03x02 - Goliath Groupers, Coral and Camouflage

[bunniefuu]

[gentle bright music]

- [Announcer] Coming up next on

"Jonathan Bird's Blue World,"

Jonathan explores the largest
coral reef in the world.

Then he learns how
marine animals use color

and camouflage to survive.

But first,

he goes on a search for the
world's largest grouper.

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

Meet Jonathan Bird.

[water splashes]

[gentle bright music]

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.

[gentle bright music continues]

Welcome to the "Blue World."

[gentle music]

- Goliath groupers,

they're among the largest
reef fish in the world.

They used to be common
throughout the Caribbean,

but then their numbers started
to plummet in the 1980s.

That's because everybody wants
to catch an 800 pound fish,

so pretty soon the Goliath grouper

had been fished almost to extinction.

In 1990, the US government
had to take drastic measures

to protect these fish,

so they passed a law

that banned all fishing
of Goliath groupers.

Now, 19 years later, they're
making a remarkable comeback.

The Goliath grouper is still very rare.

In fact, most divers
have never even seen one.

David Doubilet, the world famous

"National Geographic
Magazine" photographer,

has invited me to join him
and his wife, Jen Hayes,

who's also his photo assistant,

on a Goliath grouper filming expedition.

How could I turn down
an invitation like that?

So I head down to beautiful
West Palm Beach, Florida

in September on a mission to see

one of these magnificent fish in person.

We board the Shear
Water, a large dive boat

that will be our base of
operations for a week.

I'm really excited as we
pull away from the dock.

Captain Jim Abernathy is
taking us to a shipwreck

where the groupers are known to hide.

It's not far from

the sprawling coastline
of West Palm Beach.

Since it's only a 10 minute
ride to the first shipwreck

where we'll be looking
for Goliath groupers,

I get right to work,
putting my gear together.

[gentle upbeat music]

This is great.

We're gonna go find some Goliath groupers.

Maybe they'll be bigger than me,

which isn't really that hard actually.

We've arrived at the wreck of the Mizpah,

which sits on the sea floor 80 feet below.

The question is: Are there any
Goliath groupers down there?

Well, let's go find out!

[water splashes]

After I get in,

David and Jen follow
with their still cameras.

My cameraman, Pierre, and I
start descending to the wreck.

Once we hit the bottom,

Pierre and I will stay out
of David and Jen's way.

[gentle enchanted music]

We're greeted by a very strong current.

I can barely hold my place in the sand.

We struggle to make our way to the wreck

where the Goliath
groupers like to hang out.

Shipwrecks are magnets for fish.

That's because they provide a
great place for fish to hide

and rest on what might otherwise be

a very flat, featureless sea floor.

The shipwrecks off the
East Coast of Florida

have become some of the best places

to find Goliath groupers,

but a typical shipwreck only has

one or two of them hanging around.

Things are different here in September.

That's when the Goliath groupers

get together in large numbers to spawn.

We're thrilled to find
some big Goliath groupers.

David is getting up close and
personal with some big fish,

and it looks like he's getting
some good pictures too.

The groupers don't like
the current much either,

so they hide behind the wreck

the same way one might
hide behind a large object

to get out of the wind.

An even better place to
hide is inside the wreck.

I make my way over to a doorway

to have a peek into the dark interior.

I can see a couple
Goliath groupers in there.

I swim inside to see if I
can get some closer shots.

They tolerate my presence
until I get a little too close.

Then they swim away,

spooked by a diver in such
close quarters with them.

But outside, they let me get really close.

These groupers are surrounded by

little silvery fish called cigar minnows.

The minnows might look like

they're hiding out of the current,

but they're really aggregating
close to the groupers.

What could they be up to?

The Goliath groupers look
like they're just hanging out,

but they're waiting for something

just like the cigar minnows.

Later when the current relaxes,

dozens of groupers are gathering together

in the water column above the wreck.

What's going on?

It's the mating season,

and these fish are preparing to spawn

probably at dusk or after sunset.

Unfortunately,

I'm low on air and I need
to head back to the surface.

Pierre and I do a safety
stop on the anchor line

as we eagerly anticipate the next dive.

[water splashes]

That is incredible!

Those fish are so huge.

They're like the size of refrigerators!

Unbelievable!

As the massive fish gather into groups

for their evening spawning,

I'm up above getting ready.

I hope I don't miss anything.

