01x05 - Unexpected Voyage of Pepito and Cristobal

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This is the meeting place of
the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The early Portuguese navigator
who discovered these waters

named the peninsula separating
the two oceans, the Cape of Storms.

His king, dreaming of the
riches of East Indian trade,

renamed it the Cape of Good Hope.

It is here in the tumultuous waters off
the southernmost tip of South Africa

that the divers of Calypso have come
to observe the ancient Pinapeta,

those feather-footed marine mammals,

the Cape fur seals.

March 7th.

Yesterday, off the
Cape of Good Hope,

our divers encountered
a yearling seal

in the rich kelp beds
near Seal Island.

Today we have decided to delay

our crossing the Atlantic
Ocean for Caribbean waters.

Instead we are setting off
to see the Cape fur seals

which long ago captivated our hearts.

As children, we first saw
them in the zoos of Paris

and read of Kotick the Seal in
Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Stories.

Captain Cousteau has asked the
divers and cameramen of Calypso

to survey Seal Island, a seal rookery,

isolated deep inside Falls Bay,

lying to the east of the
Cape of Good Hope.

In a recent 250-year period,

hunters of ladies'
fashions and lamp oil

reduced seal populations
from many millions

to mere hundreds of thousands.

Other than man, the only
natural enemy of the seal

is the shark or the k*ller whale.

Some life on the Cape Rookeries

is dominated by the
fighting beach masters,

bulls weighing up to 600 pounds.

Each year they return over thousands
of miles of ocean to their birthplace.

Here they become indisputable
lords of creation.

Females mate with the beach masters

immediately after giving birth
to a single 10-12-pound pup

conceived the previous year.

The pups are born with eyes open,

fully developed coats of fur,

and ready to scurry away from
the confusion of adult harem life.

At irregular intervals,
the pups are nursed,

taking up to a gallon of their
mother's milk at a single feeding.

Other than meal times
they are on their own.

They teach themselves how to swim,

first in the tidal pools
and then in the sea itself.

Cousteau has asked his cameraman
to use a protective shark cage.

This is an extra precaution
against possible attacks

by suddenly frightened cows
returning to suckle their pups

after days of feeding at sea.

The Calypso divers are
to observe the reactions

of these highly evolved
marine carnivores

to the first men they
have probably ever seen

who have joined them peacefully
in their adopted environment.

Vargarious and playful
among their own kind,

the seals react to the divers
with cautious curiosity.

And unlike fish who
are easily coaxed

to take food from a
friendly diver's hand,

the seals, with a brain
larger than a dog's

but smaller than
that of a porpoise,

are wary of unprecedented
handouts of horse mackerel.

Unable to further delay
his Atlantic voyage,

Cousteau makes an intuitive
and spontaneous decision.

Two male yearlings will
be taken aboard Calypso.

Objective, to observe
the possible natural

development of affection and loyalty

between a man and a wild sea mammal.

Man on a rookery means only
one thing to fur seals, death.

Therefore even with honorable
intentions we are feared.

The crew of Calypso will
come to name the first

of the cape fur seals
to be captured, Pepito,

and the second, Cristobal.

But now, in this their first
terrified moments of captivity,

they are simply 65 pounds of nameless
fighting muscle and needle sharp teeth.

This is the beginning of
the unexpected voyage

of Pepito and Cristobal.

They have no way of
knowing what lies ahead,

so they do not go easily or willingly

from their ancient and
ancestral hauling out place.

It has been said that when some
of the hunting tribesmen of Africa

or Indians of the American plains
were placed in inescapable captivity,

they would let go of life,
sit down, and die.

The seal too is a nomadic hunter.

As the launch came alongside

and Pepito and Cristobal
were brought on board,

we wondered if we were
doing the right thing.

Was our hypothesis correct
that man could be friend

and live in harmony
with a sea mammal

in the same way that he
does with a dog or a horse?

For Pepito and Cristobal too,
it was an anxious moment

as they bid silent goodbyes to
their young friends frolicking

freely in the wild surf of
their home and sanctuary,

first named the Cape of Storms.

We are two days out of
Cape Town, South Africa

enroute to Grenadine
Island in the Caribbean.

Pepito and Cristobal
have settled down nicely,

but before we can begin our training,

we must provide them with
more suitable living conditions.

Fur seals spend nearly 80%
of their lives in the sea.

Because they can easily die
from other exposure to heat,

we must construct a small swimming
tank with circulating seawater.

The second order of business is to
rig up a remote television camera

focused on the training area.

By this technique, the watch can
observe Pepito and Cristobal,

should the unfamiliar
rolling of their new rookery

cause them to become entangled
in their net enclosures.

