0:00:15 > 0:00:19This is the animal that everyone loves to fear -
0:00:19 > 0:00:22the great white shark.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23The perfect hunter.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33And, to many,
0:00:33 > 0:00:35the perfect villain.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44South African naturalist Mike Rutzen thinks the great white
0:00:44 > 0:00:47is the most misunderstood animal on the planet,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51and wants to rescue its reputation....
0:00:51 > 0:00:54by swimming with it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56No-one else gets as close as this.
0:01:03 > 0:01:09Through these encounters, Mike is discovering something new.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12An animal that inspires admiration and respect.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21A true story which surpasses any fictional tale.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35The great white shark is now as famous a feature
0:01:35 > 0:01:38of South Africa as the Cape Peninsula around which it lives.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43The waters here are freezing cold,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46but that doesn't stop the great white,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49which can keep its body warmer than the water,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52making it one of the most successful predators on the planet.
0:01:58 > 0:02:04It has such a fierce reputation that few people dare to enter its world.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12But one man remains unphased by the great white.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16He's not a scientist, just a local guy,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20who began his career as a fisherman.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Mike Rutzen's made his life on the sea.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Every day, he searches out and encounters white sharks.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39But, unlike other experts, he has a unique way of getting to know them.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47And now has a deep understanding of great white behaviour.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Mike believes you can only learn so much from the safety of a boat
0:02:53 > 0:02:55or a cage.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59If you want to understand these animals better than that,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03you have to actually get in the water and observe them
0:03:03 > 0:03:05without the boats and the cages.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38This is not reckless.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43It's the culmination of a painstaking journey of discovery.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55It began in 1990 with Mike's first accidental encounter with a white shark.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01The first time I saw a white shark underneath the water,
0:04:01 > 0:04:06I was looking into a crevice and suddenly somebody put the lights off.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08This big shark came over me,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13and she just turned around and went on her way.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Back then, Mike knew absolutely nothing about sharks.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19He assumed they would attack on sight.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24I went to the one scientist that was working here, and I said, "Look, I saw a shark,"
0:04:24 > 0:04:28you know, and he said I mustn't worry about it because, if I saw one, a hundred saw me.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31This was a revelation for Mike.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Just because he was in the water with sharks didn't mean he was a target.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41This realisation would change the course of his life.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Mike lives in the small fishing town of Gansbaai.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22But he grew up on a farm far inland.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29He took up diving when he moved to Gansbaai, age 20,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33and started bumping into the world's largest predatory sharks.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39There weren't many encounters, but every one made his pulse race.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I'd say they've got a way of making you feel small!
0:05:44 > 0:05:47The sharks didn't act the way Mike expected,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50never staying more than a few seconds,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52as if they were even afraid of him.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And that made Mike curious about them.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Unlike most people,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04he never saw the film that made them the object of great fear.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07I did not see Jaws when I was younger.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11It was very nice to actually get in the water
0:06:11 > 0:06:13not having this unfounded fear,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17and then just slowly learning about the animals.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24At first, Mike didn't even know that these sharks were in fact great whites.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27We didn't know them as great white sharks.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29We learned to know them as Tommy sharks.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Tommy shark is a local name for this animal.
0:06:38 > 0:06:44But whatever name it goes by Mike was impressed by how many people flocked to Gansbaai to see it.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53In 1994, just when tourists began flooding into the new South Africa,
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Mike got a lucky break - a job as skipper on a shark cage-diving boat.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04These shark safaris use a pungent mix of fish bait to attract the sharks in.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15The great white has the most highly developed sense of smell of any shark,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and is quick to follow the odour trail back to the boat.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24This was a dream job for a man who loved the sea.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30And now, spending several hours a day with the sharks,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Mike fell in love with them.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37He also discovered their true identity.
0:07:37 > 0:07:43The first day I went out shark-cage diving, I found out that great white sharks are Tommy sharks.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48Because I had four Tommy sharks in the back of the boat, and I was playing with them,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52because I'm waiting for a great white shark, and it's quite distinctive.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54It's gotta be great and white.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59The next moment, the business owner came around and he shouted, "White shark, white shark, white shark!"
0:07:59 > 0:08:02And I went "Where, where, where?"
