All language subtitles for Fleur De Lampaul 3 - Jeunes Marins Reporters - Mers du Sud et Recif de Corail (English subtitles)

Fleur de Lampaul
Young sailor reporters

Subtitles by
Oliver Sanderson

The dreams of childhood can
lead to the ends of the earth.

For one school year,
aboard the Fleur de Lampaul,

nine children go to the school
of nature and mankind.

They explore the Amazon
rainforest and coral reefs,

become friends of the
whales and Indians.

A journey to the end of their dreams,

to discover themselves.

To share their emotions,
these young sailor reporters...

produced certain sequences
of the film themselves.

A logbook in pictures.

Their child's perspective on the world.

SILVER BANK

It's five months since
Fleur de Lampaul left France.

We spent Autumn
in French Guiana,

then we returned to celebrate
Christmas with our families.

Today in France, our friends return
to school for their second term,

but us, we've been at sea
for eight days already,

and South America
is far in our wake.

A new kitten has joined the crew.

It's called Ipoc ,that means,
"all's well", in Wayana.

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We sail towards the
Turks and Caicos Islands,

to study marine mammals there.

Anne Collet, director of the National
Centre for the Study of Marine mammals,

joined us in Providenciales.

With her, we'll try to meet Jojo,
a dolphin ambassador.

Jojo has a friend, Dean Barnal,
a young American.

How long ago was he discovered?

Jojo is a free dolphin who
seeks the company of people.

There are only a few
like this in the world.

They're called dolphin ambassador,
but why do they behave like this?

It's funny because he kept
his life of a free dolphin,

and his life close to people.

It's a wild dolphin,
a free dolphin,

but has effectively kept a
favourable relationship with man.

Since ancient times, some dolphins
honour people by their friendship.

During shipwrecks, dolphins
sometimes save drowning sailors.

These mammals, our distant cousins,
have a predilection for children.

We also dream of
getting close to Jojo.

But where is he today?

In a shallow bay,
surrounded by deserted islands,

we spot a group
of 12 dolphins.

They've come to deliver their
young in these sheltered waters.

These animals have a highly
developed social structure.

The males place themselves
between us and the young.

These are Bottlenose dolphins,
"Tursiops truncatus".

The species of Jojo.

A dolphin approaches us.
He swims without fear beside us.

It's him, Jojo,
the friend of man.

Dean has another
surprise in store for us.

On a desert island, live the last
descendants of dinosaurs, iguanas.

They've disappeared almost
everywhere in the Caribbean,

hunted by men and their pets.

These iguanas are protected by the
Turks and Caicos government.

Conscious of its ecological reserves,

this small British colony has
created many nature reserves,

so many refuges for the animals.

Iguanas have ceased
to fear people.

You want some too...
Come on.

Like that, it's good, eh.

Once again we hoist the sails.

Fleur de Lampaul will set sail
for the Silver Bank,

one of the most exciting
stages of our long journey.

At Silver Bank thousands of
humpback whales gather every year.

Anne Collet will lead a study
with us on these whales.

One... two... three...

The trade winds blow strong.

We're heading at great speed
towards the Silver Bank.

Nothing indicates this vast coral
plateau situated on the open sea,

north of the Dominican Republic.

A hazard for ships.

We calculate our route to
get there after the sunrise.

The depth sounder indicates
20-30 metres of water.

We arrive at Silver Bank and already
the first whales are in sight.

There's one.

It's quite far away.
It's 250 metres more or less...

We must tell those
in the kitchen.

You can see the tail fin, they
strike with their fins like that...

Here is Anne who's
just seen a whale,

and so we're going to
try to find it and see it.

I was brushing my teeth...

when I heard the bell
for cetaceans,

and so we're trying to
see if there's a whale.

We can see them...

There's two of them.

What does it mean
when they do that?

They frolic, they play games,
which may be sexual games,

it could be a lot of things.
They're obviously excited.

The Humpback whales gather each Spring
on the Silver Bank to spawn there.

The shallow waters mitigate the ocean
swell which would hamper the young.

They're having a lot of fun.

Watch out.

Yeah.

This is quite impressive because
they're much closer to the ship,

and then they jump a lot.

Of all the whales, humpbacks
are the most playful,

and today they're
giving us a real display,

where jumps alternate
with fins stiking the sea.

Brilliant, it's great.

This is the first time we've
managed to get so close.

Just now she said hello to us,
it was so cute.

This really is superb.

We contemplate one of the
most spectacular shows...

that the sea has to offer,

the love play of humpback whales.

We have waited too long in
the company of the whales,

and the sun low on the horizon prevents
us from distinguishing the coral outcrops,

the reefs which lie
just beneath the surface.

We must quickly find an
anchorage for the night.

It looks okay here.

OK.

You should stop the boat, because
we continue to move forward,

and there's one to starboard
and one to port.

That looks good, it's pretty clear
around so I think we'll anchor here.

Good, we'll anchor here.

As soon as Fleur is anchored,

we meet in the wardroom where
Anne gives us a little lecture.

