04x01 - Manta Ray Feeding Frenzy and Sea Snakes of Bird Island

[bunniefuu]

- [Announcer] Coming up next on

"Jonathan Bird's Blue World."

Jonathan travels to an
uninhabited island in Indonesia

to find thousands of sea snakes.

But first, he investigates a manta ray

feeding frenzy in the Maldives.

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

Meet Jonathan Bird,

[water splashes]

one of the world's top underwater
nature cinematographers,

[gentle upbeat music]

traveling the world on assignment

for all the major networks.

He is an Emmy Award-winning authority

on the underwater world.

[gentle upbeat music]

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

Jonathan documents the
world beneath the waves.

[gentle upbeat music]

Welcome to the Blue World.

[gentle upbeat music]

- Manta rays are among the ocean's

most majestic animals,

and while I've seen a few
manta rays in my travels,

I've never seen a manta
ray feeding frenzy.

Something that happens
during a specific time

of the year at a remote
atoll in the Indian Ocean.

So I've come here to Baa
Atoll in the Maldives

for the adventure of a lifetime.

The Maldives are a group of islands

in the middle of the Indian Ocean,

just southwest of India's southern tip.

They're made up of
thousands of coral atolls

dotting the tropical blue water.

Here you can see everything

from a traditional local
fisherman in a rowboat

with a single fishing pole

to the hustle and bustle of water taxis

around the capital city of Mali.

I'll be exploring the Maldives

aboard a luxury dive yacht capable

of traveling hundreds
of miles between atolls

to find the best dive sites.

I'm brought aboard by a
small boat called a dhoni

that will cruise alongside us.

We'll use the dhoni as
our diving platform.

Soon we set sail for Baa Atoll,

and the captain drives the boat not

with a gigantic steering
wheel but a tiny joystick.

We leave the busy capital behind

and cruise out into open water.

Although the boat has diesel engines,

she gets a helping hand
from favorable wins.

The next morning our dive master Sha

gives us a short lecture on what

to expect and how we're
going to the mantas.

Once our gear is aboard the dhoni

and the captain ready to head out,

we climb aboard and they shove
off from the mother ship.

[relaxing music]

[engine purrs]

Time to go looking for manta rays.

We navigate between the shallow reefs

and sandy lagoons on our way

to a place called Hanifaru Bay.

There are 20 divers on this expedition

and we're suited up and ready to go.

Sha is watching far
mantas from the top deck.

We pass idyllic beaches on
enchanting uninhabited islands.

Hanifaru Bay turns out to
be not much more than a ring

of coral reefs surrounding
a shallow sandy sea floor.

It's not really a bay at all.

Sha doesn't see anything
resembling a manta

but we decide to go check it out anyway.

I suit up, keeping my expectations high.

Well, this is it.

Hanifaru Bay.

Let's go see if we can
find some manta rays.

[water splashes]

The reefs around the outside
of Hanifaru Bay are gorgeous,

filled with colorful
corals and schools of fish.

[soothing piano music]

[soothing piano music continues]

But the sandy bottom of the
bay is fairly featureless

and there are no mantas.

I wait for a while looking
up for manta shapes,

but nothing swims over.

Mantas only come here when
the tides are just right

because plankton accumulates in the bay.

Well, no mantas.

You know, they tell me
there can be like 50

or 100 mantas in this bay,

but so far we haven't seen any.

I guess we'll try again tomorrow.

As the sun sinks below the horizon,

I can only wonder what
tomorrow will bring.

I sure hope I didn't come
all this way for nothing.

The next morning,

we're off again to look for mantas.

Dive masters Sha and Shumi
are on top of the boat,

scouring the water for shadows.

They wanna find the mantas just as badly

as we wanna see them.

We approach Hanifaru
Bay with baited breath.

- [Shumi] There's one. There's one.

Look at there.

- [Jonathan] Shumi's keen eyesight has

caught a shadow a few hundred yards away

in the middle of Hanifaru Bay.

As we get closer,

we realize there are
at least a dozen mantas

swimming around at the surface.

Who knows where they were
yesterday, but today they're here!

So without wasting any time,

we get ready to go into the water.

Some of our group is gonna
try snorkeling with them,

which is probably a better way to keep up.

To sh**t steady footage,

I really need to get down
away from the surface wave,

so I'm going to use my scuba gear.

I hit the water and
immediately a manta turns

and comes towards me,

flying like a huge bird

with a 10-foot wingspan
right over my head.

These strangely shaped animals
are relatives of sharks.

They have no swim bladder

and they sink if they stop swimming.

So just like gigantic underwater birds,

they flap their wings to move
and stay up off the bottom.

Even though their mouths are open wide,

these animals present no threat to people.

They eat only plankton.

[relaxing music]

They catch the plankton by swimming

with their mouths wide open

and funneling extra water in
using two special fins in front

of their mouth called cephalic lobes.

[relaxing music]

Looking down into a manta's
throat, you can see the gills.

