0:00:32 > 0:00:36The Cape of Good Hope, on Africa's southerly tip.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42Here, two great seas meet. One, the warm Indian Ocean,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44the other, the chilly Atlantic.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52And as they mingle, so they create a billowing cloak
0:00:52 > 0:00:55that drapes the summit of Table Mountain.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Spectacular though this is, the mountain's cloudy covering
0:01:09 > 0:01:12is only a hint of the profound influence
0:01:12 > 0:01:16that these two very different oceans have on the fortunes of life here.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32And not just here at the Cape,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35but across the length and breadth of southern Africa.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Two thousand miles north from the Cape,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57beneath this sandy beach, new life is stirring.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Hundreds of baby green turtles
0:02:16 > 0:02:19emerge like a torrent from the safety of their nest.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Each one, just seven centimetres long,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43must make a hundred-metre sprint down the beach.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57From the moment they hatch,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01they're driven by an instinctive urge to run to the sea.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Few creatures start life with the odds for success
0:03:17 > 0:03:19so heavily stacked against them.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Yellow-billed kites.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35Pied crows.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43But so many of these hatchlings appear together,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45that predators can't catch them all.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Last out, this baby might seem doomed.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But struggling out late could just give her a chance.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23The crows seem insatiable.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Even those that reach the sea aren't safe.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41This female has to make a dash for it.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55She's still in danger, and not just from above.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08A ghost crab may be smaller than the hatchling,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11but it has the strength to drag her into its lair.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Not this time.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46At last, the sea.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59She has to catch a breath if she's not to drown,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02but the pounding waves make it desperately difficult.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Beyond the surf, calmer water,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38but even here, the hatchling is not out of danger.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54She dives.
0:06:57 > 0:06:58Just in time.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Only one hatchling in a thousand will survive to adulthood,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29but if she does, she may live for 80 years.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39For now, the ocean is there to be explored.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54As the hatchling disappears into the deep blue,
0:07:54 > 0:07:59she swims into the waters of one the planet's most powerful currents.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00The Agulhas.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08The Agulhas sweeps south towards the Cape,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12transporting a hundred billion gallons of warm water every day.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20These tropical seas are so warm, they evaporate on an enormous scale.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Water vapour rises until, at altitude,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28it cools and condenses into clouds.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07As the clouds drift inland,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10they bring rain to one of the least- explored corners of our planet.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13The mountains of Mozambique.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21THUNDERCLAP
0:09:30 > 0:09:32This the wettest place in southern Africa.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Decades of civil war have kept travellers away
0:09:42 > 0:09:43from this little-known land.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49It was satellite mapping that revealed the full extent
0:09:49 > 0:09:51of the forest that grows here,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55so now it's known to outsiders as the Google rainforest.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05It could also be called the butterfly forest.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16After the rains, butterflies have emerged together in huge numbers.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19As soon as their wings dry out, they will take to the air.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Their goal? To find a mate.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35But how?
0:10:40 > 0:10:44There may be thousands close by, but the foliage is so thick,
0:10:44 > 0:10:46it's difficult for them to find each other.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55They have a remarkable solution.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00They follow rivers upstream and travel to higher ground.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07The journey can take hours of determined flying.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Eventually they emerge into the only open space there is.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23The treeless peak of Mount Mabu.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Up here, free from the confines of the forest,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38they hold a butterfly ball.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Now the butterflies have all the space they need
0:11:52 > 0:11:53for their aerobatic courtship.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10The male's strategy is simple.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Fly higher and faster than the competition,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16and just maybe you'll win a virgin female.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34This spectacular gathering, unseen by outsiders until now,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38happens for just half an hour each morning
0:12:38 > 0:12:40and for just a few weeks in the year.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Once mated, the females descend back to the rainforest to lay their eggs.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03A forest that only exists because of moisture rising
0:13:03 > 0:13:05from the warm Agulhas current
0:13:05 > 0:13:08hundreds of miles away in the Indian Ocean.