Always the gentleman,

Zoom makes the first formal
overture of shipboard hospitality,

but Cristobal rejects him out of hand.

Zoom wanders morosely off to
nurse his imagined grievances

about the new peck order of things.

Cautious at first, Pepito and Cristobal
take to the completed swimming tank

as though it were some
long lost tidal pool

out of their puppy
days on Seal Island.

Michel Bernard has
used his ingenuity

to fashion a suit of leather
armor to protect himself

against the unpredictable
behavior of Pepito and Cristobal.

Their jaws have the potential
ripping and shearing power

of a young grizzly bear.

The safety of the men is
of paramount importance.

So the first time Pepito and Cristobal
are placed in the training area,

it is a rather undignified affair.

Probably the first and
most natural bond

which can be developed
between a man and any animal

is food.

So our training of Pepito and
Cristobal begins with fish.

Able to be nourished
by stored up blubber fat,

seals, sea lions and walruses

have the physiological resources
to fast up to two weeks at a time

when their natural
food supply disappears.

But when the feeding conditions
are good and steady,

an adult fur seal can consume an
average of 15 to 20 pounds of fish,

squid and crustaceans every day.

Almost from the beginning,

we could see that
Pepito and Cristobal

were of two distinctly
different temperaments.

Pepito responded to
training and handling

with a natural gentleness
and affection.

Cristobal, on the other hand,

probably a little older than Pepito
and more set in the ways of the wild,

continued to be
suspicious of our motives.

In spite of his childishness,

for we were determined to
overwhelm him with love.

Even though at times,
Cristobal sorely tried our resolve

and Michel Bernard
suite of leather armor.

The one sport we do not
enjoy aboard Calypso is fishing.

Because of Pepito and Cristobal,
we have no choice.

We simply must take on fresh food.

By using lights which attract
mostly sardines and anchovies,

it does not take long to
catch 20 pounds of fish,

enough to feed Pepito
and Cristobal for a day.

Sometimes flying fish,

confused by the lights
like strange marine moths,

miscalculate their glide paths
and end up on the deck

as unexpected midnight
snacks for Pepito and Cristobal.

March 26th.

We have cleared Ascension Island
nearly halfway across the Atlantic.

Pepito has integrated into the
life and routine of Calypso

with astonishing speed.

Cristobal remains somewhat reserved,

but he is intelligent and tries
to accept our eccentric ways.

And while equal grooming
attention has helped,

we are also especially
pleased with Zoom,

who has decided to
put aside his pride

and accept the presence
of our new friends.

As more and more days go by,

an indication of Pepito's growing trust
and affection for the men of Calypso

is in his tolerant response
to an ancient practical joke.

Squid and octopus,
even from frozen stores,

are like crepes suzettes to fur seals.

So the doctor's vitamin tablet goes
unnoticed in one satisfying gulp.

Cousteau has another
reason for starting

Pepito and Cristobal on
a heavy diet of squid.

It is easily cut up into
boneless bite-sized pieces,

which facilitates hand feeding

when placed in specially devised jars

to be worn on the belts of
the divers, Falco and Cole.

Exclusively associating the jars of
squid with the suited up divers

is the next important step in the
training of Pepito and Cristobal.

For Falco and Cole will be responsible
for the critical sea training phase

of this remarkable experiment
between man and sea mammal.

As Calypso nears its
Caribbean destination,

Falco and Cole spend endless hours
familiarizing Pepito and Cristobal

with the feel of the dog-like
harnesses and leashes

improvised as sea training restraints.

Ultimately Cousteau hopes
that Pepito and Cole

and Falco and Cristobal will
swim together free in the sea,

held together only by the
bonds of loyalty and affection.

Forty-two days and four
hours out of Cape Town,

we drop anchor at Tobago Cays,

located in the Grenadine
Islands of the Caribbean.

We knew it would be here, in the
clear waters fed by the Gulf Stream,

that we would finally learn if
we had made the right decision,

a kindly decision.

We had done all we could to
befriend Pepito and Cristobal.

It was now up to them.

Today marks a significant event in
the lives of Pepito and Cristobal.

For the first time in the 36 days

since they last played on the rocky
slopes of their native rookery,

they will touch land.

It is a preliminary step

to familiarize them with their
new Caribbean hauling out place

before the commencement
of sea training.

They have only been in
the launch once before,

as frightened savage
creatures bundled in nets,

unaccustomed to the sight and
smell of man and his equipment.

In a little more than a month,
most of their fears are gone.

According to plan,

Cristobal will go with Falco
and Pepito with Cole.