The water goes back out through the gills

but the plankton gets
caught on comb-like filters.

So a manta ray is like
a big swimming strainer

that filters out all the tiny
planktonic bug-like animals

in the water.

[relaxing music]

[relaxing music continues]

As I watch them feed,

I can see their massive
gill slits underneath

where the water comes back out.

[relaxing music]

While some mantas like to swim
along the surface to feed,

others find a good spot
filled with plankton

and do barrel rolls
filtering the same cloud

of plankton over and over until
they've gotten most of it.

[relaxing music]

[relaxing music continues]

This pair of mantas feeds in formation.

I have no idea if this helps
them feed more effectively,

if it's just a coincidence,

or maybe they're just pals.

The mantas don't seem to mind me at all.

At first I thought that maybe
they were so busy feeding

that they didn't notice much,

but sometimes it seems
like they're actually

coming by on purpose to give me a look.

[relaxing music]

The water is filled with tiny silvery fish

that are also feeding on the plankton.

They swim through my frame
like a cloud of silver,

dangerously near the mantas' mouths,

but fast enough to
avoid the hungry mantas.

[relaxing music]

As the sun gets lower in the sky,

the tide is turning and conditions

for feeding become less ideal.

The mantas start to wander
off into the open ocean.

[relaxing music]

[relaxing music continues]

Woo-hoo!

Man, that is what we came for.

Dozens of manta rays all
feeding at the same time

with the tide going out.

Amazing to see with all
their mouths wide open

and zooming back and forth.

Woo-hoo!

Man, that was awesome!

After 10 days at Hanifaru Bay,

I only saw the feeding
frenzy on three occasions

when conditions were just right.

But those magical few
hours I spent in the water

with the mantas were worth every bit

of the trouble in traveling
all the way to the Maldives.

Once again, I have been fortunate

to witness a stunning performance

of nature in the shallow
waters of the Blue World.

- [Announcer] Don't go away.

Jonathan travels to an
uninhabited island in Indonesia

to find thousands of sea snakes.

- [Jonathan] Some of the world's
richest coral reefs thrive

in Indonesia.

Located in the middle of the
so-called Coral Triangle,

the diversity of species and colors

of Indonesian reefs absolutely

amazes me every time I get
the chance to dive here.

This time, however, it's not
the reefs I've come to film,

but a remote and uninhabited
island whose waters are reputed

to team with thousands of sea snakes.

The island known as Manuk
is an active volcano,

nearest inhabited island,

smack dab in the middle of
the Indonesian archipelago.

Getting there is no easy task.

I've chartered the Seahorse,

a traditional Indonesian
Phinisi built for divers

for a special itinerary
to reach Manuk Island.

Dive Master Janri meets me
at the marina in Sorong.

It took me two full days of flying just

to get to Sorong from the United States.

He takes me out to the Seahorse,

my home away from home
for the next two weeks.

This expedition will take

across the Banda Sea, from Sorong to Alor,

stopping to dive along
the way at many islands,

the most important of
which of course is Manuk.

I board the Seahorse and once
everyone else has arrived,

we pull anchor and head
for the open sea in search

of some serious underwater adventures.

The next morning we reach our
first dive site in Raja Ampat.

I can hardly wait to hit the water

and get a look at the spectacular reefs.

Raja Ampat is the most
biologically diverse area

in Indonesia and therefore the world.

[upbeat music]

[upbeat music continues]

[water splashes]

As I roll into the
water and get my camera,

the first thing I see is
a wonderfully healthy,

shallow hard coral reef.

[relaxing music]

Nearby are sea fans sheltering tiny fish.

Along the drop off, larger
schools of fish hunt,

swirling around the reef.

[relaxing music]

In the deep blue,

a school of spade fish
regard me without fear

as I swim among them.

Back at the reef,

a camouflaged fish lies on the
sand between the coral heads.

It's a crocodile fish,

an ambush predator waiting
for prey to come close.

Even its eye has camouflage.

Later in the day,

I suit up once again for
another mind blowing experience.

[water splashes]

This is a dive on a tiny sea mount,

a coral pillar that
would be a small island

if only it were a tad taller.

This underwater tower is the
home of the largest school

of butterfly fish I've ever seen.

They hover here in the strong current,

apparently feeding on something

that the current brings to them.

[relaxing piano music]

They don't seem to mind
my presence at all.

[relaxing piano music]

It's a mesmerizing experience
to dive within the school

and developed on all
sides by colorful fish.

[relaxing piano music]

Exhausted by swimming in the current,

I relax and drift away from the sea mount.

I float gently towards the surface

where I make a short safety
stop for decompression.

Finally, I head back to the Seahorse.

My first day of diving done.

A beautiful day leads
to a beautiful sunset,

and I can't wait to see
what tomorrow brings.

For five days, the pilot of the Seahorse

advances us across Indonesia
from island to island

with wonderful diving every day.

But my mind is focused
on one particular spot,

and today at last we have
arrived Manuk Island.