These fish only spawn
once a year in September

during the full Moon at dusk,

and they only do it for
maybe one or two nights.

We know they spawned last night,

so this might be my last
chance to film this.

So as the Sun gets low in the sky,

Pierre and I jump back into the water.

We head back down to the wreck.

[gentle enchanted music]

The Goliath groupers are all
around the wreck in abundance.

These groupers are so large that

they don't need to worry
about too many predators.

With almost no current now,

they head away from the
protection of the wreck

into open water.

Clouds of cigar minnows stick
to the groupers like glue,

eagerly anticipating
millions of delicious eggs

that the groupers will
release when they spawn.

The medium-sized fish called jacks

make runs at the cigar minnows

to see if they can catch a meal.

[bright upbeat music]

David is caught up in the action,

photographing the cigar minnows
surrounding the groupers.

I keep looking for any
kind of mating activity,

but something totally
unexpected catches my eye.

It's a manta ray swimming
among the groupers!

[gentle ethereal music]

I move in for a shot of the ray.

It doesn't seem afraid of me.

I have to believe it's no coincidence

that a manta has shown up here.

Mantas are filter feeders

and this one is probably hoping
to join the cigar minnows

and feed on some grouper eggs.

The manta seems intrigued
by our video lights

and she keeps coming over to me,

so I put my camera down and
give her a little belly rub.

And then the manta swings
around and says, "Hi" to Pierre.

What a thrill for both of us!

Any dive with a manta ray and
fish the size of refrigerators

is definitely a good day at the office.

Mantas are awesome, but I
need to keep my attention

and my camera focused on the big groupers

so I don't miss anything.

The cigar minnows are crowding in

even tighter to the groupers.

You can hardly even
tell there's a big fish

in the middle of all that.

[gentle bright music]

It's an amazing spectacle to observe.

These enormous fish would make
Michael Jordan feel small,

and the cigar minnows are
just magical to watch.

We see a lot of what looks
like courting, but no spawning.

Maybe the groupers are more
bothered by our presence

than they let on, or maybe
they're just waiting until dark.

But as it gets later and later,

we're running out of light and air.

Reluctantly, Pierre and I
must head back to the surface.

It looks like the spawning will
happen later in the evening,

and I'll miss it.

Back aboard the boat,

David and Jen are looking at their shots.

- See that?

That is really nice.

- [Jonathan] Even though we
didn't see the actual spawning,

the dive was still well worth the effort.

- [Jen] In the next frame.

- That was an incredible experience!

Those fish are just majestic,

covered with all those beautiful fish.

We didn't actually see the spawning event.

I'm not sure if they're
maybe doing it now,

but we finally had to come up.

We ran out of time and it was really dark.

But unbelievable!

That was something I will never forget.

The Goliath grouper is

a spectacular example of
successful marine conservation.

This vulnerable fish was pushed to

the very brink of extinction,

but was saved at the last
minute by laws to protect them.

In less than 20 years, they've
made a strong comeback,

and although their population
has not yet fully recovered,

they're well on their way.

[bright music]

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

the deceptive ways marine
animals use color and camouflage.

But first, the Great
Barrier Reef of Australia.

[gentle elegant music]

- The Great Barrier Reef.

It's probably the most
famous reef in the world,

and the largest.

It's not just visible from
the air, but from space.

You know, it's hard to believe

I've been diving for over 20 years

and I've never seen the Great
Barrier Reef in Australia.

But today, I've made it
all the way to Cairns

and I'm gonna get my chance.

Cairns is a city in Queensland,

the Northeast State of Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef runs 1,600 miles

along the coast of Queensland.

It's made of millions of
interconnected coral heads

forming the world's largest structure

made by living organisms.

To see the whole thing you
need to get pretty high up.

This satellite image was made from


You can see the reef just off shore.

For my first encounter on
the Great Barrier Reef,

I'll be making the trip
out on a big catamaran

operated by Sunlover Cruises.

The crew unties the boat

and I enjoy the scenery
as we head offshore.

[upbeat jazz music]

at the Sunlover Pontoon.

I have never seen a dive
operation like this before.

The boat is huge, but we
don't dive from the boat.

Instead, we dock at this massive pontoon,

sort of like a floating dive shop,

and spend the day right next to the reef

in a protected spot.

Pure luxury.

Time to check out the facilities.

You don't have to be a scuba diver

to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef.

The reef is so shallow you can snorkel.

