06x07 - A Red Sea Expedition

[bunniefuu]

[adventurous music]

- [Narrator] Today on "Blue World,"

Jonathan travels to Egypt,

where he visits the pyramids by camel

and dives the enchanted
waters of the Red Sea.

[inspiring music]

Meet Jonathan Bird,

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.

Welcome to the blue world.

[shark tapping]

[gentle music]

- The Red Sea is known to
divers all over the world

as one of the places you
absolutely must visit.

It has a reputation for clear water

and absolutely breathtaking reefs.

So, Cameraman Todd and Bill
are joining me in Egypt

for a Red Sea dive trip.

[adventurous music]

And if you're going all the way to Egypt,

you really ought to see the pyramids.

So, as our first adventure,

we grab a cab to Giza on
the outskirts of Cairo

where we do the tourist thing

and take a horse and buggy to a place

where we can try riding camels.

Clearly, Cameraman Todd is not
an experienced camel rider.

Then, our guides lead
us out into the desert.

[wind howling]

We're riding camels to the pyramids.

I've seen a million pictures
of the pyramids in my life,

but I never expected I would
get to see them in person.

[plaintive music]

As we ride closer and closer,

their true size becomes visible.

Walking around the grounds,

it's hard to believe that people

built these completely by hand.

We visit the Sphinx, which is
very impressive and popular.

It's crowded.

And then, later that night,

we walk around Cairo to
check out the local scene.

[plaintive music]

But then, some bad news.

So, due to some problems
with Egyptian customs,

we missed our flight from
Cairo down to Marsa Alam.

But it's okay, because instead,

we're driving across Egypt
from Cairo to Marsa Alam.

Seven hours of sightseeing
and it's gonna be fabulous.

Oh, and we have no air conditioning.

Our dive boat embarks from Marsa Alam



We hire a driver and begin
a drive across the desert.

Todd and Bill are making the most of it

while our driver focuses on the road.

We pass a lot of wind turbines.

It's nice to see Egypt
using their substantial wind

to make electricity.

After a while, we reach the coast

and drive a road where the
mountains meet the Red Sea,

and it's starkly beautiful.

Finally, nine hours after we left Cairo,

we reach our dive boat at
the marina in Marsa Alam.

We board the Seawolf for a week of diving

the remote southern waters of the Red Sea.

Because the boat is not full,

I get my own cabin,

so I can unpack all my gear everywhere.

The next morning, we
depart for our adventure,

sailing out of the
marina past shallow reefs

and out into blue water.

We're heading south to the
very southern end of Egypt

to find some of the most
pristine reefs in the Red Sea.

It's a few hours before we
reach our first dive site.

The crew puts an inflatable in the water

to help tie up the boat.

They're securing the
boat to Elphinstone Reef,

a famous dive site.

Rather than use anchors,
which damage coral,

the boat is tied to a mooring

which is permanently attached to the reef.

The captain maintains
the Seawolf in position

while they get it tied up.

Reefs in this part of the Red Sea

rise to within a meter of the surface

from depths of about 30 meters.

These tall reefs are called bommies.

Before our dive, we get a briefing,

which is where they tell
you all the exotic things

they've ever seen at the site

that you will probably never see,

and of course, some local
conditions and currents.

Then, it's time to suit up.

[wind howling]

[buckle clinking]

I hit the water, followed
by Todd and Bill,

and the first thing we see
in the clear blue water

is jellyfish.

These are moon jellies,

harmless to people and beautiful to film.

[serene music]

Before we even get below the surface,

a pod of bottlenose dolphins
comes over to check us out.

They aren't really interested
in playing with us,

but they stick around for a few minutes.

[serene music continues]

[serene music continues]

They're accompanied by an
oceanic whitetip shark.

Ever wonder what it looks
like when a dolphin poops?

Well, here you go.

That was awesome.

Wow!

Once the dolphins wander off,

we sink down to the reef,

and I can't believe the colors.

