01x04 - Hammerhead Highway

[bunniefuu]

[James Cameron] The Ocean.

the last frontier on earth.

So much is unexplored

and unexplained.

To change that

a kickass team of insanely

talented specialists is

setting out to push the

frontiers of what we know

about our oceans.

[Zoleka Filander] Oh my gosh.

[James Cameron] Zoleka Filander,

deep sea scientist.

[Zoleka Filander] Being a

deep-sea researcher means

having front row tickets to

the best movie that everybody

wants to watch.

[James Cameron]

Melissa Márquez

[Melissa Márquez]

Straight ahead, 12:00.

[James Cameron]

Shark biologist.

[Melissa Márquez] We just saw

what no one has seen before.

[James Cameron]

Eric Stackpole

[Eric Stackpole] Scan now!

[James Cameron] Ocean

tech innovator.

[Eric Stackpole] I love

building tools that allow us

to see things in ways

we've never seen before.

[gasps]

[James Cameron] And Aldo Kane

[Aldo Kane] This is insane.

[James Cameron] Former

Royal Marine; special ops.

[Aldo Kane] It doesn't get

any more cutting-edge

exploration than this.

[James Cameron]

Their secret weapon

the OceanXplorer.

The most technologically

advanced research vessel

ever built.

There's never been a more

urgent need to understand

our ocean and the animals

that call it home

Because their lives

and ours depend on it.

This time, the team's

following one of the ocean's

most unique predators.

[Matt Smukall]

Hammer, hammer, hammer

[James Cameron] To

discover the superpowers.

[Eric Stackpole] Look

at the size of him!

[James Cameron] Of

the great Hammerhead.

[theme music plays].

[James Cameron] The team is

powering through the

Atlantic Ocean off the eastern

seaboard of the USA.

[Pilot] Green light

green deck we're lifting.

[James Cameron] Firing up

the OceanXplorer's armory of

cutting-edge gear.

[helicopter whirring]

They're on a mission to search

out one of the strangest

sharks in our oceans and

one of the most recognizable

animals on the planet.

[helicopter whirring]

[Eric Stackpole] That's

what we're looking for.

[James Cameron] The

great hammerhead.

These sharks haven't

changed for millions of years.

They are one of evolution's

most eccentric creations.

But why would nature select

for a head shaped like

a stealth b*mber?

Science suggests:

Improved agility and

enhanced electro

sensor capabilities

make this shark one of the

most specialized in the ocean.

[intimidating music]

Hammerheads are found off the

coast of Virginia to the North

and Louisiana to the West.

But highly sensitive

to temperature,

every winter they migrate to

the warmer waters of Florida.

We think the sharks are

navigating this journey,

by following the

earth's magnetic field.

This field generated by

our planet's molten core,

creates the magnetic

north and south poles.

It's believed that hammerheads

can tune into this and use it

like we'd use a compass.

But as a mariner, I know even

one degree out and you're

soon miles off course.

So how do great hammerheads

navigate so accurately

across this vast ocean?

With the hope of

finding an answer

The team is in Florida.

Their plan, to attach a

camera tag to a hammerhead.

[Aldo Kane] Welcome aboard.

[James Cameron]

They're joined by

marine ecologist

Erin Spencer.

[Aldo Kane] Here he is,

welcome aboard.

Let's go.

[James Cameron] And shark

biologist Matt Smukall.

[Erin Spencer] Everyone

ready to tag some sharks?

[engine rumbling]

[Matt Smukall] Hammer!

[Erin Spencer] Hammer!

[James Cameron] The only way

to catch a hammerhead is with

a baited line.

It might look stressful, but

these sharks are tough,

and their wellbeing is the

team's top priority.

[Matt Smukall] Get out of the

way guys, get out of the way.

Alright. Coming up.

Neutral, neutral, neutral.

Go for dorsal.

[Aldo Kane] I have the dorsal.

[James Cameron] The team works

fast to take vital measurements.

[Eric Stackpole] 80 to caudal.

[Matt Smukall] 180 to caudal.

180 caudal.

186 for fork length.

[Zoleka Filander] 186.

[Matt Smukall] Check the

sex Erin, remember sex.

[James Cameron] They

attach a tracking tag.

