Original subtitles

Hello, everybody.

I'm Mark Vins.

And welcome back to another "Blue Wilderness" adventure.

Today, we are in Bonaire, an island

just off the coast of Venezuela at the site

of one of the most famous shipwrecks

in all of the Caribbean, the Hilma Hooker.

Besides being 100 feet below tropical blue water

among some of the most vibrant coral reefs in all the world,

this ship was actually once wanted by the FBI and Interpol,

and is now infamous for becoming one

of the first major drug busts of its kind in the region.

And here's what we're thinking.

Did the authorities overlook something on the ship?

And is there something still hidden

in the remains of the Hilma Hooker

just 100 feet below the waves?

Well, there's only one way to find out.

Today, we're going to be doing two tanks each.

The reason we're going to be doing that

is because we're going to have limited

bottom time at these depths.

So on tank one, we're going to scout the ship in its entirety,

looking for entry points.

Tank two, we're going to enter the ship

and look for what's inside.

And with any luck, we're going to find

something the FBI missed in one of its most wanted shipwrecks.

And, oh look, here we are.

This is marker number one.

All right, it's time to dive.

Here we go.

Divers going down.

Well, the first set of good news is that the water is warm,

and the visibility is outstanding today.

And since we want to descend slowly,

we might as well go check out the coral reefs, right?

I mean, the shipwreck's not going anywhere.

Wow!

Look at how alive this ecosystem is.

There are so many fish here.

And the parrotfish are especially

colorful near Bonaire, just like this one.

And check that out.

That's a peacock flounder.

I love the way they glide across the bottom when they swim.

Oh, wow.

All right, check this out.

This is so bizarre.

That's a salp chain.

I haven't seen many of these before,

but we should probably come back and make a full video on them.

They're very interesting.

So definitely let me know in the comments

if this is something you'd like to learn more about.

All right, getting toward the edge of the reef line now.

But, wow, look at that.

That's a tarpon.

I should say those giant tarpon, they're huge.

So cool.

All right, let's head this way.

Oh, my goodness.

There it is.

The Hilma Hooker in all its glory.

Man, it is so much bigger than I expected.

It's massive!

Look at it!

OK, let's start our survey from the front

and make our way toward the back of the ship, which

is a little bit shallower.

Remember, we're looking for any openings or places

that we can search.

And we only have about 18 minutes

left down here, so we're just looking for opportunities

for dive number two so we can go right back to that spot

and give it a good look.

All right, Trent, on this side of the ship

is going to be what we're looking for.

Let's get closer.

Whoa.

Low bridge there.

Look out.

OK, well, this is the giant opening

that will give us direct access to the cargo hold.

And it will also be a relatively safe and open place for us

to search.

One thing we want to avoid is putting ourselves

in places without an easy exit.

To search deep within the confines of this boat,

we would need completely different gear.

So today's dive will be limited by those realities.

OK, this is interesting, but a very tight

squeeze with minimal exits.

Probably can't go through this one.

Let's move on.

I cannot get over how huge this boat is.

Look at how far up it goes.

All right, another tight squeeze here,

but this port looks doable.

Yep, I think this one and the main cargo hold

are our best bets.

Time to head back to the surface and regroup.

Nice job, Trent.

Way to go, bud.

Ha, ha!

Dive number one in the books.

Dive number one was incredible.

First of all, let's talk about the ship itself.

A 235-foot boat.

Sounds big, but when you see it in person underwater,

it is like, whoa.

Covers all of your peripheral vision.

And the good news is we did do a complete lap around the wreck

and we saw multiple points of entry, which is

good news for dive number two.

So on this dive, we're actually going to go inside the ship

to start looking around.

And as big as it is, I can guarantee you there's lots

of places for things to hide.

So we've got a couple more minutes of interval

here on the surface.

We're going to get geared back up, head back out in the water

and hope to get lucky.

All right, there it is.

Let's go down and see what we can find.

Well, here goes nothing.

OK, so the first place we want to check out

is the center cargo hold.

