Antarctica

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0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall.

0:00:05 > 0:00:07Whoa!

0:00:07 > 0:00:10And I'm on a mission, searching for

0:00:10 > 0:00:11deadly places,

0:00:11 > 0:00:13deadly adventures

0:00:13 > 0:00:15and deadly animals.

0:00:18 > 0:00:22And you're coming with me, every step of the way!

0:00:26 > 0:00:27Argh!

0:00:30 > 0:00:33I've been on the road now for just over a year

0:00:33 > 0:00:37and we have one last stop before we reach our final destination

0:00:37 > 0:00:42in Antarctica but what a place to stop, this is South Georgia.

0:00:43 > 0:00:48This daunting, haunting wilderness is stranded far from any continent.

0:00:51 > 0:00:56South Georgia is 10,000 miles from the Arctic, where our journey began.

0:00:59 > 0:01:02'The seas can be the roughest on Earth.

0:01:04 > 0:01:08'Beneath them, some of the hardiest hyper-powered hunters.'

0:01:10 > 0:01:12No way!

0:01:12 > 0:01:14HE LAUGHS

0:01:16 > 0:01:18'We'll meet the heavyweights of the deep...

0:01:22 > 0:01:25'..before continuing south to the climax

0:01:25 > 0:01:29'of this leviathan expedition, Antarctica...'

0:01:29 > 0:01:31Yes!

0:01:31 > 0:01:34'..for a meeting with the ultimate frozen world predator

0:01:34 > 0:01:37'beneath the polar ice.'

0:01:37 > 0:01:38Wow!

0:01:40 > 0:01:42I'm not sure I want to get in the water with that.

0:01:46 > 0:01:50Our floating home first heads for St Andrews Bay...

0:01:52 > 0:01:56..a place festooned with the great icon of the deep freeze.

0:01:58 > 0:02:00As you get closer you can see that,

0:02:00 > 0:02:03I mean, it looked like the beach was covered in snow, but actually

0:02:03 > 0:02:07every single one of those little white dots is a penguin.

0:02:08 > 0:02:09Amazing!

0:02:11 > 0:02:13These are king penguins.

0:02:13 > 0:02:16Second only in size to the emperor penguin

0:02:16 > 0:02:19and, to my mind, the most beautiful.

0:02:21 > 0:02:25They're gorgeous and glamorous but tough as nails.

0:02:25 > 0:02:27Everything about life here is hard,

0:02:27 > 0:02:31from the devastating chill of Antarctic storms and winter months...

0:02:33 > 0:02:36..to making a living hunting in seas around freezing point.

0:02:41 > 0:02:45We're hoping to do something very few people have ever done...

0:02:46 > 0:02:49..to join them in their underwater world.

0:02:49 > 0:02:52But we begin with a spectacle I will never forget.

0:02:56 > 0:03:00As with so much of the wildlife here in South Georgia

0:03:00 > 0:03:02they don't see human beings as a threat.

0:03:02 > 0:03:06They probably don't see that many people so they're not scared of us.

0:03:07 > 0:03:10Sometimes it's completely the opposite.

0:03:12 > 0:03:13Hello.

0:03:15 > 0:03:18It doesn't take long for their natural curiosity

0:03:18 > 0:03:20to get the better of them.

0:03:20 > 0:03:22You can see them clocking you from miles away

0:03:22 > 0:03:25and you're just waddling through the hordes

0:03:25 > 0:03:30until they get really close and then they'll crane out

0:03:30 > 0:03:34that extendable neck to get a really good, close look at you.

0:03:39 > 0:03:43But this is just a taster of what's ahead.

0:03:43 > 0:03:45The main concentration of birds

0:03:45 > 0:03:47is where they come together for breeding.

0:03:53 > 0:03:56Now, the beach is all very beautiful

0:03:56 > 0:04:02but I've been saving myself for my first view of the breeding colony.

0:04:02 > 0:04:04It is just over this ridge.

0:04:06 > 0:04:08Wow!

0:04:12 > 0:04:16That is... absolutely jaw-dropping.