We are not sure Cristobal is
quite ready for this experience,

but we shall see.

Nearing the shore
of the island Coal,

Cristobal and Pepito sense
the drama of the moment.

Cole soothes Pepito, but Cristobal's
restlessness is not as easily calmed.

As the launch crunches into
the soft sand of the beach,

Cristobal instinctively responds
as apparently he must

to the irresistible
drum song of the sea.

A huge dip net is the only expedient
way to retrieve a determined fur seal.

It is undignified, but if
Cristobal escapes at this moment,

encumbered by leash and harness

and thousands of miles from
the nearest hauling out place,

he would have no chance of survival.

So it will be back to the safety of
the Calypso Rookery for Cristobal.

As I watched Cristobal being
returned to Calypso,

I had a hunch down in my sea bones
that Cristobal had not tried to leave us,

but that he had merely become
overexcited with the prospect

of a long delayed romp in the sea.

Cristobal would get his wish,
but for his own safety,

we had first to enclose a
small cove with a ship's nets.

By April 16th, the netted
enclosure is prepared.

Falco and Cole are about to
commence the sea training

of Pepito and Cristobal.

Pepito is calm.

Cristobal, now apparently
confident that Falco

is aware of his primeval
needs, is also calm.

As we watched Pepito and
Cristobal with our divers,

we silently wondered if we
were not expecting too much

from our wild and innocent friends.

The gentle ones with the head of a bear.

Up to this moment, men had only
crudely exploited these creatures

as circus performers and worse.

But now, for the first time,

we expected their hearts and
intelligence to accept us as friends

in the security of their
sanctuary, the sea.

Falco and Cristobal enter the water first.

Half expecting Cristobal
to lunge for the open sea,

patient Falco is gratified at Cristobal's
decision to remain close by.

Cole is next in with Pepito.

Surprisingly enough, Pepito tests
the perimeter of the netted cove.

After several successful days of
training with leash and harness,

I asked Falco and
Cole to experiment with

releasing Pepito and Cristobal
from their leashes.

I was confident that they would
still be aware of the harness.

This recognition would keep them
within close range of their companions

and they would not leap over
the top of the enclosure nets.

The partial release
experiment is a success.

Even Zoom seems to sense
that his flippered cousins

are about to enjoy the same
unrestrained freedom

he has long shared with
the men of Calypso.

The experiment is repeated
for many days before

Cousteau decides to begin
the next sophisticated

phase in the training.

Its success will largely
depend on faith

and whether the divers and the seals
have developed to some extent

the same kind of relationship that has
long existed between man and dog.

On May 1st, Falco and
Cole deliberately ignore

the waiting ship to shore launch
and with choice morsels of squid,

calmly entice Cristobal and Pepito off
the side of Calypso into the open sea.

Only the yellow buoy markers
tied to the end of their leashes

will help locate Pepito and Cristobal

if they decide to head
for home across the sea.

The risky idea works.

Pepito and Cristobal choose to remain
close to their friends Falco and Cole.

Together they swim to the netted
area to continue their daily games

in the private park of
their undersea world.

There comes a time when
all that has been learned

must be put to the ultimate test.

I felt instinctively that
our training program

had been successfully concluded
the day when Cole and Pepito,

Falco and Cristobal swam
all the way from Calypso

to the netted area without incident.

I knew that we are ready for
the final moment of faith

when man and sea mammal
would be together as one,

totally free in the sea.

On the morning of May 3rd,

the nets enclosing the training
cove are taken aboard Calypso.

Divers are cautioned to
double check their gear.

And Cousteau meets with head
cameraman Michel Deloire

to discuss underwater slow
motion film techniques

and the undersea's
positioning of his cameras.

For the unknowing
Pepito and Cristobal

it is a morning like any other.

And morning for them is a swim
with their friends and squid.

They do not know yet
that today they will swim

without the restraining
harnesses or leashes

or that their tiny private
underwater park

will suddenly become as
wide as the ocean itself.

Soon the preparations are complete.

The enclosure nets are
finally aboard Calypso

and the divers, the onboard lookouts
and the picket boats are now in position.

There is no turning back now.

There are only anxious hopes in
the hearts of the men of Calypso.

Pepito goes first to
be followed by Cole.

Falco and Cristobal go together.

Uncharacteristically, Pepito and
Cristobal surface almost immediately

as if they wanted to
take their bearings

like the Cape fur seals do in the
wild before heading out to sea.

Their friends Falco and Cole
can only wait and hope.

When Pepito and Cole and Falco
and Cristobal came home to Calypso,

the doubts of my decision at
Seal Island were finally dispelled.

