05x06 - Jonathan Bird's Blue World

[bunniefuu]

[adventurous music]

- [Narrator] This time on Blue World,

an underwater blast from the
past celebrating "Sea Hunt",

but first, exploring sea
mounts in the Gulf of Mexico.

[upbeat music]

Meet Jonathan Bird,

one of the world's top underwater
nature cinematographers.

Traveling the world on assignment

for all the major networks,

he is an Emmy Award-winning authority

on the underwater world.

In freshwater or salt,
reefs, wrecks, or caves,

Jonathan documents the
world beneath the waves.

Welcome to the Blue World.

[soft music]

- The Gulf of Mexico.

To many people, it conjures
images of oil platforms

or even oil spills.

But this magnificent body of water is

so much more than a rich
deposit of oil and gas reserves.

There is warm, clear water
containing lush coral reefs,

murky plankton filled water

with giants feeding on the plankton,

and virtually everything in between.

The Gulf of Mexico is an
ocean basin surrounded

by the United States, Mexico, and Cuba.

Though connected to the
Caribbean, it's somewhat isolated.


there are three sea mounts
rising up from the depths.

Two of them are capped
by lush coral reefs.

These are the flower
garden banks protected

by the United States government since 1992

as a National Marine Sanctuary.

I've been fortunate enough
to receive an invitation

from the Women Divers Hall of Fame

to join their expedition
to the flower garden banks.

The trip was planned
during the week following

the full moon in the hopes
of observing coral spawning.

I board the Fling, a
dive boat based in Texas.

Captain Bland is at the
helm as we set a course

for the Flower Garden Bank's
National Marine Sanctuary.

And while the Gulf is infamous
for rough seas, today,

the weather is flat calm.

A trio of bottle nose dolphins
have joined us on the bow.

[upbeat music]

Our first stop is at Stetson Bank,

the northernmost sea
mount in the sanctuary.

With the mooring line
tied, the ladders go down

and it's time to dive.

[curious music]

Woo!

My camera is lowered on a rope.

Send her down.

Sort of.

[soft music]

My wife Christine is here as camera woman,

and together we descend 80 feet
to the top of Stetson Bank.

Stetson, like the Flower
Garden banks, is a sea mount,

a pinnacle that rises up
from deep water like an

underwater mountain.

The summit of that
mountain is shallow enough

that we can get there with
conventional scuba gear.

Stetson is sedimentary rock.

Erosion has made the layers of the rock

easily observable due to
cool water temperatures

there is very little
coral at Stetson Bank,

but the rocks are covered
in sponges and algae.

The marine life here takes
advantage of what they have.

[curious music]

A crack hides a sea
urchin and an arrow crab.

A well camouflaged scorpion
fish hides in plain sight on an

algae tufted rock.

A cluster of purple tube sponge
is a home for damsel fish.

Sponge is a meal for a
hungry french angel fish.

And a frog fish even looks like
a sponge to avoid detection.

It is in a weird position
and hard to film,

but this rare beauty is worth the effort.

Stetson Bank also attracts
big schools of fish looking

for food and a place to hide at night.

At this depth, we can't stay very long.

Soon it's time to head back to the boat.

We ascend up the mooring
line, do a safety stop,

and then make our way to the ladder

at the stern of the boat.

Woo.

As soon as everyone's out of the water,

the crew begins filling tanks

and preparing for departure
to the Flower Garden Banks.

Anchors are destructive to the reef,

so we're tying the boat
to a permanently attached

mooring line.

Down on the reef, the
mooring line is attached

to a steel ring embedded in the reef.

There are several
mooring sites on the bank

and no anchors are allowed.

Before the dive, we get a
briefing from Captain Bland.

- Just pull hand over hand
like you've been doing--

- Then it's time to suit
up and check out the coral.

The water here is super clear

and I can see the reef 80 feet down.

[soft music]

Christine and I fire up our cameras

and try to familiarize
ourselves with the topography.

We will be back down here after dark,

looking for the coral spawning.

The Flower Garden Banks
look much different than

Stetson Bank.

In the winter, the water
here is only four degrees

Fahrenheit warmer than Stetson,

but that's enough to
allow dense coral growth.

In fact, the bank is jam
packed with coral in density

that's rarely seen elsewhere.

Star corals and brain corals
dominate the landscape.

Large barrel sponges complete
the topography picture.

There are coral overhangs

and crevices creating habitats
for the type of marine life

that thrives on Caribbean reefs.

A moray eel watches me with caution.

Christmas tree worms extend their delicate

gills into the water.

Above the reef, schools of
silvery bait fish eat plankton.

At night they will hide in the reef

where they will be stalked by lionfish,

beautiful but deadly invasive species

that originated in the Indo-Pacific.

With no natural predators
in the Gulf of Mexico

and Caribbean, lionfish
populations are skyrocketing.

Parrot fish are a common
site on all coral reefs.

They eat the algae that
lives on and in coral.

They have hard teeth
that can take the abuse

of biting at limestone all day.

Once the parrotfish gets used
to me, I can get pretty close

for some nice shots.

But when I look up, I've
attracted the attention

of a barracuda and it's circling.

This is definitely not
normal Barracuda behavior.

While this fish does look
mean, looks can be deceiving,

they're almost never aggressive to divers.

It--

Doesn't take long to figure out

that I've stumbled into the
Barracuda's cleaning station.

As soon as I get out of the
way, the Barracuda swims up,

does its best to hold still,

and receives the attention
of a cleaner fish in the form

of a juvenile Spanish hogfish.

The hogfish is searching

for parasites on the barracuda to eat.

If it can find any, the hogfish gets fed

and the barracuda gets rid
of an annoying hitchhiker.

