01x02 - Swimming with Jaws, The Bandana Game, The Shark and the Whale

[bunniefuu]

The Great White Shark—one of the most feared predators in the seas. This is one of the

most dangerous sharks in the world, considered by many to be a man-eater. But just how aggressive

are these sharks? Join me on an expedition to investigate great white sharks.

Hi, I'm Jonathan Bird and welcome to my world!

Great white sharks are not easy to find. There are only a handful of places in the world

where divers can see them in the wild.

So I've come here, to San Diego California, to get on a boat and make a 200 miles crossing

to an inland in Mexico called Guadalupe where we hope to find Great White Sharks.

My home for the expedition is a converted fishing boat. I'll be spending the week

with several other divers and a few shark researchers.

Our journey will take us across 200 miles of open Pacific Ocean, from San Diego, to

Guadalupe Island in Mexico, off the Baja peninsula.

We depart from the dock and start our journey with high expectations.

Our first stop, however, is at the bait shop, where we pick up baitfish to use for catching

tuna. Then the tuna will be used as bait for the Sharks.

While I often swim with sharks in open water, unprotected by a cage, White Sharks are a

little too big for that. The crew insists that we use cages for safety.

After 2 hours, we pass the Coronado Islands in Mexican waters. This is the last land I'll

see until we reach Guadalupe...another 20 hours from now

Along the way we stop to do some fishing. I'm generally not much of a fisherman. After

all, I would rather swim with the fish than catch them, but in this case we need some

bait to attract the sharks, so everyone has to do their part. Oh Strong. HELLO. Aw another

on it the food chain.

Whoa! Strong! HELLO. Aww another one in the food chain!

We then continue our journey to Guadalupe Island.

We encounter rough seas, but finally, the next morning we arrive at Guadalupe. This

desolate island is an extinct volcano that pokes out of the Pacific. Almost nothing can

survive on this rock outcropping.

Our first task upon arrival is to get the chum in the water. The crew use fish meal

and water to create a fishy soup in a trash can. Then, a pump squirts it overboard. This

creates a scent trail in the water to draw the sharks to the boat.

Once the chum has been started, we turn our attention to getting the cages in the water.

These large cages can hold up to five people each, and they have large holes for cameras.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some great shots of the sharks.

Once the cages are in the water, we tie some tuna on a rope and throw it into the water

with a float to keep it near the surface.

Members of the crew also take turns whacking the water with a pole, which is said to attract

sharks.

The water slapping and the chum soup helps get the sharks to the boat, but only something

more substantial like tuna chunks will convince them to stick around and approach the cages.

Now we wait. It can take hours or even days to get sharks.

Then without warning, a shark comes up and checks out one of the tuna baits. Today we're

lucky because it only took a couple of hours.

Now the fun part. I suit up into my gear for my dive with a White Shark!

The water is about 70 degrees, so I need a wetsuit to stay warm. Next I step down onto

the swim platform where the crew outfits me with a really heavy weight harness.

A normal weight belt for diving with this much of a wetsuit is about 10 pounds, but

I am wearing a 40-pound weight harness so I'll be able to stand firmly on the bottom

of the cage without floating up and hitting my head on the top of the cage!

I don't need a bulky scuba tank because we are using surface-supplied air on a long

hose.

Diving with Surface-Supplied Air is a very different kind of diving than what I'm used

to, but it works well for this kind of underwater experience....as long as the shark can't

get to the hose!

They hand me my camera and I drop below the waves to wait for a shark.

You would think it would be easy to see the sharks once I hit the water, but it's more

complicated than that. The sharks like to stay down in deep water, watching the surface

from below.

White Sharks get the advantage over their prey by surprising them. We have to hope that

the shark wants to grab this bait and come close to the cage.

While I wait for a shark to go for the tuna bait, I can't do anything but wait. And

wait. And wait. Shark diving can actually be pretty boring sometimes.

Since the sharks are taking so long, the crew has put out another kind of lure...a 5 gallon

plastic bucket filled with frozen fish. Yummy!