0:13:37 > 0:13:43The rainwater now flows southwards from Mozambique's highest peaks
0:13:43 > 0:13:45to the lowlands of the Eastern Cape.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52And where the land flattens, rivers slow,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55creating a vast swamp 50 miles across.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00This is Gorongosa.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Here, all kinds of creatures come to catch fish.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Whiskered catfish work as a team.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35They take a gulp of air at the surface
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and then belch it out underwater to create a net of bubbles.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44And that traps little fish.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51There are fish for everyone.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09And each species has its own technique for catching them.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18It's all very well having a big beak,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20but you've still got to know how to use it.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31This young pelican has a lot to learn...
0:15:33 > 0:15:34..and not long to do so.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Maybe, like the catfish, teamwork is the answer.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01It's certainly working for the flock,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and this pelican seems to be getting the hang of it.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15But surely it can't swallow that catfish?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Trying to was a mistake.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02The rainwater, briefly held in Gorongosa's swamp,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05has now been enriched with silt and sand.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15All down this coast, sediment-laden rivers - the Zambezi, the Limpopo,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18the Save - drain back to the sea,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22and there they meet the Agulhas current.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34And what happens to all that sand?
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Over the millennia, the Agulhas has worked it
0:17:40 > 0:17:42into a complex underwater landscape.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02This vast sand sculpture is the Bazaruto Archipelago,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04the oldest of its kind in the world.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22It may look like paradise, but living here is not easy.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38For 100,000 years, the Agulhas Current has battered
0:18:38 > 0:18:42these submerged dunes with underwater sandstorms.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10But where the water is deep enough to escape these storms,
0:19:10 > 0:19:15nutrients carried from Africa's interior fuel an explosion of life.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33A rare oceanic hunter rules here.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Giant Kingfish.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43As big as a man, and weight for weight,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45one of the most powerful fish in the sea.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Despite their size, they're extraordinarily agile when hunting.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Normally kingfish are solitary,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19but for just a few weeks each year, they gather at places
0:20:19 > 0:20:23like Bazaruto and prepare for an extraordinary journey.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32One that will take them far inland.
0:20:38 > 0:20:39The Mtentu River.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56A king of kingfish leads them upstream.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03As they travel further into fresh water,
0:21:03 > 0:21:08they seem to change from aggressive hunters into dedicated pilgrims.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Now, many miles from their natural home,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29and in response to an unknown cue, they stop and begin to circle.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Other marine fish that migrate upriver usually do so in order
0:21:43 > 0:21:47to breed, but there's no evidence that these kingfish spawn up here.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Neither do they hunt. So what are they doing?
0:22:06 > 0:22:09In truth, the purpose of this strange behaviour is still unknown.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Within a few weeks,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20they will retrace their journey back to the ocean.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33The lives of kingfish, like those of turtles and butterflies
0:22:33 > 0:22:37and pelicans, are influenced by the Agulhas Current.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48But that influence can only reach so far.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53And this is why.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58The Drakensberg mountains.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Here, local people say that the vultures soar so high,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15they can see into the future.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42These sheer cliffs, rising to over 3,000 metres,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44hold back the advancing rain clouds
0:23:44 > 0:23:48and, as a result, the land beyond them is starved of water.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03This is the greatest expanse of sand in the world.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06A seemingly-endless desert
0:24:06 > 0:24:10that is the vast parched centre of Southern Africa.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Thousands of miles to the west,
0:24:24 > 0:24:29where this desert meets the Atlantic Ocean, another current prevails.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38But the Benguela Current, surging up the west side of Africa,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40has a very different character.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52It's extremely cold, full of nutrients
0:24:52 > 0:24:54and it's thronged with life.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03A great white shark.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07They can raise their body temperature to 10 degrees
0:25:07 > 0:25:09above that of the surrounding sea.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18But doing so requires an enormous amount of high-grade fuel.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28So this is a great bonanza for them - the body of a dead whale.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41The carcass will draw in every great white for miles around.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48And here, off Cape Town, that means a lot of sharks.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Instead of feeding in a frenzy,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04these sharks have rather refined table manners.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19They swim side-by-side to get the measure of each other.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Then each takes its turn.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35This female is the biggest, so she eats first.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03The next only feeds when she gives way.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41The waters of the Benguela are so rich,
0:27:41 > 0:27:46they support more great white sharks than any other seas on the planet.