A lot of people who don't
dive love to come out

and get a firsthand look at the reef here.

The water is clear and it's not too deep.

But even people who don't like to get wet

can see the reef on a submarine!

[engine rumbling]

Well, I'll tell you what.

This is the easy way to see the
underwater world right here.

Just relax, sit back, have a
drink, watch the fish go by.

And for a diving experience
unlike any other,

anyone can try the sea walker experience.

All you need is a 40 pound helmet.

Wow!

I walk down the stairs into the water

and the staff outfits me with

the strangest piece of
dive gear I've ever used.

- Face me.

- Okay!

With no fins on,

I just walk out to a
massive school of fish.

My hair doesn't even get wet.

This is incredible!

They've got about a
thousand fish around here.

I feel like Dr. Sylvia
Earle, deep sea diver.

[gentle pulsing music]

This is a very different
way to go scuba diving,

and this just goes to show ya

if you don't wanna wear a mask

and you don't wanna wear a regulator,

and maybe you can't even swim that well,

you can do this.

It's just like walking.

You know, I've had a lot
of experiences under water

and this is definitely
one of the most unique.

To demonstrate how this helmet works,

I have an ordinary water glass,

which obviously is full of water,

but if I turn it upside
down, I can fill it with air.

And now you can see that
it keeps the air in.

But if you turn it right side up.

So we don't wanna turn this
right side up. [laughs]

I pose for a picture
because you never know

when you're gonna get to do this again.

Next, I meet Vance Fahey,
who will be my dive master

for a scuba dive on the reef today.

Well, I can't wait. Let's get suited up.

- Get right into it.

- All right!

[cheerful orchestral music]

Well, let's do it.

Not only do I have a nice easy staircase

to walk right down into the water,

but a platform for putting on my fins.

I can get used to this.

On the platform is a group of new divers

getting their first taste
of the underwater world.

At last, I head out onto
the reef to explore.

I see many types of hard corals,

beautiful pastel colored soft corals,

and lots of fan corals.

[bright enchanted music]

Near the reef,

I find one of the largest
giant clams I've ever seen.

I can't imagine how much
this clam must weigh.

The mantle gets its bright colors

from embedded symbiotic algae

that harvest the Sun's rays for energy.

I find a huge crack in the reef

and have a little fun swimming through it.

On the other end, I'm
greeted by a sea turtle.

She comes right over.

There are lots of divers around this reef

and this turtle knows that
the divers won't hurt her.

Once she has decided that

I'm not doing anything
terribly interesting,

she goes back to looking for
her favorite sponges to eat.

I turn and head back towards the platform,

across the shallow reef.

At the platform, I'm greeted
by a friendly Maori wrasse.

This monster of a fish
reaches both the length

and the weight of a motorcycle.

I'm just glad they prefer to
eat crustaceans and mollusks,

not divers.

I think I've made a new friend.

Unfortunately, I'm low on air

and it's time to head back
to my habitat up above.

As we head back to the dock,
I reflect on a fun-filled day.

It's amazing how many things
I did in one day on the reef.

Well, I finally did it.

I got to see the Great Barrier Reef

and I discovered that of
all the reefs I visited,

and let me tell ya, that's a lot of reefs,

the Great Barrier Reef is probably

the most accessible for everybody.

From certified divers

all the way to people that
don't even like to swim.

There's something for every
age and experience level

out here on the Barrier Reef.

[bright music]

- [Announcer] Don't go away!

Jonathan is about to find
some of the most amazingly

camouflaged animals in the sea.

[gentle music]

- On a reef in the Pacific,

a group of yellow-tailed blue damsel fish

hide near the coral,

ready to duck into a hole at any moment.

Between them all, watching
and not moving a muscle,

is a scorpion fish.

His perfect camouflage
is the result of skin

that can change color to
match the surroundings.

The only thing that gives him away is

the slight movement of
his gills as he breathes.

He's watching the damsel fish.

They're blissfully
unaware of his presence.

Soon a damsel fish comes too close.

The scorpion fish is so
confident in its camouflage

that almost nothing can frighten it.

Many animals in the ocean
rely upon camouflage

to hunt their prey or
to avoid being eaten.

This crocodile fish is
so well camouflaged that

divers rarely notice them.

Even its eye has camouflage

because a round black
pupil would give it away.

Like the crocodile fish,

the frogfish is an ambush predator

that hides using camouflage
to look like a sponge

with algae growing on it.