For reasons somewhat complicated
to do with physics and oceanography,

the warm seas are not
very productive,

there's almost nothing
to eat in it.

So the whales need to
find a great deal of food,

and that's always
found in cold seas.

This is the reason why
the whales migrate.

So they spend the summer...

where the weather conditions
are not too difficult in cold seas,

and the opposite in winter, so at this
moment for us in the northern hemisphere,

they go into the warm
waters to breed.

So when the whales
arrive in warm seas,

they have a thick layer
of blubber like this.

First, it's a thermal insulator,
but it's also a fat reserve.

And then for 3 months and sometimes
6 months, they'll eat almost nothing.

The blue whale, the largest
whale, is the longest.

So a female is about 30 metres long,
it's big in comparison with Fleur.

It's young at birth
will be 7 m. long,

and every day his mother
gives him 500 litres of milk,

and the young, every day,
will grow by 100 Kilos.

A quintal more every day.

Wow.

The next day the weather
is gray and rainy.

Impossible under these conditions
to risk Fleur between coral reefs.

We decide to launch
our small lugger,

Fleur de Lampaul's dinghy,

to explore the wreck
of the Poligleny,

a Greek cargo ship which
sank here 20 years ago.

Shall we go and see?

Here, the coral outcrops which
lie just below the surface,

are real hazards for ships.

For thousands of sailors,
the journey ended here.

Spanish galleons loaded with gold and
silver stolen from the American Indians,

broke on the Bank
during stormy nights.

It was them who gave
their name to Silver Bank.

Whales were also the object
of greed for Westerners.

The whalers came to cast anchor here
where awaited them easy prey.

Over hunted, humpback whales were led,
in the middle of this century,

to the verge of extinction.

Today, hulls of galleons,
cannons, gold coins,

have disappeared under the coral
which has covered everything.

But for the whales, Silver Bank
has become a sanctuary.

Now protected, their number
increases steadily.

Have men finally
acquired a new wisdom,

where the beauty and integrity of
nature is the most precious treasure?

SONG OF THE WHALES

Fleur de Lampaul is anchored on the
Silver Bank to study humpback whales.

Her crew, accompanied by marine mammal
biologist Anne Collet go to meet them.

Are you going like that?

I have my jacket and
sweater in the boat.

It's a bit warm.

We soon spot two whales.

They don't seem at all scared by
the lugger, our little sailboat.

One of the whales approaches us
and dives just under the lugger.

For the first time in our lives,
we're going to swim with a whale.

There's a large beast there,
just behind us...

But the water is murky,

and the whale swims on the sandy
bottom, 30 meters below us.

We're unable to follow it.

Already you're a little scared
because you tell yourself...

it's huge compared to me,

and in an instant it can give me a
blow with it's tail without me knowing,

but at the same time you want to
see it because it seems so peaceful.

For several days, we observe
the humpback whales.

Every evening, Anne tells us
what we haven't noticed.

If whales clearly show their belly,
you can recognise what sex they are,

if it's a male or female.

On the female, we see
a large slit in the middle,

and on each side there
are two tiny slits.

The two tiny slits are
called the mammary slits,

It's inside that the
nipple is hidden,

for better hydrodynamics,
and the big slit, it...

it hides the anal orifice and then
the genital orifice with the vagina.

However in males,

we see two slits directly
in line with the stomach,

one is the anus and the other
is the orifice of the penis,

it's a bit like a zipper.

For better hydrodynamics,
the penis is hidden in the belly.

And when the whale is
flirting and amorous,

well at that time, you can
see his penis come out.

Did you see that by chance today?
-Yes,

it was quite big
and it hung down,

it was a bit pointed, it hung down,
and it was a bit brownish pink...

Yes, these whales are on
their breeding grounds,

so they're flirting, so we have all
the love play of the new whales.

The next day, the weather is better,
we decide to raise the anchor.

And first, like every morning, after the
sailors get washed, we must do the ship.

We must always work, in fact, we're
exploited children, as you can see...

This morning, the coral reefs of the
Silver Bank gives us a nasty surprise,

it's impossible to raise the anchor.

The anchor weighs 150 kg
and the chain weighs 1 tonne,

so when on top of that, it's wedged at
the bottom, it's very difficult to raise.

An outcrop at 600 m, at 1:30.

This dangerous manoeuvre
takes us all morning.

In the distance, the whales
jump as if to call us.

The anchor finally raised,
we still have to hoist the mainsail.

Once again, Fleur comes
through it without trouble.

At sea, we must be
very vigilant,

especially when we sail in
the most remote regions,

in order to protect the crew
from any accident.

At noon, we finally begin our study.

Now we're going to do
a count of the whales.

And I have to look...

I have to look at 30°, right?
-Yes.

In fact we do it in two teams,
one to port and one to starboard,

and every time we see something,
we mark the time,

mark how many there are of them.

All this to know roughly
how many there are.

Guided by Anne, we're engaged in the
work of photo-identification of whales.

