All language subtitles for B.W.S05E05.Swimming.with.Sea.Turtles.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

Cameras rolling.

This could be it.

[inaudible].

Oh, oh!

Australia is
home to many reptilian species.

And while several of them
are found within the confines

of the continent's
interior, beyond the tide,

you will find one of the
world's most cherished animals,

the green sea turtle.

In the past, I've had
the chance to swim

alongside these elegant
and timeless beings,

yet strict regulations
prohibit anyone

from making physical
contact with these reptiles.

However, on this adventure,
that is all about to change.

Today, the crew and I are
heading off the coast of Bowen,

a small town situated at
the top of the Whitsundays

on the eastern
side of Queensland.

Under the invitation of
the World Wildlife Fund,

we will be given
the chance to work

alongside the
traditional owner rangers

from Djaru and
people.

These Rangers take
responsibility

for the management
and protection

of their sea country,
including iconic species

like the green sea turtle.

Their work includes safely
catching, collecting data,

and tagging these magnificent
marine reptiles so scientists

can then determine what
is happening to the turtle

population and ensure that
the species is continuing

to thrive in these warm waters.

And as a
Djaru elder,

welcome
you to the country

and hope you have a good day.

Coyote,
what's going on?

Doing a smoke
ceremony right now.

And the flames are
just welcoming us

into this community.

I consider
myself to be an expert when

it comes to catching turtles.

And my method of
leaping from kayaks

to catch snapping
turtles has often proven

to be incredibly successful.

Catching sea turtles, however,
is a very different challenge.

As compared to snapping turtles,
these ocean-dwelling reptiles

are incredibly fast.

And instead of
leaping feet-first

from a slow rowing
kayak, I will be

jumping from a speeding boat.

The good news is that I will
be apprenticing a man who I now

consider to be the
greatest turtle catcher

of all time, Aaron Taiters.

He will be showing me
the tricks of the trade

that he has spent
several years mastering,

and which have resulted
in the safe capture,

data collection,
tagging, and release

for hundreds of sea turtles.

So what are you
looking for, Aaron?

You looking for
shadows in the water?

Yeah, we're looking for a
sort of a dark brown figure.

OK.

We'll see the turtles,
they'll either sit still

or they'll make a move for it.

The moment they move,
we tell Eddie, yep,

head off to the
right, and then that's

when we'll be chasing them.

Gotcha.

Yeah, this is kind
of the same way

I search for snapping turtles.

I look for a dark shadow
beneath the surface,

wait for it to start moving.

I know it's not a rock,
and then you make a go.

Yeah.

Sometimes, you
will get confused.

There's a lot of
stingray around here.

They just-- before you see
it, the turtle, just make sure

you see his flippers first.
Got it.

And then you start chasing.

[inaudible].

This is [inaudible].

Any turtle sighted yet?

Not yet, but
we're working on it.

We'll keep you posted.

Roger that.

Over and out.

There it is.
There.

To the right.

Oh, got a
turtle to our right here.

It's just in front of us.

[inaudible] left.

Some of them really quick.

Going left.

Upon spotting several
smaller turtles

and witnessing their
impressive speed,

I quickly realized that
catching a sea turtle

was going to be much
more difficult than I

had originally anticipated.

There's big turtle here.

Big one, big one.

Go, go.

Yes!

Ah, yeah!

Nice catch!

Oh!

That was a rough miss.

But the good news
is that Aaron was

right there to follow up with an
epic dive and successful catch.

Boy, does he make it look easy.

Ah!

Ah!

Ah!

Dude, I had his front
flipper in my hand!

Yeah, I saw it.

I had his flipper!

I
said, he's got it.

Ah!

Well, great
catch again, Aaron!

That was epic.

All right!

I was so close.

That was the one.

I had the entire flipper
in my hand and it went,

woop, right out.

And I tried to grab
the back of the shell.

I couldn't do it.

But at least we
caught the turtle.

Let's get it on to the research
boat and get the biometrics.

Keep at it.

As a team, our rate of
success was fantastic,

yet my personal performance
was lackluster at best.

I could feel that my confidence
for catching sea turtles

was beginning to sink.

Yet Aaron, being the
incredible mentor that he was,

continued to encourage
and critique my style.

[inaudible].

Yeah, see him.

Way too deep.

It's harder
than it looks, folks.

Man, it was the
same thing before.

I was not in front
of the turtle.

Time was running out.

And my window to land a
giant was beginning to close,

when the boat slowly
motored into a clear stretch

of water that revealed
a massive dark shadow

beneath the surface.

All right, guys, we've got a
good turtle out in front of us.

Camera's rolling.

This could be it.

This was it.

The pressure was on.

And I would only have
one dive, one chance

to catch this turtle.

Yep, yep, yep.

there.