At last I see something coming, but it doesn't look like a shark. It's a sea lion coming

in to check out the tuna. It turns out the sea lion is only mildly interested in the

dead fish. Sea lions prefer to catch live fish. Yet this curious animal doesn't seem

too concerned that a White Shark is lurking somewhere below. Or maybe it doesn't know.

Suddenly, the Sea lion vanishes and a shark appears. It seems to be aware of us, but it's

definitely more interested in the bait. It makes a couple of close passes to examine

the bait.

Then it makes its move, going directly for the tuna. It grabs it, bites easily through

the rope, and takes off with a tasty mouthful.

After that, the shark heads back down below us, out of sight. What's going on? Why is

the shark not attacking the cage and trying to eat us?

As I watch the White Shark behavior over a couple of days, I can see a pattern. It likes

nice chunks of bait to eat, and it has no interest in the cages or the people in them.

WOW! What an incredible animal. Well, it just goes to show you the sharks are really interested

in the bait. They really haven't got a lot of interest in me. They know exactly what

they want and they go straight for it. And the cage is really to make me feel better.

Occasionally the shark comes up and bites the bucket full of frozen chum, just to see

if there is anything tasty in there. When it figures out that the chum is chopped up

too finely to eat, it goes back to the bottom.

The White Sharks only come up for food. They can tell the difference between nice juicy

piece of fish, and a bucket. And they show no interest in chasing the sea lions around

the boat either.

These sharks are obviously a lot smarter than they appear.

Some of the shark research being done around Guadalupe Island includes identifying individuals

to see if they return year after year. Several have been named including Scarboard, a large

female who has a scar on her right, which is her starboard, side.

Other identifying features researchers look for include the coloration in the area around

the gills, and also the color pattern by the tail. No two sharks are exactly alike.

Any distinguishing marks like this white streak on the nose help researchers identify individual

sharks.

Time flies when you're having fun. All too soon, our time with the sharks comes to an

end and we have to turn for home. I look forward to returning the island of Guadalupe and visiting

the sharks again soon. It may be rather desolate above the water, but is rich with incredible

animals living within its blue underwater world!

Coming up, Jonathan tries to steal a bandana from wild dolphins!

Welcome to Jonathan Bird’s Blue World!

It’s a windy day aboard the Dolphin Dream dive boat, and we’re heading towards prime

dolphin territory!

The Blue World and Brave Wilderness teams have been diving in the Bahamas for a few

days now.

We had some epic shark diving with Lemon sharks, Patches the Hammerhead and Tiger sharks.

We even went shark diving at night!

But today it’s time to try something completely different.

We’re looking for dolphins.

Finch is scanning the horizon for dorsal fins.

Now it’s a little known fact that in order to get dolphins, you actually have to summon

them to the boat.

And to do that you have to perform the summoning dance—sort of a ritualized dolphin-bringing

thing.

And we don’t really know how to do it, so Finch is going to give Cameraman Tim and Cameraman

Bill a lesson.

And it actually works!

Dolphins on the bow

Soon a small pod of Spotted dolphins have converged upon the bow of our boat.

They love to ride the pressure wave in the bow wake, like underwater surfers.

Dolphins on the starboard side, dive dive dive dive dive!

Dolphins are too fast for scuba gear, so we just use a mask, fins and snorkel.

Dolphins swimming

The dolphins are curious, but they lose interest quickly.

So, to keep them engaged, we have to swim as fast as we can and splash around to pique

their interest.

Even when I am swimming as hard as I can, the dolphins are barely swimming.

Dolphins riding scooters

But pretty soon we get tired, so Houston brings out an electric scooter.

The dolphins love the scooter, so they swarm around Houston as he spins and twirls underwater

like a blue-jeaned ballerina.

Dolphins playing with Bandana

One really fun way to engage the dolphins is to offer them a bandana to play with.

They love to pass it back and forth, but their favorite thing to do with it is to play keep

away with the pathetic humans.

Even though they don’t have hands, they can carry the bandana on their pectoral fins,

dorsal fin and even their flukes.

Mark tries to get close enough to grab it but this dolphin says “no way!”

Dolphins taunting me

Finally he drops it and now is my chance.

Psyche!!!

He is taunting me.

