Pennod 1 Iolo: Deifio yn y Barrier Reef

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-I'm Iolo Williams.

-I've spent years studying wildlife

-on land and in the air.

-This time,

-I'm venturing into a new world.

-I'll be looking for creatures

-I've never seen before.

-I'm travelling to Australia

-to dive under the sea...

-..to see

-one of our planet's treasures.

-This is the Great Barrier Reef.

-It extends over 1,000 miles

-off the coast of northern Australia.

-But this important part

-of our ecosystem...

-..is in danger.

-It's sad coming here

-and seeing this happen.

-It could disappear...

-..in 80 years.

-Will children of the future be able

-to enjoy this special place?

-I'm on my way to Yorkeys Knob.

-In the harbour,

-I will meet the crew and boat...

-..that will take me

-on a magical journey.

-The Great Barrier Reef

-is located in the Coral Sea...

-..to the north of Queensland state.

-I'll visit the reef to see

-as much of the wildlife as I can.

-I'll also assess its condition.

-This is a liveaboard boat.

-It's quite large.

-We're living on it for four nights.

-We're going to the far side

-of the reef.

-It'll take us about ten hours

-to get there.

-We're leaving just before dusk.

-I hope when I wake up tomorrow,

-we'll have arrived at the reef.

-I'm really looking forward

-to diving down.

-I hope to see some of the best reefs

-with all its wildlife.

-I also want to see how bad it is.

-Are there reefs

-where there's no life left?

-At last, I'm getting the chance

-to see for myself...

-..how bad it is out there.

-We've travelled overnight

-to reach Ribbon Reef No.3.

-This will be my first opportunity

-to see the place with my own eyes.

-I'm wearing a full face mask

-for the dives...

-..so I can speak underwater.

-I know I understand very little...

-..about the ecology of the reef

-and its wildlife.

-The way it works and the way

-the wildlife exists together.

-The relationships there.

-If I can dive and learn

-a bit more about the reef...

-..I'll return home a very happy man.

-The reef is crucial for

-the ecosystem of the entire world.

-It releases moisture to keep the

-environment cool and moist enough...

-..for forests and plants to grow.

-This special place underwater

-releases oxygen for us to breathe.

-However, there's more

-carbon monoxide in the atmosphere.

-The seas are becoming more and more

-acidic which kills the coral.

-The Great Barrier Reef

-is 2,400km long.

-1,500 miles from north to south.

-Many think

-it's one long unbroken line.

-That's not true.

-It's made up

-of thousands of different reefs.

-Some of them as small as this.

-It's incredible.

-There are fish and coral

-all around me.

-I've dived

-to see the condition of the reef...

-..and to see if this is the last

-chance to see a miracle of nature.

-One of the things

-that strikes you first...

-..is that most of the coral here

-is brown.

-From what we've seen

-on television...

-..we're used to seeing blue, red,

-pink and yellow coral.

-The truth is that the majority

-of coral is brown.

-The brown coral is live coral.

-Only a few of them

-are brightly-coloured.

-It's real coral.

-Seeing all this coral is like

-finding a small forest underwater.

-I'm not surprised that scientists

-used to think coral were plants.

-There's some truth in that.

-Coral are small animals

-that look like plants.

-They live on small fish

-and plankton.

-A reef forms

-when the coral larvae spawns...

-..and attaches to submerged rocks.

-It's dependent on the water quality

-and the sun's rays to survive.

-It's important

-to keep the balance...

-..between the different parts

-of the life cycle on the reef.

-One small change in water quality

-or the temperature...

-..can have a detrimental effect.

-This is an interesting coral...

-..staghorn coral.

-It grows extremely quickly...

-..about 10cm every year.

-As you can see, the small fish

-are delighted with it.

-There's a contrast...

-..between the beautiful, colourful

-yellow coral here...

-..and the dead coral here.

-It's grey and covered with algae.

-It's very sad to see that.

-It was so disheartening

-to see the damage to the coral.

-It's obvious that these

-are tough times for the reef.

-But around the corner,

-I saw something spectacular.

-Look at all these yellow fish!

-It's as if all the yellow fish

-have agreed to come together.

-There are two species here...

-..the yellow snapper

-and the yellow goatfish.

-It's better to be one of a thousand

-than to be alone.

-There are predatory fish around.

-They school for safety.

-That's blown my mind.