Aaron kept his sights locked
on the speeding reptile,

waiting for an opportune
moment when it would

slow its forward momentum and
prepare to breach the surface

for a breath of air.

This would be my
window of opportunity.

And in that instance,
he shouted the command.

Go
for it, go for it.

That's it.

Oh, oh!

!

Woo!

Woo!

Careful, careful!

Woo!

Caught a turtle!

not feel good!

I jumped on the
back of the shell!

Woo!

Man!

That is a good sized
turtle right there!

Without question the biggest
turtle I have ever caught!

Man!

Woo!

I told you guys I'd do it!

Woo!

Oh, nice.
- That is a big [inaudible].

That's a male.
- ...

Yeah, it's a male!

Woo!

Look at that tail!
Oh, man!

My goodness!

That's a dragon tail.

Yes, yes!

Woo!

That's my dragon right there!

Man!

Best turtle catch ever,
in my life at least!

Woo!

All right, guys, we got to
get the rest of our gear,

get on to the research
boat, get the biometrics,

and then release this
dragon back into the wild.

Yes!

Yes!

I hope I caught all
of that on this camera.

All right, guys, well,
there we have it.

There is the green sea
turtle that I landed.

And he is an absolute giant.

This is the first male of
the trip that we have caught.

An absolute beast.

Can you guys believe this?

I can't
believe you caught it.

That was an amazing catch.
- What a catch.

Well, when I jumped
into the water,

I kind of went to the side.

I grabbed the side of its
shell, and my hand slid down.

I held on to the
back of the shell

and actually climbed
up the side of it

to get right behind the
back of the carapace.

And you could see how
healthy this turtle is.

Look at it.

It is actually spilling
out of its shell.

I know, buddy.

Now, let's take a look at
the carapace of this reptile.

It is massive.

And I love this teardrop shape.

You see that?

This allows these
turtles to stay

completely streamlined
when they're

swimming under the water.

If we take a look here, look at
the size of this turtle's tail.

Just like a snapping turtle,
male green sea turtles

have an extremely long tail.

Look at that.

As long and as big
around as my arm is.

An absolute dragon
tail right there.

Now, you hear the name
"green sea turtle"

and you may be thinking to
yourselves, well, Coyote,

it's mostly brown in coloration.

Why do they call it
a green sea turtle?

That name comes from a
thick layer of green fat

that exists just beneath the
bone of the carapace that

insulates them between the bone
and all of their main organs.

I know, buddy, you just
want to get back out there

into the ocean, don't you?

This guy's just fine.
Don't worry.

Sea turtles can stay
out of the water

for an extended period of time.

What a beautiful turtle.

Look at those eyes.

Such kind, intelligent eyes.

And you may notice that the
turtles eyes are very wet.

It almost looks
like it's crying.

It's not crying.

All turtles are capable
of secreting a mucus

from their eye membrane to
help keep their eyes wet

when they're out of the water.

This goes for all turtles.

Painted turtles, snapping
turtles, spiny soft shells,

even sea turtles have the
ability to secrete that mucus.

Now, you'll notice the
beak of this reptile

is not hooked because,
unlike a snapping turtle,

they're not out there
actually hunting for prey.

When they get to be this big,
they're completely herbivores.

Just kind of sifting along
the bottom, eating algae

and seagrass.

And the underside--
oh, let me see.

Look at that.

You see how the lower part of
the jaw is actually serrated?

They have bolt cutter-like
power that would easily snip

off the edge of your fingers.

So when I jumped into the
water, the first thing

I was thinking was
don't get my fingers

near the mouth of the turtle.

All right, Coyote.

I think-- hey, Mario, why
don't you jump in there

and help Coyote?

Yeah, I'm going
to need some help.

This turtle is so
unbelievably strong.

And it
wants to spin.

We want to keep it as
calm as we possibly can.

There you go, buddy.

Mario, you kind of got
it locked in place there?

Yeah, sure do.

OK, first thing
I'm going to do

is get the length
of the carapace.

Tracy, have you got
that measuring tape.

Thank you.

I know, buddy.

I know.

Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.

I'm trying to calm him down.

Sometimes what I
do with snapping

turtles is actually
just to place

my hand on top of the head.

Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.

OK.

I'm going to try to talk
a little bit quieter.

We got him calmed down now.

OK, so what we're going to do
is go right from the front edge

of the carapace there.

Mario, if you want to
just hold that in place.

Yeah, you're good.
- Right down the center line.

It is right at 94 centimeters.

Show me
that real quick.

Check that out.

Without question, the largest
turtle I have ever caught.

Thank you, Tracy.

All right, now, the
next thing we want to do

is get this turtle's weight.

Getting the turtle
inside of this harness

was one of the most difficult
aspects of this whole episode

so far.