The Red Sea is known
for gorgeous soft corals

in pastel colors,

and this is certainly no disappointment.

As I swim along the wall of coral,

I am just taking in how
beautiful these reefs are.

These lush reefs also
provide the ideal habitat

for tons of small fish.

Fish called anthias are everywhere.

Their colors, orange, pink, and purple,

almost mimic the colors of the soft coral.

Everywhere I go, I swim through
clouds of these little fish.

[serene music]

In the overhangs, there
are schools of glassfish.

These reefs are extremely
healthy and vibrant,

and everywhere I swim, there
are anthias by the millions.

[serene music continues]

Some of the coral on this reef

is actually a mustard-colored
hydroid called fire coral.

It's not a true coral.

If you look closely, you can
see what looks like hairs.

It may look soft and fuzzy,

but fire coral is bad news if
you rub your skin against it.

Those hairs are stingers,

and believe me, this
stuff is no fun at all.

There are not many large animals around,

but I find a whitetip reef shark

resting on the sand under an overhang.

Nearby, a dead surgeonfish
with a bite out of it

is jammed in the reef.

It was the victim of a hungry moray eel,

which no doubt bit the fish,

but couldn't manage to
pull it back into its den.

[ominous music]

A moon jelly has drifted over to the reef

where a pair of damselfish
are nibbling on it.

The reef is a bad place for a jelly.

[ethereal music]

As we rise to the surface
at the end of the dive,

we come across a school of
fusilier feeding on plankton.

[bright music]

Until something frightens them.

Finally, it's time to
get out of the water.

Woo!

Soon, the captain is moving the boat

to our next dive site.

[engine rumbling]

For our second Red Sea dive,

we will dive from an inflatable,

because we're going to a spot
that the big boat can't reach.

[engine whirring]

We have to time our water entry carefully,

so we all roll together

and drift with the current to the reef.

But the reward is an even
more spectacular reef.

[serene music]

This particular spot has
tons of reef swim-throughs.

Todd, Bill and I have a blast

swimming into them and exploring.

They feel a little bit like caves.

[serene music continues]

They're formed when reefs
grow together above,

like a canopy in a forest.

But there are tons of
openings to let in light

and allow divers to leave,

so this is not cave diving.

I call them coral caverns.

Still, swimming through these passages

with shafts of light twinkling around me

is a surreal experience.

[serene music continues]

[serene music continues]

[serene music continues]

On the sand outside the coral caverns,

a bluespotted stingray is feeding.

He digs into the sand and
vacuums out worms and clams.

[serene music]

[serene music continues]

Stingrays have a stinger on
their tail used for defense.

[suspenseful music]

After a few minutes,

we start making our way back to the boat.

At the top of the reef,

we find a hawksbill sea turtle
looking for something to eat.

Hawksbills eat things

that most animals could never digest,

like sponges, crinoids, and
in this case, soft coral.

It doesn't look particularly appetizing.

[serene music]

Finally, we surface at the inflatable.

As the sun goes down,
I reflect upon the day.

The reefs of the Red Sea
are truly astonishing

and they definitely live
up to their reputation.

I can hardly wait to
see what they look like

[water splashing]

on a night dive.

[adventurous music]

- [Narrator] Coming up,
a Red Sea night dive

with unwary sleeping fish
and a hunting moray eel.

[serene music]

- Nobody's quite sure how
the Red Sea got its name,

but if you look under water,

the reason might be the
abundance of color on the reefs.

The Red Sea is on every
scuba diver's bucket list.

Todd, Bill and I head to Egypt
for the trip of a lifetime

to dive the Red Sea.

[adventurous music]

We board the liveaboard
dive boat, Seawolf,

and set out on a voyage of adventure.

Our dives are spectacular.

We see dolphins,

[serene music]

sea turtles,

and stingrays,

not to mention colorful reefs

and breathtaking coral caverns.

But once the sun goes down,

we're ready to see what's
happening on the reefs at night.