The dorsal fin and tail of each
humpback whale is unique.

By photographing them, we develop a
form of identification for each individual.

The data is centralised at
the international level...

allowing scientists to track
humpback whales in their migration,

and to study their reproduction.

Humpback whales are the
best known whales today.

And what's that?

I think there's one,
but it's not clear.

And the distance, it's about...

So, how many shall I put?

For an hour, a group of several
whales remain close to Fleur.

We identified every individual.

Several males courting a female.

A team prepares to dive.

We all dream to observe underwater,
the love ballet of the humpback.

The whales keep their distance.

We can barely distinguish them,

in the water loaded with sediment
by bad weather in recent days.

Some casual strokes of the tail are
enough for the whales to outdistance us.

Hey, that was great,

I saw them close up.

Every time I approached them,
they dived and then...

It was very impressive.

A flick of the tail and then it went
down, and in fact there were two.

And you saw it
turned around us.

Did you see when they
touched face to face?

Yes.

And then they left.

Now the whales
return towards us.

Absorbed by their lovemaking,

they seem to have completely
forgotten our presence.

The whales jumping out of the sea,

are the most excited, jump the
highest, the most violent,

and it's me who'll
go to see them...

-And me!
-with François.

We had a little something first
to give us some courage,

and we're excited, look.

Overcoming her fear, Tatiana
decides to take her turn diving.

Wish me luck.

It's cold.

You see it?

This time the magic is complete,

as the giants of the seas accept
our presence alongside them.

The whales swim around us
and come to observe us.

We look at each other,
face to face.

It was extraordinary.

Well, Tatiana?

They were just below us,
there were 3 of them.

It was wonderful, wonderful.

They weren't afraid,
they came to see us.

For a moment we lost them and then
suddenly we saw them near the bottom,

and once there were 3 of them.
The three who came to see us.

And once I dived and then I saw
this giant behind with its tail like this,

and then it turns to look at me,
I saw it's eyes looking at me.

Fabulous. A great moment.

It sounds like "The Big Blue".

It's better than "The Big Blue".
"The Big Blue" was only dolphins.

It's superb, it's great.

A hydrophone allows us to record
the song of the humpback whales.

Of all the whales, it's they
who sing the most.

Their vocalizations can
last half an hour.

Each year all the humpbacks in a region
begin their song by the same notes.

Scientists know little about the
meaning of these amazing sounds.

They think it can carry
over hundreds of km.

Under water, the song of the humpback
seems to penetrate our body.

We must already leave
the Silver Bank.

It seems like a dream.

Did we really swim with whales?

The more courageous of us take
advantage of the crossing...

to write down our observations.

Before leaving Anne, we make a
stopover with her at French Cay,

a small island forgotten
by the rest of the world.

In a few weeks we've become
greatly attached to Anne.

She does her job of marine mammal
biologist with rigour and passion.

We never tire of listening to her.

We've no longer hunted
whales in recent years,

and it's true that the humpback
in particular are increasing.

There are more than before.

But threats have far from
disappeared for whales.

What is the problem today?

Today we realize that the most
important issue is pollution,

because we still deal with
pollution very poorly.

We've become aware that
the sea is very polluted,

and we don't yet know exactly
what effect it can have.

That's why we're very concerned.

The effects that can
actually be measured,

it's quite dramatic.

Several times we've performed
an autopsy on a dolphin,

that died of intestinal obstruction
because he'd eaten plastics bags,

the stomach was full of
sweet wrappers,

chocolate bar packaging
and supermarket bags.

It was very upsetting to see and that
was the reason the dolphin had died.

So it's also important to think about the
problems of pollution and consumption.

We consume too much and we
throw too many things in the sea,

and it's in this way, that today, we
undermine the populations of the sea,

and especially dolphins and whales.

You see on a small island like this
that seems completely untouched,

a sanctuary for birds that
need the sea to feed,

with all these fish that we saw
around, it's extraordinary.

and at the same time we can already
see traces of the passage of people.

We've seen some rubbish
around the island.

So, it's really at the same time
a collective problem,

that's everyone, but everyone
is also each one among us.

And it's up to each one of us to pay
attention every day to what we do to it.

Fleur will now stay 2 months in the
most isolated islands in the Caribbean,

to study the coral reefs.

THE CORAL REEFS

Today begins a new stage of
the Fleur de Lampaul expedition.

After studying the Amazon
rainforest and the whales,

We are anchored in the Turks and
Caicos archipelago, north of Haiti.

A marine biologist, Pierre
Lejeune should join us here.

With him, we'll study the richest
marine ecosystems, the coral reefs.

In the meantime, Pierre
has a morning dive.

When diving for the first
time on a coral reef,

one is dazzled by the richness and
diversity of this environment.

Corals live in colonies that can
achieve very large dimensions.

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia,
is 2000 km long.

The skeletons of corals
living or dead,

serve as support and shelter to
countless marine creatures.

A third of all the world's
fish inhabit coral reefs.

The coral reef is a very
complex living organism.