Do you guys have any guesses as
to how much this turtle weighs?

Uh, 240 pounds.

240 pounds.
Mario?

Uh, 250.
250?

Oh, OK.

Ben, what do you think?

Hey, Ben,
what do you think?

I'm going to go 275.

275.

Wow, all right.

Uh, I'm going to go 230.

230.

I say he weighs 230.

And good.

Turtle's off the ground.

A little bit more,
a little bit more.

Careful.

[inaudible] turtle.

Watch it, now.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

OK, he's clear.

104.1 kilos.

Bring it down.

230 pounds.

Wow.
Wow.

You were right on the money.
- I guessed it!

230!

Amazing.

230 pounds is what this
green sea turtle weighs.

What an absolute giant.

Amazing.

OK, the next thing we're going
to do is tag this sea turtle.

This one has never
been tagged before,

so that's really exciting
for today's research.

Where I'm going to tag it is
right up here on its left fin

between these two scales.

You see that right there?

Now, is that a
fin or a flipper, Coyote?

Well, I guess, yeah,
whether you call it fin,

or you call it a
flipper, or a foot.

Sea turtles, and
one of the things

that really makes them
different than other turtles,

as you can see, they do
not have typical toes.

And like other turtles,
they are not actually

able to tuck inside of
their shells, even less so

than a snapping turtle.

This isn't going to hurt.

This is going to be like
getting your ears pierced.

I'm going to do this as quickly
and as smoothly as possible.

You got a good shot
right there, Mark?

I sure do.
- All right, big guy.

This is just going
to be a little pinch.

Their
skin is really tough.

This isn't hurting the turtle.

No, this skin is like leather.

And I'm going to ratchet
down real tight here.

Ready?

One, two, three.

There we go.

Perfect.

All right, the turtle
is officially tagged.

And as you guys know, I name
all the turtles that I catch.

And I think we're going
to name this one Eddie,

after the man who so--

There he is!

- perfectly captained
the ship today

and lined us up to be able
to make this catch possible.

I did not expect to
catch a turtle this size.

I was just hoping that I could
catch a single sea turtle.

And after getting the chance to
stand on the front of that boat

and watch Aaron dive in
and catch several turtles,

I said to myself, you know what,
I think I can pull this off.

But to catch one of this size
is truly something that I

never thought was possible.

Biggest turtle I
have ever caught.

Wow.

What an epic end to one
amazing day here in Australia.

And I have to give an enormous
thank you to the World Wildlife

Fund of Australia and the
Gudjuda Rangers for bringing us

out, showing us the conservation
work that they're doing

and all the efforts
they're making

to not only preserve
but also protect

these incredible
marine reptiles.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next adventure.

All right, guys.

It's time to get Eddie
back off into the ocean.

The green sea turtle
represents everything that

is beautiful about our oceans.

And they are considered
to be one of the most

revered reptiles on our planet.

Their sentient nature has
made them an iconic figure

in the world of conservation.

Yet, the future of this
creature is unknown,

as their species is
either considered

threatened or endangered
throughout the world

wide range.

Still, hope glows
brightly on the horizon,

as organizations like WWF
and traditional owner rangers

are constantly
researching and promoting

the environmental
preservation and conservation

of the species, ultimately
ensuring a legacy

for generations to come.

There's something
big down there.

He's out, he's out!

He's right there.

Right, there, it's
moving, it's moving!

Right there.

He's going through here,
he's going through here.

You got him.
- Got it!

Yes!
- Yes!

Woo!

Massive rock formations

towered like prehistoric
giants, as intense waves crashed

upon the jagged outcrops.

At high tide, the southern
coastline of Africa

is an unforgiving
landscape that has been

carved over millions of years.

Yet when the tide rolls back,
with it recedes the violence

of the turbulent water, leaving
behind an intricate catacomb

of inter-tidal pools that are
teeming with aquatic life.

Today, we are exploring a
stretch of pristine shoreline

known as Kenton on Sea,
a magical place where

the South Atlantic
meets the Indian Ocean.

And to say the least, it's
breathtakingly beautiful.

The sand was flawless.

The waves of water were warm.

And with any luck,
we would happen upon

and get up close with a variety
of bizarre tide-pool creatures.

The tide is going
out at this point.

It looks like it's
still coming in,

but it's actually the best
time to search for animals.

When all the rocks
are still saturated,

that means that the
animals are still

comfortable, which
gives us the best chance

of actually catching them.

The water trapped within
the individual pools

was crystal clear.

So as I scouted from
pocket to pocket,

I carefully scanned
the overhanging ledges

and shadowy nooks.

If there was ever a place
for a sea beast to hide,

I was determined
to be the seeker.

Oh, I got a blenny, two of them!

OK, game on!

All right, well, I--
- Lost a crab.

