04x03 - Hawaiian Monk Seals, Wounded Warriors, and Counting Fish

[bunniefuu]

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- [Narrator] Today on
Jonathan Bird's "Blue World",

Jonathan meets a group of
veterans learning to scuba dive

as rehabilitation for their injuries,

then he learns how to
count fish for science.

But first, a rare and
endangered seal in Hawaii.

All of this today on
Jonathan Bird's "Blue World".

Meet Jonathan Bird,

[water splashing]

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one of the world's top underwater
nature cinematographers.

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Traveling the world on assignment

for all the major networks,

he is an Emmy Award-winning authority

on the underwater world.

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

Jonathan documents the
world beneath the waves.

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Welcome to the "Blue World".

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[water bubbling]

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- Seals and sea lions
are among the ocean's

most endearing creatures,
their antics and appearance

often remind me of undersea puppy dogs,

and sometimes these playful
animals interact with divers.

Most seals and sea lions
live in the cool water

of temperate seas, or the frigid
water of the polar regions.

The so-called monk
seals are the only seals

that live in the tropics,
and I have come all the way

to a remote part of Hawaii

to meet this incredibly rare
animal, the Hawaiian monk seal.

[bright acoustic music]

The Hawaiian monk seal
is critically endangered,

there are less than 1,200 animals left.

The rugged coast of the Hawaiian islands

might seem like a perfect place for seals,

but these famously shy
animals are rarely seen

in the main Hawaiian islands.

On the island of Kauai,
I'm up before sunrise

for an adventure that will
take me out to sea all day.

I'm joining Fathom Five
Divers to make a long trip

over to a remote island
where just a few monk seals

are known to live.

We leave the dock for a two
hour crossing to Ni'ihau,

the forbidden island.

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It's a beautiful morning in Hawaii,

but this trip is rarely flat calm.

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Two hours later, we approach Ni'ihau

at a smaller island next
to it called Lehua Rock.

The remains of an ancient volcano,

Lehua Rock is an uninhabited island.

It's a protected bird sanctuary

and home to a small group
of Hawaiian monk seals

that are known to be curious about divers.

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As we approach and anchor the boat,

I'm on the lookout for any seals.

We've come to a spot where
they're frequently seen,

but there are no guarantees in nature.

But I don't have to wait long,

a curious monk seal comes
right over to give us a look,

but the real question is, will he allow me

to film him underwater?

[bright music]

I gear up for what could be
the greatest dive of my life,

or the most boring,
depending on what happens.

I drop into the water, grab my camera,

and sink towards the bottom,

where I look around for a monk seal.

The volcanic rock has
been deposited in layers,

producing a beautiful vertical drop off

made even more spectacular
by the excellent visibility.

I can hear a strange
sound in the distance,

but I can't tell where it's coming from.

[seal growling]

Soon, I find the source of the sound,

a male monk seal floating
in mid-water, vocalizing.

[seal growling]

The most important part of
filming any marine mammal

is never to swim to it,
but let it come to you.

There's no way I can out swim a seal,

nor am I likely to sneak up on it,

so my best chance at
getting close to this animal

is to wait and see if it
gets curious about me.

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So far, however,

he seems much more
interested in vocalizing.

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Nobody is quite sure what
the vocalizing is about,

but it seems to be
unrelated to my presence.

It has been suggested that this is a form

of mating call from the
male to any nearby females.

One of the problems for the
recovery of this species

is the fact that there are
far more males than females.

Finding a female in the vastness
of the ocean is not easy.

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I try to act like I'm doing something else

in the hope that the
seal will grow curious,

but finally, I have to leave the water

'cause I'm getting low on air.

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[water splashing]

Well, that was really interesting.

We had one seal that was coming
around us, not too close,

but taking a look at the camera,

and then going off into
the blue and vocalizing,

making that sort of growling sound.

[Jonathan growling]

And that vocalization
hopefully will lead to this,

finding a mate.

In their leisure time,
monk seals like to play

in the surf together,
it looks like fighting,

but usually nobody gets hurt.

[seal grunting]

[seal growling]

This couple is on their way to mating.

[bright playful music]

The remote coast of Kauai,
Ni'ihau, and Moloka'i

conceal isolated beaches
devoid of human encroachment.

These are the places
that monk seals seek out

to give birth to their pups.

[waves lapping]
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Human encroachment is
one of the main threats

facing the recovery of the
Hawaiian monk seal population.

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And tiger sharks are a big threat

to the pups just learning to swim.

A mother monk seal usually
gives birth to only one pup,

which is totally dependent on her care

for about a month and a half.

During that time, she gives her pup milk

and swimming lessons.