It grows in shallow tropical seas.

It needs the sun and warmth,

so a depth not exceeding 40m
and water of 18-20° at least.

Ideal conditions for divers too.

Aboard Fleur de Lampaul a morning
passes like any other, studious.

While waiting for lunch, we
finish our write up on whales.

Images Doc and Okapi await them,
to publish them on our return.

The events were still staggering,
swimming with whales.

I find that in the write up,
it doesn't feel so.

-No, but it's true.
-As for Nico, I don't know but...

Well, I'm going to read my essay.

A pearl.

She is there before me.

I have the impression that
she's sleeping, but she's moving.

She senses my presence.

She is beautiful,
lying in this idyllic setting.

And it's thanks to
its pectoral fins...

that it can be distinguished in
the turquoise of the ocean.

In the turquoise water...

No, in the turquoise
water of the ocean.

You don't say it with feeling...

Ok, this time with feeling.

She's beautiful...

Go on, go on.

Hang on, hang on.

Go ahead, dare, dare,
Go on.

Lying in this idyllic setting,
I'd like to approach her, touch her.

But how will she react,
-oh, oh, oh.

She hears us approaching,
she greets us.

The humpback whale,
this giant of the seas has moved.

It's with disconcerting agility
that it surges forward.

The boys sleep in the forecabin.

This is my bunk and
this is where I sleep.

And here, I have my stuff.

Oh, you shouldn't show this.

This is my cuddly toy.

This is my diary.

Sometimes I sleep with it.

This is my wallet.

This is my last packet.

I try to eat them slowly.

Oh, sorry.

This isn't practical
in a bunk like this.

Ouch.

We set sail,
heading towards West Caicos,

a large desert island, reputed
for the beauty of its coral.

Pierre Lejeune,
the biologist has arrived.

He's already preparing
his experiments.

So for position number 1,
it's course 279,

for position number 2,
it'll be a heading of 262,

and for the last one,
it will be as far as 216.

Today, the skipper is Nicolas.

In order to properly learn
the secrets of navigation,

every young person is responsible
for the ship for a day.

-Are you going to the lookout?
-Yeah, okay.

-It's on channel 8.
-OK.

Can you ensure it's on channel 8?
Thank you.

I hope he won't fail us...

because there's a navigation
that isn't obvious, it seems,

since we are weaving
between outcrops of coral,

and on a bottom which is somewhere
between 8m and 1m below Fleur.

But we have confidence in him.

Is it good there?

A little more to port.

Okay, I'm going to head that way.

How's it going?

Tatiana?

-Yes.
-Is it hard to navigate here?

Yes, it's pretty hard
because there are...

outcrops of coral and
we risk running aground.

Ah yes.

So we need someone
in the lookout to watch...

We need to make sure.

Is there somebody
up there all the time?

Yes, during navigation, there's
always someone watching.

Once again, Fleur has
managed to cross the reef.

We encounter a strange
sailboat which asks us for help.

This sailing coaster
comes from Haiti,

one of the poorest
countries in the world.

There, the sailors often don't
have enough to buy a motor,

and when the wind is failing,
the crossing goes on and on.

This is what happened
to this sailboat.

We tow them to a nearby island and
provide them with fresh supplies.

They didn't even have any
drinking water left aboard.

Their meager cargo is rotting
at the bottom of the hold.

The Haitians are devoid
of everything.

They're forced into poverty
by decades of dictatorship,

followed by serious
political crises.

They're very religious people.

We leave the Haitians
near an anchorage.

During the coming weeks, these
sailors will become true friends.

We leave with Pierre
for West Caicos,

looking for a suitable
location for our study.

Pierre is the scientific director
of the oceanographic station...

STARESO in Corsica.

He's a regular visitor
to the reef waters.

Let it go.

This is great.
We'll get into the water,

and we'll see what it
looks like underwater.

Shall we go.

We spot not far from Fleur,
in calm waters near the coast,

a coral outcrop.

It should be an ideal site
for our study.

In the course of the dives,

every creature that inhabits this piece
of reef must become familiar to us.

At the moment, we aren't
yet able to identify them.

Who would believe that this magnificent
seaweed is actually an animal.

A soft coral.

We have everything to discover in
these fabulous underwater gardens,

where every dive is a delight.

Okay Pierre, what are
we going to do now?

Well, listen...

you saw that we discovered
a superb outcrop...

-Yeah.
-on which there are corals to study.

We said we were going
to try to find out,

to understand how
this ecosystem works,

that's the coral reef ecosystem.

And we'll do all sorts
of little experiments,

independently of each other, allowing us
to understand how it works as a whole.

-All that.
-Eh, but we have 3 weeks before us.

-That's great.
-It's fabulous, right? -Yes.

And we'll do all these little
experiments one after the other.

[How to study it?]

[Obj: Get a better understanding
of the ecosystem...]

This evening, we're all excited by
this new adventure that begins.

The study of nature is perhaps one
of the greatest pleasures there is.

This is also an opportunity to
learn how to organize our work.