0:04:18 > 0:04:21The density and the amount of animals here,

0:04:21 > 0:04:25it is just impossible to comprehend. They go on for ever.

0:04:29 > 0:04:32Well, I was expecting it to be big,

0:04:32 > 0:04:34but that is ridiculous.

0:04:38 > 0:04:41This avian assembly is a united effort,

0:04:41 > 0:04:44producing the next generation of regal penguins.

0:04:47 > 0:04:50They breed probably twice in three years,

0:04:50 > 0:04:55lay one egg and that turns into a furry brown chick.

0:04:56 > 0:04:59After about six weeks they're old enough

0:04:59 > 0:05:02that they can be left in a creche like this, and there's lots of

0:05:02 > 0:05:06little brown youngsters and the adults are both off at sea feeding.

0:05:06 > 0:05:09After two months they've got to be the same size and weight

0:05:09 > 0:05:12as the adult but it is a full year before they've properly fledged

0:05:12 > 0:05:15and they can head out to sea to feed themselves.

0:05:15 > 0:05:18And it's out there that these penguins will really come into their own.

0:05:20 > 0:05:25Our fond hope is that we'll get an opportunity to film them below the waves.

0:05:25 > 0:05:28But beach space here is at a premium.

0:05:30 > 0:05:33The sands are shared with gargantuan giants.

0:05:37 > 0:05:39Guys!

0:05:39 > 0:05:40Johnny!

0:05:43 > 0:05:47Two southern elephant seals, in the mood for a fight.

0:05:48 > 0:05:50SEALS GROWL

0:05:53 > 0:05:55This is incredible.

0:05:56 > 0:06:00These are probably young males that are just trying out their skills.

0:06:00 > 0:06:03Even so, you can see how brutal it can get.

0:06:03 > 0:06:06These two massive animals,

0:06:06 > 0:06:09laying into each other, stabbing with those big teeth,

0:06:09 > 0:06:14and using the layers, the thick layers of blubber to protect themselves.

0:06:14 > 0:06:17It's almost like a suit of armour around the neck.

0:06:21 > 0:06:24These seals are the largest on the planet,

0:06:24 > 0:06:26weighing up to four tonnes,

0:06:26 > 0:06:29and when they go into battle the results can be titanic.

0:06:32 > 0:06:34The males will launch at each other,

0:06:34 > 0:06:36tearing chunks out of their competitor.

0:06:40 > 0:06:44Some encounters end with warring and aggressive posturing

0:06:44 > 0:06:48but many others will turn into violent, bloody battles.

0:06:55 > 0:06:59The sound they make is almost like a classic car or motorbike

0:06:59 > 0:07:04revving up and it's always a precursor to conflict.

0:07:06 > 0:07:09And the next sound is the sound of two animals

0:07:09 > 0:07:12that probably weigh three tonnes, slamming against each other.

0:07:14 > 0:07:18It's the largest species of seal on the planet, the champion free diver

0:07:18 > 0:07:23of all seals, and in the battles between males, absolutely brutal.

0:07:23 > 0:07:29For that reason, the elephant seal is undeniably deadly.

0:07:36 > 0:07:41The waters around the penguin colony are usually murky with silt and bird droppings.

0:07:43 > 0:07:46We had no right to even hope we could dive with them.

0:07:46 > 0:07:50Yet next morning we wake to an unbelievable sight,

0:07:50 > 0:07:53clear water and thousands of circling birds.

0:07:54 > 0:07:57This means we have the opportunity to do something

0:07:57 > 0:08:00very few people have ever done, to dive with king penguins.

0:08:17 > 0:08:19No way!

0:08:21 > 0:08:23HE LAUGHS

0:08:27 > 0:08:31Penguins have that wobbling gait, they look so clumsy,

0:08:31 > 0:08:37but underwater their grace and elegance is just bewitching.

0:08:44 > 0:08:47It's absolutely breathtaking.

0:08:49 > 0:08:54When they're travelling, like now, they stay close to the surface,

0:08:54 > 0:08:56but when they're hunting it's a whole different story.

0:08:59 > 0:09:02Along with their close relative the emperor penguin,

0:09:02 > 0:09:07kings hunt underwater, scything through krill, squid and fish.

