Original subtitles

[thunderous ocean roar]

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[gentle music playing]

[man] We are looking for an unspoiled place on our Earth,

a place where human existence is intertwined with the sea.

This relationship is the tightest in nations living on atolls;

islands created by creatures of the sea; corals.

[gentle music continues]

[music fades out]

[rhythmic music playing]

[woman] The capital of these tropical islands

is a transition zone between civilization and the untouched world.

We arrive at the island Hulhumalé near the capital Malé,

a space of two square kilometers,

where administration, commerce and services for the entire island state,

which is 45,000 times bigger in area, must fit.

Hundreds of people from the neighboring islands

come here every day

to work, study or buy supplies.

There are no suitable conditions for growing even the most basic produce

on most of the islands.

[man] And, of course, everyone has to come here

to arrange their official documents.

[soft traffic hum]

[man] The main market in Malé is the hub

for purchasing produce grown on more fertile islands.

Other groceries and almost all other products are imported.

Maldives' exports are limited to coconuts, copra and most of all, fish.

[woman] There is a famous fish market on the waterfront.

The main catch are bigeye and yellowfin tuna.

[people chattering indistinctly]

[rhythmic music playing]

[horn honking in the distance]

[people chattering indistinctly]

[man] Big Friday Mosque dominates other buildings in the capital.

Worshippers come here to pray several times a day.

For people of different religions,

the Mosque closes down fifteen minutes before prayer.

[music accelerates and slows down]

[somber violin melody playing]

[woman] One of the reasons why Islam is the only religion here is trade.

Since the 2nd century, Arab merchants anchored here

on their way to the Far East.

They must have considered the Maldives a mythical treasure island,

because they were able to collect shells

which were at that time used as an international currency.

This place used to be the shell bank of Asia.

[man] The locals converted to Islam sometime around the 12th century.

Detached from mainstream Islam,

they created a local folk version of the religion with evil Jinns,

who are the causes of inexplicable disasters.

Locals protect themselves against these malicious Jinns

with spells and magic potions.

[waves crashing]

[serene music playing]

[waves crashing]

[man] Now let's look at the little underwater wonder

which makes all the turmoil above possible.

[gentle music playing]

[woman] It is difficult to believe that this entire archipelago

is the work of one species,

which appears in front of the camera only at night,

when it hunts for plankton.

[man] Coral.

During the day, we can only see its hard skeleton of calcium carbonate,

whose fragments and new parts cover or actually form the seabed.

Colonies of these polyps can, under proper conditions,

create whole mountains hidden under the surface.

Such conditions prevailed here millions years ago

thanks to volcanic activity in the area.

Today, the submerged weathered and dormant volcanic peaks

are covered with almost a two-kilometer thick layer of coral reefs called atoll.

[gentle music continues]

[man] While coral is hidden in its skeleton during the daylight,

its relative, the magnificent anemone,

exposes all of its beauty.

It doesn't feel the need to hide.

[music fades]

[woman] One of the most amazing things about the anemone

is its relationship with clownfish,

who dances around it and guards it jealously.

This symbiotic relationship is both practical and beautiful.

[gentle music playing]

[woman] The reef is a habitat of the largest living molusk,

the giant clam.

It is better to admire its colorful mantle tissue from a safe distance.

If you touch it, your hand might get locked in its shell so firmly

you may never see the light of day nor the surface again.

[gentle music continues]

[man] Along with being a reef builder,

these strikingly colorful coral shelves can also function

as a sort of a spa for fish... and the fish know it.

The number of these cleaning stations

influences the amount of fish living in and around the reef.

The tiny cleaners remove parasites, dirt and old skin, from head to tail.

[rhythmic music playing]

[woman] Thanks to the sea current on the outer side of the atoll,

the corals have a constant supply of food in the form of plankton.

A forest of gorgonians and other corals

offers a vast amount of detail and vibrant colors.

[serene music playing]

[serene music continues]

[man] Seaplane is the fastest means of transport

between the 129 inhabited islands

of the total of almost 1200.

The Maldivian archipelago features 26 atolls,

each averaging up to several kilometers,

consisting mostly of ring-shaped islands with lagoons in the middle.

The majority of resorts exist on their own islands...

No crowded beaches here.

Your dreams of a private island hideaway come true here,

with all the comfort and amenities one could imagine.

Until recently, this was the only face of Maldives visitors could experience.

But the times are changing.

[waves crashing]

[woman] The coral reefs surrounding each island

are very important for its protection against the impact of the elements.

Still, they are easily damaged by erosion.

The atolls are made in the sea

and that's why their altitude doesn't even reach two meters.

You can walk around the largest ones in a short time,

while the smaller ones disappear under the water during high tide.

[woman] Coral is not shaped just by itself or by erosion.

Although it doesn't seem that way, the fish sometimes play a part as well.

[serene music playing]

[man] This female titan triggerfish can create a safe nest

with the help of her strong teeth and smart maneuvers of her fins.

As soon as the nest is filled with eggs,

she doesn't hesitate to use the strength,

her teeth and her agility against any approaching creatures.

[woman] After being rammed so hard it bruised him,

Libor is much more careful.

[man] Fortunately, the colorful clown triggerfish

doesn't see me in my simple black and white.

[woman] Had I invented species nicknames, I would call this wrasse Hitchcock.

Although it is also called a Napoleon wrasse thanks to the shape of its head,

it doesn't suffer from Napoleonic complex.

It can reach up to two meters and it's quite a recluse.

[man] The scorpionfish has venomous spines.

Simply touching them could mean your very last dive.

While the lionfish proudly exhibits the poison in its graceful tentacles,

the rockfish conceals its weapons under its warty skin

which can easily be overlooked among the corals.

[gentle music playing]

[woman] We are still learning to recognize the well camouflaged leaf fish

in the coral.

A local photographer with a keen eye brought us to this one.

Underwater, we very rarely use our hearing to find our way.

But a school of parrotfish caught our attention

by making a sound while nibbling on coral.

They are well equipped for this activity thanks to their beak mouth.

They help the coral by stimulating its reproduction.

[gentle music continues]

[man] Crawfish, on the other hand, create sound quite deliberately.

They use it to intimidate predators.

Their noise production is quite a unique mechanism in the animal kingdom.

The noise is created by friction in their antennae sticking and slipping,

like when you scrub a rubber ball on solid material.

[tense music playing]

[music stops]

[man] After a change in the political climate back in 2010,

even the by then inaccessible islands were open to the world.

Local girls started sharing their troubles with boys in a more modern way.

Here an artist is brooding what could be a bestseller for the tourists.

[woman] Previously, you could see a huge contrast

while flying over the islands.

On one island, tourists in bikinis sipping on expensive champagne

in a resort resembling The Thousand and One Nights.

While on another, see devout Muslims reciting chapter and verse from the Koran.

[water laps gently]

[insects chirping]

[splashing footsteps]

[rhythmic music playing]

[man] Life on one of the most fertile islands,

Fuvahmulah, unfolds at a peaceful pace.

After working in the vegetable fields,

one can take a dip in one of the rare freshwater lakes found here.

And, if you ever wanted to make a zombie blockbuster,

you know where to find convincing actors.

[groaning]

Boo!

[grunts]

[people chattering indistinctly]

[man] The national language is Dhivehi, an Indo-Aryan language.

Its pronunciation, vocabulary and understanding

vary from island to island thanks to the isolation between them.

[indistinct arguing]

[soft chattering]

[woman] Courtyards and streets are the best places for meeting

and watching people and spending some free time.

[soft music playing]

[women chattering]

[woman] In the late afternoon, fishermen return with their catch.

It is the main source of income

for families not involved in the tourist industry,

so its sustainability is a big issue.

After a decrease in profitability, hunting with nets was banned.

They fish the old fashioned way; on rod and reels with hooks without bait.

Thanks to this, the yellowfin tuna meat here is one of the finest available.

[man talks indistinctly]

[woman] In the educational center on the island of Naifaru,

volunteer biologists teach the locals how to take care of the environment.

At the Center for Conservation,

locals learn about the vulnerability of the turtles,

who are on the verge of extinction due to, among other things,

harvesting eggs from their nests and even keeping them as pets.

The turtles are recovering under the care of two biologists, Alice and Bryona,

preparing them for their long journey in the ocean.

[ambient music playing]

[man] Although turtles have been protected for the past twenty years,

the oldest reptiles on the planet are still gravely endangered.

Turtles have a perfect sense of direction

mastered over millions of years of evolution,

but their hard shells can't protect them from the dangers of the modern world.

The pollution of the sea, drift nets, where they can be caught as by-catch,

traps on the beach where they lay their eggs,

ruthless catching for the black market;

all these factors contribute to the fact

that only one in a thousand makes it to adulthood.

[gentle music playing]

[gentle music continues]

[music stops]

[woman] There are many people enchanted by the magic of these marvelous creatures

who are contributing their efforts to save them.

We hope to encounter these turtles more and more at sea.

[dreamy music playing]

[water laps gently]

[man] Just like in the myth of Sisyphus,

the battle with the elements is never-ending.

Moving coral sand from the sea to the land and back due to erosion

is just one piece of the ecological puzzle.

Life on coral islands is a fragile balancing act:

on one hand, you have to eat,

but you can't interfere with the life on the reef too much,

otherwise you kill the coral,

the only source and living builder of the land you live on.

The impact of global climate change

caused by excessive production of carbon dioxide

is felt most on these fragile little islands.

The greenhouse effect and the subsequent melting of glaciers

causes rise in sea levels.

Being just above sea level, the Maldives would be the first to disappear

and its inhabitants the first people to lose their homes

as a consequence of these changes.

[muffled conversations]

[woman] To think about extinction every day is impossible,

it would be too destructive.

People get used to this long-term danger,

unsolvable by an individual, and get on with their lives.

They can't do anything but hope

that the world will wake up on time and won't let them drown.

And that the coral will grow fast enough.

[rhythmic music playing]

[man] Everyone has different priorities.

The freedom to express one's opinion demonstrates itself in color here.

This house is declaring its sympathy to a "yellow" political party.

[rhythmic music continues]

[children laughing and shouting]

[woman] During the popular holiday called Eid, joy is mixed with color.

For four days, people dance and have fun in the streets

to celebrate the completion of the pilgrimage to Mecca.

[laughs, chatters indistinctly]

[man chanting]

[drums playing]

[all chanting]

[woman] Dance relaxes mind and body,

one of the reasons it can be found in cultures all over the world.

The musical stories sung during the Boduberu feast,

traditionally a male affair, speak of love and victory.

[chanting continues]

[chanting accelerates]

[chanting continues]

[man chanting]

[women chanting]

[serene music playing]

[people chattering]

[woman] The traditional feasts here remind me of carnivals at home.

They serve the same purpose: to have some fun

and to remind us who we are and where we belong.

[overlapping conversations]

[ambient music playing]

[man] Mornings are the liveliest time on the reef.

While the diurnal animals are having their breakfast,

the nocturnal ones are looking for a bite before bed.

Morays are territorial, closely guarding the place they live in.

They peek out of the holes they inhabit like cranky old security guards.

[woman] This moray is rhythmically opening its mouth.

It's not an intimidation, but respiratory movement.

[rhythmic music playing]

[man] The most beautiful member of this family, the laced moray,

resembles a sea dalmatian.

If we don't frighten it or make it angry, it won't attack us,

but we should still stay apprehensive,

otherwise we would experience the double jaw bite which inspired the movie Alien.

The moray's secret weapon is in its throat.

Morays catch their prey with curved cone teeth

and shoot another jaw from its throat.

This jaw pushes the victim mercilessly into its gullet.

[woman] With their wrinkled bodies covered by parasites,

morays are the cleaners' grateful customers.

The bluestreak cleaner wrasse shows its servitude with a special dance.

It rubs against the host to let it know what part of the body it's working on.

That way it doesn't become a side dish the moment its client gets disturbed.

[eerie music playing]

[woman] The claw of the dextrous shrimp can reach into even the smallest folds.

[gentle music playing]

[man] The pufferfish family have the face of an angel, but the body of a demon.

The demon is in the form of tetrodotoxin,

one of the most poisonous toxins on the planet.

It means a great danger to anything that would want to munch

on these cute little creatures.

[woman] This fish is called the dog face puffer.

Please, don't pet it.

It can bite your fingers off with an innocent look on its face.

[man] The clumsy pufferfish uses a sophisticated protection

in the case of danger.

It sucks up water and inflates like an airbag.

Not even a big fish could swallow it.

[gentle music continues]

[man] Pufferfish are unpredictable and aggressive.

However, their courtship rituals can be quite amusing.

When the porcupine fish inflates, it changes into a sharp-spined balloon.

But there's no reason to display its weaponry today.

[soft music playing]

[woman] You'll find a much larger diversity of species

under the water surface around the Maldives

than on the meager land surface.

Most birds only stop here for a break during their long flights.

Only five species are at home here,

including the heron, the queen of the sea hunters.

[birds cawing]

[serene music playing]

[birds squawking]

[woman] Some species, such as crows and flying foxes,

originally come from India.

They rest in trees during the day.

[birds chirping]

[man] The production of dhoni boats goes back to ancient Egypt.

It is a very valuable skill

for those who are witnessing their islands disappear right in front of their eyes.

[soft upbeat music playing]

[man] Due to the impact of tourists visiting the islands,

waste disposal is becoming a crucial problem.

The lovers of the sea and nature preservation have advice for tourists:

take used batteries with you, they cannot be processed here.

Ideally, bring your own plastic bottle and then take it home with you.

Talk to the local people about preserving nature

and hopefully persuade them to try harder.

[serene music playing]

[woman] We noticed a familiar silhouette under the school of snappers.

A stingray... and it's not alone.

It spends most of the day buried in the sand,

even though, like its relative the shark, it's a very good swimmer.

The pectoral gristly fins joined to their heads

enable rapid movement which resembles the flight of a bird.

[man] The creature's name comes from its stinger filled with poison,

which is used only in self-defense.

[music fades out]

[woman] It uses the sand as peeling.

Burrowing into the sand helps to remove old skin and parasites.

[hopeful music playing]

[woman] We found an exhausted individual who was recovering from a recent fight.

It's obvious this wasn't its first violent encounter...

It lost its dorsal fin some time ago.

Fortunately, it will grow back.

[hopeful music continues]

[man] Time to hunt.

Just like sharks, stingrays have special electroreceptors

called ampullae of Lorenzini,

which help them to sense the heartbeat of even the tiniest creatures.

The remora travels attached to the body of larger animals.

It means its vehicle must be somewhere near.

Manta rays.

Our lights lure them into close proximity.

During this amazing dance, the biggest rays are feasting,

revealing a sophisticated filter for oxygen and plankton.

Surprisingly, even the biggest manta rays have throats of the size of a fist,

so, luckily, they can't swallow us.

[woman] We have a strong desire to touch her,

but in doing so not only would we scare it,

but also remove a delicate mucus, which protects it from infection.

[man] Eagle-like movement and feline shape of head reveal an eagle ray.

[ambient music playing]

[woman] Mantas and eagle rays instill both awe and fear.

It's no wonder some cultures worship them.

[ambient music continues]

[man] They move their cephalic lobes to channel water and plankton

into their mouths.

The cephalic lobes are rolled into spirals when manta rays are swimming.

Because these lobes resemble horns, mantas are also known as "devilfish."

[man] Although they usually reach four or five meters in size,

they only eat tiny food.

A single manta weighing around one and a half tons

eats up to 30 kg of plankton every day.

[ambient music continues]

[woman] The manta's brain is, in reference to the size of its body,

the biggest among cartilaginous fish.

Mantas are said to be able to recognize a diver they have met in the past.

It would be wonderful to experience this.

[hopeful music playing]

[woman] During every trip to the islands, time passes more slowly and intensely.

Our desire to anchor here for a little longer grows and grows.

And the locals do their best to make our stay even more enjoyable.

[soft upbeat music playing]

[man] The crew of the ship Ari Queen prepared us for a symbolic surprise.

On the southern tip of the atoll Ari, where we anchor,

whale sharks, the largest known extant shark, are found.

From the beginning of our trip we have been hoping to encounter them.

[upbeat music continues]

[man] As always, prior to our dive,

our guide Aslam draws a relief of the reef where we are going to dive.

[indistinct chattering]

[woman] With Gogo, our Portuguese friend and photographer,

we are trying to work out how to shoot the best pictures of a whale shark

and stay out of each others' way.

We share our enthusiasm about our underwater adventure

and can't wait for Aslam's command to dive.

[laughing]

[wind whooshing]

[rhythmic music playing]

[woman] The diversity of species of sharks in the Maldives is the largest on Earth.

The ban on hunting sharks and regulated fishing

helps to increase their population and the health of the reefs.

But even here, the sharks face dangers.

This tiger shark will always have a painful memory

of his clash with civilization.

[man] I was very pleased to meet the charming and very shy leopard shark.

[woman] And I found a dormant nurse shark under a cliff.

[sinister music playing]

[woman] Shark hunting in the Maldives was banned in 2010,

but diving with sharks is supported.

Watching sharks is one of the island's main attractions.

[man] The scientific research of their reproduction is very important,

because it can bring information about the period of their maximum fertility

and locate common mating areas;

areas where female sharks give birth

and where the young ones spend the first years of their life.

By protecting this area, we will enable the sharks to breed in peace,

making up for the damage caused by human activity.

[sinister music continues]

[woman] Local biologists monitor the movement of whale sharks,

who feed on plankton and are not harmful to humans.

The photographs from the divers help them as well.

They identify new individuals regularly and give them names.

When they reach eight meters, which signifies they are sexually mature,

they leave local waters for their role in propagating the species.

[gentle violin melody playing]

[man] The ecosystems of the ocean,

which cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface,

are the most important factor regulating the climate of our planet.

Life on land depends on life in the ocean.

We are not only saving the sharks, we are saving ourselves.

[rhythmic music playing]

[music fades out]