Don't blame me,
but there's a tiny bit of reef...

it's going to be a little harder.

Modifications to be made
for example to provide...

-So everyone has their areas,
-There we are.

We decide to visit the
coral reef at night.

Not without some trepidation.

It seems that sharks
hunt at night.

A last farewell.
I liked Fleur.

A barracuda prowls in
search of its prey.

The marine night
is dotted with stars.

It's the plankton that
floats close to the surface.

The fish take refuge in the recesses of
the coral to sleep safe from predators.

A small octopus
comes to look at us,

attracted by the
brightness of our torches.

At night, the underwater world
seems even more mysterious.

A lifetime is not enough to
understand all its secrets.

We're going to devote ourselves
fully to our study of the coral.

DISCOVERING THE CORAL

6 o'clock in the morning,
the sun has already risen.

A new day of studying the coral
begins on board Fleur de Lampaul,

anchored off West Caicos.

IPOC, the cat and Emilie take
care of waking the crew.

I'm going to go and wake the
others now for breakfast.

Nicolas, you're awake.
This isn't funny.

As so often, the conversations focus
on the sea and its inhabitants.

Hammerhead sharks, crabs,
sawfish, whales...

-Oh, I know, I dreamt of sharks.
-Me too.

And in fact, I dreamt that
we were above the water,

and then that we were with Pierre and
he said to us: look, there's a shark.

I dive in and just when I dive, he says:
above all don't dive in, but...

On our boat school,

the day begins with a small conference
with Pierre Lejeune, a marine biologist.

...the ocean there...

From the mainland to
the great ocean floor,

you have the island
that lies here,

which is covered with small palm
trees and a little vegetation.

We move away just a little from
the cliff and in certain places,

we find small outcrops
of coral, very pretty,

behind the small coral outcrops,
we have a depth of about 4 m.

and then we have a sandy bottom,
and on this sandy bottom,

a rather interesting fauna...

and already very different from
that which will be near the island.

And here, occurs a sharp change in the
gradient and it falls in a vertical drop,

that's marvellous,
which is wonderful,

a veritable garden which
is covered with corals,

which unfortunately is too deep
for you to go and see it up close.

So I told you that
in an ecosystem,

there are of course
things which are obvious,

those that attract your eyes,
from the outset,

but also other things that
are less obvious to you.

Something that's very important
for this ecosystem is the plankton.

So, the plankton is a
very general term,

which includes all
animals and plants...

which live in the
body of water,

and which allow themselves
to drift with the currents.

We're going to try to capture some
plankton by towing a plankton net.

Meanwhile, Charlotte,
Pierre and Hélène,

observe anything that floats
and drifts near Fleur.

Jellyfish, too, are part
of the plankton.

Let's have a look.

Don't expect there
to be huge quantities.

It's superb.

Oh, yes, oh yes... look,

Watch as it moves in there.

Over thousands of km,

you have water that has the same
composition, the same temperature.

Then you realize the quantity of
tiny creatures which we have.

This time, we trawled for 10 min.

In fact, there's a lot of
plant plankton, obviously,

and I see a piece of algae,

a kind of white piece, I don't know
what it is, we're going to look.

It's all the same.

The basis of life in the seas,
is phytoplankton.

Tiny single-celled algae.

They're at the beginning
of the food chain.

I found a piece of something white,
I don't know what it is.

Maybe it's something interesting?

We'll have a look after this.

I see a kind of small bubble
with a flagellum,

it looks like a sperm cell.

The zooplankton or
animal plankton,

feeds on phytoplankton.

In zooplankton, we mostly find
larvae of fish, crustaceans or coral.

I see lots of little shrimp,

really tiny with a red
eye or a red spot.

We see reflections, we can't
see the shapes clearly, but...

there's a lot of them,
really a lot.

There's a tiny jellyfish.
Come and see.

-Where?
-There.

-Oh, yes.
-There's something like that, there...

We need to look at it.

This small jellyfish
is a coral polyp.

Coral consists of small animals of the
family of jellyfish and sea anemones.

Each polyp secretes a
calcareous skeleton,

a small tower in which
it can take shelter.

Tentacles surround a central mouth
which also serves as an anus.

Polyps come together to form
colonies of very varied forms.

Each polyp is a small mouth that waits
for the currents to bring it its food,

some plankton,

or tiny prey which it captures
with the aid of specialised cells.

These cells, cnidoblastes,

shoot small venomous harpoons
which paralyse the prey.

The tentacles then carry the
food to the central mouth.

Together the polyps form the coral.

It's difficult for us to distinguish
between types of corals,

sponges and algae.

The best known of the corals
are the hard corals.

They can form large colonies such
as the brain coral or pillar coral.

We learn to be wary
of the fire coral.

Its sting is painful.

What we took at first for seaweed
swaying gracefully in the current,

is in fact a soft coral
or gorgonian.

Soft coral doesn't
secrete a rigid skeleton.

Its flexible structure is obtained
by small needles of limestone...

called spicules.