-The only way I can describe it...

-..is it's like jumping into

-the biggest and best aquarium ever.

-The coral of different colours

-and different shapes...

-..and so many fish.

-What an experience.

-It'll stay with me forever.

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-I'm on a journey along

-the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

-After a day and a half's travelling,

-we've reached Pixie's Pinnacle...

-..between Ribbon Reef No.9

-and Ribbon Reef No.10.

-I'm about to dive in a place

-called Pixie's Pinnacle over there.

-We're about 30 miles off the coast

-of north-east Australia.

-It's like a chimney coming up.

-As it's a chimney,

-there are lots of small fish around.

-That in turn attracts big fish.

-The reef's

-coming under increasing pressure.

-Global warming's caused

-the water temperature to rise.

-Chemicals are flowing from the land

-to the sea.

-These are killing the coral.

-This is a crucial period

-in their history.

-To be honest,

-it's making me worried.

-The argument that global warming

-affects the reef...

-..is one

-that everybody accepts today.

-It would break my heart...

-..if my son wanted to come here

-in 50 years...

-..and there was no reef left,

-or only a dead reef.

-A vital part of the health

-of the reef is the food chain.

-If the reef's under pressure

-and suffering...

-..there'll be less food

-for the fish.

-So I want to find out the state

-of the food chain in this part.

-What a fish this is!

-It's a great barracuda.

-The barracuda has a bad name.

-It isn't deserved.

-All it does is hang around.

-It'll come in now and again

-to eat the small fish.

-It rushes in.

-If you look at its body...

-..it's all muscle with a big mouth.

-It goes straight in

-chasing after the fish.

-The food chain on the reef

-is a very sensitive ecosystem.

-It needs to be in balance

-with the natural world around it.

-On top of the chain

-are fish like the barracuda.

-At the bottom are the phytoplankton.

-I'm so happy to see that this

-part of the reef looks so healthy.

-Look at the small fish

-all around me.

-Thousands and thousands of them.

-Incredible!

-They all eat plankton.

-What's interesting is that some of

-them stay very close to the coral.

-Others venture further out.

-Look at their tails.

-The ones who venture out

-have a V-shaped tail.

-It means they're fast swimmers.

-It's important that algae levels

-on the reef remain constant.

-That's the main function

-of a sea fan.

-It's very pretty.

-The sea fan.

-It grows facing inwards...

-..at an angle of 90 degrees

-into the current.

-The current

-runs through the sea fan.

-The polyps, the hundreds of

-small creatures that live in it...

-..are filter feeders.

-They draw nutrients from the water.

-If they grow like this

-and the current comes through...

-..they have access

-to so much more food.

-They're in the darkness because

-they don't use energy from the sun.

-Oh!

-A sea turtle.

-A green turtle.

-I've never been in the sea

-with one before.

-It's come down to say hello.

-Goodness me!

-They're known here

-as the old men of the sea.

-Seeing one up close,

-I could see why.

-They look like

-they know all the reef's secrets...

-..after swimming around the place

-for thousands of years.

-I'm not sure how old this one is -

-about 30 or 40 years old.

-She'll return every other year...

-..to nest

-on a remote beach somewhere.

-They're vital to the reef's

-food chain.

-They keep box jellyfish numbers

-in check...

-..who in turn keep plankton

-and mollusc numbers healthy.

-They enjoy having

-their shell scratched...

-..like this one is now.

-I think I must be tickling it.

-She loves it.

-I feel like a person

-who cleans cars!

-Go now, darling.

-Go now.

-Off you go.

-She's so cute.

-Look at her.

-She's coming back for more!

-More scratching.

-There we are.

-Is that nice?

-Enough scratching.

-They're so graceful.

-What an experience!

-A sea turtle coming to say hello.

-Cheers, lads.

-That was incredible.

-A green turtle came up to me...

-..and remained still

-until I scratched its back.

-It was so contented.

-Its eyes were half closed.

-Then off it went.

-Things like that don't happen often.

-When they do, they're incredible.

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-I'm travelling along

-the Great Barrier Reef...

-..and the surrounding coast.

-I'm on my way

-to the Daintree Rainforest...

-..a stone's throw from the coast.

-Tropical rainforests

-like the Daintree...

-..are vital

-to the health of the reef.

-It's like a wall

-between the land and the sea.

