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The open ocean. | 0:00:38 | 0:00:39 | |
It covers more than half the surface of our planet. | 0:00:41 | 0:00:45 | |
Yet, for the most part, it's a watery desert, | 0:00:45 | 0:00:49 | |
empty of life. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
Hunters here spend their lives in a constant search | 0:00:54 | 0:00:59 | |
for scarce and elusive prey. | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
Remarkably, this seemingly barren wilderness | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
is home to the largest hunter of them all... | 0:01:20 | 0:01:24 | |
..the blue whale. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:31 | |
Weighing 200 tonnes | 0:01:40 | 0:01:43 | |
and 30 metres long, | 0:01:43 | 0:01:45 | |
these are the biggest animals ever to have lived. | 0:01:45 | 0:01:48 | |
Despite their immense size, | 0:02:02 | 0:02:05 | |
blue whales are one of the most streamlined | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
and energy-efficient of all swimmers. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:11 | |
Their food is so scarce and widely spread | 0:02:22 | 0:02:25 | |
that blue whales must journey across whole oceans | 0:02:25 | 0:02:30 | |
just to find a single meal. | 0:02:30 | 0:02:33 | |
They can travel over 100 miles a day for weeks at a time. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:45 | |
The ocean's largest animal feeds on one of its smallest. | 0:02:58 | 0:03:03 | |
Krill - small shrimp-like crustaceans. | 0:03:05 | 0:03:08 | |
Opening its gigantic mouth takes so much effort | 0:03:16 | 0:03:20 | |
that they only do so | 0:03:20 | 0:03:21 | |
when the swarms of krill are rich and concentrated. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:24 | |
The krill here is too scattered - | 0:03:31 | 0:03:34 | |
not even worth slowing down for. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:36 | |
This blue whale's lonely search for food | 0:04:09 | 0:04:13 | |
must go on. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:14 | |
Out here, feeding opportunities are always few and far between. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:26 | |
And they never last long. | 0:04:27 | 0:04:29 | |
Prey is devoured within minutes. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:38 | |
When it's all over, | 0:04:48 | 0:04:49 | |
the hunters must resume their endless search. | 0:04:49 | 0:04:53 | |
Frigatebirds - | 0:04:57 | 0:04:58 | |
the pirates of the high seas. | 0:04:58 | 0:05:00 | |
Soaring effortlessly on the gentle trade winds, | 0:05:02 | 0:05:06 | |
they can scan vast tracts of ocean for food. | 0:05:06 | 0:05:09 | |
Frigates must be so lightweight | 0:05:12 | 0:05:14 | |
that they can't afford the heavy oils | 0:05:14 | 0:05:16 | |
that waterproof the plumage of other sea birds. | 0:05:16 | 0:05:20 | |
So getting wet would be lethal. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:23 | |
This may seem an impossible limitation for a seafaring hunter. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:29 | |
But frigatebirds overcome this handicap | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
with help from others. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:33 | |
Dorado. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:43 | |
One of the fastest and most voracious of ocean predators. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
They patrol close to the surface, searching for prey. | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
Little fish try to hide amidst the undulating swell of the ocean - | 0:06:05 | 0:06:09 | |
the only cover there is. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:11 | |
It's a game of hide and seek | 0:06:18 | 0:06:20 | |
played out amongst the waves. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:22 | |
Their cover blown... | 0:06:26 | 0:06:28 | |
..escape seems impossible. | 0:06:30 | 0:06:32 | |
But these particular fish have a unique ability. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:44 | |
They're flying fish. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:01 | |
With an extra thrust from their tails, | 0:07:23 | 0:07:26 | |
the flying fish get airborne once more. | 0:07:26 | 0:07:28 | |
With a good wind, | 0:07:37 | 0:07:38 | |
they can glide for hundreds of metres. | 0:07:38 | 0:07:40 | |