We're going to study
this whole area here.

The length of the outcrop,
it's 400m.

Before that, there's a level where
there's a lot of sponges,

and at the level of
the drop it's 15m.

and then it can go down
up to several hundred metres.

We also learn to distinguish
between different types of reefs.

The reef that we're studying
primarily is a coral outcrop.

A mass isolated
on a sandy bottom.

We divide it into several zones,

and systematically identify all
species of coral that compose it.

Further on, Nicolas and Emilie
dive on a fringing reef.

The fringing reef develops along
the coast in shallow waters.

Gorgonians are abundant there.

A huge block of brain coral
attracts our attention.

Off the coast of the island,

the depth changes
sharply from 15 to 50m,

forming a drop off.

A veritable wall
colonized by the coral.

It's at the drop off that
the diversity is the largest,

and the fish most numerous.

After 2 hours of diving,
we start to feel cold.

It's time to return to Fleur.

After lunch Guenaelle and Hélène
return to West Caicos.

Just to dream...

and immerse themselves completely
in the magic of the coral waters.

I don't think I've ever
felt anything so strong.

I really felt in my element,

in my environment,
as if I'd always been here.

And I really felt at
the origins of my life.

It was really very,
very strong.

When I'm here under the water,

I really have the feeling
of being in my element.

It's pretty weird because...
you can move around,

there's not really any physical
law that holds us back,

we can turn in all directions,

and in fact, each time I have to remind
myself to breathe because I feel so good.

I want to breathe in the water
and remain at the bottom.

Oh, it's hot.

In my opinion, the cloud that's there,
below, is not as small as it looks.

Because it's not close by.
It's several km as we can see,

and at the level of
the waterspout...

there's a colossal energy
which is developed.

By late afternoon,

the sky becomes overcast and
a waterspout threatens Fleur.

It's getting bigger.

This tiny cyclone has winds that
reach hundreds of km/h.

It's superb.

Happy Birthday, our dear Anne.

-Superb, isn't it.
-Oh, wow.

Wonderful!

That's made with a lot of love.

We spend two full months
in the desert islands.

Birthdays are welcome
opportunities to party.

They're prepared in great secrecy,
a week in advance...

Actually it isn't very
easy to unwrap.

Brought straight from the
Turks and Caicos Islands.

You can put it to your ear
because you'll hear us.

You'll hear us.

That's it.

Cheers, cheers.

Instead of birthday cake,

Ipoc prefers the flying fish
which land on deck at night.

This is his way of studying
marine biology.

It's really annoying, eh?

Sometimes the day ends
with a night dive.

It reveals another aspect of
the reefs that we're studying.

Every day brings its harvest
of discoveries and of wonder.

WEST CAICOS

For several weeks,

Fleur de Lampaul is anchored off West
Caicos, a desert island in the Caribbean.

In the library on board,

we found a guide which
talks about a ghost town.

so, you're looking for a little
crooked tree which makes an arch,

when you see an
arch like that,

and just nearby there's a palm tree,
a little bigger than the others.

Look over there,
you can see something.

-Do you think that's it?
Yes, it's white but it could be the roof.

-Are we going to look?
-We'll get a bit closer.

According to our guide,

these ruins are those of a
plantation called Yankee Town.

On land, the heat is overwhelming.

The only inhabitant of
Yankee Town is a fish eagle.

What could bring men to
live on this barren island,

1000 km from the Mainland?

So they say that the Loyalists
who were Americans...

who fought for Britain during
the war of Independence...

came here because
they were banished.

They worked here by planting cotton
and sugar for about 30 years.

Then, as the earth was
so dry, they left,

leaving their slaves here, and
that's the origin of this population.

But in 1700, there weren't
any steam engines.

Yes, but in this guide,
they say that...

there were people
between 1890 and 1920,

who came and harvested salt,

and who also grew
cotton and sisal.

And what is it,
the sisa... thing?

Sisal in fact, it's like hemp,
it's for making twine.

We discover the remains of a dike and
a railway which crossed the island.

This vast lagoon was
once a salt pan.

It has become a
haven for seabirds.

Pink flamingos, redshanks,
sandpipers and herons...

find plenty of food here,
and absolute tranquility.

In order to continue the
exploration of the island,

the girls have camped on shore.

Henriette, say hello.

-You're horrible.
-Okay then, sleep.

Emilie.

It's time to wake up.

I don't want to.

-I don't like being woken up.
-Besides, my lips are all swollen...

because of the mosquitoes
and I couldn't sleep.

We walk along the coast
of West Caicos,

attentive to everything that
might recall a human presence.

First discovery,

some inscriptions
carved into the rock.

Captain of the "Guerrière"
(Warrior),

March 1808.

The island served as a refuge for
shipwrecked sailors and pirates.

But what we're looking for,
are traces of Indians.

They inhabited West
Caicos 500 years ago,

and developed a real
civilization of the conch.

This looks like it,
come and see.

I found one.
-What have you got?

A conch shell, that one, it's whole
but I think we should find it broken.