0:09:07 > 0:09:10They've lost the power of flight so can be heavy,

0:09:10 > 0:09:14laden with insulating fatty blubber, and their wings have evolved

0:09:14 > 0:09:18into flattened paddles, enabling them to fly underwater.

0:09:22 > 0:09:26They can generate enough force to propel them clear of the water

0:09:26 > 0:09:27and up onto the ice.

0:09:36 > 0:09:38Unbelievable!

0:09:44 > 0:09:47This is an experience I will never forget.

0:09:50 > 0:09:54Their ability to fly underwater, their bright colours,

0:09:54 > 0:09:57their simple camouflage,

0:09:57 > 0:10:02there's no doubt that these masters of Antarctica are deadly.

0:10:07 > 0:10:10We could happily stay in South Georgia for many months more

0:10:10 > 0:10:13but our grand journey is reaching its end.

0:10:13 > 0:10:16Finally we're bound for the bottom of the world,

0:10:16 > 0:10:18Antarctica.

0:10:18 > 0:10:23That means we leave dry land behind and head out into the open ocean.

0:10:23 > 0:10:24Huge seas,

0:10:24 > 0:10:26force 10 storms,

0:10:26 > 0:10:29waves that, at times, top our boat,

0:10:29 > 0:10:33we even have to be vigilant for icebergs that appear from the darkness.

0:10:33 > 0:10:36We didn't see it until we were about 40 or 50 metres away from it.

0:10:37 > 0:10:40But after seven days we finally make it.

0:10:45 > 0:10:48Over 10,000 miles from where we began,

0:10:48 > 0:10:51we've reached the land of extremes, Antarctica.

0:10:59 > 0:11:03It's the least inhabited, the most remote, highest, driest,

0:11:03 > 0:11:07coldest, windiest and wildest continent on the planet.

0:11:15 > 0:11:17The animal we have come here to find

0:11:17 > 0:11:21is one of the most brutal predators of this frozen world.

0:11:21 > 0:11:25It's an animal that will literally shake a penguin out of its own skin,

0:11:25 > 0:11:28the terrifying leopard seal.

0:11:31 > 0:11:35These are the most formidable hunters of all the seals.

0:11:35 > 0:11:38Feeding not just on krill and squid,

0:11:38 > 0:11:40but on warm blooded prey.

0:11:40 > 0:11:43They stalk the shallows, lying in wait for penguins

0:11:43 > 0:11:45and seals heading in and out from shore.

0:11:47 > 0:11:50They can even hurl their bulk out of the sea

0:11:50 > 0:11:55to drag prey off the ice flows and down to a brutal end.

0:11:55 > 0:11:58With massive skulls and canines bigger than my thumbs,

0:11:58 > 0:12:02plus a reputation for being potentially dangerous,

0:12:02 > 0:12:03they're not to be taken lightly.

0:12:08 > 0:12:11Every leopard seal has a different personality

0:12:11 > 0:12:14so if I'm going to get in the water with one we'll need a seal

0:12:14 > 0:12:18that's both curious and bold. But even to find one

0:12:18 > 0:12:21amongst the bergs and pack ice will be a challenge.

0:12:21 > 0:12:25On the flat rocks underneath that big rocky headland

0:12:25 > 0:12:27is a gentoo penguin colony.

0:12:27 > 0:12:30There's an awful lot of them there and leopard seals tend to hang out

0:12:30 > 0:12:33around the outskirts of these colonies in the hope of food,

0:12:33 > 0:12:35so we're going to do a bit of a scan around,

0:12:35 > 0:12:37through the icebergs up ahead of us -

0:12:37 > 0:12:39lots and lots of penguins in the water -

0:12:39 > 0:12:43and hope that we catch sight of our powerful polar predator.

0:12:53 > 0:12:55The team and I train our binoculars on the water,

0:12:55 > 0:12:58hoping to see that telltale sign of a leopard seal

0:12:58 > 0:13:01poking its head above the sea.

0:13:04 > 0:13:06I think I heard breathing.

