05x03 - Tiger Shark as a Camera Operator + Florida Cave Diving

[bunniefuu]

- [Narrator] Coming up next on Blue World,

a claustrophobic Florida cave dive.

But first, a Tiger Shark becomes the new

Blue World cameraman.

[ethereal music]

[upbeat music]

Meet Jonathan Berg, 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.

[upbeat music]

[gentle music]

- [Jonathan] The Tiger
Shark has a bad reputation.

[music continues]

Not just for attacking
swimmers and surfers,

but also for eating just about anything.

They have such a reputation
for indiscriminate feeding

that they're often called the
garbage cans of the ocean.

Sometimes though, reputations
are built upon myths

and legends, not facts.

To get to the bottom of
this age old stereotype,

I've mounted an expedition
to a famous place

in The Bahamas called Tiger Beach,

where Tiger Sharks have been
fed by divers for many years,

so the sharks are used to
interacting with people.

[cheerful music]

I'll be performing a Tiger
Shark experiment with the help

of expert shark handlers, Rich
D'Argento and Connor Cassidy.

Once the chum is in the water
and the sharks have shown up,

it's time to go diving and
find some Tiger Sharks.

[water splashes]
[gentle music]

Connor brings down a big crate of bait

to get a large Tiger Shark to come close.

[music continues]

[music continues]

Julia's with me as camera operator.

I've left my big camera behind

and instead brought a
tiny GoPro on a pole.

The GoPro is fun for underwater selfies,

but that's not why I brought it.

I want to see if a hungry
Tiger Shark will try

to eat a camera if I offer it.

Worst case, I'm going to lose my GoPro.

Best case, I might get a great shot

inside a Tiger Shark's mouth.

[gentle music]

A monster tiger known to
the dive masters as Roxy

comes on the scene.

She's very gentle as she
munches down fish heads

and swims around the divers.

I offer her my camera as a snack.

In spite of everything I've
read about Tiger Sharks eating

anything they can find,

this shark has no interest
in eating a GoPro.

In fact, the only way I
can get her to bite it

is by putting it in her
mouth when she's gulping down

a piece of fish, and
even then she lets it go.

[cheerful music]

[music continues]

Every single time I try, she spits it out.

So much for Tiger Sharks eating anything

that fits in their mouth.

I'm not sure I believe all
that hype about Tiger Sharks

being the garbage cans of the ocean.

I actually think Tiger
Sharks are a lot smarter

than they get credit for,
and I'm going to prove it

with Rich and Connor's help.

[music continues]

Rich and Connor have
invented a great new gadget,

which will open up new
creative possibilities.

So Rich, what is this thing?

- [Rich] Well, this is
actually our shark cam

that clips on the dorsal
fin of the Tiger Shark.

We clip it on the shark like so,

and you get different
angles of the sharks.

You get all the head motion

and all the cool swimming around it does,

and going around the
reef, coming back to us.

No harm to the shark.

I mean, as you can see,
clips on very soft, you know,

can fall off if need be,

and so if it does fall,
it falls on the ground.

Also, keeps the right angle.

Get the nice-

- So this is a highly
scientifically developed product.

- [Rich] Absolutely, made with zip ties.

- Is there a trick to
putting it on the shark?

- There is, yeah.

I mean, the shark's gotta be coming in

in the right spot at the right time.

They can shake it off if they want to,

so you gotta keep an eye on it

'cause we don't wanna lose our camera.

- [Jonathan] Right.

Well, let's go try it out.
- Let's do it.

- [Jonathan] To deploy the shark cam,

first we need a willing shark.

Our team hits the water again.

We gather around as Rich
and Connor feed the big

Tiger Sharks, looking
for a cooperative animal.

[gentle music]

Roxy comes in close and
presents a perfect opportunity

to clip on the shark cam.

[music continues]

I can clip it on my hand, so
it definitely doesn't hurt,

but Roxy can feel it on her
fin and she doesn't like it.

She shakes it off.

But we got the camera
back so we can try again.

Connor clips it a little lower,

hoping it will stay on better.

And off she goes, the first
Blue World camera shark.