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[waves lapping]

Unfortunately, only 20
percent of newborn pups

make it to their second birthday,

this high mortality is the reason

that the Hawaiian monk seal
is having such a hard time

making a comeback from
hundreds of years of hunting.

Of course, now the Hawaiian monk seal

is on the endangered species list

and protected from hunting
throughout its entire range.

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[waves lapping]

The Caribbean monk seal was not so lucky,

it was hunted into extinction,

the last living animal was seen in 1952.

Hopefully, the efforts to protect

and rehabilitate the
Hawaiian monk seal population

are not too late.

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[waves lapping]

Back at the boat, while
everyone else has lunch,

I decide to do a little snorkeling

and check out the reef in the shallows.

While floating there looking at the fish,

guess who has snuck up on me?

A monk seal's natural
curiosity has brought him over

for a look at the awkward floating human,

he seems like he's just
taking a rest at the surface,

maybe all that vocalizing gets tiring.

He looks right into my camera lens,

clearly he's curious
about me or my camera.

[bright playful music]

I float in the water for half an hour

as the seal repeatedly pops
his nose above the surface

for a breath of air.

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Finally, with one last breath,
he dives about 50 feet down

and starts to vocalize again.

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Soon it's time for another scuba dive,

so cameraman Todd and I head
to the boat and gear up.

- [Speaker] Slow hands.

- We hit the water and
swim down to the reef.

[water bubbling]

Almost immediately, the
seal comes over to greet us,

swimming right past Todd.

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He swims right down to me

and floats gently above the bottom.

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He can see me clearly
because the eyes of a seal

are designed to work underwater.

Seals have blurry vision on land,

but crystal clear vision down here.

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Soon, the seal starts rubbing
his back on the rocks,

even a seal likes a back scratch,

he doesn't mind my presence at all.

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Or maybe he just thinks
the lens on my camera

produces a nice reflection of himself.

His big whiskers do more
than make him look cute,

they help him hunt fish.

They're sensitive to
vibrations in the water

and detect movement at
close range in the dark.

As I continue to observe,
the seal goes back

to vocalizing right in front of me.

[seal growling]

He brings the air up from
his lungs into his throat,

then exhales the bubbles afterwards.

[seal growling]

[seal growling]

[seal growling]

[water bubbling]

I have no idea how he made that sound.

Seals are mammals and breathe air,

so after a few minutes,

he needs to head to the
surface for a breath.

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While swimming back to the boat,

I notice a sandbar shark
swimming through the area,

I wonder if it will
frighten the seal away.

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However, much to my surprise,
the seal in fact swims over

to check out the shark.

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Then he goes back to vocalizing,

it's the shark that swims away.

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Wow!

That is a first, a shark
and a seal on the same dive

in the same shot!

How cool is that?

I'll never forget my
adventures with my new friend,

the Hawaiian Monk seal.

[bright playful music]

I certainly hope that all
that vocalizing pays off

and he finds himself a girlfriend.

[seal growling]
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The future of the Hawaiian
monk seal depends on it.

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[waves lapping]

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- [Narrator] Next on
Jonathan Bird's "Blue World",

Jonathan learns how to take
a census of marine life.

But first, an incredible
group of Wounded Warriors

learning to scuba dive.

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- [Jonathan] Most people
learn to scuba dive

as a recreational activity,
combining a love of the water

with the desire to
explore beneath the waves.

But sometimes scuba
diving can be therapeutic.

Today, I'm meeting a
remarkable group of people

who learned to dive as a way
to heal after serious injury.

These men and women are part
of a Wounded Warrior program

that helps injured members of the military

learn to dive as therapy.

- I was in Afghanistan
conducting operations out there,

and stepped in a doorway to clear a room,

and there was a pressure
plate inside the doorway,

and stepped on it,
obviously with my left foot,

and it took my leg there.

- I received a g*nsh*t wound
to my right leg in 2009,

shattered about five inches of my femur.

- [Jonathan] Tasha lost
some of her fingers

in a training accident.

- So I pulled my hands out and I was like,

"I told y'all I didn't wanna
go on this deployment."

And just started making all these jokes,

and everybody was like, "Are you crazy?

Your hands are mangled
and you're still joking."

I was like, "Well, got to."

[Tasha laughing]

- Oh, I was in a four-wheeler
accident and I broke my neck

and I was paralyzed from the neck down.

The doctors told me that
I would never walk again,

but obviously, they were wrong.

I had, you know, some good surgeons

and some great support
from my friends and family,

and you know, here I am
running with the best of 'em.

And I will say that scuba
diving is the first time

that I haven't felt the limitations

of my injury since the accident.

- [Jonathan] Stewart Snyder
is the course director

of the Handicap Scuba
Association International.