Behind, there's one.

There. Look there,
there's lots of them.

-Here too.
-Oh, yes.

They're everywhere. Look, there's
two similar ones, the same.

The Indians carved some tools out
of the conch, these large shells.

Part of the conch has been removed.
It looks a bit like a sharp nail.

Anyway, these were
perhaps used as tools,

as it's quite pointed
and maybe sharp.

Coming from the Amazon
in their canoes,

Native Americans inhabited the Caribbean
islands as far as the Bahamas.

West Caicos was inhabited
by the Arawaks.

Christopher Columbus encountered
them on his first voyage.

There's some pieces
of conch here.

-It's odd that.
-Yes, what is it?

There's some conch
apparently smashed,

beside a large piece of coral that
could very well serve as a hammer.

It may have occurred naturally
but perhaps also...

the people used it as a hammer.
And it's very practical.

I'm really happy.

It totally excites my curiosity.
I want to...

to search the entire island.

It already feels weird to think...

that I'm at a place that people
have already walked,

a very long time ago.

It also feels strange to touch objects
they've already held in their hands.

I have the impression that I might have
a piece of their skin on the object.

It's very intriguing.
I feel their presence.

We've discovered a workshop where
the Arawaks made tools from conch.

We search a plot of
one square meter,

taking care not to
damage the site.

I would never have imagined,

at school when I learned
about Columbus,

that I'd find myself,
for real, on an Indian site,

just as he discovered it.

In Columbus's journal,
he said they had conical huts,

that they were naked,

that they sailed in canoes,

and I also think that there was
some trading between the islands.

I'm drawing a gouge.

It's a tool of the Amerindians.

In fact, we found
three kinds of tools.

The gouge, which is used
for planing wood.

It was sharp here and like that,
they could plane wood.

This served as a punch.

And then, there's an axe...

that fits comfortably
in the hand, like this,

that could cut.
It should be sharp here.

And this is taken from the
mantle of the conch.

Twenty years after Columbus
discovered the islands,

there were no longer any Arawak,

because they were
all dead by slavery.

The white men had taken them to the
islands of Venezuela to fish for pearls,

and in fact the Indians had never
endured slavery and they died.

Without the conch,

would the Indians have been able
to live on these barren islands?

Nowadays, these tasty shellfish...

are still one of the main resources of
a large number of Caribbean islands.

Not far from Fleur de Lampaul,
we go to meet some fishermen.

Motorboats have replaced
the Indian canoes,

but the method of fishing
hasn't changed.

It's by free diving that the inhabitants
of the Turks and Caicos Islands...

collect the conch.

These divers are
extremely efficient.

2 hours are enough for them
to fill the boat to the brim.

They swim and swim
and swim for kms...

They go down,
they take their conch.

They come back up, they go on,
they dive again…

It seems like they never stop,

and that they're
always under water,

that they're not cold...
that they have...

So, have you finished fishing?

Yeah.

-Oh yes
-...shells.

Oh, right.

Victim of their success,

the conch are becoming increasingly
scarce in the Caribbean Sea.

There you are... whole.
You're doing well.

We continue with Pierre Lejeune,
our field work on the coral.

In fact, the operation today, is to
go and put the jar, which is here,

on the head of coral which
is just behind the dinghy.

And we're going to take a
sample of a bit of algae,

which we shall weigh
later in the laboratory.

And immediately after the
installation of the jar,

someone should take a
sample of water in the jar,

so we know the amount
of oxygen there is inside.

And then a sample of
water around the jar,

to know how much oxygen
there is in the open water.

It should be the same
as at the outset.

Then we'll return in an hour to
see what happened. All right?

OK.

And are we going to do
studies with coral?

Yes, of course, the goal is
the study of coral, anyway.

We start with algae because we
already know that it produces oxygen.

Then we'll collect any small pieces
of coral that settle under the jar.

And we'll try to do a new
cycle of 24 hours,

for the study of the production and
consumption of oxygen by the coral.

For 72 hours we live to the rhythm
of the measurements of oxygen.

Our experiments continue
even in the middle of the night.

This piece of coral has
spent 6 hours in the jar.

6 hours ago we measured
the oxygen in the water,

and now we remeasure the
oxygen by colorimetric method,

to find out if the coral
has released any oxygen,

or if on the contrary,
it has absorbed it.

In the laboratory on
Fleur de Lampaul,

we use for our measurements a simple but
accurate chemical method, colorimetry.

There.

I add the 5th reactive
and it's a liquid.

I add a number of drops.
I don't quite know the number,

and when the water becomes
completely transparent,

it's at this moment, I'll know how
much oxygen there is in the water.

It's starting to become clear.

Now it's transpararent.

According to the number of drops
which I added, I know that...

that in the jar there's
4.9 mg of oxygen per litre.

Pierre, that means that the coral has
consumed some oxygen tonight.

Exactly, they've consumed oxygen.
They're animals, they breathe.