Got a blenny.

Oh, there's the crab.

Got him!

Now I've got the crab
and some blennies!

Wow!
Hold on.

That's how it got
away the first time.

Look at that!

How's about that for
cleaning up your mess.

All right, well, this is
really panning out well for us.

Look at these guys.

Come here, buddy.

I got two of them in one scoop.

All right, let me keep the
crab underneath the net.

He'll be fine.

They can breathe out of water.

Look at that.

Those are blennies.

Those are super cool.

They almost look
like mud skippers

or like an eel type fish.

Notice the elongated
shape of the body.

Kind of looks like
a prickleback.

And they do have those long
dorsal ridge fins that run

down the length of their backs.

They actually can breathe for
a short amount of time out

of the water, so we don't
have to worry about them

just resting up on my hand.

And they can actually
skip from pocket of water

to pocket of water.

What they'll oftentimes
do is exactly--

oh, my gosh.

There's an octopus.

Nobody move.

That's a huge octopus.
OK.

Are you sure?

I'm 100% positive.

Um, I'm going to
let the crab go.

All right, I'm going
for the octopus, guys.

We're abandoning the crab.
I see him.

Nobody move.

I can see its tentacle.

Mario, if you crouch
down here, you

might be able to get a shot.

Actually, I wonder if
I can use my GoPro.

He's wedged right into
that little cavity.

Can you see?

Yeah.

OK, here's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to actually place
my net up in this area,

try to reach my arm around,
and scare him up into the net.

Now, the good thing is that
none of the octopus species here

in South Africa are
lethal to humans.

Keep in mind, if we
were in Australia

and that was a
blue ring octopus,

I would not be
performing this maneuver.

Now, all octopus are
capable of biting.

All are venomous.

But hopefully this one doesn't
decide to give me a nip.

There
he is, there he is!

He's out, he's out.
He's right there.

Yeah, he's out.
He's right there.

I see
him, I see him, I see him.

Oh, oh, oh.

Oh!

Dude, you see him?

Do you see him?
Where?

Right
there, right there,

right there, right there!

He's moving, he's moving.

Right there.

He's going through here,
he's going through here.

There he is, there he is!
You got him.

Got it!
Yes!

Yes!
Woo!

Woo!

How about that!

Well, the tactic worked.

Gently coaxed him out of one
pocket and into the next.

And there you have it, we
have got ourselves an octopus.

Wow!

I'm going to actually
let him out of the net

and on to my arm.

Hopefully, I do not take a bite.

There you go, buddy.

Now, they do have a little
beak on their underside

that, of course, he could
give me a bite with,

but the venom of this
species is non-lethal.

This is the common octopus.

They can get bigger than this,
but to be honest with you guys,

this is the largest
octopus I have ever caught.

And it is on the move.

Wow.

Look at it just
showing us its valves.

Right now, I'm trying to
keep it as calm as I can.

I don't want it to ink.

And look how it's turning
dark in coloration.

But if I do this,
check this out.

Set it down and sort of try
to corral it into this pool.

What it wants to feels
is like it's protected.

Look at that color change.

Within a matter of seconds,
it completely morphs the shape

of its body and its coloration.

You got an OK shot there?
Yeah.

This is actually great.

You can see it pumping
water through the valves

on the side of its head.

If I keep it like this, it
will feel more comfortable.

They want to feel concealed.

Wow, look at that.

And they want to feel
like they are hidden.

And just like if I
were to handle a snake,

I want to go one
hand to the next.

Octopus have eight tentacles.

And one of the coolest
things about these creatures

is that if they lose a tentacle,
they can rejuvenate it.

Wow!

That is so cool!

Like a big slimy booger!

All right, I'm going
to place it back

down into this pocket of water.

Here we go.

Keep it in position.

And I'm getting totally
slimed right now.

All right, now if I just
keep my hand positioned,

watch the way that it
will actually slink.

I guess he's going
to go over my arm.

I thought he was going
to go under my arm.

And as the tide goes out,
if these animals are stuck

in a shallow pool, they can
do this, slink from pocket

of water to pocket of water.

That is so cool.

Now, one of the key defense
tactics of all octopus,

octopuses for plural, is that
they can actually eject ink.

And that allows them
the ability to disappear

into a rock crevice or
back into the ocean waters.

Now, if the octopus
needs to, it can

actually stay out of the
water for a significant amount

of time.

And the only reason you'd ever
find an octopus out of water

is if it's moving from
tide pool to tide pool.

As that tide
recedes, the octopus,

if it's not in a
deep enough pocket,

will oftentimes try
to find itself back

out into the ocean currents.

Look at that.

Well, how cool was this?

Exploring the tide
pools of South Africa,

and we managed to come across
one slippery, slimy octopus.

Whoa!

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next adventure.