It's good for everyone.

All too soon, once again,
it's time to make our way back

to the world above.

Christine and I do a safety
stop just below the boat.

Later in the day as the sun sets,

it's getting to be time
for the coral to spawn.

We can only hope that
tonight is the night.

When we start seeing eggs at the surface,

we know we hit the jackpot.

It's time to hit the water.

[water splashing]

[ethereal music]

As I descend into the dark ocean,

it looks more like outer space.

I'm surrounded by
constellations of coral spawn.

I'm getting worried that
we missed the main event.

Down on the reef,

I frantically search for spawning coral.

Fortunately, it doesn't take
long to find a coral colony

that hasn't spawned yet.

Each polyp of this brain
coral is incubating a single

gamete bundle.

It looks like an egg, but brain
corals are hermaphrodites.

Each bundle contains an
egg and sperm together.

As the bundles are
released and float away,

they later separate into eggs and sperm

so they can cross fertilize
in the water column.

I'm conflicted as I patiently wait

for a coral colony to spawn.

I have no way of knowing what I'm missing

somewhere else on the reef

while I focus all my attention here.

But this is what I came to
see, the miracle of life.

The night may be special to the coral,

but the parrotfish is trying
to get some well-deserved rest.

The barracuda has lost
interest in getting cleaned

and hunkered down for the night.

Our timing was good, the
coral spawn is about over

by the time we need to leave.

I'm thrilled to have been
a part of the expedition

to the Flower Garden Bank's
National Marine Sanctuary.

The sponge-covered
topography of Stetson Bank,

with its diverse inhabitants,

is an underwater photographer's paradise,

and the reef-covered
shallows of the Flower

Garden Banks are more
densely packed than many

Caribbean reefs.

Seeing the coral spawn
was icing on the cake.

The Gulf of Mexico is definitely much more

than meets the eye.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Next on Blue World,

celebrating the classic
TV show "Sea Hunt".

- [Jonathan] In 1958, "Sea Hunt" was one

of the most popular
programs on US television.

Its starred Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson,

an ex-Navy diver doing
freelance underwater work.

His adventure spurred a
generation of viewers to learn

to dive and appreciate the ocean.

Mike Nelson's gear was
state-of-the-art in 1950s.

He had his double hose regulator,

tiny rubber fins, and
no buoyancy compensator.

The spirit of "Sea Hunt" is
being kept alive by a group

of vintage scuba enthusiasts
who restore, maintain,

and dive with classic
scuba gear from the 1950s.

This weekend, I'm
attending a special event

that happens only once a year.

The "Sea Hunt" Forever Festival
at Silver Springs State

Park in Florida.

[soft music]

Silver Springs is a special place.

It's a little piece of
unspoiled Florida wilderness,

complete with an alligator or two.

There are a lot of springs in Florida,

but there's a reason
why "Sea Hunt" Forever

takes place here.

- [Narrator] For example,
the fine sunken treasure

or mineral wealth.

- [Jonathan] From 1958 to 1961,

Silver Springs was a prime
underwater filming location

for "Sea Hunt".

[dramatic music]

- [Lloyd] I struggle--
- The clear water

and calm controlled conditions
made it a perfect place for

what was basically an underwater studio.

Silver Springs is now a state park

and no scuba diving is allowed.

- My name's Captain Christopher Staker,

I'm gonna be our guide here
for the next 30 minutes or so.

- [Jonathan] But today is different.

Tourists are boarding
a glass bottomed boat

for a fish eye view of the spring.

Below the boat, crystal
clear water and divers.

- [Child] How deep is this?

- [Guide] The deepest part over
here is about 50 feet deep.

- The rain won't spoil this special day.

We are here to get wet anyway.

Allen is getting into his vintage gear

for a dive in the spring.

I feel right at home here

with all these double hose regulators.

Cameraman Todd and I head for the water

to catch the underwater action.

[curious music]

My double hose is a modern
interpretation of the classics,

so I decide to try out
some real vintage stuff.

Other than the algae we've all
kicked up near the entrance.

The water in the spring is super clear

and everyone looks like
they just jumped into an

episode of "Sea Hunt".

If ever there was a chance
for fully grown adults

to relive their childhood, this is it.

Reenactments are the game of the day.

Play knife fights with rubber knives

break out every five minutes.

[dramatic music]

A bad guy is hiding.

Meanwhile, the good guy
has found a treasure chest.

With my vintage fins, I try to keep up

with the unfolding action.

Victory for the good guy.

The reward?

A chest full of gold coins.

The local fish keep their
distance while I look

for the next knife fight.

Unfortunately, a bad guy
has seen me and he's coming

after me with one of those
terrible rubber knives.

My buddy Lewis hero saves the day

with his extremely dangerous spear g*n.

[upbeat music]

Meanwhile, Jerry Lang zips
by on his Voit Porta-Sub,

an extremely rare piece of vintage gear,

Joe Musial fires up a magnesium torch.

Magnesium burns so hot

that water can't extinguish the flame,

and the reaction actually
releases oxygen from the water

needed to support the combustion.

Inside the mouth of the cave,

the torch provides light
and even produces smoke.

These magnesium torches were
all the rage in the 1950s,

but they're quite dangerous
and not commonly used anymore.

Scuba diving hasn't really
changed fundamentally

since the 1950s.

We have a few new gadgets
that make diving safer,

but for the most part,
it's still a cylinder

of compressed air

and a regulator that allows one to breathe

that air underwater.

But at the end of the day
events that keep vintage diving

alive are mostly about having fun,

and isn't that why we scuba dive?

The "Sea Hunt" Forever
Festival is a great tradition

that not only keeps history
alive, but is just plain fun.

[upbeat music]