Any hidden cargo may have drifted

or fallen out of place after all these years

the ship has been slowly disintegrating and collapsing

beneath the waves.

So I think we have a decent shot at spotting

something in the open.

All right, Trent, hold above and keep eyes on me.

I'm going in.

Whoa!

The wreck suddenly just got even bigger.

This hold is like a giant cavern.

And you could tell it's been down here for a while.

Look at all the growth and life living

right on the metal of the hull.

OK, here's a connector hatch that leads to the other hold

in front of us.

This is safe.

Plenty of room to move and exit if needed.

Come on through, Trent.

We're good to go over here.

OK, I see some debris down here at the bottom.

Let's go check it out.

Uh, that's not going anywhere.

Thought I might be able to look underneath it,

but, uh, that is stuck in place.

Let's move on.

OK, cool.

I think we found the engine room.

Look at all those pipes.

Well, there's no way we're going in there.

Way too dangerous.

But still pretty cool to see.

Would love to come back and explore that room a bit more.

OK, we've got about a 15-foot hallway here with a clear exit.

I'm going for it.

Trent, meet me on the other side.

This appears doable.

And it's also probably our best and last chance

to find something today.

Fingers crossed.

OK, whoa.

There are so many other passages in here

I definitely couldn't tell that just looking from the outside.

So many places to search.

I wish we could go further in, but we just can't risk it.

I have to keep that easy exit in sight at all times,

but I can pop the camera up for a quick peek.

Well, that looks promising.

So many places to hide things on this boat.

I can totally see how it was used for smuggling.

And we're clear.

All right, let's start our ascent.

Look at how giant that propeller is.

Must be 20 feet blade-to-blade.

I guess you need a propeller that big if you're

going to move a boat this huge.

OK, almost to the surface.

Let's take one last look at the Hilma, the FBI'S

most wanted shipwreck.

Oh, man!

That was awesome.

We actually got inside the shipwreck going through all

those corridors exploring around with our high-powered dive

lights.

Unfortunately, we didn't find anything,

but we had one incredible experience.

And hopefully, this is just the first

of many shipwreck explorations to come on "Blue Wilderness."

All right, still got to kick our way to shore so we

can wrap up this adventure. Woo!

This is tiring.

What's going on, everybody?

I'm Mark Vins.

And today, I'm trading in my ball cap

because I'm going full Dr. Grant and taking you

on an adventure with me to find fossils, 500 million years

in the making.

That's right, today, we're looking for trilobites.

So today, we decided to take a trek about 50

miles outside of Delta, Utah.

And I got to say, this is one of the coolest fossil sites

in the United States.

This place is absolutely chock-full with all kinds

of Cambrian age fossils, including

the world-famous trilobite.

We're out here today to not only find one trilobite.

We have the opportunity to find dozens and potentially some

of the rarest in the world.

All right, so I don't think we could

do this with our bare hands.

I think we're going to need some equipment to do this.

Two hammers is better than one.

So let's go this way, see what we can find.

Oh, wow.

Check this out.

Cole here at U-Dig Fossils is showing me how it's done.

Already found a great trilobite.

It's got a little chunk missing out of it,

but that's by far the best trilobite I've ever

seen come out of the ground.

And he's telling me we're going to find

a lot more of these today.

Now, this shale at one point was at the bottom of an ocean.

That's why the trilobites are here.

So they know what they're doing here at U-Dig Fossils.

They have found a trilobite-rich layer in the rock side.

And they've excavated it out and made it easier for us to access

and split with our hammers.

So let's get in here and see what we can do.

There we go.

Oh!

Dude, that's a good one.

First split!

Cole, first split!

This is a trilobite.

It's one of the more common species out here,

but this is a cheeker because it has both of its head cheeks on.

Look at that.

First split, and Cole's telling me it's a pretty good size.

So when you're looking for fossils,

you definitely want to make sure you're searching

in the right geological layer because you

want to be in the right period.

There are many species of trilobite.