The island is aptly named.

Manuk means bird in several
Indonesian dialects,

and birds it has.

Manuk is completely uninhabited

and there are a few reasons why.

First of all, it's kind of steep,

but more importantly,
it's an active volcano.

There are steam and sulfur
vents all over the island.

Standing down wind,

you can smell the distinct
odor of brimstone.

But the big question is, are
there any sea snakes here?

I depart for the first dive
with my fingers crossed

that I will see tons of sea snakes.

So let's go check it out.

Woo-hoo!

[water splashes]

When I get down to the reef,

I see a wonderfully healthy
ecosystem with beautiful coral,

abundant fish, and crystal clear water.

You couldn't ask for a
nicer place to do a dive.

The walls drop off
steeply into deep water.

The reef looks perfectly
healthy except for this,

an underwater volcanic vent.

Toxic gases and heat are
coming out of the sea floor.

Coral can't grow too close to this vent.

The water is murky and the
rocks are stained yellow.

Whatever I'm swimming in
right now is probably not good

for me or my camera.

Up in shallow water,

volcanic bubbles are percolating
out of the sea floor.

Nothing will grow on these rocks either.

The volcanic nature of
Manuk island is everywhere.

Yet among the volcanic
bubbles swims a sea snake.

It is apparently unaffected
by the water quality.

It swims casually by flapping its

flattened paddle-like section of tail.

I follow it down onto the reef,

mesmerized by its swimming.

[relaxing music]

[relaxing music continues]

Sea snakes are among the most
venomous animals on Earth.

They use this venom to
hunt, and fortunately,

attacks on people are extremely rare.

[relaxing music]

Soon I start to see other sea snakes

and I realize that more and
more have been appearing.

Were they here before
and I didn't see them?

Or did they come out from some place?

Clearly some were sleeping.

This one's taking a nap
in plain view on the reef.

I guess they don't really have

to worry much about predators.

I watch this one sleep for a little while

and I start to wonder if it's even alive,

so I give it a little tickle.

I wouldn't do this with a land snake,

but sea snakes are very easygoing,

almost mellow and rarely aggressive.

The snake just moves a couple of feet away

and goes back to sleep.

Pretty soon I notice that
as the snakes are waking up,

they're coming over to check me out.

Are they curious?

They investigate my fins and gear.

They swim closely around me.

I know they're not aggressive,

so I just try to stay still
and not frighten them.

[relaxing music]

[relaxing music continues]

[relaxing music continues]

Look, they're so mellow I can hold one.

Notice how it flicks its tongue.

Like land snakes,

this is how a sea snake smells,

but at the same time the
tongue flicking helps get rid

of excess salt from glands in its mouth.

Because sea snakes are
reptiles just like land snakes,

they have lungs and need to
breathe air just like people.

So a sea snake must head

to the surface every once
in a while for a breath.

Sea snakes have a huge lung

that takes up nearly the
entire length of their body

so they can hold a big breath
that will last for a while.

Each time a sea snake surfaces,

it usually spends a minute or two resting

and breathing before gulping
in that last big breath

and diving back down to the reef.

A breath can last one to two
hours depending on the species,

but most sea snakes
breathe more often than

that unless they're sleeping.

They can also absorb
a little bit of oxygen

from the water directly
through their skin,

which helps them extend their dives.

As I ascend from my last dive of the day,

I'm really excited about
all the sea snakes I saw.

Wow!

That dive was snake-tacular!

I've seen sea snakes
before, but never that many.

The next morning I'm up at sunrise

and heading out to the reef
for an early morning dive.

Early morning is when the sea snakes hunt,

and I'm hoping to witness the reef alive

with sea snakes on the prowl.

[water splashes]

Underwater the light levels are still low,

and I'm heading out to a deep sea mount

where I saw a lot of sea snakes yesterday.

This should be a good place

to find some sea snakes hunting.

When a sea snake hunts,

it takes advantage of having
a small head and a thin body

to go from hole to hole in the reef,

poking its head inside.

It hopes to corner a fish

or an invertebrate that's
hiding in the hole.

[relaxing music]

[relaxing music]

[dramatic music]

Once the hunting starts,
more sea snakes start coming

into the reef to join the hunt.

[dramatic music]

On this sea mount more
than 100 from the surface,

dozens of sea snakes are gathering

to prowl the reef for food.

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music continues]

[dramatic music continues]

[dramatic music continues]

Sometimes they appear to work together

to make sure nothing escapes.

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music continues]

[dramatic music continues]

[dramatic music continues]

My time is limited at such a deep site,

and all too soon I must
head for shallower water.

There are more sea snakes in the shallows.

Sure, I've seen sea snakes before,

but why are there so many
here at Manuk Island?

Is it the remoteness of
the place far from people?

Is it a lack of some other predator?

For now, nobody's quite sure,
but there's no doubt about it.

Manuk might be named after the birds,

but to me it will always be
the island of the snakes.

[gentle upbeat music]

[slow jingle]