Come and get it slowpoke human!!

The dolphins steal a lot of bandanas.

I wonder if they have a stash of them someplace under the reef or something?

How to get the bandana back

So one of the things about the bandana game is…sometimes the dolphins don’t give the

bandana back, so you go through a lot of bandanas.

So, the best thing to do is to actually cut your bandanas in half, because a half a bandana

works just fine, and you get twice as many chances, just in case the dolphins steal it—which

they like to do.

SO now we have a whole bunch of thee babies.

And these are the perfect size for the dolphins to catch on their pectoral fin or .

Good stuff.

Even though these are Spotted dolphins, many of them seem to have no spots.

Dolphins have no spots

That’s because they are born spotless.

As they get older, they will start to get a few spots around age two.

But fully mature Spotted dolphins are completely covered in spots.

This mature female is swimming with her 2 year old calf, and pregnant with her next

calf.

Even though the two-year-old wants to come over to investigate me, mom keeps herself

between us for a while until she is sure I’m not a threat.

Dolphins blowing bubbles

Later they swim by again and the calf gets a close look at me and my big camera.

Even though the juveniles are more curious, sometimes even the adults like to play.

Here’s something you don’t see very often.

Dolphins blowing bubbles.

Who knows why they are doing this.

Maybe it’s just fun.

After we start getting really tired, the dolphins get bored and go off to play among themselves.

Hey Bill!

What did you think of that man?

That was awesome!

Back on the boat

Love diving with dolphins!

It’s like the most fun you can have, when you’re almost drowning!

Yeah!

Ha!

What did you think Timmy?

It’s Unbelievable!

Hey here’s our ride!

Let’s go back and do it again!

Yeah, let’s go back and do it again!

So the trick with dolphins is keeping them interested.

When they get bored they swim away, and we have to get back on the boat and sort of chase

them down again and then jump back in the water.

So it’s a process of jumping in, getting out, jumping in, getting out, because they

get bored because we’re slow.

We’re boring.

So we have to keep them engaged so they get back on the bow.

Dive dive dive!

Alright let’s go!

Dive dive dive!

So the trick with dolphins is keeping them interested…transcribe…Alright let’s

Petting the dolphins

go!

We catch up with the pod, and jump back in.

Finch is on the scooter this time trying to keep them engaged.

And they still have my bandana!

Is Mark petting the dolphin?

Not many of the dolphins like to be touched, but some of them actively seek being petted.

Pretty soon the parents all come back to collect the kids at the playground and after a few

playful passes, they head off into the blue.

Please note that they did not give my bandana back!

My most amazing experience

That was unbelievable!

Most amazing experience of my entire life!

Swimming with those dolphins was unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.

I locked eyes with dolphins, swim with them, dove down and then kind of spun around and

maintained eye contact the entire time, yeah, life changing, unbelievable, can’t believe

it!

Can we go back please?

I can’t think of many wild animals that will actively engage with people, never mind

play a game of keep away.

Dolphins are definitely one of the smartest and most curious animals in the Blue World.

Hey Everyone!

Outro

Thanks for watching our latest episode all the way to the end!

You’re crazy if you don’t subscribe!

Hit that subscribe button now so you won’t miss our next episode!

And check out our merch link in the description for some Blue World swag.

Next on Jonathan Bird's Blue World, Jonathan goes

into the ocean with the world's largest shark!

Hi, I'm Jonathan Bird and welcome to my world!

( ♪ music )

I've journeyed to the warm and shallow waters of tiny Holbox Island

in the Gulf of Mexico to find and film the world's largest fish.

Holbox is barely more than a sandy spec on the map of Northern end of the Yucatan. It's

not your typical tourist destination. Until recently, this sleepy island wasn't much

more than a fishing village.

There are no paved roads, and everyone gets around in golf carts or other non-conventional

transportation.

The highway here is a stretch of beach where you can hit maybe 20 MPH if you have a fast

cart.

Downtown, this island has the charm of a place not yet discovered by throngs of tourists.

But everywhere there are signs. Something special has been discovered here.

Offshore in the cool waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a giant lurks!