I knew now that men on a rookery

did not have to mean
death to the fur seals.

Man and sea mammals could live together
as loyal and affectionate friends

if man decides he wants it that way.

In the days and weeks
that followed the end

of the formal sea training
of Pepito and Cristobal,

it was difficult at times to
distinguish between work and play.

Perhaps for Pepito and Cristobal,
there wasn't any difference,

but for the divers there was.

Working at depths that require
time-consuming staging to surface,

the divers quickly capitalize
on the unique physiological

capability of the sea mammals
to instantaneously surface

without risking the fatal caisson
disease, the dreaded bends.

The divers' sea entry sh**t
provides the greatest

recreation for Pepito and
Cristobal and the men alike,

a unique playground slide with the sea
as a landing place instead of a sandbox.

Apparently, Pepito and Cristobal
had committed themselves

to life aboard the Calypso.

The divers began to take them along
during their underwater explorations

whenever they chose.

Our man and sea mammal expeditions
proceeded smoothly for several weeks.

Then one day, we discovered
the cannon of an ancient galleon.

Falco and Cole, preoccupied by
the sudden find of the cannon,

were not immediately aware
that Cristobal had finally

succumbed to the oldest
call of the wild, freedom.

It was Captain Maritano who first
noticed that something was amiss,

that Cristobal had surfaced
at an unprecedented distance

from the rising bubbles
of the divers' air tanks.

And that he was swimming strongly
in a direction away from Calypso.

The Caribbean waters,
where men had long ago

k*lled off the indigenous monk seals,

was no place for a wandering fur
seal to give in to his nomadic instincts.

Marcel Fuacheri was
the first to spot him.

And while Cole was able to lure him
close by the zodiac with tempting squid,

Cristobal knew all there was
to know about the dip net.

And then he was gone.

Motivated fur seals on the move can
attain speeds up to 15 miles per hour.

They can remain underwater
up to 20 minutes

and it is believed that they can
dive to a depth of up to 1200 feet.

They can also remain at
sea almost indefinitely,

even sleeping there, literally
rocked in the cradle of the waves.

So little hope was held out
for seeing Cristobal again.

Calypso remains on search
station for several days

following the disappearance
of Cristobal.

But running low on
supplies and fresh water,

Captain Cousteau was reluctantly
forced to return to Puerto Rico,

some 200 miles distant.

Pepito wanders the decks endlessly,

searching for his oldest
and closest friend.

He does not completely understand
yet that Cristobal is gone,

and he doesn't understand
why the men are so quiet,

why there are no more morning swims,

or why his adopted holding
out place is on the move again.

The men cannot tell him nor can Zoom.

So time after time, Pepito scampers
back to his diver friend Cole.

Upon Calypso's arrival in San Juan,

Captain Cousteau learns almost
immediately that several days before,

a surprised fisherman
had captured a seal at sea.

A curiously friendly seal,

which promptly ate nearly 40
pounds of the fisherman's catch.

To make up this deficit,
the fisherman has sold the seal,

and under gentle prodding
from Cole tells where.

We thought it would make a
wonderful pet for the boys,

because we had a dog for 14
years that we lost recently,

and it's kind of hard to replace an
animal after you've had it so long

and it was part of the family,
and then we saw this little fella,

so we took him to our hearts.

So he was going to be a
new member of the family.

And you wanted to make a surprise
home by buying the animal, or?

No, I just bought it, and after
that I called them by phone

that I happened to have
a surprise for them,

and when they came down,
they saw the seal.

I thought it was a dog.

You thought it was a
dog with such flippers.

The head, you mean.

For the first time in
his unexpected voyage,

Cristobal is gently chauffeured from
suburban San Juan back to Calypso.

Advanced word goes out
that he is coming home,

and a great reunion celebration
is quickly improvised.

Raymond, the ship's chef,

goes all out and prepares
squid provencal,

not to be found on
the menu at Maxime's,

but an irresistible dish
for fur seal gourmets.

Reunited, Pepito and Cristobal,
the guests of honor arrive,

and the banquet begins.

And what a banquet it is.

The time had come to take the
maturing Pepito and Cristobal

back to some wind-swept
rookery to grow up

and become mighty beach masters,
proud lord of creations.

But given the opportunity,
would they choose to go?

And old lullaby tells us the answer.

"You mustn't swim till
you're six weeks old"

"or your head will be
sunk by the heels".

"And summer gales and k*ller
whales are bad for baby seals."

"As bad as bad can be."

"But splash and grow strong
and you can't go wrong"

"child of the open sea."