Stew and his team are the ones

who taught these Wounded Warriors to dive.

- When the Wounded Warriors
Project came along,

there was a water sports
festival in New York City,

we went up there for the first
time with the Be A Diver pool

and we had 35 wound soldiers
get in and try scuba diving.

The funny part about it

is we couldn't get 'em out of the pool.

Good morning, and welcome to Bonaire.

- [Jonathan] Each year
after they do their pool

and classroom training,
several Wounded Warriors

get the chance to travel
to the island of Bonaire

to complete their training
in the open ocean.

- Okay?

- This year, six Wounded
Warriors have come

to Captain Don's Habitat
to learn to scuba dive.

[bright acoustic music]

One by one, the warriors enter the water.

[water splashing]

[water splashing]

And I'm right behind them with my camera

to document their adventure.

Let's go.

[water splashing]

Does anybody know where our divers went?

- [Speaker 2] Down there, I think.

- [Jonathan] The warriors
start with a basic reef dive

to see some marine life.

[gentle acoustic music]

Next, they visit a shipwreck

Divers of all ages and experience levels

love to explore shipwrecks,

in addition to being
magnets for marine life,

wrecks are just plain fun to swim through.

Whether diving a
shipwreck or a coral reef,

these Wounded Warriors find
some peace, relaxation,

and a little adventure

as they explore the beautiful
clear waters of Bonaire.

[bright gentle music]

- You just kinda forget
everything, you know,

forget your worries, just
focus on what you're doing,

and it's just, I mean,
there's nothing like it.

There's no gravity down
there, just do what you want.

It's beautiful.

[bright gentle music]

- You know, you can go
up, down, left, right,

any direction you wanna go

and there's something
cool there to look at.

[bright gentle music]

- Once I get in the water,
I still do have pain,

but it's not nearly what it
is while I'm here on land

and moving around and everything.

I love it and I plan on moving forward

with the whole thing too.

- I think it gives them back
self-confidence, self-worth.

A lot of times I see them,
they're a little hesitant

to get in the water, then they get in,

and then it opens a whole new world.

It's easier for some of them to move

because they're missing legs and arms.

- When you're under the water,

you're not thinking about your injury,

you're thinking about what's
going on in that moment.

The experience just takes your
mind off of everything else.

- I'm looking into going further

in the whole realm of scuba diving,

mainly because I live with
pain on a constant basis,

it's always there, and scuba
diving is the one thing

that makes it not hurt as much

as it always does here on land.

- It absolutely helps with my recovery.

You know, it gets me out doing things

that I wouldn't normally do,
and it's good physical therapy,

and it helps me work on my coordination,

and helps control my breathing,
and being under the water,

you know, you use muscles
you wouldn't normally use,

and you know, you're carrying
your equipment around,

so you get stronger and
faster and more coordinated,

and you know, it's just
been amazing so far.

- [Warrior] I don't even feel like

there's really a handicap
there, if you will,

it's real, I mean, like I
said, it's non-stressful,

when I go out there I just
jump in with my water leg.

There's really no difference.

[bright gentle music]

- The group I work with
in New Jersey myself,

our masks are always filled up with water.

It's not the pool water or
the ocean water, it's tears.

It's a real, real good
feeling when you're able

to help somebody like
that to conquer something.

[Stewart laughing]

Don't get me going, Bird.

[Steward laughing]

- [Jonathan] Bonaire
honors the Wounded Warriors

with a motorcycle
procession through Bonaire.

Captain Don's Habitat even
loans me a Harley-Davidson

to join the procession.

[bright upbeat music]
[engine rumbling]

[engine revving]

[engines revving]

We also attend a reception at the home

of Lieutenant Governor Glenn Thode.

I use the opportunity for
some shameless promotion,

hopefully turning the
governor and his wife

into "Blue World" fans.

- Thanks, and so you meet a
lot of creatures underwater.

- Uh-oh.
- Whoa, whoa!

I left that evening with
a tremendous respect

for these men and women
who sacrifice so much

for our country and never give up,

and I gained a new
respect for scuba diving,

which is helping them heal
and recover from their wounds.

[bright music]

The opportunity to meet and
dive with these amazing heroes

will always make this trip
to Bonaire very special.

[bright music]

- [Narrator] Don't go away,

Jonathan is about to learn
how to take notes underwater

and count fish.

[bright music]

[waves lapping]

- You ever wonder how
many fish are in the sea?

Well, biologists have,

and today I'm in Rockport, Massachusetts

for a special event to
answer that very question.

And that event is The
Great Annual Fish Count,

coordinated by the Reef
Environmental Education Foundation.

The fish count takes place worldwide,

and I'll be diving along

with many other divers in Massachusetts

to identify and count fish.