I get up early to meet the boats to take me and the other intrepid snorkelers on the adventure

of a lifetime.

Right! Let's go find some whale sharks!

Instead of catching fish these former fishermen are now making their living taking tourist

to swim with the fish. A really big fish.

Using a GPS receiver to help him navigate, the captain takes us about an hour offshore.

Our guide Andreas watches the water with a carefully trained eye on the horizon.

Soon, we pass a pod of dolphins.

They circle the boat a few times to check us out, then vanish.

Then we come upon a group of Eagle Rays frolicking at the calm surface. I've never seen the

rays doing this before. I'm not even sure what they are up to, but after a few minutes

we have to move on.

We put boat back in gear and keep looking. A ripple up ahead catches Andreas's keen

eye. As we approach we find a giant Manta Ray feeding right at the surface mouth wide

open. Manta's can reach 20 feet across, but this is just a small one. Only about size

of car

Finally, Andres spots what we are looking for the huge head of a whale shark sticking

up out of water.

As we pull the boat up alongside the shark, I can see its massive mouth open and funneling

water in, like a gigantic storm drain. The shark is feeding. But what could it be eating?

It's more than 30 feet long. What could feed such an enormous animal?

To find out, I don my snorkel gear and hop over the side.

The whale shark passes right in front of me. The water is not very clear, and this is where

I get my first clue what is going on here.

The sharks have come to this section of the ocean because it is filled with plankton!

Whale sharks might be the biggest fish in the sea, but they eat only plankton and small

fish.

The word plankton comes from a Greek word meaning dr*fter, so plankton are drifting

organisms. Like these tiny Copepods

The water is filled with Copepods jellyfish and other drifting animals. They might be

small, but these planktonic animals are all food for the mighty whale shark.

Early in the morning, when the water is calm, the plankton forms a thick layer near the

surface.

Oooh! He's just surface feeding. What the whale sharks do here is they swim across the

surface of the water; with their mouth open wide; and all that plankton is sitting right

at the surface gets funneled right into their mouth.

The enormous mouth swallows up huge quantity of water

The water comes back out through the shark's gills, but cone like structure in the gills

capture the plankton like an enormous spaghetti strainer. So the whale shark swimming through

the water is like a big pool skimmer, filtering the plankton for breakfast. Each shark eats

hundreds of pounds of food every hour! It turns out that eating plankton is very efficient

for a large animal.

Conditions here around Holbox Island are perfect for plankton in the summer. The plankton makes

water really murky. But all that food attracts huge school of fish. It a bounty that feeds

many kinds of animals. Mantas Rays reed on the plankton, but the whale shark is by far

the most impressive animals that comes here. Reaching 50 ft long whale shark grow as large

as a school bus, but they completely harmless all they are plankton and tiny fish.

The fish attract other predators like dolphins, birds and bigger fish. That's why Holbox

has always been a great fishing area for the locals.

That's incredible. They are so huge and so much plankton that in the water we can

only see maybe 20 feet under water. So they are bigger than the visibility you can't

even see the tail from the head!

I can't believe how many sharks are feeding around the boat. There is so much plankton

here that it attracts whale sharks for hundreds of miles around. Some of the sharks have escort

schools of fish that swarms around them for protection. They too eat the plankton splashing

at the surfaces as they feed a long side the shark. But when I swim over to investigate

they hide under shark as if where huge swimming reef. Free diving and keeping up with these

sharks is hard work. They don't look like they are moving that fast. I mean their tale

just you know gently swishing back and fourth, but they are so big the tale so huge that

they are actually move faster than we can keep up with them. Swim as hard as you can

for about 30 seconds then your pooped and give up. Off they go

Later as the sun gets higher in the sky and the air gets warmer, the wind picks up and

waves start to form. The plankton layer dissipates, and the sharks get harder and harder to find.

They are diving deeper out of site.. Once they dive below we have no way to find them.

So we head back to shore

My trip to Holbox has been a tremendous success and lots of fun. The economy of this tiny

island has been transformed by this big, harmless, pockadoted shark. Here in Holbox the people

love whale sharks and they are protected by law. That's the best part of this story.

( ♪ music )