0:27:57 > 0:27:58And they are so cold,
0:27:58 > 0:28:03they attract some surprising creatures to these African shores.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10Penguins.
0:28:12 > 0:28:13African penguins.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25This female is returning to relieve her partner.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Of course there's no ice here,
0:28:30 > 0:28:32but these rocks can be almost as slippery.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09But there are more serious obstacles
0:29:09 > 0:29:11than the slippery rocks awaiting them.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27It's his turn to feed, so he leaves her to look after their eggs.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43Now she must tackle a problem faced by no other kind of penguin.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46For the next 10 days, she must protect her eggs
0:29:46 > 0:29:48from the African sun.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03A dense coat of feathers
0:30:03 > 0:30:06that keeps her warm in cold seas now stifles her.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12On these exposed rocks,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15she must shade her eggs instead of keeping them warm.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23Everything here seems the wrong way round.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42For some, the soaring temperature is too much.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52A neighbour deserts his nest.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57His egg will not survive.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11He's not the only one to give up.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Some years, not a single chick is reared.
0:31:27 > 0:31:28Penguins are adapted
0:31:28 > 0:31:32to withstand temperatures of 40 degrees below zero,
0:31:32 > 0:31:34not 40 degrees above.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Now, at the hottest part of the day, the very worst time,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56her chicks are hatching.
0:32:05 > 0:32:11Just when they need her most, she's reaching the limit of her endurance.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28After 10 days of intensive fishing,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32the chicks' father comes back to take his turn at the nest.
0:32:34 > 0:32:35But will he be too late?
0:32:54 > 0:32:57He greets his young for the very first time.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13The coolness of the Benguela Current brought the penguins here
0:33:13 > 0:33:17but that very coolness is a great disadvantage,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19because it generates little rain.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30It can, however, produce moisture in a different form.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40A thick blanket of fog rolls in from the sea
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and condenses on this thirsty land.
0:33:52 > 0:33:57And each year, the desert bursts into life with a dazzling display.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10Water is so scarce that this show will not last long,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14so plants compete to attract their pollinators with colour.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31Here in Namaqualand, a 600-mile strip of coastal desert
0:34:31 > 0:34:34becomes carpeted with blooms.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52The morning sun opens a Namaqua daisy,
0:34:52 > 0:34:57and reveals a male monkey beetle asleep inside.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Nights here are so cold that monkey beetles shelter within
0:35:08 > 0:35:10the closed-up petals of the daisies.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20The habit brings benefits to both sides.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23The beetle is kept warm and the flower gets pollinated.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29But now the beetle has urgent business. He must find a mate.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42As he searches, he hops from bloom to bloom, pollinating each in turn.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50At last he spots a potential mate.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54A golden princess.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04But here comes trouble.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08A rival.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20There's no time for introductions.
0:36:27 > 0:36:28But he's been too slow.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39The rivals immediately begin to brawl.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47The female will only mate inside the daisy,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49so they wrestle for possession.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12They're so engrossed in fighting, they've pushed her off.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29The challenger is ejected.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48The winner wastes no time before getting back to business.
0:38:07 > 0:38:08At last!
0:38:23 > 0:38:27Now there will be a new generation of monkey beetles
0:38:27 > 0:38:30to pollinate these Namaqualand flowers.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41For most of the year this land is desperately dry,
0:38:41 > 0:38:43but just occasionally,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46brief, violent storms sweep in from the cold ocean.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Springbok have been roaming this desert for many months,
0:39:04 > 0:39:08searching for one of these rare and highly localised downpours.
0:39:33 > 0:39:34The grass is sprouting.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41And that is worth celebrating!
0:39:54 > 0:39:58If you're a springbok, that means pronking.