But this is just what the frigatebirds | 0:07:58 | 0:08:01 | |
have been waiting for. | 0:08:01 | 0:08:02 | |
When frigates join the hunt, | 0:08:06 | 0:08:08 | |
the flying fish are literally caught between the devil... | 0:08:08 | 0:08:12 | |
..and the deep blue sea. | 0:08:14 | 0:08:16 | |
If the flying fish get too much lift | 0:08:36 | 0:08:38 | |
they become easy prey for the frigates. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:41 | |
If they dive to evade attack from above... | 0:08:56 | 0:08:59 | |
..they could fall into the mouths of the dorado. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
With the help of the dorado, | 0:09:48 | 0:09:49 | |
the wily frigatebird has become a flying fish specialist... | 0:09:49 | 0:09:54 | |
..and without getting a single feather wet. | 0:09:55 | 0:09:58 | |
Not all open-ocean hunters are able to travel | 0:10:04 | 0:10:07 | |
in search of their food. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:10 | |
Some have no choice but wait for a meal to come to them. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:15 | |
A mat of sargassum weed drifts in the middle of the Atlantic. | 0:10:19 | 0:10:24 | |
Sargassum is the only seaweed to live entirely at the surface. | 0:10:30 | 0:10:34 | |
It never attaches to the sea floor. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:38 | |
This floating tangle of fronds | 0:10:42 | 0:10:45 | |
is home to a surprising open-ocean predator - | 0:10:45 | 0:10:49 | |
the sargassum fish. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
Every part of his body mimics the weed. | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
His fins are more suited to walking than swimming. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
In fact, he can barely swim at all. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
He will spend his entire life marooned on this weedy raft. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:16 | |
This sargassum fish must lie in wait | 0:11:24 | 0:11:28 | |
for those seeking shelter amongst the weed. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
Unfortunately his mat is empty for now. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:47 | |
But at least he's not wasting valuable energy | 0:11:49 | 0:11:52 | |
searching for food. | 0:11:52 | 0:11:53 | |
In the featureless ocean, | 0:12:00 | 0:12:02 | |
these mats are much-sought-after sanctuary for juvenile fish. | 0:12:02 | 0:12:06 | |
At last - | 0:12:23 | 0:12:25 | |
his first opportunity for weeks. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:29 | |
He must get closer. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:37 | |
He can only strike when he's within a few centimetres of his prey. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:43 | |
Trusting his perfect camouflage, | 0:12:53 | 0:12:56 | |
he hides in the weed. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:58 | |
Patience. | 0:13:04 | 0:13:05 | |
Still not close enough. | 0:13:10 | 0:13:12 | |
Hunger is clearly getting the better of him. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:27 | |
Surely this time. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:42 | |
Blown it. | 0:13:46 | 0:13:47 | |
It may be weeks before he gets another chance. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
The open ocean is so vast | 0:14:08 | 0:14:10 | |
that some hunters can only find enough prey | 0:14:10 | 0:14:13 | |
by searching as a team. | 0:14:13 | 0:14:15 | |
Dolphins live in highly sophisticated social groups. | 0:14:30 | 0:14:34 | |
Working together, | 0:14:43 | 0:14:44 | |
they can cover a huge area of ocean. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:47 | |
These are spinner dolphins. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:54 | |
Why they make these twisting leaps is still debatable. | 0:14:57 | 0:15:00 | |
Perhaps it's a form of communication... | 0:15:00 | 0:15:03 | |
..or perhaps it's just fun. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:09 | |
Small groups sometimes come together, | 0:15:11 | 0:15:14 | |
forming superpods 5,000 strong. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:17 | |
And these are on the hunt. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:26 | |
SONAR CLICKS | 0:15:34 | 0:15:36 | |
Spinners are the most vocal of all the dolphins. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