[Erin Spencer]

Alright, it secure?

[James Cameron] And release

the shark in under 5 minutes.

[Aldo Kane] It's a physical

task holding onto that

main dorsal fin.

You know it's amazing but it's,

like it's a live animal and

it's, you know you, you are

fully tuned, you're focused.

[Matt Smukall] We have

30 seconds to release.

You guys on tail

count it down.

[Eric Stackpole] 3,2,1

Tail's loose.

[Erin Spencer]

Looking good, swimming off.

[Matt Smukall]

Alright, Nice job guys.

Nice job.

[Aldo Kane] How many hammers

have you worked up like this?

[Erin Spencer] So we've worked

up quite a number of hammers

but it's the first time we've

been able to put out a

video tag with our speed sensor.

And so hopefully we're gonna

get some good footage to also

match up maybe with

some of that speed data.

[James Cameron] The tag

is designed to fall off

within 24 hours.

[Matt Smukall] What's that

just, at like 11:00?

[Erin Spencer]

See that floating?

[Matt Smukall]

Is that the tag?

[Aldo Kane] Look how

small that is in the water.

[Erin Spencer] Whoa.

We have a tag!

So you're gonna see what the

shark sees, are you ready?

You can see him turning

to look left and right.

[Aldo Kane] That's amazing

getting that perspective of

the head moving.

[Erin Spencer] We're

moving up towards the surface.

And he's right at the surface,

you can see the

water patterns at the surface.

Now we're back towards the

bottom down to about 80 meters.

[Matt Smukall] It looks like

that's a choice to either be

up at the surface or down, it's

not just like a wandering.

[Zoleka Filander] You're

actually right, cos like if

you look closely, we can

actually see this up and down

movement of the shark, and it,

it resembles a yo-yo pattern.

And it looks like it

happened 20 or 30 times.

And I'm just wondering,

why would the shark be using

so much energy intentionally

moving up and down?

Do you think it has something

to do with its magnetic sense?

[James Cameron] For a shark,

the earth's magnetic field is

clearest at the surface.

But the seafloor also has

local magnetic fields created

by geological formations.

It's believed that hammerheads

yoyo up and down to create a

virtual magnetic map.

This map allows them to

plot a more accurate course.

So that they can eventually

find their destination

hundreds of miles away.

Some hammerheads are content

wintering in Florida,

but others keep going.

Crossing the Gulf stream

into the Bahamas.

And eventually, even pinpointing

the tiny island group of Bimini.

Following in the wake of

the great hammerheads,

The OceanXplorer sets sail.

[James Cameron] Matt's been

studying hammerheads in Bimini

for years, and knows

the best place

for Eric to meet the locals.

[Eric Stackpole]

Ok, let's do it.

[Matt Smukall] Ready.

[SCUBA breathing]

Alright.

[James Cameron] This feeding

station attracts more than

just Hammerheads.

[Matt Smukall] Bull shark!

So those are the sharks that

you know have a

pretty bad reputation.

[Eric Stackpole] Looks like

a shark that means business.

[Matt Smukall] Eric.

Hammer hammer, hammer.

Look at the size of him.

He must be at

least 12 feet long.

I just need to keep telling

myself they don't eat people,

they eat stingrays.

[Eric Stackpole] So do

you recognize this shark?

[Matt Smukall]

Yeah this is Atlas.

He's one of the

regulars around Bimini.

And he's been coming

back at least 6 or 7 years.

[Eric Stackpole]

So he's an old friend.

Maybe he

recognizes you as well.

[bubbles]

Seeing Atlas return to this

island year after year

is incredible.

I mean it's a tiny little

speck in a big ocean,

but you don't get that ability

without having some

crazy navigation skills.

But I guess that's

evolution in action.

[James Cameron] Thanks to

Matt's research, we know

hammerheads like Atlas

keep coming back to Bimini.

But it's only 7 miles long.

Even with geomagnetic

navigation, finding this place

is a longshot.

So how do these

sharks get here?

Could they be using other

senses to help guide them in?

Zoleka wants to map

the seafloor using the

OceanXplorer's sonar.

In the hope it

uncovers an answer.

[computer beeps]

[clicking]

[Zoleka Filander] The sea

floor in this area has never

been mapped to this resolution

before, and so I'm really

hoping we pick up

on some anomalies.