0:40:14 > 0:40:22MUSIC: "Waltz of the Flowers" by Tchaikovsky
0:41:23 > 0:41:26We still don't know exactly why they do this.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31The simplest answer is that they're dancing for joy.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Africa's most southerly tip.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02This is where the two great ocean currents, the warm Agulhas
0:42:02 > 0:42:05and the cold Benguela, crash into one another.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15And this collision, in itself, draws in life in abundance.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33A super-pod of hunting dolphins, 5,000 strong.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50And shadowing them...
0:42:54 > 0:42:56..Africa's biggest predator.
0:42:59 > 0:43:00A Bryde's whale.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05This female is 15 metres long
0:43:05 > 0:43:09and weighs more than a whole family of elephants.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24The dolphins are in pursuit of sardines -
0:43:24 > 0:43:26millions of them.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33But these cold-water fish are heading towards an impenetrable
0:43:33 > 0:43:38barrier of warm water that they will not cross, the Agulhas Current.
0:43:42 > 0:43:43They're trapped.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52And that gives the whale her chance.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14But the sardines are so speedy
0:44:14 > 0:44:17that the whale only catches a few with each pass.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28More and more hunters arrive.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41The whale needs the other hunters to push the fish upwards,
0:44:41 > 0:44:43forcing them against the surface.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57Now they have nowhere to escape.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17With each lumbering turn she loses precious time,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19time that favours the more nimble.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41The Bryde's whale probably knows
0:45:41 > 0:45:44that this opportunity will last less than five minutes.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50And with the last few lunges, she finally cashes in.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45The forces that triggered this great event
0:46:45 > 0:46:48have also shaped the fortunes of life
0:46:48 > 0:46:51far beyond this particular battleground.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57Without these currents, Southern Africa would be a desert.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07But combined, the very different powers of the Agulhas
0:47:07 > 0:47:09and the Benguela have transformed the Cape
0:47:09 > 0:47:11into a land where life can flourish.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40The Comoro Islands off Africa's east coast
0:47:40 > 0:47:43are a haven for green turtles.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51Every year, a million turtles hatch on these beaches,
0:47:51 > 0:47:56but the chances of any one of them surviving is tiny.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09The Africa team came here to try and capture the dramatic
0:48:09 > 0:48:11first few minutes in the lives of these baby turtles.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17It was to be both a technical, and surprisingly emotional challenge.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31It's only when you get down on the eye level of the baby turtle
0:48:31 > 0:48:34that you realise what an enormous journey it's got to make
0:48:34 > 0:48:36down over the beach, and it really is quite epic.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42That's fine. Oh, yeah, that's lovely.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45It's using all these complicated, heavy bits of equipment
0:48:45 > 0:48:46which hopefully will enable us
0:48:46 > 0:48:50to get into the world of a turtle which is just a few inches long.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03As they break out of all the soft sand, they hit the hard sand
0:49:03 > 0:49:05and that's where the real sprint takes place.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08They must be desperate to hit that water,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10because you can see the sea's just over the horizon.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12We're following them all the way down
0:49:12 > 0:49:15and you do kind of get involved with them and cheering them on.
0:49:19 > 0:49:20OK, slow down a bit. Slow down.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27And suddenly all these crows come flocking in
0:49:27 > 0:49:31and start picking them off and you just think, that's just so unfair.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Lots more coming in. Just loads coming in now.
0:49:39 > 0:49:40I do, God, I feel for them.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42You know it's really quite upsetting
0:49:42 > 0:49:44and particularly when you're looking through the camera
0:49:44 > 0:49:47and I'm just filling frame with a turtle running down the beach,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50then suddenly from nowhere, a beak comes in and whoosh, that's it.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54That turtle's no more.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03The turtles that escape the perils of the beach
0:50:03 > 0:50:06still have to face pounding surf.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15But, at last, they're in their element.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23More than can be said for the crew.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26- They're faster than you, aren't they?- Yep.