CLICKING AND CRACKLING | 0:15:39 | 0:15:41 | |
They use echolocation, a kind of sonar, to find their prey. | 0:15:42 | 0:15:47 | |
Each hunter sends out a series of clicks | 0:15:48 | 0:15:52 | |
and then listens for returning echoes... | 0:15:52 | 0:15:55 | |
..allowing them to scan for distant prey, | 0:15:58 | 0:16:01 | |
hundreds of metres away. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:02 | |
CLICKS CONTINUE | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
The superpod spreads out into a wide hunting line, | 0:16:08 | 0:16:12 | |
up to a mile across... | 0:16:12 | 0:16:14 | |
..producing a wall of sound. | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
CONSTANT CLICKING | 0:16:18 | 0:16:21 | |
They're searching for their favourite prey. | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
Lanternfish. | 0:16:36 | 0:16:38 | |
They are the most numerous fish on the planet. | 0:16:38 | 0:16:41 | |
But these small fish spend most of their time | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
down in the deep ocean, way beyond the reach of dolphins. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:51 | |
It's only when they come up to the surface to feed | 0:16:51 | 0:16:54 | |
that they become prey. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:55 | |
Once they've found a shoal, | 0:16:59 | 0:17:01 | |
the dolphins use their sonar in a different way. | 0:17:01 | 0:17:04 | |
SONAR BLASTS | 0:17:04 | 0:17:06 | |
They stun the fish with loud blasts, | 0:17:06 | 0:17:09 | |
then simply gather them up. | 0:17:09 | 0:17:11 | |
As they feed, the dolphins work the underside of the shoal | 0:17:26 | 0:17:30 | |
to stop their prey from escaping back into the safety of the deep. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:34 | |
Within a few minutes, | 0:17:55 | 0:17:56 | |
all that's left is a shower of scales | 0:17:56 | 0:17:59 | |
drifting downwards to the ocean depths. | 0:17:59 | 0:18:03 | |
The deep ocean is by far | 0:18:15 | 0:18:17 | |
the largest habitat for life on Earth... | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
..and home to some of the most bizarre hunters of all. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:26 | |
Down here, food is much scarcer than at the surface, | 0:18:29 | 0:18:34 | |
so deep-sea predators must do all they can to save precious energy. | 0:18:34 | 0:18:39 | |
Waiting patiently, a viperfish. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:52 | |
Special light-producing organs on its head | 0:18:52 | 0:18:55 | |
entice prey towards fearsome teeth. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:58 | |
Strange yet deadly jelly hunters also live here. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:07 | |
Most simply drift, | 0:19:10 | 0:19:12 | |
trailing tentacles loaded with lethal stings. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:16 | |
Others, propelled by lines of beating hairs, | 0:19:21 | 0:19:25 | |
glide gently through the darkness. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:28 | |
Beroe - | 0:19:43 | 0:19:44 | |
the top deep-sea jelly predator. | 0:19:44 | 0:19:47 | |
They actively hunt other jellies... | 0:19:54 | 0:19:56 | |
..like this ctenophore. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:01 | |
To grasp its gelatinous prey, | 0:20:15 | 0:20:18 | |
Beroe has special teeth-like spikes in its mouth. | 0:20:18 | 0:20:23 | |
Many deep-sea hunters just hang in the abyss, | 0:20:37 | 0:20:42 | |
saving their energy, | 0:20:42 | 0:20:44 | |
luring their prey to come to them. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:47 | |
Chiroteuthis. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:55 | |
This deep-sea squid fishes for prey using long, sticky tentacles. | 0:20:56 | 0:21:01 | |
Each has a glowing lure, | 0:21:03 | 0:21:05 | |
pulsing to attract passing prey. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:07 | |
A gentle twitch adds to the temptation. | 0:21:24 | 0:21:29 | |
Down here in the darkness, this meal is a rare bonanza. | 0:21:56 | 0:22:01 | |
The open ocean may be a vast blue desert, | 0:22:10 | 0:22:15 | |
but like all deserts, it has oases. | 0:22:15 | 0:22:19 | |
Scattered widely across this endless space | 0:22:27 | 0:22:30 | |
are thousands of small islands. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:33 | |
These are the summits of underwater mountains, | 0:22:37 | 0:22:40 | |