[music continues]

After clipping the shark
cam to Roxy's dorsal fin,

we watch as she swims
away with our camera.

Now Roxy is sh**ting the footage.

We couldn't ask for a better
view, looking out over her head

as she gently swims over the bottom.

A nice big shark swims so smoothly.

[ethereal music]

She does give it a shake,
trying to make it pop off,

but for the moment at
least, the camera stays on.

I'm just hoping she doesn't swim too far

and lose our camera.

As if knowing exactly what we want,

Roxy cruises off on a lap around the reef.

Of course, we're back near the boat,

wondering if we'll ever
see our GoPro again.

[music continues]

She begins to bank left,
making a huge circle.

[music continues]
[water sloshing]

She swings down a little deeper

to get us some excellent shots

of the beautiful sea grass
bed, a habitat so important

to fish, invertebrates and sea turtles.

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

Next, she glides over the
sand at 40 feet, showing rows

of ripples created by currents and waves.

She's cruising just above the sand.

[music continues]

In the distance, the reef
where she began her lap.

This shark knows exactly what she's doing.

She's coming right back to our group.

As she comes over the top of the reef,

nobody sees her yet,

but then you can hear cheering

as we spot her coming into view.

[music continues]

Just as she reaches the
bait box for another snack,

she shakes the camera
off right at our feet

as if she planned it that way.

If you think sharks aren't
smart, you are wrong.

Roxy knows exactly what she's doing.

Who needs a cameraman when
you have a camera shark?

[water whirring]

[divers cheering]

Roxy the shark has shown
me that it's possible

we misunderstand Tiger Sharks.

They are smarter than they look.

They don't go around the
ocean eating license plates

and GoPros.

In fact, in my admittedly
limited experience,

a Tiger Shark is more likely

to sh**t some great video

than it is to eat the video camera.

[upbeat music]

- [Narrator] Don't go away.

Jonathan is about to explore
a spooky Florida cave.

[water sloshing]

- [Jonathan] Florida has a
well-deserved reputation for sun,

sand, and ocean, but
North Florida is known

in the scuba diving community as a top

cave diving destination.

Cave country.

[upbeat music]

[music continues]
[birds chirping]

Most North American cave
divers get their training

here in Florida.

Once they're certified, they go out

and explore caves in other
parts of the world like Mexico

and The Bahamas.

But I did it backwards.

I did my training in The Bahamas,

and I've never explored Florida caves.

Until today.

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

This is Jug Hole at
Ichetucknee Springs State Park.

[gentle music]
[birds chirping]

Above water, it just
looks like a little pond.

But underwater, nestled
within a ring of eel grass,

there's a hole going
straight down into the earth.

In this part of Florida,
the soil is thin over a base

of limestone created
by ancient coral reefs.

But over millions of years,

rain water has eaten
away at the limestone,

creating a kind of Swiss
cheese called karst.

It's full of caves
which are full of water.

In places, the water flows
out of the ground in springs

that form surface rivers and streams.

That's exactly what jug hole is, a spring.

I begin my day at Amigos
Dive Center in Fort White

with owner Wayne Kenard.

My guide to diving north Florida,

Wayne's shop is smack dab in the middle

of Florida cave country.

[upbeat music]

We load tanks and gear and
hit the road for a short drive

to an amazing place.

[music continues]

Soon we arrive at Ichetucknee
Springs State Park,

which has no less than seven springs

that together feed the Ichetucknee River.

[gentle music]

[music continues]
[birds chirping]

[music continues]

After a short walk lugging gear in a cart,

we reach Blue Hole spring,
known to the locals as Jug Hole,

one of the largest of the springs.

It flows at between 40 and

which is enough to fill two
swimming pools every minute.

We suit up with side
mount cave diving gear

and prepare to explore Jug Hole.

And as soon as we're ready,
Todd's camera malfunctions.

- After I sealed it and
everything was working then.

- [Jonathan] Underwater
cameras are notoriously finicky

and they always pick
inconvenient moments to act up.

With the camera sorted
out, we head underwater.

Wayne is leading the way.

Water is gushing out of the spring.

It blows us back with such
force that we need to fight

to get down into the entrance of the cave.