0:50:26 > 0:50:27It's a bit embarrassing.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31Beaten by something that's less than a day old.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36When you see hatchlings get off the beach
0:50:36 > 0:50:39and going in the white water, you'd think they'd just get obliterated.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46They just punch through the water - they do get flung around
0:50:46 > 0:50:49but then they just right themselves, keep on swimming and they're
0:50:49 > 0:50:52ahead of you, coming out the back of the wave and it's amazing.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58You're seeing all these baby turtles getting picked off,
0:50:58 > 0:51:00left, right and centre, but they just keep going.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02They are just so resilient.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12And that made what happened next so distressing.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18A particularly high spring tide flooded the beach.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24Any baby turtles still in their nests would be lucky to survive.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27- See it bubbling out as well. - Yeah.- See the air.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32Well, it means that basically anything below
0:51:32 > 0:51:34that line's going to be gone.
0:51:34 > 0:51:35Let's hope and pray it's not, but...
0:51:37 > 0:51:39As you say, we don't know, let's wait and see.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52All across the world, turtles are in decline.
0:51:53 > 0:51:54Their eggs are stolen,
0:51:54 > 0:51:58the adults are hunted for their flesh
0:51:58 > 0:51:59and they drown in fishing nets.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04But here in the Comoros, they have friends.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08It's amazing here in Itsamia.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11It's just a really heartening story of how the local people
0:52:11 > 0:52:14are doing everything they can to protect sort of
0:52:14 > 0:52:16what they think of as their turtles.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21And some of the baby turtles have survived the flood tide.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52The whole village comes to help the hatchlings.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56But the most important effort is to protect
0:52:56 > 0:53:00the adults from outsiders who would hunt them for their meat.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07They've taken it upon themselves to really police the beaches
0:53:07 > 0:53:09around here and make sure that poaching is kept to a minimum.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17The selfless protection these people provide means that this is
0:53:17 > 0:53:20one of the few places in the world where turtle numbers
0:53:20 > 0:53:22are actually increasing.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29And remarkably, here in Itsamia, the population has in fact
0:53:29 > 0:53:31doubled in the last decade.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40As the shoot was coming to the end,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44cameraman Kevin Flay noticed that some of the turtles
0:53:44 > 0:53:47that made it through the surf faced one last danger.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51I'm getting shots of a kite which is flying down
0:53:51 > 0:53:53and taking turtles off the water surface.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56That was a part of the story we had to tell.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02The aim is for us to be underwater,
0:54:02 > 0:54:04looking straight up as this happens,
0:54:04 > 0:54:10and that's actually really quite hard.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14OK. Three, two, one...
0:54:16 > 0:54:18Undeterred, the crew got into position.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27There we go, the kite's up.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44You can't see where you're going because my head's glued
0:54:44 > 0:54:47to this viewfinder, so I'm banging into rocks and things like that.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50I'm really just trying to keep the turtle in shot.
0:55:07 > 0:55:08Something came in then.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12She came in and swooped down over the water's surface.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13And you could see the kite from underwater?
0:55:13 > 0:55:15I could see it, I could see the shape.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17- In frame and you were running? - Yep.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23- Didn't take the turtle. - Didn't take the turtle.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25Probably that's the best of both worlds, because we got
0:55:25 > 0:55:28our lovely underwater shot of a kite and the turtle gets away!
0:55:31 > 0:55:33This lucky hatchling isn't the only one.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38With the help of the village of Itsamia, thousands more
0:55:38 > 0:55:40have a chance to make it to the open ocean.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45It's only really local populations that can actually support
0:55:45 > 0:55:47and sustain this conservation work.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51If it comes from the roots upwards, then it's got a chance of success.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53You know, I think it's amazing, I really do, the fact that they
0:55:53 > 0:55:56do this and you know we should see it more often around the world.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03It's hard not to admire these extraordinary little creatures
0:56:03 > 0:56:05as they battle against such odds.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14This baby turtle won't touch land again
0:56:14 > 0:56:18until she returns to the very same island to lay her own eggs.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23With luck, she'll find the beach is still protected
0:56:23 > 0:56:26by the people of Itsamia.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Next time, the vast cauldron of the Sahara Desert.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47This colossal wilderness
0:56:47 > 0:56:50covers one-third of the entire African continent.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58To survive here, life is stretched to its very limits.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05Simply being tough isn't enough.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Only the most extraordinary creatures will triumph.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd