Original subtitles

Welcome back to Guadalupe, Mexico,

the site of our very first great white shark encounters.

Aboard the Socorro Vortex, we traveled over 175 miles

to this prehistoric island, in hopes

of getting up close with the world's

largest predatory shark.

Here we go.

And as millions of you witnessed,

that's exactly what we did.

But what if I were to tell you that we really

didn't come all this way for an ordinary shark cage adventure?

What if I were to tell you, the real reason we came this far

was to embark on the single-most daring mission

we've ever attempted.

Today, I will take you even closer

to the most famous set of jaws on Earth

in one of a kind shark cage submarine.

By now, I'm sure everyone watching this video

has at least seen images of a great white shark before.

But have you ever seen a SPOC?

Probably not because the self-propelled ocean cage

is highly experimental and can only be piloted by one of two

people in the entire world.

Now, the sharks will let us get close in this?

Or are they going to get close to us?

- Both. - Both.

Yeah.

Meet Eric Higuera, our pilot for today's mission

and a world-renowned marine biologist,

and ocean photographer.

So no matter what, we're not going to sink?

Well--

That could be the second--

That's not-- that's not what I wanted to hear.

Eric, I want you to say, yeah, we're not going to sink.

You are in charge of monitoring

your own air supply system.

I won't be able to monitor that.

If you run out of air, it's going to be your fault.

You're probably asking yourself

or maybe even yelling at your screen,

why are you putting yourself in this situation?

Well, what we know of these mysterious creatures

has been limited to years of topside observation,

cage-diving, and the infrequent free dive experiences that only

a few have lived to speak of.

So this vehicle truly represents an evolution

in our understanding of the world's most

famous shark, which is also, perhaps,

the world's most famous animal.

All right, so we had our debriefing with Eric

on the self-propelled ocean cage AKA SPOC.

And I have to say, I am so excited to get

out there and in the water, in this research vehicle.

This is going to be probably one of the most unique experiences

you could have with great white sharks in a safe way,

without free diving.

I mean, certainly, someday, I'd love to have the opportunity

to free dive with great white sharks,

but this is about as close as you're

going to get here in Guadalupe.

And now, all we need to do is go get suited up,

get our cameras ready, and get out there for some action.

As if this activity in and of itself wasn't dangerous enough,

the technical nature of this dive was also quite daunting.

I would need to wear a full face regulator in order to,

maybe, have communication with the pilot.

However, underwater comms are notoriously unreliable.

I would also be wearing a pony bottle BC

in the case of an emergency bailout,

in which I would need to rip off my full face reg to use it--

not ideal.

Additionally, I would be wearing nearly 30 pounds of weight

without fins.

And I would sink like a rock, one foot outside the confines

of the cage.

Oh, and did I mention this was an experimental craft?

The connections and critical mechanisms

were all exposed and at risk of damage from the divers.

If I were to kick one accidentally,

it could prove catastrophic.

Eric is in the SPOC.

I'm about to get in the SPOC, and then we're

about to go get up close--

OK, your time to get in.

OK, here we go, guys.

See you.

This was potentially

the most dangerous step of the day and potentially

of my entire life.

Jump in and miss grabbing the cage, you sink fast.

This was a one-shot deal, a no-miss scenario.

This wasn't just water.

It might as well have been looking

off a 50-story skyscraper.

This was it.

As soon as I got hold of the bar,

I pulled myself into the cage.

And what it seemed roomy on the deck had suddenly shrunk,

and there was barely any room to move.

All right, I'm all set.

Ready to go.

But what was worse,

my headset was silent.

The communications had already failed.

Eric and I would rely solely on hand signals

for the entirety of the dive.

In a way, I was now completely on my own.

Once settled and breathing normally, I set the cameras

and gave Eric the signal to launch.

In an instant, we were off.

The rush of water pressing against me

as we glided below the boat was much

more intense than I expected.

Great, another obstacle.

After adapting to these new sensations,

the environment came into view.

Clear and brilliant blues to my sides

and above, with a dark ominous floor below, which

wasn't really a floor at all.

Instead, literally, thousands of feet of water.

The sharks were all around us, yet none of them were in sight.

So we began our descend in hopes of meeting a great white shark

face to face.

Eric zipped the SPOC up and down,

checking different depths for shadows and signs of movement.

The thermal lines or temperature layers were dramatic.

Each dive down would zap us with freezing cold water,

and the light would retreat right along with it.

It was very dark below 60 feet, a perfect environment

for these sharks as they have adapted retinas that

are actually split, one part suited for surface light

and one part adapted for darkness.

And while we certainly require wet suits to regulate our body

temperatures to keep from hypothermia,

the sharks are able to regulate their bodies all on their own.

We had been looking for nearly 25 minutes

without a single sign of a shark,

but then, I saw a shadow to my right.

It was big.

I signal to Eric to turn starboard.

And as soon as he did, the great white swam into view.

I should have been alarmed the way it

seemed to appear from nowhere.

However, with my camera rolling, I

was thrilled to feel our speed increase

to keep up with the predator.

I couldn't risk missing the shot.

The shark easily outflanked us and, for a moment,

seemed to be gone entirely.

Then, it quickly doubled-back and was in front of us again.

However, we never really got that close.

A first sighting, yes, but the shot we were after, not at all.

This adventure was far from over.

After the relief of getting some footage had washed over me,

I was back on the lookout.

Great whites can grow up to one ton and over 18 feet in length,

and swim at speeds in excess of 30 miles an hour.

Even with the SPOC to protect us,

I couldn't help but feel completely outmatched.

But who could blame me?

It's not every day you find yourself

in the kill zone, a favorite hunting

ground of the great white.

Again, we dashed around the grounds.

Only sardines and other fish came into view.

And after 45 minutes, I began to think that was it.

That was as close as we were going to get,

when then, Eric suddenly turned.

He must have seen something I hadn't.

I knew we were near the boat, but I

wasn't quite sure how close.

And then, I saw the shark.

It was swimming straight for us.

All I could do is breathe and keep my camera as steady

as possible.

This was it.

The encounter of a lifetime.

Time slowed in that moment.

And as the shark moved and swam back around for an even closer

look, the fact that I was being observed

and calculated by this creature was unmistakable.

A real connection between myself and the shark

that I've been dreaming to meet had finally happened.

As it turned and swam away, a sense of relief came over me.

I was ready to be back on the boat,

but I wanted to tell everyone the tale of how

obvious and beneficial vessels like the SPOC

would be for revealing the true nature

of this misunderstood species.

I certainly would be walking away

today with a brand new perspective

that I never thought possible.

We got really close to a shark.

That was awesome.

That was a shot we need it.

So much more intense than I thought it was going to be.

Just give me a second.

I need to absorb the fact that I'm back on the boat.

Wow, what an experience.

Getting to be in the realm of the great white shark

in a shark cage submersible.

Are you kidding me?

That was the coolest thing I've ever done.

The water ves got pretty bad at the end,

but we did get to see some great white sharks up close.

In fact, that last one, I thought

was going to hit the camera.

Huge thank you to this Socorro Vortex and all the crew

that helped us out today.

A special thanks to Eric for captaining the SPOC

and keeping me safe, so I get those up close

shots for everybody at home.

I hope you guys loved this episode as much as I did.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next dive.

All right, I'm going to go warm up and dry off.

As the boat departed back

from the mainland, I couldn't help

but be grateful for all that took place these last few days

in Guadalupe.

I knew I would be back.

When?

I don't really know.

For another round in the SPOC?

Probably not.

I won't lie, that was pretty crazy.

Sorry, mom.

Stingray, a bizarre and enigmatic ocean dweller

that tends to be the topic of conversation

everywhere I seem to go.

And since we began making wildlife videos,

the one creature that has come up in the comments

on this channel more than any other

is, of course, this barbed glider of the sea.

And I think we all know why.

And I'm not out to explain that story.

Incidents in recent years have clearly given this creature

a menacing reputation.

However, I want to experience for myself

the true nature of this animal.

And when I thought of the best place

in the entire world would be to do this,

my mind sailed right toward the crystal

clear waters of the Caribbean.

So get ready.

If you're brave enough, I'm bringing

you with me on my quest to encounter

the sting king of the deep.

All right, here we are.

We finally made it to Stingray City, just about 35 minutes

off the coast of Grand Cayman.

And I, for one, am super excited to go diving with these rays

today because these have become one of the most talked

about marine creatures in the past decade

due to the numerous reports of people being stung

or speared by their barbs.