0:08:02 > 0:08:07And now, of course, I made the realisation that white sharks are Tommy sharks.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13There's a grim story about how the Tommy shark got its name.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15It happened here at Gansbaai.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22The location, a needle-like outcrop of land called Danger Point.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30This was a notorious place for shipwrecks, and mariners took care to sail far around it.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32However there was one feature,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36nearly a mile offshore, that remained uncharted.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41A hidden reef six feet below the surface.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43It's now called the Birkenhead Rock.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It is only detectable if an ocean swell moves across it,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52causing a distinctive, curling wave to mark its presence.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Over there, where that waves are breaking, that is the site of our most famous shipwreck.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02In February 1852,
0:09:02 > 0:09:07a British troopship, the Birkenhead, sailed around this point.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10It was 2am, a calm, still night,
0:09:10 > 0:09:15and a calm, still sea covering the hidden reef.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20On board the ship, over 600 people, most of them soldiers.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Tommies, on their way to battle.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28The ship ran straight onto the submerged reef.
0:09:32 > 0:09:38The Birkenhead had only three lifeboats, so, when the captain made the call to abandon ship,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42the soldiers' commander ordered his men to stand fast on deck,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44and give the 20 women and children the lifeboats.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49The Tommies knew he was asking them to sacrifice themselves.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Every one of them obeyed his order.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03The damage was so severe the ship sank in just 20 minutes.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10This was where the tradition of "women and children" first began,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14and would forever after be known as the Birkenhead Drill.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Over 400 soldiers perished.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25The survivors reported that many were taken by sharks.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28"The sea was covered with struggling forms,
0:10:28 > 0:10:33"while the cries and the piercing shrieks, and the shoutings were awful."
0:10:35 > 0:10:37"Many lost their lives.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41"The waters were tinged with blood."
0:10:44 > 0:10:47And so the soldier-eating shark got its name -
0:10:47 > 0:10:51the Tommy shark - and a local legend was born.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57It's not certain exactly how many soldiers were killed by sharks,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59but when Mike checked the records
0:10:59 > 0:11:04he learned most of them died of exposure and exhaustion as they struggled to shore.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09In these cold waters, no-one lasts long.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Over 2,000 ships have been wrecked along this coastline,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21a testament to the ferocity of these waters.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27The sharks, an ever-present reminder that this place is still wild.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Even though the sharks' role in the Birkenhead Disaster was exaggerated,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41it still took Mike another four years to risk getting in the water
0:11:41 > 0:11:44when they were swimming around his safari boat.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50He understood full well that,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54by the time the sharks find the chum slick around the boat,
0:11:54 > 0:11:55they are in feeding mode.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Not a good time to swim with them.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03But he'd learnt all he could by watching them from the boat.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13If he was to learn any more, he had to get in the water.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17There's no book about it, so you can't learn through the books.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20You've got to get in the water and experience it.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27With the smell of food in the water, the sharks remained around Mike for long periods of time.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33This gave him the chance to study them closely,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and he noticed something crucial.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39The sharks responded to his body position and movements.
0:12:42 > 0:12:49After many dives, Mike realised that, to swim with a great white, you have to think like one.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50When I go into the water,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54I want the sharks to believe that I'm just another predator.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01The shark can't produce sound to communicate,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05so it uses body postures and movement to signal its intentions.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Mike does the same.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15This is Mike's most important discovery.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19He's found a way to communicate with the sharks.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28To attract its attention, he curls into a ball, making himself smaller.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35This is Mike's first step,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39to introduce himself to the shark and win over its natural caution.
0:13:43 > 0:13:50Like a dangerous game of chess, he must read and anticipate the shark's behaviour correctly.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55The shark tests Mike.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59If the shark comes closer, I make myself bigger.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04The shark clearly understands that I feel uncomfortable with it at that distance.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11To keep the shark's attention, Mike swims away from it.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Anything that runs away from a predator is automatically food.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18So, if I have an animal that I want to keep close,
0:14:18 > 0:14:23I'll keep on swimming away from it and it'll keep on coming closer and closer and closer,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25just like a kitten with a ball.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28But he mustn't let the shark come too close.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Otherwise he might encourage an attack.
0:14:36 > 0:14:43If I defend my personal space, it is something the sharks understand.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47A second shark complicates the dive.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Now Mike must be on full alert to watch both sharks at once.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58No two sharks are the same, and this one wants a bite.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06The shark's gaping mouth is a clear sign of aggression.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Now Mike must read every move the sharks make.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18His life depends on it.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24When a shark becomes too challenging,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Mike makes a daring move.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30He swims down beneath it.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35This is a power position that sharks use to attack prey at the surface.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40Normally, if the animal wants to get in a power position, it'll dive.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44The best thing to do is dive with the animal so, when the animal turns around
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and lines up on you again, you're not where you were.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49You're on the same level.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54The shark doesn't like its vulnerable underbelly exposed to another predator.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Once you're also in that same power position,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02then you and that shark should be neutral according to the animal.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Even though Mike has blocked the shark's move,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08he knows it's time to get out of the water.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11He doesn't want to push this chess game any further.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21To date, Mike has spent more time in the water with white sharks than any other person.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29But this animal still has many secrets,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and Mike is determined to understand it better.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39He wants to use what he's learned to venture deeper into the sharks' life.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47Whoa!
0:16:49 > 0:16:52I've seen hundred and hundreds of sharks breach.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56And every time you want to go out of your skin when you see it.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01You can't believe how one animal can have such an amount of power
0:17:01 > 0:17:03in such a short period of time.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06The great white breach is the ultimate ambush...
0:17:11 > 0:17:14The shark hitting 30 mph as it flies out of the water.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23But the behaviour we see above the surface is like the tip of the iceberg.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28There's much more happening down below.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34No one has yet witnessed the great white shark hunt underwater.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40But can Mike use what he's learned to take him deeper into the sharks' territory?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43He's ready to find out.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44Now I want to take the next step
0:17:44 > 0:17:48and swim with these animals in a truly wild setting,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51when they're hunting, and see what goes on underneath the breach.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54This is a huge challenge.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57It will take time and lots of planning.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Mike needs to work it out carefully.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06First, he will set out to understand the great white's feeding behaviour better.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12He will need a strong understanding of what the sharks eat,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14where they hunt and how they adapt
0:18:14 > 0:18:16to the seasonal changes in this ocean.
0:18:18 > 0:18:24The golden rule of hunting marine predators are, if you want to find something, find its food.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26It's always around its food.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32The great white hunts in a dynamic marine habitat,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35where cold, nutrient-rich water from the Atlantic
0:18:35 > 0:18:38collides with the much warmer Indian Ocean.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46This mix of energy and nutrients creates rich feeding grounds for great shoals of fish.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51And, following the fish, a multitude of hunters.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07The great white sits at the top of this food pyramid,
0:19:07 > 0:19:12adapting its diet from fish and seals to squid, and even other sharks.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23The sharks are constantly on the move, swimming hundreds of miles to new feeding opportunities.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Nature has a rhythm here, which the sharks tune into,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37and which Mike must follow too.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Every June, at the beginning of the southern winter,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49spouts of vapour explode from the water surface.
0:19:53 > 0:19:59There's only one whale here that creates such a distinctive V-shaped pattern to its breath,
0:19:59 > 0:20:00the southern right whale.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20These are large animals.
0:20:20 > 0:20:2460 feet long, and weighing 80 tons.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30They're 40 times bigger than the largest great white,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34but Mike's discovered that even these animals are on the sharks' diet.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44The shallow, sheltered bays are a good refuge from the open seas.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50It looks like two mothers and two calves.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53This newborn white baby is vulnerable to shark attack.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55So its mother keeps it close.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Like white sharks, southern rights are also curious,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03and Mike uses this to bring them in.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Looking at us...
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Hold on!
0:21:28 > 0:21:31It's always the babies that come to the boat.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33They're the playful and naughty ones.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39This is the best interaction we've seen so far. She's just looking..
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Heh! Whale spray! Whale breath.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Fishy!
0:21:52 > 0:21:57See now they're gonna greet each other.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01It's amazing how they come together like that and just socialise.
0:22:04 > 0:22:10Adult whales are too large for white sharks to hunt but most years a whale dies in the bay.
0:22:10 > 0:22:17The strong odour of the carcass can attract dozens of sharks from miles around.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20For sharks used to hunting live prey
0:22:20 > 0:22:23this is an enormous feeding opportunity.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29What the sharks are after when they come across a whale carcass is the blubber.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31The blubber is the energy.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37The blubber is so energy-rich the shark won't have to eat again for many weeks.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45It's very rare to see close up how the great white feeds.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49It uses its lower set of pointed teeth to impale food,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52and its upper teeth which are shaped like steak knives,
0:22:52 > 0:22:53to saw through it.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Mike witnesses not a feeding frenzy,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04but predators taking turns to come in to feed.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09They do it almost in a military position style.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11There was 21 sharks.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15The first thing they did was work out a hierarchy.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17And they would come in, one would feed.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20When he leaves, another one would come in, feed.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23If one were feeding on the head, the other one comes in and feeds on the tail.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Never in competition with one another.