And if you stick around to the end of the video,

I'm going to tell you, yes, you at home,

how you can take home one of these fossils

that we find today with a little giveaway contest

that we're doing.

But stick around.

At the end, we'll talk more about that later.

We've got to keep searching for more fossils.

That is a nice one.

Whoa!

Cory, look at that!

So we've got an asaphiscus, guys.

A little bit more rare?

A little bit more rare.

All right.

Ha ha.

Trilobites are actually arthropods.

And their closest living relative is none

other than the horseshoe crabs.

So if you guys remembered when we found the horseshoe crab up

there in Maine, their exoskeletons molt.

So sometimes what we're out here finding in the fossils

are molts.

And those often are distinguished by being

fragments like this.

A lot of times, if it's a molt, the cheeks are

off, so therefore cheek-less.

Yep.

This is truly a one-of-a-kind treasure hunt out here in Utah.

500 million years ago represents the very start

of the trilobite, so these are some of the oldest

trilobites on Earth.

And this species was the first species

to actually develop complex eyes,

and actually one of the first to also develop appendages.

So they're pretty sophisticated little creatures

for their time.

And I have to say, pretty impressive that we're

actually able to find this many still out here in Utah.

I'm having an absolute blast.

All right, so check this out.

We're just digging down here.

This just popped right out.

It might be the biggest trilobite of the day, actually.

That's a cheeky trilobite.

That's what we're after right there.

Boom.

Woo!

All right, well, see that up there?

That is a snowstorm coming in.

It may end up being rain by the time it gets down here,

but the temperature is dropping rapidly.

We've got to get our haul and get up and get some shelter

because it's about to dump.

Look at those.

That is all of them.

Oh my goodness.

What we're going to do next is we're actually

going to clean up these fossils to make them a little

more presentation quality.

All right!

Just got back from the polishing wheel.

And just look at these right here.

Dr. Grant, eat your heart out.

Those are some gems.

We dug these up in about three hours here

at the U-Dig Fossils trilobite quarry.

And the good news is anybody can do this.

Yes, if you make it here to this quarry, you pay a small fee.

They give you a bucket.

They give you a hammer.

They point you in the right direction.

And then you can unearth one of these prehistoric treasures

for yourself.

Now, if you can't make it to Utah,

I still have some good news for you as well.

All of the fossils that we found today,

including these, are up for grabs.

If you go to my TikTok page @bravemarkvins,

answer a few simple questions.

I'm going to pick about 40 winners,

put the fossils in little bags like this.

I'm going to DM you and ask for your mailing address.

And then just in a few days time,

you get a fossil in the mail.

Sounds like a good deal?

I think so.

Well, let's get these trilobites to the car

because it's time to go home.

Man, I had an excellent time out here digging

up these prehistoric treasures.

Thanks, you guys, so much for joining.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

Iceland, a country sprawling with dramatic landscapes

and explosive volcanic terrain.

A place that truly embodies the meaning of the word

"adventure" with every vista and every step

forth on its craggy soil.

That's a volcano.

It just erupted eight years ago.

For me, this would be my first visit to the Nordic island

nation, that is far more green than its northern neighbor

of Greenland.

However, this will be no traditional adventure.

It was a solo mission.

My goal, to scout future expeditions and adventures

for Coyote and the crew, a mission I have led

myself many times in the past.

Remember those dinosaur footprints?

Yep.

I found those months earlier on a scouting expedition

in Southern Utah.

But now, because of advancements in camera technology,

I can take you with me on these exciting and often unexpected

adventures.

Here we go.

Time to go snorkeling in freezing water.

Let's do this.

While on my Icelandic journey, I explored places like the Valley

of Thor, rode Icelandic horses, and even

got to visit a world-famous spa, the Blue Lagoon.

I still don't know what that is on my face,

but, hey, everyone was doing it, so why not?

Anyways, there's one particular adventure on this expedition

that I simply couldn't wait to show you,

that being my journey into the icy

waters of the Silfra fissure.