0:13:11 > 0:13:13Oh! Oh! Oh!

0:13:13 > 0:13:15What was that there? Did someone see that?

0:13:15 > 0:13:16I saw a breath at the surface.

0:13:18 > 0:13:19There, there it is. There!

0:13:20 > 0:13:22Straight ahead of us.

0:13:25 > 0:13:27Yes! Yes, leopard seal!

0:13:27 > 0:13:30Leopard seal! Off the end of that iceberg. Can you see it?

0:13:32 > 0:13:34It's huge!

0:13:34 > 0:13:38I've never seen a seal taking that position before.

0:13:38 > 0:13:41It was almost like the nostrils were more like a crocodile,

0:13:41 > 0:13:44just poking up out of the water, sucking in air.

0:13:44 > 0:13:46And it's just dropped down below us now.

0:13:48 > 0:13:51'We scan around as she could come up anywhere.

0:13:52 > 0:13:56'And then she pops up right next to our boat.'

0:14:00 > 0:14:02No way!

0:14:03 > 0:14:06It's so much bigger than I expected.

0:14:07 > 0:14:10She's gone under the boat, gone right underneath the boat.

0:14:11 > 0:14:12It's our first leopard seal.

0:14:12 > 0:14:14Wow!

0:14:17 > 0:14:19Steve, it's right there. Steve, Steve, Steve!

0:14:19 > 0:14:22He's right here. Right, right, right here.

0:14:34 > 0:14:37'The chill up my spine is due to more than the temperature.

0:14:37 > 0:14:39'She's a deeply unsettling animal.'

0:14:41 > 0:14:44I'm not sure I want to get in the water with that.

0:14:46 > 0:14:48That is a monster.

0:14:54 > 0:14:55'But then she dives.

0:14:57 > 0:14:59'We watch anxiously for any sign of her.'

0:15:05 > 0:15:07HE GASPS

0:15:09 > 0:15:10Humpback whales!

0:15:12 > 0:15:13Amazing.

0:15:17 > 0:15:21'A familiar friend, come to lighten our worried mood.'

0:15:27 > 0:15:32In all probability there is a big swarm of krill

0:15:32 > 0:15:34or something else below us that they're feeding on.

0:15:35 > 0:15:38They are right below the surface, just behind us.

0:15:41 > 0:15:43Oh, my goodness!

0:15:45 > 0:15:47The sound they make as they come to the surface,

0:15:47 > 0:15:51expelling air with their massive lungs.

0:15:51 > 0:15:55You can feel the reverberation coming across the water.

0:15:55 > 0:15:56It hits you right in your heart.

0:16:05 > 0:16:08Humpback whales are, to me, incredibly special.

0:16:08 > 0:16:12They are the most social, the most vocal,

0:16:12 > 0:16:15the most playful of all of the great whales.

0:16:17 > 0:16:20But they're also very special for this Pole To Pole expedition as well.

0:16:20 > 0:16:24They've been with us for the entire trip.

0:16:24 > 0:16:28We saw them feeding way up in the Arctic at the start

0:16:28 > 0:16:31of our expedition, saw them breaching

0:16:31 > 0:16:34and playing in Alaska, breeding in Hawaii

0:16:34 > 0:16:39and now they are swimming underneath me here in Antarctica.

0:16:39 > 0:16:42After a year of journey.

0:16:43 > 0:16:45Amazing.

0:16:53 > 0:16:56To get into the mind of our leopard seal predator

0:16:56 > 0:16:59we first have to understand their prey.

0:16:59 > 0:17:01In this case, penguins.

0:17:02 > 0:17:06The penguins' whole life is dominated by the possible presence of a leopard seal.

0:17:06 > 0:17:10Out at sea they can be slow, on the land they can just stand there,

0:17:10 > 0:17:13but when they're coming through this zone here they move at

0:17:13 > 0:17:17great pace because there could well be a leopard seal waiting.

0:17:19 > 0:17:24Since we've been down south, we've already seen several breeding colonies of penguins,

0:17:24 > 0:17:29rockhoppers and most spectacularly king penguins.

0:17:29 > 0:17:31Gentoos though are very different.