-The reef itself

-releases moisture into the air...

-..above the rainforest,

-keeping it healthy.

-We're going down the Barron River.

-This is one of the main rivers

-that flows into the sea...

-..and then

-to the Great Barrier Reef.

-What's nice coming down this river

-is I can't hear people.

-I can hear birds with just

-the natural world around me.

-The tropical forest.

-You can hear lorikeets

-making a lot of noise.

-It's great

-to be somewhere like this...

-..away from cities and towns

-and their noise.

-The river's important

-to the reef too.

-You just

-have to look at its colour...

-..to see there are all sorts

-of tiny pieces of mud...

-..and organic matter

-in the water...

-..because there's been flooding.

-They, along with the fallen leaves

-are washed out to sea...

-..out to the reef...

-..which is food for many of the

-tiny creatures that live there...

-..such as plankton.

-Plankton feed the fish...

-..and the fish feed the bigger fish

-and the sharks and so on.

-This is a very important part

-of that food chain.

-The fact there's a lot of water

-in the river...

-..can also mean

-it's the worst time for chemicals...

-..to be washed into the sea

-from farms.

-It's sprayed on crops, on sugar cane

-more than anything else.

-That affects the Great Barrier Reef

-and the wildlife.

-One of the biggest challenges facing

-the reef is poor water quality.

-The water quality

-is primarily affected...

-..by intensive sugar cane farming.

-Water polluted by chemicals...

-..spurs

-the crown-of-thorns starfish.

-It's a destructive starfish which

-grows on top of healthy coral...

-..and kills it.

-I wanted to find out

-how the local farming community...

-..felt about the reef...

-..and how their farming methods

-could be so destructive.

-I've come to meet a local farmer

-who's changed his farming methods...

-..in order to save the place.

-I wanted to find out why.

-As a local man,

-what does the reef mean to you?

-What happens if the reef disappears?

-What happens if the reef disappears?

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-It means everything to me.

-I've spent my entire life

-living on the Queensland coastline.

-I want to go to the reef

-when I have days off.

-I want a healthy reef. I want to be

-able to fish on the reef.

-It upsets me that my kids

-won't see the reef like I saw it.

-Dave wanted to show how his

-farming methods affected the reef.

-If the reef disappeared, Dave's way

-of life would come to an end too.

-This creek runs through your land

-out of the rainforest into the sea.

-Straight into

-the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

-Effectively,

-this is my responsibility.

-What I do on my land

-affects this river directly...

-..and affects

-the Great Barrier Reef as well.

-Other landowners, there are

-going to be creeks like this...

-..that run through

-fairly intensively-farmed land.

-That's where some of the problems

-arise.

-Yes, you're exactly right.

-So, really, it's nitrogen run-off.

-We've got really high rainfall here,

-of course. A rainforest area.

-That high rainfall

-can leach some of the nutrients...

-..that's not absorbed by the plants

-into these waterways.

-It's the nitrogen especially...

-..but it's also the clouding

-of the water column...

-..which can affect how coral

-catch sunlight to make their food.

-But also, intensive farming

-can affect sediment run-off.

-It can create massive amounts

-of erosion around rivers.

-That sediment again

-can cloud that water column...

-..leading to pretty bad impacts

-down the road.

-How worried are you?

-I think this year has been

-the first year I've realized...

-..that this could impact my life.

-If the health of

-the Great Barrier Reef declines...

-..it stands to reason

-that people will stop visiting...

-..and my businesses will slide

-into decline very quickly.

-I think that's true

-of a lot of other businesses...

-..and maybe

-they don't quite realize it.

-I'm glad I made the time

-to meet and chat with Dave...

-..mostly because he's a local man.

-He's lived in the area all his life.

-Maybe one of the most important

-things is he's farming organically.

-He knows that chemicals from farms

-that go into the sea...

-..affect the reef.

-If everyone was like him, we

-would be in a much better situation.

-The more

-I speak to people like David...

-..the more I realize

-I know very little.

-I hadn't realized the close link...

-..between the reef

-and the tropical forest.

-Without one, you don't get

-the other. Both are essential.

-If the reef disappears...

-..the effects will be terrible...

-..on wildlife, local people,

-Australia and on the world.

-As I leave Dave's farm,

-I saw an unforgettable sight.

-Wow!

-This is one of the birds

-I hoped to see here.