The fissure itself is a byproduct of the North American

and Eurasian tectonic plates drifting apart, leaving

in their wake multiple rifts that

filled with some of the purest water on the planet.

All right, guys, about to go snorkeling

in the Silfra fissure.

Some of the clearest water visibility in all of the world.

And actually, one of the only places that you can

dive between two continents.

Literally, we are standing in the fissure

that separates Eurasia and North America right now.

And we're going to go diving in a natural spring.

So it's very cold.

We definitely don't want water getting inside our suits

because it's around two degrees Celsius.

Just above freezing.

But it's going to be pretty awesome.

We're about to go get our snorkel gear

together and get in.

So let's go.

Is that graceful?

Look good?

No?

OK.

Well, it's going to keep you warm,

so that's what's important.

As I walked down the steps of the platform,

a nervous anticipation started to set in.

Entering 36 degree Fahrenheit water

isn't something I tend to do every day.

I mean, this water is only four degrees above freezing.

It's safe to say it doesn't get much colder than this.

So, guys, my sister's helping us out today.

Say hi to everybody, Vic.

She came to Iceland with me, so she's the cameraman today.

But here we go.

We're going to go snorkeling in the Silfra fissure.

Time to get in.

As I plunged into the water, my face was instantly

met with a stinging sensation.

The shock distracted me, but then

suddenly, an explosion of color.

This landscape was absolutely surreal.

Something straight out of the pages

of a science-fiction novel.

And to top it all off, the water was 100% crystal clear.

It was nearly unbelievable.

The visibility in the fissure on a good day

is set to extend well beyond 300 feet.

And I think we can all look at this footage

and confirm that that is definitely true.

I can see now why so many people with the fear of heights

have issues with this experience.

It literally felt as if nothing was between me

and the bottom of the fissure.

In fact, the sensation was actually closer

to that of flying than it was to swimming, that is until I tried

to actually kick with my fins.

The dry suit, while providing life-saving warmth

and insulation, made it nearly impossible to move.

The buoyancy it created restricted my movement so much

that, to a large degree, I was only

able to move forward by the assistance of the current.

However, I will say this lack of mobility actually allowed me

to relax and enjoy the experience as a whole

and really take in all the color and spectacular scenery.

Sometimes it's nice to just be along for the ride.

So how does a place like the Silfra fissure come to exist?

Well, as it turns out, Iceland sits smack dab

on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is formed

by the separation of the North American

and Eurasian tectonic plates.

In Thingvellir National Park, the separation of these plates

expands nearly one inch every year.

But over the course of millions of years,

it has created fissures which are filled

by a natural aquifer and glacial meltwater

from the surrounding peaks.

This water moves slowly, very slowly.

In fact, it can take up to nearly 100 years

to travel and filter itself through

the porous volcanic soil, making it some of the purest H2O

on the planet.

It is so pure, you can literally drink

the water around you as you swim through the fissure.

And, yes, I definitely tried it out.

Woo!

Well, the water is cold.

But I could tell you guys this is

by far the clearest visibility I have ever encountered.

And, oh, by the way, the water is delicious.

It's about the purest water that you could ever drink.

So it is one of those scenarios where you can drink the water.

It's pretty awesome.

Iceland.

While it is delicious, it is actually the purity and frigid

temperature of the water that helps

to create the vivid colors in the landscape

of this environment.

As I continue to drift along, I couldn't

help but dream of coming back to dive

this location with the team.

My imagination was literally running wild,

trying to picture what the scene must be like from the bottom

of the fissure.

And I was also beginning to wonder what

else might live down there.

Is there something down there besides algae and troll grass?

But just as I started to consider the idea of taking

a free dive to find out, I noticed

the battery on my GoPro, which was full 20 minutes prior,

was now at only 1%!

Woo!

Wow, guys.

The water is so cold that it's literally drained

the life out of this GoPro.

But before it dies, I just want to say that getting to snorkel

the Silfra fissure here in Iceland

has to be one of the coolest experiences I have ever done.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next location.

Woo!

This water's cold.