So let's take a closer look at this barb,

and this is a big one.

This is a cast of a stingray barb, an exact replica.

And as you can tell, not only is it like a dagger,

but it also has serrated edges.

So when the barb punctures anything that it's stabbing,

it actually does a lot of tissue damage on the way out.

And we're talking of potential of multiple stings

when a stingray attacks.

It raises its tail in the air, and then jabs upward.

So we have to be especially careful today

when we're in the water with these marine creatures.

And to add insult to injury, there's also a venom

gland at the base of the barb.

So not only are you going to get stabbed,

you're also going to get envenomated.

OK, now before we get in the water,

we do want to have a quick safety briefing with the crew

and find out just how we're going

to get these stingrays up close today

in the safest way possible.

Let's go check it out.

So by the looks of this, Sean, these stingray love squid.

Yeah, they absolutely love squid.

They'll eat it right up.

Why are these stingrays are [inaudible] humans?

So years ago, the fishermen in Grand Cayman

would come here after their catch and clean their fish.

And as they clean their fish, they're going to just throw

all of the guts over here.

And then ray started coming in.

And from what I've heard, a lot of the locals, because they

didn't really get in the water back then,

they thought that they were actually sharks.

They came in and told some of the dive shops on the island

and some divers came out here and discovered

there were giant southern Atlantic stingrays.

So that's important for everyone to realize at home.

This is a very special situation that we're

going to be experiencing today.

This is a marine interactive zone.

You would never want to engage with a wild stingray

or any wild animal, for that matter,

if you weren't absolutely certain that it was safe to do.

Show me how we're going to pass the food.

I'm going to place it in your palm.

And then you want to close your hand really fast.

Close your hand really fast.

If I do this, what's going to happen?

Those fish are going to come

and take that really quick.

Boom, and, potentially, take a piece of me

with them.

Yeah, just a little nip.

OK, that's not what we want to happen.

Now, the rest of this stuff, this

is what we're putting in our BC's, right?

That's right.

And by our BC's probably mean my BC.

We mean your BC, yes.

Great.

I think that about does it, Sean.

I think I'm ready to get down there

and interact with these rays.

So we're going to get suited up, and I'll

meet you at the dive platform.

Sounds great.

All right, let's do it.

There's the tracking right there, down the hatch.

Ready to go.

Time is finally here.

We're about to get the water with the stingrays

of Stingray City.

Let's go.

Warm Caribbean waters

always a welcome to luxury when diving in this region.

But as I regained my bearings, I quickly

spotted a pesky barracuda looking for a free meal.

I would need to keep my eye on this squid thief.

The last thing I want is to have my hand

chomped by its snarled fangs for a tiny piece of bait.

Luckily, most of the fish here that have teeth

mainly hunt by sight.

So as long as there is nothing for them to target,

my hands should be just fine.

To my surprise, the rays were already descending upon us,

as we attempted to set our gear and ready ourselves

for the encounters.

No dinner bells required here at Stingray

City, that is for sure.

There were two large females and one smaller male.

As we were warned by the crew, the males

tend to be more aggressive and a little bitey,

so I'm going to have to keep that in mind

when feeding the larger race.

The little male could come and strikeout of nowhere.

Whoa, these rays do not mess around.

They clearly can smell the squid without any trouble.

And man, are they quick on the take.

All right, let me focus here and attempt this a few more times.

As you can see, Southern Atlantic stingray

have flattened bodies composed of pectoral fins, which

are joined at their head and trunk

to form a diamond-shaped disk, followed

by their infamous tail.

Their color varies from dark brown,

gray, or black on the upper side to white on the lower side.

This combination acts as a camouflage

to help the stingray blend in with its environment

as they like to burrow in the sand to rest

while hiding from predators.

Their primary predator, being the hammerhead shark.

Remember that dive?

Female southern stingray tend to grow much larger than males.

The average female grows to about 6 feet in length

while the average male is around 2

and 1/2 feet, which is, obviously, much

smaller as you can see here.

OK, let's try to feed the male.

Maybe a little bit of squid will keep him occupied for a while.

He's getting a little too riled up for my liking.

He almost bit me.

Man, their mouth plates do not feel good.

I can feel them scrape my knuckles right there.

All right, I won't be making that mistake twice.

Stingray hunt by using electroreception,

along with the strong sense of smell and touch.