which rise up from the sea floor many miles below. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:43 | |
The seamounts deflect deep-ocean currents upwards, | 0:22:51 | 0:22:55 | |
forcing nutrient-laden water to the surface. | 0:22:55 | 0:22:58 | |
A busy oasis in the emptiness of the big blue. | 0:23:06 | 0:23:10 | |
For potential prey, there's plenty of shelter amongst the coral... | 0:23:31 | 0:23:35 | |
..and in the caves that are hidden beneath the reef itself. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
Small fish take refuge here, | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
out of the reach of most of their predators. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:57 | |
But not all. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:01 | |
Lionfish. | 0:24:03 | 0:24:05 | |
They're not built for speed - | 0:24:10 | 0:24:12 | |
success here depends on delicate manoeuvring. | 0:24:12 | 0:24:16 | |
Their strategy is to hide in plain sight, | 0:24:18 | 0:24:22 | |
lulling their prey into a false sense of security. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:25 | |
The lionfish's stripes are visually confusing, | 0:24:33 | 0:24:36 | |
making it difficult for their prey to judge how close it is. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:40 | |
Using its extravagant fins to hide slow and deliberate tail movements, | 0:24:54 | 0:25:01 | |
it edges ever closer. | 0:25:01 | 0:25:03 | |
It must get to within a few centimetres, | 0:25:07 | 0:25:10 | |
close enough for a sudden strike. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:12 | |
Got one. | 0:25:25 | 0:25:26 | |
The deep-water currents that sustain so many residents | 0:25:37 | 0:25:41 | |
also attract visitors to these oases. | 0:25:41 | 0:25:44 | |
Silky sharks. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:51 | |
They journey hundreds of miles between seamounts, | 0:25:56 | 0:25:59 | |
using them as gathering places in the featureless ocean. | 0:25:59 | 0:26:03 | |
They're joined by hammerheads. | 0:26:09 | 0:26:11 | |
Both these sharks constantly travel | 0:26:16 | 0:26:19 | |
between the Galapagos and other isolated seamounts | 0:26:19 | 0:26:22 | |
in the Eastern Pacific. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:24 | |
No-one knows for sure why they gather in such numbers, | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
but some certainly come to these oases in search of food. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:38 | |
A school of resident silversides cloaks the seamount. | 0:26:46 | 0:26:50 | |
If these little fish stay close to the coral, | 0:26:52 | 0:26:54 | |
the sharks won't be able to get at them. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
Other, more agile visitors are attracted by the potential feast. | 0:27:17 | 0:27:21 | |
Striped bonito... | 0:27:24 | 0:27:25 | |
..and golden trevalley. | 0:27:28 | 0:27:29 | |
To get a meal, they'll need to drive their prey up and away from the reef | 0:27:36 | 0:27:40 | |
into open water. | 0:27:40 | 0:27:41 | |
As long as the silversides stick close to the sea floor, | 0:27:45 | 0:27:48 | |
they should evade their predators. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:50 | |
This time, the frustrated hunters will have to search elsewhere - | 0:28:12 | 0:28:16 | |
there's never an easy meal in the open ocean. | 0:28:16 | 0:28:20 | |
The Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:37 | |
The wildest seas on our planet. | 0:28:42 | 0:28:44 | |
Here, it's the storm-tossed waters that bring nutrients to the surface, | 0:28:47 | 0:28:52 | |
creating isolated patches of richness. | 0:28:52 | 0:28:54 | |
Far from the calm tropics, | 0:28:58 | 0:28:59 | |
this weather-beaten ocean is home to the albatross. | 0:28:59 | 0:29:03 | |
Black-browed albatross are the same size as frigatebirds | 0:29:12 | 0:29:16 | |
but three times as heavy, | 0:29:16 | 0:29:18 | |
and so they need a totally different flying technique. | 0:29:18 | 0:29:21 | |
Albatross have the longest wingspan of any bird, | 0:29:26 | 0:29:30 | |
and that enables them to exploit the power | 0:29:30 | 0:29:33 | |
of the Southern Ocean winds. | 0:29:33 | 0:29:35 | |
First, they glide into the wind, | 0:29:40 | 0:29:42 | |
harnessing its energy to give them lift. | 0:29:42 | 0:29:45 | |