It doesn't swim very much.

Instead, it walks on its foot-like fins.

It moves slowly so it
doesn't give itself away.

The frogfish is watching
a group of tiny anthias

waiting for one to come
close enough to eat.

The frogfish hasn't eaten in days,

but no matter how hungry she is,

she must wait patiently
for prey to come to her.

She watches and waits.

It may be hours before she gets a meal.

[gentle music]

Later, as the Sun sets, she's
still waiting in the shadows,

practically invisible to the anthias.

A frogfish has the
fastest mouth on the reef.

It can open its mouth so
fast that it slurps up a fish

in less than 1/60th of a second.

That's literally the blink of an eye.

Even in slow motion, the
gulp is barely visible.

Her camouflage has really paid off.

Although sometimes camouflage is about

blending into the bottom,

other times a creature evolves
to mimic another creature.

This is called mimicry.

Come check out this fish!

[water splashes]

[gentle enchanted music]

On an Indonesian reef,

I find a beautiful pink sea fan.

At first glance,

you would never suspect that
it has tiny inhabitants.

But closer inspection reveals a seahorse

no larger than my fingernail.

It's a pygmy seahorse.

The color and knobby bumps
on the pygmy seahorse's skin

perfectly mimic the
appearance of the sea fan

where it lives.

A classic example of mimicry.

They're only visible if they move.

These animals live their
entire lives in safety

because they're nearly
invisible to predators

and they never have to leave
the safety of the sea fan

because they feed on plankton
drifting right by their home.

[gentle bright music]

But on the sand away from the reef,

a pair of what are apparently
leaves drift down current.

But upon closer inspection,
they're not leaves at all.

They just look like them.

They're robust ghost pipe fish

mimicking harmless drifting
leaves so they can float up

and pluck shrimp from the bottom.

The robust ghost pipe fish

almost perfectly mimics
a piece of eel grass.

It's relative, the ornate ghost pipe fish,

has taken a different
approach to camouflage.

It mimics the appearance of a harmless

and not very tasty feather star.

This fish is a poor swimmer,

but it doesn't have to swim well

because potential predators
just don't see it.

The sandy sea floor has a
surprising number of animals

that hide by blending in,

and few do it as well as the flounder.

Except for its breathing,

this flat fish is nearly invisible.

With a quick rippling of its body,

this flounder puts a thin
layer of sand over itself

and vanishes.

Of course, blending into
the bottom is one thing,

but what about animals that
live up in the water column?

Can they be camouflaged too?

Absolutely.

Many open ocean fish are silvery in color.

Why? So they reflect the color
of the water around them.

It doesn't make them invisible,
but a lot harder to see,

especially from further away.

Many sharks have a form of camouflage

known as counter shading.

The underside of a shark is white

while the top of the shark is darker.

When seen from below,

the shark's lighter coloring underneath

helps it blend in with
the lighter water above.

When viewed from above,

the darker dorsal surface of the shark

makes it blend into
the darker water below.

Pretty clever, huh?

Some animals have coloration
that makes them stand out

instead of blend in.

For many fish, the
brighter the coloration,

the easier it is to attract a mate.

And it would seem that finding
a mate is more important

for these king angel fish
than avoiding predators.

A regal angel fish takes this
coloration to an extreme.

This fish wants to be noticed.

This long-nosed butterfly fish

has a clever adaptation of
color to help confuse predators.

There's a black dot at
the base of its tail

called a false eye spot.

Its real eye is obscured
by dark coloration

running right through it.

This is meant to confuse predators.

The nudibranch, also called a sea slug,

has bright coloration that
scientists call aposematic.

These animals are basically
snails without a shell.

They might look like a tasty
and defenseless little snack

for a passing fish,

but in fact, many nudibranch
secrete a toxic acid

that makes them inedible to
virtually anything on the reef.

It's bright aposematic coloration

is a warning to potential
predators that says,

"I don't taste good."

Perhaps the most incredible coloration

possessed by a sea creature
is that of the octopus.

An octopus can change colors.

This octopus is moving from
reef to rubble to sand.

It changes color and skin
patterns as it goes to blend in.

[gentle ethereal music]

There are almost as many camouflage

and color schemes in the ocean
as there are fish in the sea.

I'm always amazed by the things
I observe in the blue world,

and fortunately I get to see this stuff

even though I'm not
very camouflaged at all.

[bright music]

[bright piano music]