Their diet will typically consist of small fish, worms,

and crustaceans.

Since a lot of the stingrays preys often buried in the sand,

they will either flap their fins over an area

or utilize a really cool technique, where they will

force water streams from their mouths to reveal the prey,

and then slurp them up into their mouths

to be mashed by their powerful plates,

cracking and smashing any hard shells in the process.

Now, that's pretty cool if you ask me.

I just don't want it to happen to one of my fingers.

Another cool fact is these stingray have two

eyes that sit atop their head.

And right behind them, you'll notice two openings

that are called spiracles.

These allow the stingray to breathe

by taking in oxygenated water from above

and expelling it through their gills on their underside.

This is a great way to not breathe

in sand or other debris from the ocean floor

while they're hunting.

OK, now to the business end.

Southern Atlantic stingray have a whip-like tail,

which, as we mentioned earlier, wields a deadly defense

known as a barb.

Stingrays are typically docile creatures

and only use their barbs as a method of self-defense.

So the only way for me to get stung right now

is to startle a ray from above or unintentionally step on one.

And yes, those barbs will go right through my fins,

so I definitely need to be careful, especially

down here on the ocean floor.

All right, that's all the squid.

Time to head back to the boat.

I can't believe it.

That was so cool.

Oh, man, that was amazing.

So many stingrays down there, and they were big.

Let me get my tank off my back, and I'll tell you all about it.

I did not think the stingrays were going to hang

out with us for that long.

I thought they would come in, take the bait out of our hand,

and then zip right off.

But sure enough, those rays hung out the entire dive,

and we got a lot of great shots.

I know they came up and made a lot of contacts.

After what we witnessed today, it goes without saying,

stingrays are not an animal that you need to fear.

If you see one at your local beach,

if you see one at your local dive site,

just give it safe distance, and you're going to be just fine.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next dive.

You would never

want to get this close to stingrays

under any other circumstance.

What we have here at Stingray City is a very unique situation

and is regulated by professionals,

so please don't attempt to do this at your local beach.

All right, let's get started.

The first thing we want to do is to create the environment

for our creatures.

So I'm going to use just some sand,

and we're going to hopefully let that settle.

So now that we have all the sand in the bottom,

we're going to introduce some of our living rocks,

very colorful and very natural-looking

to this tide pool aquarium.

This one has a sea anemone on it.

And when I put it in the water, it's actually going

to bloom and look really cool.

Oh, look, you can already see it.

There it is.

It got a nice bloom on that sea anemone.

Very cool.

Glad we got that one.

So we've got our rock set.

I'm going to add some plant life because how could we have

a tide pool without plants?

How's that look?

Nice.

These are no longer living creatures,

but we have the skeleton of some sea urchins here.

Now, certain types of sea urchins around the world

are venomous.

And if you're spined, it hurts really bad.

But these purple sea urchins out here

in California are fairly harmless,

and their spines are fairly blunt.

It's not going to prick me just handling it like this,

as long as I hold it carefully.

Let's stay in the echinoderm family.

These brittle stars are very, very similar

to sea stars, except their appendages, as you can see,

move a lot more.

They're a lot more mobile than most sea stars.

Look at them, they're like wriggling

around like little octopus.

We'll put these down in there.

And you'll see how quickly these brittle star

find their way to cover.

Next up, let's look at these cool sea stars.

These are awesome.

Look at that.

This is like the tank of a echinoderms.

Echinoderm city, we've got sea urchins.

We've got two species of brittle star,

and now we're adding these beautiful sea stars.

So awesome.

And Corey, reach out your head.

Touch that.

Oh.

They're pretty rough, right?

It's like sandpaper.

Yeah.

Yeah, they're not as soft as they look.

They're pretty rigid.

These are two little hermit crabs.

Look at this.

This is pretty cool.

This crab actually has eggs underneath its tail.

This is a mammoth crab.

Next up, I would love to add our fish of the day, the sculpin.

Now these fish can actually be out of water.

They can breathe air.

So you look at it there breathing air?

This was absolutely gorgeous, beautiful greens and grays.

It almost has a little bit of peach flecking on the face.

Look at the eyes on that, so beautiful.

All right, there it is.

Our tide pool aquarium is finished.

And I have to say, I'm really proud of this one.

We caught a variety of species this morning,

and it looks really accurate to this environment.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.