Then they turn and descend downwind, picking up speed. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:52 | |
Soaring on wind fronts like this, | 0:29:59 | 0:30:02 | |
an albatross can travel | 0:30:02 | 0:30:04 | |
hundreds of miles of ocean in a day... | 0:30:04 | 0:30:07 | |
..barely beating its wings. | 0:30:09 | 0:30:11 | |
They often spend weeks at sea, | 0:30:16 | 0:30:19 | |
searching for prey without ever returning to land. | 0:30:19 | 0:30:23 | |
Food at last - a patch of krill close to the surface. | 0:30:35 | 0:30:40 | |
Because the winds are so strong here, | 0:30:43 | 0:30:45 | |
albatrosses can afford the extra weight | 0:30:45 | 0:30:48 | |
of waterproofing oils on their feathers. | 0:30:48 | 0:30:50 | |
They can duck-dive to no more than a metre, | 0:30:53 | 0:30:55 | |
so they rely on the churning of the Southern Ocean | 0:30:55 | 0:30:59 | |
to bring their prey up into range. | 0:30:59 | 0:31:01 | |
Like all birds, albatross have to breed on land, | 0:31:31 | 0:31:34 | |
but suitable islands are so few in the South Atlantic | 0:31:34 | 0:31:38 | |
that most are heavily overcrowded. | 0:31:38 | 0:31:40 | |
Steeple Jason - one of the largest albatross colonies in the world. | 0:31:45 | 0:31:50 | |
ALBATROSS SQUAWK | 0:31:50 | 0:31:53 | |
Nearly half a million come back here each year to raise their young. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:02 | |
Adults share parenting duties, | 0:32:11 | 0:32:13 | |
returning every few days to feed their chick. | 0:32:13 | 0:32:16 | |
Feeding done, it's time to head out to sea. | 0:32:25 | 0:32:31 | |
They need to make their way to the edge of the packed colony | 0:32:37 | 0:32:40 | |
where there's more room for takeoff. | 0:32:40 | 0:32:42 | |
CHICK CRIES | 0:32:42 | 0:32:45 | |
Albatross are so heavy that they can only get airborne | 0:32:45 | 0:32:49 | |
in places where the wind is strong enough. | 0:32:49 | 0:32:51 | |
Using a special runway... | 0:32:55 | 0:32:57 | |
..with a good headwind... | 0:33:00 | 0:33:01 | |
..she's off. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:09 | |
From the air, the ocean may appear featureless, | 0:33:19 | 0:33:24 | |
but beneath the surface, | 0:33:24 | 0:33:26 | |
a network of powerful currents is constantly on the move. | 0:33:26 | 0:33:30 | |
It's these currents, more than any other force, | 0:33:33 | 0:33:36 | |
that determine the distribution of life out here. | 0:33:36 | 0:33:39 | |
A whole community of ocean drifters | 0:33:42 | 0:33:44 | |
hitches rides on these rivers in the sea. | 0:33:44 | 0:33:47 | |
Pelagic red crabs. | 0:33:50 | 0:33:52 | |
They've gathered to feed on tiny floating plants and animals, | 0:34:03 | 0:34:06 | |
a bloom of plankton fuelled by the currents. | 0:34:06 | 0:34:09 | |
Fine hairs on their legs slow their descent... | 0:34:20 | 0:34:24 | |
..and then, with a few flicks of the tail, | 0:34:26 | 0:34:29 | |
they swim back up to continue feeding. | 0:34:29 | 0:34:32 | |
The currents that carry these wandering crabs | 0:34:42 | 0:34:45 | |
also serve as highways for the ocean's larger predators. | 0:34:45 | 0:34:49 | |
Striped marlin. | 0:34:54 | 0:34:56 | |
Beautifully streamlined, | 0:35:01 | 0:35:03 | |
they can travel huge distances with minimum effort. | 0:35:03 | 0:35:07 | |
These hunters patrol the boundaries between ocean currents, | 0:35:09 | 0:35:12 | |
where their prey often gathers. | 0:35:12 | 0:35:14 | |
Each predator has an incredible sense of smell, | 0:35:18 | 0:35:21 | |
able to detect faint trails left by their prey. | 0:35:21 | 0:35:24 | |
Somewhere out here is the big prize... | 0:35:29 | 0:35:33 | |
..and hunters of all kinds are looking for it. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:37 | |
Great shoals of fish are attracted to a plankton bloom. | 0:35:55 | 0:35:59 | |
A single school of sardines can be many miles long. | 0:36:01 | 0:36:04 | |
The fish swim tightly together - there's safety in numbers. | 0:36:10 | 0:36:15 | |
Their defence relies on coordination. | 0:36:19 | 0:36:22 | |
When attacked, the sardines move as one. | 0:36:27 | 0:36:30 | |
Each fish instantly matches the movements of its neighbour... | 0:36:39 | 0:36:43 | |
..and the whole shoal moves in synchrony. | 0:36:45 | 0:36:48 | |
A lone sea lion can't keep up with their rapid reactions. | 0:36:55 | 0:36:59 | |
Even when more sea lions arrive, | 0:37:08 | 0:37:11 | |
they can't seem to break down the sardines' coordinated defences. | 0:37:11 | 0:37:15 | |