0:17:31 > 0:17:35They don't roost and nest together in big, dense colonies.

0:17:35 > 0:17:36Instead they're much more spread out.

0:17:36 > 0:17:40They still have that really heavy fat layer beneath the surface

0:17:40 > 0:17:44of the skin which keeps them warm, but that's also their downfall

0:17:44 > 0:17:47because that's the calories that the leopard seal's looking for.

0:17:47 > 0:17:50Looking around us a lot of the snow looks like it's been painted.

0:17:50 > 0:17:52That actually has great significance.

0:17:52 > 0:17:55Just up there is an area that looks like it's been stained pink.

0:17:55 > 0:17:58That's from the droppings of penguins that have been feeding

0:17:58 > 0:18:01on krill, which is a shrimplike crustacean.

0:18:01 > 0:18:08Down here we've got some high-powered squirts of white

0:18:08 > 0:18:12and that's from penguins that have been feeding on fish and squid.

0:18:12 > 0:18:15But this here, this is kind of the important bit,

0:18:15 > 0:18:18this bright, bright green squirt

0:18:18 > 0:18:20is from penguins that have been fasting,

0:18:20 > 0:18:22that haven't eaten for at least three days

0:18:22 > 0:18:26and all of these feathers are why, they're moulting.

0:18:26 > 0:18:28These penguins at the moment can't swim,

0:18:28 > 0:18:31they can't go into the water but when they've finally got

0:18:31 > 0:18:33their new coat they're going to be desperate,

0:18:33 > 0:18:35really, really hungry and it doesn't matter if a leopard seal

0:18:35 > 0:18:37is just sitting right out there,

0:18:37 > 0:18:39they're going to have to go out to sea to feed.

0:18:40 > 0:18:43And just down the beach there are a group of penguins about to

0:18:43 > 0:18:45head out on that lethal journey.

0:18:50 > 0:18:52It is quite interesting watching the gentoos

0:18:52 > 0:18:54as they come in and out of the water.

0:18:54 > 0:18:57This little group here is about to try and make

0:18:57 > 0:19:00their commitment to go in. They've all clustered together

0:19:00 > 0:19:03and they're waiting for the first one to take the plunge.

0:19:05 > 0:19:07And, actually, look at that one,

0:19:07 > 0:19:09they're sticking their head under the water,

0:19:09 > 0:19:12as if they are looking around. Possibly they are,

0:19:12 > 0:19:16possibly they're looking for the presence of a leopard seal.

0:19:17 > 0:19:19All of them have gone in heads down first.

0:19:19 > 0:19:22You don't see penguins with their bodies at the surface

0:19:22 > 0:19:23and the head underwater very often.

0:19:23 > 0:19:25'And no wonder they're nervous.

0:19:27 > 0:19:30'Concealed in the shallows is a familiar menacing form.'

0:19:34 > 0:19:36This seal is definitely hunting.

0:19:37 > 0:19:39Yes. Yes, yes, yes!

0:19:41 > 0:19:42I don't believe it.

0:19:42 > 0:19:45We're just witnessing a leopard seal attack.

0:19:47 > 0:19:49It's come right into the shallows after the gentoos.

0:19:53 > 0:19:56We could not ask for more dramatic evidence

0:19:56 > 0:20:00of why life for gentoo penguins is so, so tough.

0:20:00 > 0:20:03We've seen an attendant leopard seal just sitting there

0:20:03 > 0:20:07in the shallows waiting for one to run the gauntlet back to land.

0:20:07 > 0:20:11This time it was unsuccessful but scientists have watched

0:20:11 > 0:20:14leopard seals that have been sitting alongside colonies.

0:20:14 > 0:20:16They've taken as many as eight penguins a day.

0:20:16 > 0:20:18I don't believe we just saw that.

0:20:22 > 0:20:26A bustling penguin colony like this could feed several seals,

0:20:26 > 0:20:28and we spot what could be another nearby.

0:20:31 > 0:20:35There's a low, flat berg just offshore,

0:20:35 > 0:20:39and lying on it is a long, thin shape.