[ethereal music]

[music continues]

Once through the narrow opening,

we enter a large cavern zone
that opens up like a jug

inside, which is where
the spring gets its name.

At the bottom of the jug, the
cave leads down at an angle.

Wayne ties a guideline and leads the way.

[music continues]

I follow behind with my big camera,

fighting just to make forward progress

against the strong current.

[music continues]

Most well visited caves like
this one have a warning sign

to remind divers who aren't
cave trained to stay out.

I push past the warning
sign, leaving the cavern zone

where you can still see
light from the opening.

Soon we arrive at a wide but
very low section of cave.

It barely looks like
anyone can fit in there,

but Wayne squeezes right in.

[music continues]

As I push in behind him, I realize

that my camera's almost too large to fit.

This wide but low
section of cave is called

the bedding plane.

There was a layer of
softer rock in this space,

but it was dissolved away by the water,

leaving the harder rock
on the ceiling and floor.

The current through here is very strong.

Cameraman Todd and I have
to claw our way forward.

[music continues]

It's not a place for the claustrophobic,

and it's also not an easy
place to work a camera.

On the far side of the bedding plane,

we come out into a larger chamber,

and since there's more
space, the current is lower.

In many caves, the sandy
bottom in this chamber

would be a big hazard.

But in this cave, any silt we kick up

is carried away immediately.

[music continues]

At the far end of the big chamber,

just as I'm getting used
to the gentle current,

we reach a tiny restriction.

This cave is famous for this restriction.

If you can't get through,
this is as far as you go.

Wayne shows me the right
body angle and goes first

to demonstrate.

Most back mount divers have
to take their scuba tanks off

to get through here, but with side mount,

we can just barely make it.

[music resumes]

[music continues]

Again, my camera is so big
that I'm concerned about

banging it on the rocks than
I am about getting through

the restriction.

The current through this tiny
restriction is so powerful

that I have to pull myself through.

My fins are useless.

[music continues]

[music continues]

As we work our way further into the cave,

we're now about 100 feet deep

and 400 feet from the entrance.

The passages are getting smaller.

[suspenseful music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

I find a bone on the cave
floor, most likely dating back

to a time during the last ice age,

perhaps 15,000 years ago
when the cave was dry

and animals could walk in.

[music continues]

Wayne takes a turn to show me
something in a side passage.

It's a chimney that goes straight up,

but it doesn't lead to the surface.

It's a potentially deadly
trap to a lost diver

who leaves the line.

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

We leave the chimney and
continue in the main passage.

Soon we reach the end of the line,

literally 550 feet from the entrance,

as far as divers can fit.

[music continues]

We go around a corner
into a section of the cave

with no flow.

In here, the water is stagnant and murky.

Time to turn around and head back out.

[music continues]

[music continues]

Having turned around
at the end of the line,

our team is making its way
back to the light of day.

But things are a little
different on the way out.

Now we're going with the current.

You might think that makes it easier

since we don't have to fight the current,

but now we have two different problems.

First, the current is trying
to throw us into the rocks

and push us through
restrictions from behind.

Second, if we kick up any
silt, it travels downstream

with us.

When we get back to the restriction,

Todd and Wayne Head through first.

[music continues]

[music continues]

[music continues]

Then I squeezed through with
the water pushing me hard

from behind.

Back at the bedding plane,
we stopped for some pictures

with underwater photographer Jean Page.

Finally, we head back
out into the cavern zone

to decompress.

[music resumes]

While I'm decompressing, I have time

to think about this dive

and compare it to other caves I visited.

In The Bahamas and the
Yucatan, the caves tend to have

a lot of fragile formations,
almost no current

and salt water under the fresh water.

The caves in Florida tend
to be all fresh water,

often with strong water flow

and very little in the
way of ornamentation.

It's a different kind of cave diving.

You don't have to be as
concerned about breaking

fragile formations, but you
do have to fight the current.

No matter what kind of
caves I'm diving into,

cave diving is an exhilarating
sport that satisfies my urge

to explore the unknown,

and with the caves of Florida
so close and convenient,

I'll definitely be back to Wayne's shop

for more cave diving soon.

[upbeat music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[gentle tune]