Cameraman Bill and I
suit up for a night dive.

[buckles clicking]

[indistinct speaking]

Butts.

[indistinct speaking]

You would think that night
diving would be scary,

but believe it or not,
once you get down there,

it's a lot of fun.

Woo-hoo!

[water splashing]

Bill and I hit the water

to go see what we can find
on the reef after dark.

[serene music]

Immediately, we notice a lot
of plankton in the water.

Plankton comes up from
the depths at night,

so the animals that feed on plankton

also get active at night,

like the moon jelly,

catching plankton in its short tentacles.

[serene music continues]

A small school of fish
is scurrying around,

grabbing plankton.

The coral polyps down on the reef

open up at night to catch plankton, too.

A basket star spreads its net of arms

into the current to catch plankton.

These animals are super
sensitive to light.

As I come in close with my video camera,

the basket star begins
to fold its arms up.

During the day, these animals
curl up into a tiny ball

and hide in the reef.

[serene music continues]

Speaking of hiding in the reef,

most reef fish are diurnal,

meaning they're active during the day.

At night, they sleep.

A parrot fish is catching some Zs.

Without eyelids, the fish
may look awake, but it's not.

A lizardfish looks ready
to pounce, but not really.

Watch for the eyes to move.

There, now my video
lights are waking it up.

Lionfish are typically the
most active during the day,

but they are opportunistic.

They've been known to
hunt by divers' lights.

[serene music continues]

A sea urchin is combing the
surface of the sand for food,

protected by its venomous spines.

This is a nocturnal
animal active at night.

It buries itself in the sand
and hides during the day.

Also roaming the sand,
another nocturnal animal,

a red nudibranch called a Spanish dancer.

This nudibranch, the size of a shoe,

is basically a snail without a shell.

And it has a hitchhiker,

a tiny imperial shrimp,

hanging on for a free ride
and picking the sand for food

as the Spanish dancer cruises along.

[serene music continues]

Nearby, on the reef,

one of the nocturnal reef
predators has come out.

An octopus eyes me suspiciously,

unsure if I'm to be trusted.

I hold really still and try
not to present a threat.

[bright music]

The octopus changes
color to match the reef

and goes hunting.

The octopus has amazing
camouflage capabilities,

able to change not just color,

but also skin texture,
from smooth to wrinkled,

as it moves over different
parts of the reef.

Sometimes it moves with jet propulsion,

swimming up into the water over the reef

to look for a good place
to land for hunting.

Then, it proceeds to move along the reef,

sticking its eight arms into
different holes and cracks,

trying to grab something that
might make a good dinner,

like a fish or a crab.

No place is very safe from an octopus.

[bright music continues]

[bright music continues]

Finally, the octopus has grabbed a crab.

With the crab tightly held in its arms,

the octopus squirts its
way to a private place

to eat its meal.

[bright music continues]

The Red Sea at night.

A moray eel slithers its
way through the reef,

searching for food.

[sinister music]

Sleeping fish tend to
hide in holes in the reef,

but the moray eel is perfectly designed

to reach into these hiding places

and grab fish that never
see the moray coming.

Still, it's not as easy as it sounds.

Not every hole has a fish,
and lots of fish get away.

[sinister music continues]

[sinister music continues]

Sometimes, though, you get lucky.

A fish sleeping in plain sight.

[dramatic music]

[dramatic music continues]

As much as it struggles,

this fish is not going to get away.

The teeth of the moray
are shaped like needles

and point backwards into its mouth.

Like the barbs on a fish hook,

they prevent pretty much
anything from escaping.

This fish is dinner.

Night diving is always fascinating.

I don't think I've ever
had a bad night dive,

and the Red Sea certainly
hasn't disappointed me

when it comes to night diving action.

An octopus hunting and
a moray catching a fish

were certainly the highlights of the dive,

and that shows that you
never know what you'll see

when you drop into the
water and have a look.

At night, especially,

it's an amazing blue world.