0:20:39 > 0:20:42I think we should get into the boat and go and have a closer look.

0:20:42 > 0:20:44It could well be a leopard seal.

0:20:52 > 0:20:54It is a leopard seal, hauled out on the ice.

0:20:56 > 0:20:59Very occasionally these animals will come up onto rocky shores,

0:20:59 > 0:21:02but they seem to much prefer low-lying icebergs like this.

0:21:05 > 0:21:06It looks like it's sleeping.

0:21:08 > 0:21:11The eyes are closed, it's almost snoring.

0:21:12 > 0:21:15This gives us the perfect opportunity to take a closer look.

0:21:17 > 0:21:20You can see where they get the leopard seal name from,

0:21:20 > 0:21:22they're covered in spots, all over their body.

0:21:22 > 0:21:25But also their method of hunting is very leopard like.

0:21:25 > 0:21:28Lying in ambush, waiting for the very last second

0:21:28 > 0:21:31and then pouncing with incredible dynamic force and speed.

0:21:33 > 0:21:37There's something deeply sinister about leopard seals.

0:21:37 > 0:21:40I'm not sure what it is, it's almost a reptilian,

0:21:40 > 0:21:42snakelike appearance to their body.

0:21:42 > 0:21:45It is not like any other kind of seal I've ever seen.

0:21:45 > 0:21:47With at least three leopard seals in this one bay,

0:21:47 > 0:21:50we seem to have found our ideal spot.

0:21:50 > 0:21:53But we still need to be cautious.

0:21:54 > 0:21:57These are unpredictable and potentially dangerous animals.

0:21:57 > 0:22:00Everything needs to be right before we consider diving.

0:22:00 > 0:22:02I'm so excited!

0:22:06 > 0:22:08It looks like it might finally happen.

0:22:08 > 0:22:12The adrenaline is absolutely singing around my body.

0:22:12 > 0:22:14'The crew are all on edge.

0:22:14 > 0:22:17'The tension builds, but we need to be calm and make the right choices.

0:22:17 > 0:22:20'This is one of the top predators, not just of Antarctica,

0:22:20 > 0:22:22'but all the world's oceans.'

0:22:22 > 0:22:24Right there, right there.

0:22:27 > 0:22:29Right there, right behind you.

0:22:37 > 0:22:40Move forwards, move forwards.

0:22:40 > 0:22:43OK, talk to me on the surface, tell me what you see.

0:22:44 > 0:22:46Does anyone see anything?

0:22:48 > 0:22:50Right behind you with his head up.

0:22:53 > 0:22:56If you haven't got visual, he's coming towards you now.

0:22:59 > 0:23:01Oh, I see him!

0:23:02 > 0:23:04I see him, he's massive.

0:23:09 > 0:23:11Look at the size of that.

0:23:12 > 0:23:16It seems we've found our perfect curious leopard seal.

0:23:17 > 0:23:20And, judging from its size, I think it's a female.

0:23:23 > 0:23:25Coming up to the surface to breathe.

0:23:29 > 0:23:32That is the most extraordinary sight.

0:23:32 > 0:23:36A leopard seal, just showing off her expertise.

0:23:38 > 0:23:41Look at that barrel rolling around, pirouetting in front of us.

0:23:43 > 0:23:47Something I have waited a lifetime to see.

0:23:50 > 0:23:52And she seems relatively playful.

0:23:55 > 0:24:00I can't think of an animal that looks more in control,

0:24:00 > 0:24:04more utterly at home in its environment than this.

0:24:04 > 0:24:07The leopard seal carving alongside an Antarctic iceberg,

0:24:07 > 0:24:13it's one of the most chilling and exciting sights of my whole life.

0:24:13 > 0:24:15Unbelievable!

0:24:17 > 0:24:20'We need to try and keep her in sight at all times

0:24:20 > 0:24:22'as her behaviour could change in an instant.'

0:24:27 > 0:24:30Where is she? Does anyone see her? Where's she gone?

0:24:30 > 0:24:33She is under the boat, under the boat!

0:24:35 > 0:24:37Where's she gone? Has anyone got eyes on?