With a shoal this big, the sea lions need to isolate | 0:37:33 | 0:37:37 | |
a smaller, more manageable group of fish. | 0:37:37 | 0:37:39 | |
But with so few predators, the fish still have the advantage. | 0:37:45 | 0:37:49 | |
All the sea lions can do is keep the sardines at the surface | 0:37:55 | 0:37:59 | |
and wait for others to join them. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:01 | |
Tuna. | 0:38:11 | 0:38:13 | |
Their arrival changes everything. | 0:38:13 | 0:38:16 | |
Tuna attack from below, | 0:38:29 | 0:38:31 | |
cutting off the sardines' escape route down to deeper water. | 0:38:31 | 0:38:34 | |
Next to appear, shearwaters - | 0:38:43 | 0:38:47 | |
excellent fliers, but also surprisingly agile underwater. | 0:38:47 | 0:38:51 | |
With so many predators attacking from all sides, | 0:38:55 | 0:38:58 | |
the advantage starts to shift away from the sardines. | 0:38:58 | 0:39:02 | |
As the fish pack ever tighter, | 0:39:22 | 0:39:24 | |
their shoaling strategy now makes it easier for the hunters. | 0:39:24 | 0:39:28 | |
Copper sharks. | 0:39:53 | 0:39:55 | |
They've scented blood in the water. | 0:39:55 | 0:39:58 | |
Surprisingly, perhaps, the predators never attack one another. | 0:40:04 | 0:40:08 | |
They work together to corral the ball of fish, | 0:40:08 | 0:40:11 | |
taking turns to grab a mouthful. | 0:40:11 | 0:40:14 | |
Common dolphins. | 0:40:23 | 0:40:25 | |
As the shoal gets ever smaller, | 0:40:28 | 0:40:30 | |
each sardine scrambles desperately to hide in the middle. | 0:40:30 | 0:40:34 | |
But now, there's no escape. | 0:40:34 | 0:40:37 | |
A Bryde's whale finishes off the feast - | 0:40:56 | 0:41:01 | |
tonnes of sardines devoured in less than an hour. | 0:41:01 | 0:41:05 | |
The predators melt away into the blue... | 0:41:17 | 0:41:19 | |
..going their separate ways once more. | 0:41:23 | 0:41:25 | |
This blue whale is still searching for a meal | 0:41:36 | 0:41:39 | |
to satisfy its giant hunger. | 0:41:39 | 0:41:42 | |
Being so large, | 0:41:45 | 0:41:46 | |
it must catch an average of four tonnes of food a day. | 0:41:46 | 0:41:50 | |
But many days may pass without feeding at all. | 0:41:55 | 0:41:59 | |
It is their great size that enables blue whales to travel the furthest, | 0:42:04 | 0:42:11 | |
roaming every ocean from the tropics to the poles. | 0:42:11 | 0:42:15 | |
BLUE WHALE SPOUTS | 0:42:15 | 0:42:17 | |
Trapped against the surface by fish, | 0:42:29 | 0:42:32 | |
a dense patch of krill. | 0:42:32 | 0:42:34 | |
This blue has finally found | 0:42:39 | 0:42:41 | |
what it's been searching for for so long. | 0:42:41 | 0:42:44 | |
A meal big enough to make opening its massive mouth worthwhile. | 0:42:46 | 0:42:51 | |
The krill swarm is hundreds of metres across | 0:42:56 | 0:42:59 | |
and packed tight. | 0:42:59 | 0:43:01 | |
The whale lines up on its prey, | 0:43:09 | 0:43:12 | |
targeting the densest part of the shoal. | 0:43:12 | 0:43:14 | |
It takes so much effort to swim with a fully extended throat | 0:43:55 | 0:43:59 | |
that the whale virtually comes to a standstill. | 0:43:59 | 0:44:03 | |
The whale uses its tongue to force the water out of its mouth, | 0:44:16 | 0:44:21 | |
trapping the krill on plates of hairy bristles that line its jaw. | 0:44:21 | 0:44:26 | |
But it takes time to sieve so much water. | 0:44:30 | 0:44:33 | |
And that gives more nimble hunters their chance. | 0:44:36 | 0:44:39 | |
Blue whales may not be as agile as other hunters, | 0:44:54 | 0:44:58 | |
but they don't need to be. | 0:44:58 | 0:45:00 | |
In one giant mouthful, | 0:45:02 | 0:45:04 | |
they can swallow whole swarms of krill. | 0:45:04 | 0:45:07 | |
No other predator is better suited | 0:45:59 | 0:46:02 | |
to exploit the scattered riches that the open ocean can provide. | 0:46:02 | 0:46:07 | |
The blue whale - | 0:46:11 | 0:46:14 | |
the greatest hunter in all the world's oceans. | 0:46:14 | 0:46:18 | |
The open ocean created many challenges for the Hunt team. | 0:46:55 | 0:46:59 | |
But none came bigger than trying to film blue whales underwater. | 0:47:01 | 0:47:05 | |
Achieving this was to turn into a two-year mission. | 0:47:07 | 0:47:11 | |
The crew teamed up with John Calambokidis, | 0:47:13 | 0:47:16 | |
the world's foremost blue whale scientist. | 0:47:16 | 0:47:19 | |
John gets crucial information from these harmless tags. | 0:47:21 | 0:47:25 | |
But he can only observe blue whales for the brief time they surface. | 0:47:27 | 0:47:32 | |