0:23:27 > 0:23:33This calm sense of order amongst the sharks gives Mike the confidence to get in the water.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42By now the smell of whale oil covers everything, including Mike,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44but the sharks don't harm him.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48When I was in the water, sharks would come around, look at me,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50go around me and feed on the whale carcass.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52As long as I didn't' disturb them
0:23:52 > 0:23:56they would allow me to be in their presence.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59This is a breakthrough.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03The sharks can clearly distinguish between him and food.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10But will they accept him when they're hunting live prey?
0:24:14 > 0:24:20Around Gansbaai, the great white's favourite prey are Cape fur seals.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24They use a sea swept island called Geyser Rock to haul out.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28It's a convenient place from which the seals can set off
0:24:28 > 0:24:30to search for fish in the open ocean.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36They are the perfect bite-sized source of blubber.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42This is one of the great white's most important hunting sites.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48The area we are in now is very special for marine life.
0:24:48 > 0:24:54On the side here we have Geyser Rock, home to 60,000 Cape fur seals.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00They are one of the favourite food sources for white sharks, but also one of the most difficult to catch.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05On the other side we have Dyer Island, and it is a bird sanctuary.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09And of course in between we have a stretch of water called Shark Alley.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14It's called Shark Alley because the sharks come in and patrol the alley.
0:25:16 > 0:25:23With so many seals here, the current carries their scent far out to sea, advertising their presence.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Two sharks are known to have swum from as far away as Australia
0:25:30 > 0:25:31to hunt around this island.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36But Cape fur seals are not an easy catch.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Adults are strong and feisty.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42And intelligent.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49The relationship between seals and sharks goes far back in time.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54The sharks keep the seals fit and healthy.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Any seals that weaken or make a mistake keep the sharks fed.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15In early summer across the Cape,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18the seals haul out to mate and give birth,
0:26:18 > 0:26:23and so renew the cycle of life on which the white shark depends.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29Most pregnant seals deliver their pups over the same few days,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33flooding the beach with tens of thousands of squirming black babies.
0:26:38 > 0:26:44The young seals will grow fat on their mother's milk, and become a prized meal for the sharks.
0:26:47 > 0:26:53These newborns will spend most of their lives at sea, but they aren't yet capable of swimming.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01When winter arrives in six months time
0:27:01 > 0:27:05they'll be ready to join the adults at sea.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07And the sharks will be waiting for them.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Great whites can live for 60 years.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18In this time, they develop a detailed knowledge of many feeding grounds.
0:27:26 > 0:27:32In summer around Gansbaai, the sharks move inshore to feed on fish.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Mike is on their trail.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43You guys can see here, how the sharks come into the shallows.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48See the animal is right here.
0:27:53 > 0:27:54The joke is,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58these animals come in closer than we can go in with the boat.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03This one came out of the break.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05They hunt right inshore.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13The closest I've seen whites sharks is about a meter deep water.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Once we had 12 four-and-a-half meter animals
0:28:16 > 0:28:21in about a meter, meter-and-a-half deep water, just circling, doing whatever white sharks do.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32There's only one problem when sharks swim into shallows...
0:28:32 > 0:28:35This is where people like to play.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42But despite people sharing this beach with sharks,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45there's never been an attack here.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Mike thinks he knows why.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54We believe it's because the animals are hunting in a different manner.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59When the animals come in here they're looking for stingrays and other big fish.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04It's also all bottom dwellers, so the attention's down on the bottom.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Then whenever they bump into humans it's more or less,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10"Excuse me, didn't see you there," and they move off.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16A clear shallow bay is a great place for Mike to
0:29:16 > 0:29:20observe some of the animals on the great white's summer menu.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43This is one of the reasons why I love this part of the ocean so much.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47These beautiful animals,
0:29:47 > 0:29:51they're very big but they are only a snack for a great white shark.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58These animal's quite big for stingrays,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02this is one of our biggest species around the coastline.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07I'd say that animal weighs what 100 kilos, 150 kilo?
0:30:09 > 0:30:14They hide underneath the sand and that's how they get away from predators,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16and now they come up to have a look at us,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18and you can see the sand lying on them.
