me. Look at this!

..to see one from the safety of a shark-diving cage...

Oh!

..even to see them leaping, breaching out of the water

in one of the world's most impressive attacks...

No way! Just one big smack.

But this time we're going one better.

We're going to dive with a shark out in the big blue,

outside of the cage.

This is quite simply the greatest shark encounter on the planet.

This is a truly mighty challenge

with the most notorious sea creature on earth.

With over 300 serrated sharp teeth,

they can grip and slice prey.

People's fear of this shark is off the scale.

They're the animal that many people love to hate.

A lot of people might ask why I would even consider

going outside of the cage with a great white shark,

but for me, it's very simple. I've spent a lot of my life

trying to convince people that sharks are not

the misunderstood man-eating monsters

that a lot of people think they are,

and this is kind of the best way of proving that.

These animals have so much to fear from us,

and we have next to nothing to fear from them.

I hope that swimming with the greatest shark of them all

can help others to share my love for sharks.

So that we're ready when they do appear,

we start kitting up.

It's all starting to become very real,

the enormity of what I'm about to do.

It's really tricky. You've got to force yourself to go through

all of your checks, but all the time, in the back of your mind,

is the fact that you're about to swim out into the open ocean

with one of the most epic predators on the planet.

'And I can't let nerves get the better of me

'as animals can sense fear.

'I can't wait any longer.'

Are we ready?

'It's time to enter the shark's world.

'This shark is known to our safety divers,

'so we open the cage door.

'But before I head out into the deep blue,

'we want to be absolutely sure this shark is on its best behaviour.'

So, I think it's time to head out through the open cage door.

'My heart is racing.

'Leaving the cage, I suddenly feel very small.'

They are so completely transfixing,

almost hypnotising,

but the fact is, it's not the shark you can see

that you have to be worried about.

It's the shark that you don't see.

'So I'm very glad I have so many eyes in the water,

'but even then, they can appear from nowhere.'

Watch behind you, Jose. Watch behind you.

'Sharks may not be the mindless killers people believe them to be,

'but this is their world, and they demand respect

'and constant attention.'

Coming back towards us, Johnny. Straight at us.

'The great whites focus solely on the bait.

'They ignore us completely.

'This shark's body language speaks volumes.

'He is relaxed with me,

'and, unbelievably, I'm starting to feel the same way.'

This is quite simply wonderful.

'So many people believe that sharks are out to get us,

'hard-wired to kill anything in their path.

'You can see this is just not true.'

Extraordinary.

I will never, ever forget this moment.

'Having shared the seas with so many sharks,

'and particularly the mighty great white,

'I've felt humbled, clumsy, vulnerable and small.

'They have an aura of invincibility.

'But with the lords of the sea, nothing is as it seems.'

Sharks are in serious trouble.

Every single second of every single day,

around three sharks are killed by us.

We're destroying their homes,

polluting their seas

and catching them by the million.

And there's one practice

that could empty our oceans of sharks for good.

And in much of the world, the cause is plain to see.

Over the years, I've got to spend hundreds of hours in the water

with sharks and experience their wonder and beauty

and majesty for myself.

Unfortunately, this, what you see around me now,

is a much more common example of how human beings

interact with sharks.

Fish markets like this exist all over the world,

and sharks have become the number-one catch.

But it's not just their meat people are after.

It's their fins.

Now, this one has had its fins removed,

the tail removed,

and these are sold for something called shark fin soup.

It an Asian delicacy particularly common at weddings.

Shark fin soup is a status symbol in some cultures,

and there are millions of people that want to eat it.

The shark fins themselves don't add any taste whatsoever.

The fins are simply added for texture.

Because of the practice of shark finning,

it is possible that within the next four or five years,

as many as 20 species of shark could go completely extinct.

In fact, every single year, between 75 and 100 million sharks

are taken from the world's seas purely for their fins.

To put that into context,

by the time you've watched this programme,

over 5,000 sharks will have been killed,

all for the sake of a soup.

But why should we care?

Well, the natural world is all about balance.

Sharks are top of the marine food chain

and, like all apex predators, they're especially important.

We don't know what the impact would be if we lost them,

but the effects could be catastrophic.

Without a healthy ocean, the world as we know it

would cease to function,

and the horror of a world without sharks

is a very real one.

But it's not all bad news.

Filming Deadly over the years has brought the team and I

into contact with many people that have dedicated

their entire lives to researching and conserving sharks.

Their knowledge and understanding can give us the power

to make people in charge do something.

Over 500 million years,

sharks have evolved to become complex, sophisticated

and utterly magnificent.

To lose them in the age of man would be truly unthinkable.

We need to tame our fear and learn to love

the lords of the sea.

Oh, my life!

No way!

That is one of THE great wildlife encounters.

Unbelievable.

Join me next time for more Deadly Pole To Pole.