Well, part of this research and part of the reason | 0:47:34 | 0:47:37 | |
that, er, we're working with film-makers | 0:47:37 | 0:47:39 | |
is it gives us a unique chance to get scientific information | 0:47:39 | 0:47:44 | |
we wouldn't be able to otherwise. | 0:47:44 | 0:47:45 | |
So we are doing this under our research permit | 0:47:45 | 0:47:47 | |
to get an insight into what they're doing underwater - | 0:47:47 | 0:47:50 | |
how they're diving, how they're swimming, how they're feeding. | 0:47:50 | 0:47:53 | |
Pictures of blue whales are rare. | 0:47:56 | 0:47:59 | |
They're the biggest animal ever to live on the planet, | 0:47:59 | 0:48:01 | |
but there are only a few underwater pictures that exist today. | 0:48:01 | 0:48:05 | |
A few where you can actually see the animal. | 0:48:05 | 0:48:07 | |
First, they have to find a blue whale. | 0:48:07 | 0:48:10 | |
Well, I always feel really embarrassed, you know, | 0:48:10 | 0:48:13 | |
because how can you lose the biggest animal that's ever lived, you know? | 0:48:13 | 0:48:16 | |
But...er, while the whale is big, the ocean is even bigger. | 0:48:16 | 0:48:20 | |
Just over here. | 0:48:25 | 0:48:26 | |
The team's success will depend on good water visibility. | 0:48:28 | 0:48:32 | |
Too murky, and the whale literally disappears into the gloom. | 0:48:34 | 0:48:38 | |
No shot. | 0:48:43 | 0:48:44 | |
The first year was blighted by poor visibility | 0:48:46 | 0:48:49 | |
and the shoot ended in failure. | 0:48:49 | 0:48:51 | |
Year two, and the sea conditions are much better. | 0:48:56 | 0:49:01 | |
Oh, here he is, right here. | 0:49:04 | 0:49:06 | |
Blue whales only surface for two to three minutes at a time | 0:49:06 | 0:49:09 | |
before diving for up to 15 minutes. | 0:49:09 | 0:49:13 | |
It's a narrow window for everything to come together. | 0:49:13 | 0:49:16 | |
There's a bit of tricky manoeuvring here for John. | 0:49:16 | 0:49:18 | |
He's got to try and get the boat | 0:49:18 | 0:49:21 | |
ahead of the whale but not in front of it. | 0:49:21 | 0:49:23 | |
Then David has to swim out | 0:49:27 | 0:49:29 | |
and hope the whale passes close enough to get a shot. | 0:49:29 | 0:49:32 | |
It's too far. | 0:49:39 | 0:49:41 | |
It's a little too far that time. | 0:49:41 | 0:49:44 | |
This year, the water is exceptionally clear... | 0:49:52 | 0:49:55 | |
..but getting David in the right position still takes time. | 0:49:58 | 0:50:01 | |
He went by, I definitely got a shot. | 0:50:03 | 0:50:05 | |
It's not one of our best. | 0:50:05 | 0:50:06 | |
Missed it. | 0:50:17 | 0:50:18 | |
After weeks of effort, | 0:50:21 | 0:50:22 | |
all the elements finally come together, | 0:50:22 | 0:50:24 | |
giving David the chance of a lifetime. | 0:50:24 | 0:50:27 | |
Like, I got down to about 25 feet. I knew that whale was out there. | 0:50:30 | 0:50:34 | |
But, er...he just came out of the blue, right to me. | 0:50:34 | 0:50:38 | |
I could see his eye, the details of his mouth, | 0:50:44 | 0:50:47 | |
every scratch on his skin. | 0:50:47 | 0:50:51 | |
And he cruised on by - it took forever. | 0:50:51 | 0:50:53 | |
You know, they're so big - it just went by like a freight train. | 0:50:53 | 0:50:57 | |
I saw his tail slide by. | 0:51:02 | 0:51:04 | |
And he slipped back into the blue. | 0:51:04 | 0:51:07 | |
It...it was awesome. | 0:51:07 | 0:51:09 | |
That is awesome - I have never, of all my years of doing this, | 0:51:09 | 0:51:12 | |
I've never got a shot like that. | 0:51:12 | 0:51:14 | |
That was amazing. | 0:51:14 | 0:51:15 | |
Images of blue whales underwater are so rare | 0:51:16 | 0:51:19 | |
that this shot of one simply swimming by is a major success. | 0:51:19 | 0:51:25 | |
But the crew need more. | 0:51:25 | 0:51:28 | |
This series is all about hunting, | 0:51:28 | 0:51:30 | |
and so, nice though it is to have that shot, to make a sequence, | 0:51:30 | 0:51:33 | |
we've got to get shots of blue whales eating krill. | 0:51:33 | 0:51:37 | |
And what we've got to wait for | 0:51:37 | 0:51:39 | |
is when the krill actually comes to the surface. | 0:51:39 | 0:51:41 | |
It might happen once, maybe twice a month. | 0:51:41 | 0:51:44 | |
The crew come across an encouraging sign, | 0:51:46 | 0:51:49 | |
from a rather unsavoury source. | 0:51:49 | 0:51:52 | |
That's some whale faeces. | 0:51:52 | 0:51:55 | |
So we've found a big whale poo in the water. | 0:51:56 | 0:51:59 | |