0:30:20 > 0:30:26But the stingray has a way to fight back, with a large barb on its tail.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28With the barbs on these animals,
0:30:28 > 0:30:33if they put it in the right place it can make a difference.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35If that thing hits you, you gotta problem.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42With any animal, if you treat them correctly
0:30:42 > 0:30:44then there won't be problems,
0:30:44 > 0:30:48but if you treat him incorrectly then of course you have a problem.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50These animals are not trying to hurt me.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Just a little curious.
0:30:53 > 0:30:58Mike's careful way with wildlife is the key to getting closer to great whites.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01But it's not the animals which pose the greatest challenge here.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04It's the weather.
0:31:04 > 0:31:10In June, winter storms move in with a fury onto the Cape.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13The stingrays and sharks move to the deeper water.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15The coast is surrendered to the waves.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30The winter storms often prevent Mike from going to sea.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35There is one silver lining to the storm clouds...
0:31:35 > 0:31:40they blow away the plankton-rich surface water, and bring in clearer water.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Ideal diving conditions around Geyser Rock.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51Now Mike has a chance to observe how great whites target seals.
0:31:53 > 0:32:00But Mike, and especially the sharks, face a new and unusual problem here.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08An organism whose presence is revealed with each passing swell.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20It is a plant.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23The fastest growing thing in these waters.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Bobbing together, they are like a legion of aliens.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35This is in fact a species of kelp which locals call sea bamboo.
0:32:49 > 0:32:50Kelp is spreading so quickly
0:32:50 > 0:32:54it's now taking over the great white's hunting grounds.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05Each plant can stretch 50 feet high,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08supported at the top by a floating bulb.
0:33:14 > 0:33:19Its phenomenal growth used to be kept in check, but not any more.
0:33:19 > 0:33:24It's all because this large mollusc is disappearing from the waters of the Cape.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Abalone feed on kelp.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31But this shellfish is a prized delicacy,
0:33:31 > 0:33:36and widespread poaching for the Asian market has wiped out most of it.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40And so the kelp forests are spreading around Geyser Rock,
0:33:40 > 0:33:45and blocking the narrow entrance to the sharks' hunting ground, Shark Alley.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50White sharks do not like to go into the kelp.
0:33:50 > 0:33:56So, even the lack of the simplest shellfish can impact the apex predator in the area.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01Unlike white sharks, fur seals thrive in kelp.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Shark Alley has become their refuge.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11An unlikely place where Mike can see the speed and agility seals employ
0:34:11 > 0:34:13to escape snapping jaws.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10If Shark Alley has become a seaweed sanctuary,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13then Mike must look elsewhere to witness sharks hunting.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18He knows the seals must travel far out to sea to feed,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21and that the sharks will target the inexperienced youngsters.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25They've been suckling on their mother with the rich milk.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28They got the fat layer to withstand the cold water,
0:35:28 > 0:35:34and of course, it's that fat layer that makes them so yummy for great white sharks.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38The pups may be fast and agile, but they lack experience.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41The pups don't have all the skills
0:35:41 > 0:35:44that they need to withstand a shark attack.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46They are still a little bit stupid.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50They also don't have the breath-holding capacity that the big ones have.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53They can't go as deep amongst the sharks.
0:35:54 > 0:35:5980% of the seals the sharks catch are youngsters like this.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03But where exactly will the sharks strike?
0:36:03 > 0:36:06The seals swim out in all directions.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Mike will have to track the sharks down.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15And he has a way to find them.
0:36:15 > 0:36:16We're going to use a decoy.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19It's the shape of a live seal.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24We're going to put it out in the water and tow it around, and hopefully the sharks breach on it.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27If the sharks breach on it, I would like to go down in the water column
0:36:27 > 0:36:29and see how they anticipate,
0:36:29 > 0:36:34and how they work out the situation to be able to catch a live seal.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Finding a shark ambush site won't be easy.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50This is a big ocean.
0:36:53 > 0:36:59Mike needs to judge which part of this vast habitat has the right conditions for a shark hunt.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06He must use all his knowledge of the sea and the shark's behaviour to find it.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Woo!
0:38:10 > 0:38:16After weeks of searching, Mike has found a great white ambush site.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19This is the hotspot! This is a fantastic place for breaching.
0:38:19 > 0:38:20I can't wait to get in the water!