-I really didn't think I'd see it.

-It's a cassowary.

-It's Australia's answer

-to the ostrich.

-It only lives in this forest

-so it's very rare.

-This is a small farm

-right in the middle of the forest.

-He's opened up the land.

-He's planted fruit trees.

-That's why the bird's here.

-It comes out of the forest to eat.

-It goes down to the river for

-a drink then returns to the forest.

-They can't fly at all

-but they don't need to.

-They can run very fast.

-This is the male with five chicks.

-The female lays the eggs

-on the ground in the forest.

-She then leaves.

-The male sits on the eggs.

-When they hatch,

-he looks after the chicks.

-He's come to these trees

-as fruit has fallen.

-He's come to eat.

-They can be very dangerous birds.

-As long as you give them space and

-show some respect, you'll be fine.

-He's fierce.

-I won't get too close.

-He'll defend the chicks

-with those long legs.

-He kicks.

-He could open up my stomach.

-Come down this way.

-Here he is now.

-The chicks. Look at that.

-That's made my day.

-My year.

-I never thought I'd see a cassowary.

-I have a male with five chicks

-right in front of me.

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-I'm going on a very special trip and

-diving in the Great Barrier Reef.

-Tonight,

-I'm going underwater at night.

-I'm 12 miles out in the Coral Sea...

-..about a third of the way

-down the reef.

-I'm preparing to go diving

-at night.

-Diving at night is very

-different to diving during the day.

-It's more exciting.

-There are very different creatures

-out.

-The ones active during the day

-go to sleep.

-There are others

-who only come out at night.

-I hope to see a fish

-called stonefish.

-It's the most poisonous fish

-in the world.

-Its camouflage is perfect.

-I'll need a good lamp to find one.

-This is my first night-time dive

-in the Great Barrier Reef.

-It's exciting but I'm a bit nervous.

-It's impossible to know

-what will be down there.

-The reef is a very different place

-at night.

-It changes to be

-an incredible rainbow of colours.

-But only with an ultraviolet torch

-can you see these colours.

-These colours help the algae

-during the photosynthesis process.

-The pigment

-which causes the intense colour...

-..protects the coral from the sun.

-You can see immediately...

-..that the colours

-look very different at night.

-The red is somehow brighter.

-The yellows and blues

-and all the colours come out.

-A few fish

-are sleeping under the coral.

-The reef is busy

-all day and all night.

-It's like a 24-hour city.

-At night, the reef's

-a far more dangerous place...

-..when the predatory fish

-come out to look for food.

-Here are two fish.

-The lionfish...

-..and the unicorn fish

-right in front of me.

-This is a lionfish.

-It looks very pretty.

-But it'd be unwise to pick one up.

-It has spines along its back,

-along the fin...

-..which come out on both sides too.

-It's extremely pretty.

-The bright colours are there to

-warn any other fish not to grab it.

-You get completely different fish

-at night.

-The fish that were around

-during the day are sleeping.

-They've disappeared.

-Different fish come out at night.

-One fish I was very keen to see

-was the stonefish.

-It's one of the most dangerous

-and venomous fish in the world.

-They can weigh up to a kilogram,

-and they're very fast.

-They're usually hard to find

-because of their great camouflage.

-I hope to see one tonight.

-Here's a fish

-I hoped to see at night.

-I'm not sure if you can make it out.

-It's moving a little.

-It's a stonefish.

-Along its back, it has 13 spines.

-This one's lying down flat

-at the moment.

-Under each one of those

-are two venomous sacs.

-It's a great experience

-seeing the Barrier Reef at night.

-It's a real honour to be here.

-But there's something in the back

-of my mind that says, "Be careful."

-You don't know 100%

-what's down here.

-During the day,

-you can see all your surroundings.

-But at night,

-it's a different story.

-All you can see

-is this narrow shaft of light.

-Wow!

-That was so different.

-The colours are different at night.

-The reds and blues are brighter.

-The fish are completely different.

-We saw one stonefish.

-A big fat lump. Until the lads

-pointed it out, I couldn't see it.

-Its camouflage was perfect.

-Amazing, interesting

-and extremely exciting.

-The more time I spend diving

-and seeing the reef for myself...

-..the more I'm starting

-to understand the place.

-I'm seeing some of the secrets

-that are out here.

-It's just a special place.

-It's so interesting.

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