Um, it's a good sign for us, we know that they're feeding here, | 0:51:59 | 0:52:03 | |
so maybe they'll stick around. | 0:52:03 | 0:52:04 | |
Finally, the crew find what they've been looking for - | 0:52:07 | 0:52:10 | |
krill at the surface. | 0:52:10 | 0:52:12 | |
Look at those birds in the water. | 0:52:12 | 0:52:13 | |
So there's a small krill ball. | 0:52:13 | 0:52:16 | |
We're going to go take a look at it. | 0:52:16 | 0:52:18 | |
All right - remember, don't put me right on top of it. | 0:52:18 | 0:52:20 | |
All right, ready? OK, the ball's right here. | 0:52:20 | 0:52:22 | |
-Right here, right here. -Is it on the surface? -Yeah. | 0:52:22 | 0:52:24 | |
-Good red? -Up at the top. | 0:52:24 | 0:52:26 | |
-Got it? -Yeah, got it. | 0:52:26 | 0:52:28 | |
No-one was prepared for what happened next. | 0:52:32 | 0:52:35 | |
Right behind you! Hey, Hugh, here he comes! | 0:52:36 | 0:52:40 | |
Oh! | 0:52:40 | 0:52:41 | |
Massive surfacing. | 0:52:43 | 0:52:45 | |
Oh, God - that's a shot. I bet you he got it. | 0:52:46 | 0:52:49 | |
I bet you he got it. | 0:52:50 | 0:52:52 | |
Oh! | 0:52:52 | 0:52:53 | |
-MAN ON BOAT: -God, they're beautiful, aren't they? | 0:52:57 | 0:53:00 | |
-What did you guys get? What did you guys get? -Oh, my God. | 0:53:00 | 0:53:03 | |
Oh, my God. | 0:53:04 | 0:53:06 | |
I still... I can't actually quite get my head around what I just saw. | 0:53:07 | 0:53:11 | |
We were down there, Dave was filming the krill balls, | 0:53:11 | 0:53:14 | |
and I just noticed, literally between his fins, | 0:53:14 | 0:53:18 | |
this massive great whale just loomed out. | 0:53:18 | 0:53:22 | |
David saw him, panned down. | 0:53:22 | 0:53:24 | |
I don't know where it came from. | 0:53:24 | 0:53:26 | |
Well, when I first looked down and I saw this whale, | 0:53:29 | 0:53:31 | |
I was a little bit stressed out, | 0:53:31 | 0:53:33 | |
because 95 feet of blue whale is going between my fins. | 0:53:33 | 0:53:37 | |
He hooks around, comes up and just grabs a big mouthful. | 0:53:37 | 0:53:42 | |
They're called blue whales for a reason, | 0:53:48 | 0:53:50 | |
you just see them underwater, | 0:53:50 | 0:53:51 | |
this bright, iridescent cobalt blue | 0:53:51 | 0:53:54 | |
just pops out of the blue of the ocean. | 0:53:54 | 0:53:56 | |
Finally, I get round to the other side, | 0:54:00 | 0:54:01 | |
I go "OK, he left," we're like, "Phew! That was pretty intense." | 0:54:01 | 0:54:04 | |
So I'm up trying to get just another shot of the krill | 0:54:04 | 0:54:06 | |
and sure enough, wide open, he comes through one last time. | 0:54:06 | 0:54:09 | |
I was kind of in the wrong spot, | 0:54:09 | 0:54:10 | |
I had to do some serious evasive manoeuvres. | 0:54:10 | 0:54:13 | |
But he comes through, closes his mouth... | 0:54:13 | 0:54:15 | |
It was just amazing. | 0:54:15 | 0:54:17 | |
The whole thing probably lasted ten minutes | 0:54:23 | 0:54:25 | |
but it was hands down, without a doubt, no questions, | 0:54:25 | 0:54:29 | |
the most intense, amazing thing that I've ever seen. | 0:54:29 | 0:54:31 | |
To share the water and to look eye-to-eye with a blue whale | 0:54:41 | 0:54:45 | |
is something I will never, ever forget. | 0:54:45 | 0:54:47 | |
These shots give John a unique insight | 0:54:50 | 0:54:53 | |
into the feeding behaviour of blue whales. | 0:54:53 | 0:54:55 | |
Let's just look at the side of his mouth there. | 0:54:55 | 0:54:58 | |
So, basically, the water flow, you'd expect, | 0:54:58 | 0:55:00 | |
would be coming out the back there. | 0:55:00 | 0:55:02 | |
Yeah, look at that little fold there, | 0:55:02 | 0:55:04 | |
that is really interesting. | 0:55:04 | 0:55:06 | |
That's a great view. | 0:55:10 | 0:55:12 | |
That's fantastic. | 0:55:12 | 0:55:14 | |
Notice the full rotation there. Oh, that is... | 0:55:14 | 0:55:18 | |
And the full inversion. | 0:55:18 | 0:55:20 | |
OK - that's, again, a unique chance | 0:55:20 | 0:55:22 | |
to see a perspective we don't get to see. | 0:55:22 | 0:55:24 | |
With this close collaboration, | 0:55:27 | 0:55:29 | |
the team have filmed blue whales as never before | 0:55:29 | 0:55:33 | |
and at last have started to reveal | 0:55:33 | 0:55:35 | |
the secret life of the ocean's greatest hunter. | 0:55:35 | 0:55:38 | |
Next time, the hunt is on out in the open. | 0:55:45 | 0:55:48 | |
On the deserts and grasslands... | 0:55:50 | 0:55:52 | |
..where hunters and hunted have nowhere to hide. | 0:55:59 | 0:56:03 |