Different features that can

give insights as to how these

hammerhead sharks are

coming here to Bimini.

[James Cameron] The ship scans

for 12 hours straight,

mapping this area for

the very first time,

and generating detailed images

of what lies

beneath the surface.

[Eric Stackpole] Wait so this

has got to be exaggerated relief

right, I mean these are

really sharp features

that we're seeing here.

[Zoleka Filander]

It's not exaggerated.

[Eric Stackpole] This is

actually what it looks like?

There's huge, tall pillars

sticking out of the

bottom of the ocean?

[Zoleka Filander] Yeah. Yeah.

This is very exciting.

[James Cameron] The sonar

reveals a labyrinth-like terrain

hidden on the ocean floor.

[Eric Stackpole] These are

meter marks, it's 100 meters.

So that's like a

300-foot tower.

I mean, I'm just trying to

picture that standing up

from the bottom of the sea.

[James Cameron] These towers

are the height of the

Statue of Liberty.

[Aldo Kane] This is

off the west coast then?

[Matt Smukall] Right on the,

right on the drop off to

the gulf stream.

[Erin Spencer] Is this what

you thought, is this a surprise?

[Matt Smukall] We

didn't know this was there.

There's a lot going on there,

that's really exciting.

[Zoleka Filander] It would be

great to do a sub dive and

to get like some visuals

on what's there, you know.

We always go out to find the

known unknowns, but we stumble

on the absolutely unknowns,

like something we've

never seen before.

[James Cameron] To discover if

these towering outcrops could

be influencing the great

hammerhead's navigation,

Zoleka and Matt take a

dive into the deep.

[Zoleka Filander] This is

real, real exploration.

No idea what we are

getting ourselves into.

[SO] Bridge, SO

that's Neptune off deck.

[Bridge] Copy that!

[splashing]

[Pilot] Ah Roger SO.

SO, this is Neptune,

venting now.

[SO] Venting now.

[James Cameron] The sub team

will be accompanied by the

remotely operated vehicle.

Controlled from the surface

it sends up live pictures

from the seafloor.

[Pilot] Control, control.

This is Neptune,

passing 500 meters.

Descending.

Depth under keel 21 meters.

Over.

[SO] Roger.

[Aldo Kane] Where these

pinnacles are is, is right in

the gulf stream and that gulf

stream is, is cranking north

the whole time

there's no rest there.

[Pilot] That's a

strong current.

[James Cameron] The Gulf stream

is the fastest ocean current

in the world, running

up to five miles per hour.

And 1600 feet down

the deep dive team

is feeling its force.

[Pilot] Zoleka can you see?

[Zoleka Filander]

I can't see much.

[James Cameron] The strong

current is picking up sediment

and visibility is

reduced to near zero.

Conditions us sub pilots

refer to as "off-nominal".

Out of the gloom.

[Pilot] Ah man,

that's massive.

[James Cameron] A

towering pinnacle.

[Zoleka Filander] Oh

this is so beautiful.

[Pilot] Control,

this is Neptune.

Intention is start

working up wall, over.

[SO] Roger, walking up wall.

[Eric Stackpole] Oh my gosh.

[Matt Smukall] A

mountain underwater.

[Pilot] Shark port side.

[Matt Smukall] Oh yeah.

There it is there, night shark.

Oh came right under the

came darting under the uh

[Zoleka Filander]

There it is. Port.

[Matt Smukall] Ah.

He darted off pretty quick.

[Zoleka Filander] Yep.

[Pilot] We are at the top.

[Zoleka Filander]

Ah look at this.

[Pilot] Control,

control this is Neptune.

We are at the top of

the first pinnacle.

Depth 408 meters.

[Zoleka Filander] The minute

we got to the top,

it was beautiful.

Absolutely stunning.

[Pilot] Guys do we wanna

move to the next pinnacle?

[Matt Smukall] Yep. Yep.

[James Cameron] Now the sub

and ROV teams begin to survey

the pinnacle field,

looking for sharks.

[Matt Smukall] Oop

little shark here.

[Pilot] Oh yeah.

[James Cameron] A

dusky smooth hound.

[Erin Spencer] Ohh.

Look, shark, shark, shark.