0:38:24 > 0:38:30But first, Mike needs to see how the sharks behave with real prey.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34He knows the sharks prefer to hunt in the low light of the early morning.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39A time when many seals are returning to shore.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50Despite the shark's power and precision, 50% of seals get away.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00The hunt is as much a battle of wits as a battle of fitness.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05The seal has a simple yet effective strategy...
0:40:08 > 0:40:11it leaps out of the water to escape the snapping jaws,
0:40:11 > 0:40:13zigzagging and diving.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20And it repeatedly swims behind the shark where it is safest.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24The shark's strategy is built around one massive burst of energy.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Its goal - to disable the seal with just one bite.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36And then devour it quickly to prevent other sharks stealing the pray.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51If we can go down and see this animals actually hunting seals,
0:40:51 > 0:40:53even if they interact on the decoy,
0:40:53 > 0:40:55they are going to use the same method.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00But Mike' s diving into the shark's ambush site
0:41:00 > 0:41:02where they are in hunting mode.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08The animal is going to be very pushy with us,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11hopefully not that pushy that you actually get hurt.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15We're going to go down and hopefully get a place that our back's covered
0:41:15 > 0:41:21by a reef or something, and be very quiet, very calm and observe.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23If you are lying on the surface,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26you will not see a great white shark if it's in the gullies
0:41:26 > 0:41:29because the whole bottom is very dark. It's black.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32And the shark's black on top, so they are very well camouflaged.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36If the shark looks up, the whole surface of the water is illuminated.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Mike will need to apply everything he knows about white sharks to dive here.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55He'll also try to film the action.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07The dive will only last one hour,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09but it will be most thrilling of his life.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28Mike barely touches bottom when he sees his first shark.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30A large 13-foot male.
0:42:38 > 0:42:44Mike follows it and discovers why the sharks hunt here.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47The seabed has a ten-foot drop off.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52The perfect place to conceal themselves from seals swimming above.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09There are lots of sharks here.
0:43:13 > 0:43:18The sharks come close, giving Mike a perfect view of the perfect hunter.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24With a sleek torpedo-shaped body,
0:43:24 > 0:43:28a huge muscular tail for propulsion,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31and a set of broad fins for total control.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34The perfect shark.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Up above, Mike's crew begin towing the decoy.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47And instantly one shark takes notice.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51Within seconds it's beside the boat.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58The decoy is doing its job - turning on the sharks' hunting behaviour.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03The sharks swim faster.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Totally alert.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10One shark tests the decoy
0:44:10 > 0:44:14and figures out it is not a meal after all.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25But another shark picks up the decoy.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28It makes a decision and turns on the power.
0:44:45 > 0:44:50To witness a shark attack is more exciting than Mike ever imagined.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54It is sudden, fast
0:44:54 > 0:44:56and extremely powerful.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15It's one of the most amazing things you can see.
0:45:15 > 0:45:20It looks almost better underneath the water than on topside,
0:45:20 > 0:45:25to see this animal coming past looking at you, going "Pow"!
0:45:25 > 0:45:26"That seal is mine!"
0:45:29 > 0:45:32There's a lot of them down there.
0:45:32 > 0:45:37Utilising the same area, and it's basically first come, first serve.
0:45:37 > 0:45:42The one sees the decoy, wants to go for it, goes for it, the other one wants to, goes for it.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45Incredible.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54It's not just the shark's strength and speed that is a revelation,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57it's the intelligence it shows in executing the attack.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05I believe that white sharks don't do anything without pre-thinking it.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09And that animal made up its mind very, very fast.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13It's almost like it sees the seals, works out a perfect strategy,
0:46:13 > 0:46:16and attacks the seal in an instant.
0:46:20 > 0:46:25You have to be an extremely smart animal to interact in such split seconds.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30It's the most amazing experience I believe anyone can have,
0:46:30 > 0:46:35to be in the water with great white sharks hunting.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38Mike's journey into the sharks' world could have ended in disaster,
0:46:38 > 0:46:45but instead it's brought him a huge step closer to understanding the great white shark.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49It's brought him face to face with a living legend.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53White sharks are a living legend.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56With Hollywood, everybody knows about the great white shark.
0:46:56 > 0:47:02In our waters here, we call them Tommy sharks because of the Birkenhead disaster,
0:47:02 > 0:47:07and the more we learn from them, the more we also actually learn what a legend they are.
0:47:21 > 0:47:27So, the true story of this force of nature is more extraordinary than any fictional tale.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34Mike Rutzen knows this well.