Why count fish?

So biologists can learn about
trends in fish populations

to better understand and
protect those populations.

For my part of this project,

I'm diving on Cape Ann in Massachusetts,

other divers are spread out
all over the USA and the world.

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[transition whooshing]

But before my day of fish counting,

I stop in at Bob Michaelson's
Fish Identification Course,

Bob is the Regional Director
of The Great Annual Fish Count.

- So we're gonna start
with our top 20 species,

the most cited frequency of each fish.

First one on the list is the cunner.

- [Jonathan] Now you would think
that since I've been diving

in New England for over 20 years,

I would know all the names of the fish,

but it turns out a refresher
is never a bad idea.

- [Bob] You'll see over 100 of
these fish on a given survey

while you're diving.

- The morning of the big day,

each diver checks in with a REEF volunteer

and gets a sheet to fill
out with the day's finds.

And it's always a good idea to
listen to the dive briefing,

especially when you're diving a new site.

Finally, it's time to go count some fish.

[bright playful music]

I got a slate and a pencil, a-ha,

so I can write down what I see.

My slate works underwater,
so I can make notes as I go.

[bright playful music]

[waves lapping]
[bird squawking]

I'm heading into the water
with a bunch of other divers,

we'll spread out to cover a large area,

hopefully we don't all
count the same fish.

[waves lapping]
[bright playful music]

As I head out to deeper water,

first I cross a vast
expanse of sandy sea floor.

There isn't much here, just
a bunch of drifting seaweed

and a few rocks.

[bright dramatic music]

Finally, I get to the bigger
boulders out a little further,

there's kelp and plenty of
good places for fish to hide,

this should be a good
place to find some fish.

I'm not taking any chances,
maybe I'll sneak up on the fish.

At last, a fish!

I found a cunner.

I'm not that proud of myself, though,

the cunner is probably
the most common fish

in Massachusetts.

So, I keep swimming with
my eyes peeled, and then,

a-ha!

Finally some luck, a sea robin!

This curious little fish
walks along the bottom

on finger-like pectoral fin spines,

and it's not very common on Cape Ann.

My dive buddy, Mia, makes a
note, that's a great find.

[bright playful music]

Heading out a little deeper,

Mia and I finally hit pay
dirt, a huge school of pollack.

Now all we have to do is count them.

One, two, three, hey
stop moving, you guys.

[bright music]

Oh well, I'll have to just guess

and write down, I don't
know, 100, that sounds good.

[bright music]

Heading back towards shore
through the kelp covered rocks,

we eventually return to the sandy shallows

and decide to take a look around.

I find a strange pair of eyes in the sand,

it's a flounder, perfectly
evolved for this habitat,

a little coaxing reveals the whole fish.

[bright playful music]

[water bubbling]

[bright playful music]

Nearby, another creature
of the sand, a skate.

This relative of the stingray
has no stinger for defense,

it swims along the bottom by pushing off

with its pelvic fins, and
then gliding a foot or so,

just an inch above the bottom.

[bright acoustic music]

I'm finding some good
stuff out here on the sand,

but as I turn to head back to shore,

I find something quite rare,

it's an Atlantic torpedo ray.

This ray has no stinging spine either,

but it can defend itself by
delivering an electric shock

of up to 220 volts.

I'm definitely writing this one down,

even if nobody believes me.

I keep a safe distance as the ray decides

to swim off into the depths.

Any animal that catches its
prey by electrocuting it

deserves some respect.

[bright dramatic music]

I head back to shore
with a nice cross section

of fish sightings to show for the dive.

Well, that was great,
we found a lot of fish,

some cunner, a really big
flounder, some skates,

and a huge school of pollack.

So now I need to get dried off

and go report our dive results.

[bright playful music]

We go to Stage Fort
Park, also on Cape Ann,

where the reef representatives
have set up base camp.

To make the counts
scientifically valuable,

I have to fill out a form
listing everything I saw

and how many.

I can't wait to write down the
part about the torpedo ray.

[bright playful music]

Bob is looking pretty
busy running the event,

but I get a quick tour.

Tell me what everybody's doing here.

- This is citizen science at its best.

- [Jonathan] It's a great
event, how many people we got?

- Don't have the final totals yet,

there's still people out
counting fish and surveying,

but I'm expecting to end up
with 90 to 95 divers today.

It'll be the 11th consecutive
year we've held the largest

fish counting event in the United States,

here in Gloucester.

- So, I finished my
dives here in Rockport,

counting fish, along with
thousands of other divers

all over the world that were
counting fish today as well.

And what's really cool is to think

that all this data collected
will be helping scientists

decide which species
of fish are in decline

and need more help, and which
species are doing just fine.

[bright acoustic music]

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