[James Cameron]

And a Tiger shark.

Just like Atlas, tiger sharks

must cross hundreds of miles

of open ocean to find

their way to Bimini.

And this complex field of

pinnacles could hold the key

to getting them there.

[Aldo Kane] When I'm navigating,

I don't just use a map

and compass to

find out where I am.

I use other senses like sight

to look for landmarks and

that's what we think sharks

are doing but with smell.

[James Cameron] As water

from the Gulf stream hits the

towering pinnacles, nutrient

rich water is forced to the

surface, creating

distinctive 'scent trails'.

Sharks like Atlas, with their

powerful sense of smell,

are able to detect these

scent trails and follow them,

like an underwater signpost

pointing straight to Bimini.

The discovery of this vast

pinnacle field could finally

answer how these sharks locate

this tiny group of islands.

But once here, does this

unique adaptation give them

any other advantages?

The team meets in the mixed

reality lab to investigate.

[Aldo Kane] I notice just how

huge that cephalofoil is and

then underneath it how,

how small in comparison

the, the mouth is.

[Matt Smukall] You can tell

they're just not designed to

take down massive prey but

what they are designed to do

is actually chase down rays

or smaller sharks and use that

big cephalofoil, almost

sometimes pin down the animal

and then that that mouth is

right underneath there and

they could potentially, you

know, bite off one of the

wings of a stingray and

kind of incapacitate it.

[Eric Stackpole] But also

they're a sensing machine right?

They've got all these um, you

know sensing olfactory glands,

they can detect electrical

signals from fish and

I imagine that's

got to be useful?

[Matt Smukall] Yeah, and and

having all of those senses

spread out over a wider area

can probably help them hone in

on certain things like

a stingray that's buried

under the sand.

[Zoleka Filander] So it's the

spread out array that's making

the Hammerhead sharks

such an accurate hunter?

[Matt Smukall] Absolutely.

That's what allows them to be

such an efficient predator.

[boat motor rumbling]

[James Cameron] To observe the

shark's hammerhead in action

Aldo and Matt are going out

with a camera tag designed

to give them a

view rarely seen.

[Aldo Kane] 1, 2, 3 go.

[James Cameron] But to attach

it, first they must get

up close and personal

with the hammerheads.

[Aldo Kane] She is big.

These sharks are huge.

They can be up to 900 pounds

and when you're in the water,

they are all around you.

You need your

head on a swivel.

But with this mask you get

quite a lot of tunnel vision.

Shark coming in your right.

[Matt Smukall]

Alright here we go.

[dramatic music]

[Aldo Kane] Here she comes.

Almost, almost.

Coming in again.

Ah man that's on.

[Matt Smukall] Yeah that one

looked like it went

on really well.

Topside, topside.

If you copy, that's

successful deployed tag.

[peaceful music]

[James Cameron] After

eight hours, the tag releases.

And once retrieved, the

footage is ready to view.

[Matt Smukall] You know you can

actually just see what a

nice view these cameras are

giving us of what the shark's

actually doing

in that habitat.

[Zoleka Filander] He's got his

head down, and scanning

back and forth.

It looks like it's hunting.

[Matt Smukall] He's cruising

along relatively calm,

probably looking

for some prey there.

[Zoleka Filander] Yeah they

generally cruise at

five miles per hour and they can

burst to like 20 miles per hour.

Look he's picking up speed.

He must have gotten

his eyes on something.

With its wide-angle field of

view, this camera tag reveals

where the great

hammerhead is hunting.

[Matt Smukall] That little

strip along the the reef where

you kind of have the

convergence of two habitats.

You have the the seagrass

flats coming to meet the

the reef area.

That is the area that they're

using most of the time and

probably hunting in both

of those types of habitats.

[Zoleka Filander] Yeah.

[Eric Stackpole] Is this,

this is night-time now.

[James Cameron] Even in the

pitch-black waters of the night,

using its electro sensors,

this hammerhead

[Zoleka Filander] Fish.

[James Cameron] Can

still detect prey.

[Zoleka Filander] Whoa.

He senses the fish and

goes precisely at it.

He's sensing the

electric field, or vibration.

This network of sensors that you

find along this broad head.

[James Cameron]

No luck this time.