0:24:40 > 0:24:42Come up a little bit, Johnny, come up.

0:24:42 > 0:24:44Coming up behind them.

0:24:44 > 0:24:47Behind you, guys, look lively, look lively. It's behind you.

0:24:48 > 0:24:50There she is.

0:24:51 > 0:24:52Wow!

0:24:54 > 0:24:57She's kind of getting bolder each time she approaches,

0:24:57 > 0:25:00each time it's just a little bit closer.

0:25:04 > 0:25:06I am not taking my eyes off her for even a second.

0:25:11 > 0:25:13A big show of teeth there, look at that.

0:25:14 > 0:25:18When an animal shows off its teeth like that and blows bubbles,

0:25:18 > 0:25:22it's not yawning, it's showing off what it can do.

0:25:23 > 0:25:25'It's an expression of dominance.

0:25:25 > 0:25:29'She's working herself up, getting more and more excited.'

0:25:30 > 0:25:33There's no doubt this animal could do me an awful lot of damage.

0:25:35 > 0:25:36Wow!

0:25:37 > 0:25:40I think it's time for us to head to the surface.

0:25:40 > 0:25:42Oh, my goodness!

0:25:49 > 0:25:51Oh!

0:25:53 > 0:25:56That's one of the most exhilarating

0:25:56 > 0:25:58and frightening experiences of my entire life.

0:25:58 > 0:26:02I mean, penguins here just do not stand a chance.

0:26:02 > 0:26:04The animal is bigger than them,

0:26:04 > 0:26:08it's faster, it's more agile and the teeth are truly

0:26:08 > 0:26:10some of the most extraordinary I have ever seen

0:26:10 > 0:26:12in the animal kingdom.

0:26:12 > 0:26:16It was coming right up into my camera, just inches away

0:26:16 > 0:26:18and showing off those teeth.

0:26:20 > 0:26:24There's simply nothing here that can contend with it.

0:26:24 > 0:26:27I have to say, I don't often get frightened with animals

0:26:27 > 0:26:30but that was terrifying, it was absolutely terrifying.

0:26:30 > 0:26:34I've never felt quite so much like I've been in another animal's world,

0:26:34 > 0:26:36and that it has totally been the boss of me.

0:26:36 > 0:26:39It was one of the greatest experiences I'll ever have.

0:26:39 > 0:26:41I'm not sure it can be beaten.

0:26:42 > 0:26:44Leopard seals, deadly.

0:26:49 > 0:26:50- Happy days.- Amazing.

0:26:50 > 0:26:53- Happy days. - Absolutely amazing, well done.

0:26:57 > 0:27:01'We've finally reached our journey's end.'

0:27:01 > 0:27:02Wow!

0:27:06 > 0:27:08No way!

0:27:08 > 0:27:10HE LAUGHS

0:27:10 > 0:27:13'But finished in the most sublime style.'

0:27:16 > 0:27:17Amazing!

0:27:19 > 0:27:20Humpback whales!

0:27:20 > 0:27:22Wow! It's so much bigger than I expected.

0:27:25 > 0:27:28'Next time, on our last Deadly On A Mission...'

0:27:28 > 0:27:29Argh!

0:27:29 > 0:27:33'..we'll recount the whole planet-spanning expedition.'

0:27:33 > 0:27:35Look at that!

0:27:36 > 0:27:39Whoa!

0:27:39 > 0:27:40Holy moly!

0:27:41 > 0:27:43'With some of the fun...

0:27:44 > 0:27:46HE GABBLES

0:27:46 > 0:27:48HE LAUGHS

0:27:48 > 0:27:51'..the highs...

0:27:51 > 0:27:52'and the lows.'

0:27:52 > 0:27:54I want to go home.

0:27:54 > 0:27:56'From the jaw-dropping...'

0:27:56 > 0:27:59Oh, they are stunning!

0:27:59 > 0:28:01'..to the utterly breathtaking.'

0:28:01 > 0:28:03That's all my dreams coming true at once.

0:28:04 > 0:28:07'And, of course, the downright terrifying.'

0:28:07 > 0:28:09Johnny, back towards us, Johnny.