But the team has gained

key information on where

the hammerheads are hunting.

[seagulls cawing]

[boat engine rumbling]

[James Cameron]

Eric and Matt head out,

their destination: the

seagrass flats of Bimini.

[Eric Stackpole] It's amazing

because this is a really

shallow area.

I, I wouldn't have expected

hammerhead sharks to come

around here.

[James Cameron] These shallows

are home to the hammerheads'

favorite prey,

the southern stingray.

[Matt Smukall] Look

at all the stingrays.

But see how they're all right

up close up to the shore?

[James Cameron] These waters

offer the rays protection,

and a place to hide.

Too shallow for

most predators.

But not the great hammerhead.

It's a shallow

water specialist.

And these rays

carry the scars.

[Matt Smukall] You can see right

there at the base of her tail.

She actually no

longer even has a barb.

So you can imagine that might

be from a shark coming in and

biting off a

section of that tail.

[James Cameron] Now they know

what and where the hammerheads

are hunting, the

team sends up the Helo.

[helicopter whirring]

If the aerial crew can

capture footage of a hunt,

the team on the ship

will see how the

hammerhead is uniquely

adapted to life

in these shallows.

[helicopter whirring]

[helicopter whirring]

[James Cameron] The aerial crew

returns with footage to share.

Once again the shark is

head down looking for prey

[splashing]

and this time it finds it.

[Erin Spencer] The

tail movement is wild.

[Eric Stackpole] Oh!

[Erin Spencer] Oh yeah.

[Eric Stackpole] Look

how quick it can turn.

[James Cameron] To lock on

this stingray, the hammerhead

attacks from the side.

[Zoleka Filander] These waters

are only one meter deep,

it's really well adapted for

hunting in these shallow waters.

[Matt Smukall] As the water

starts murking up she's still

able to use all her other

senses beside sight to keep

tracking that ray down.

[splashing]

[Eric Stackpole] In this

visibility it must be using its

electro receptors to detect the

electrical signal from the ray.

[Zoleka Filander]

This is so wild!

[splashing]

[Erin Spencer] This is

really a gem of an encounter.

[Zoleka Filander] Oh, hectic!

Look at those sharp turns.

[splashing]

[splashing]

[Matt Smukall] The shark is

trying to pin that ray down

whereas the ray's trying

to come up to the surface.

Which is basically the safest

spot because the mouth is

actually on the

underside of that shark.

[splashing]

[Eric Stackpole] The

hammerhead is making much

tighter turns than I would

have pictured possible for an

animal that size.

You know maybe even the

cephalofoil is useful as, as

being a sort of extra control

surface to help it get those

tighter turns.

[Matt Smukall] It does shows

you how powerful and agile

they are.

[Eric Stackpole] I mean the

hammerhead is like a perfect

ray hunting machine.

[Matt Smukall] Right there.

[Erin Spencer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

You can see the instant

that, that ray is captured.

[James Cameron] Rarely filmed

in its entirety, the hunt

lasts nearly four minutes.

A long arduous battle of

attrition, finally won

by the great hammerhead.

[Eric Stackpole] It's

the ultimate shark

for this environment.

[dramatic music]

[James Cameron] In their time

following the great hammerheads,

the team has deep

dived into the world of

this mysterious creature.

[Aldo Kane] The great

hammerhead has a sixth sense.

Opening up a magnetic map,

leading it across the ocean

and that is just incredible.

[James Cameron] They've

revealed hidden landscapes

on the ocean floor.

[Eric Stackpole] Oh my gosh.

[Zoleka Filander]

Absolutely stunning.

Every single time we scan the

seafloor, we find something

that we never knew existed,

and these are the

sort of clues that help us

solve the greatest

ocean mysteries.

[James Cameron] And they've

captured images that offer

a rare insight into

the lives of these

little-understood creatures.

[Eric Stackpole] I mean the

camera tag got us right in there

and we got to spend a

day watching what the

shark does from its perspective.

[helicopter whirring]

[James Cameron] The team was

able to study hammerheads here

because the Bahamas

is a shark sanctuary.

But elsewhere in our oceans,

great hammerheads are

critically endangered

and they need our protection.

We have to do all we can to

safeguard the future of this

extraordinary species.

[peaceful music]