But remember, we
placed this jar at noon,

and the coral remained
about 6 hours in the light,

and when we checked the amount of O2
there was in the jar after 6h of light,

we realized that there was much
more oxygen than at the beginning.

So, during daylight hours,
the coral produced oxygen.

But this isn't possible because corals
are animals and therefore consume O2.

Well, in principle, yes,
animals consume oxygen.

They breathe like you and me.

But you know,
we spoke about it previously,

that corals have formed an
association with a small algae,

called the zooxanthellae.

The zooxanthellae live
in the same tissue,

the animal tissue of the coral.

And this association
is quite extraordinary,

since it allows an animal, ultimately,

to produce oxygen,
like a plant.

It's thus the close association
of an algae and an animal...

that has allowed the
coral reef to flourish.

This symbiosis brings to each,
the nutrients it needs.

The coral reefs offer us a
good lesson in cooperation.

SEA CORAL

Fleur de Lampaul is sailing for two
months in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

We're studying the coral with
Pierre Lejeune, a marine biologist.

Every morning, Pierre gives
us a theoretical lesson.

Then we dive and carry out
various experiments.

...which has been
determined by the way...

the mouth and anus are
formed in the embryo.

This morning, we're
distracted by a pelican.

He fishes around
Fleur de Lampaul.

Under water, we
discover a school of fish.

Millions and millions of
small silver comets.

Suddenly the fish panic.
What's going on?

A group of sea bream hunt.

The school of fish seems to move as
a single animal, huge and flexible.

The mass effect
deceives predators.

On the other side of the school,
a baracuda prowls.

Above the water,
lurk a couple of pelicans.

For small fish, living in the school
is a way to protect themselves.

Besides, what predator would be
so voracious as to devour them all?

We leave to get fresh supplies
at Providenciales.

Navigating the coral requires
the greatest caution.

So, should I pass to
starboard or to port?

Okay, keep to starboard.

And then go to port.

OK.

A Haitian sailing coaster asks us
for help to cross the coral reefs.

Okay, I'm puting it into neutral.

So, we're going to tow
a Haitian coaster,

because we came across them.

They were completely lost.
They had no more water or food,

so we fed them and now we're
towing them to Providenciales.

Look out Pierre, lookout,

there's an outcrop just ahead,
you must go to starboard.

I'm going there.

Is it still far?

Not very far, no, go ahead.

I'm fully, there.

Many sailboats from Haiti,

this large nearby island,
stopover in Providenciales,

capital of the Turks
and Caicos Islands.

They're among the last
working sailboats in the world,

the poorest on the planet.

We're going to visit Mussey,

captain of the boat
that we towed.

We do trading amongst
the largest islands,

going back and forth between
the Caribbean Islands and Haiti.

And what do you carry?

We carry products
such as bananas,

mangoes, grapefruits,
pineapples, seasonal fruit.

And is it hard to sail
a boat like yours?

Yes, it's hard,
but we're used to it.

You need to get used
to working like this...

and then we're not
skilled workers.

We do this, in fact,
easily like this.

You're accustomed to it?

We're accustomed to it,
then we have a compass.

And with the compass we can control the
drift, but some times we lose our way...

It's as if it was in
Columbus's time.

He didn't learn it in a school.

We don't practice modern day
techniques with our boat.

We don't even have an engine,
we have sails, as the ancients did.

We haven't yet made the step
toward modern technology.

Can we take a look at the boat?

Yes, you can,
because you're welcome.

When some sailors are on watch,
others can use the berths.

They work all night and sometimes
when they're tired, they sleep there.

And down below,
they put the fruit,

which they trade and there
are also some small rocks,

to ballast the boat and
that balances it well.

Oh, yes.

Is it just the women who
sleep inside the boat?

The women sleep rather often.

But with a little resistance,

they do the cooking like that.

-They do the cooking on the bridge?
-On the bridge.

We invite Mussey and his
crew to visit Fleur de Lampaul...

which is also an
old sailing coaster.

I love the boat,
I consider it a blessing,

because I see the tradition in my boat,
the French tradition,

and in yours the
French tradition also.

Certainly, we have a lot
in common with Mussey.

We find in this friendly
and cultured man,

an ardent defender
of the environment,

much threatened on his island.

I didn't know when I met you...

if you'd be interested
in such a question.

perhaps something brought
us here to meet you.

There are people like me who
take care of the environment.

However, it's a problem which
concerns everybody, every country.

Ah yes, because the environment,
in fact it's life.

The Earth, it's our mother planet
and we're all brothers.

I realize now that in France,

there are many foreigners,
a lot of different people to me,

and that they certainly have much
to teach me and to approach them,

it's a bit like going traveling,

and it's true that when I see
all that I have to learn,

from people who are
different from me,

I think that racism, it's
really a shame, because...

we can really become enriched by
people who think differently from us.

At every stopover,
Fleur demands our care.

Then a few small paint brushes.

Do you know where
the black pot is?

No Henriette.

Oh I've...

You can perhaps film me,
but don't tell Myriam,

otherwise I don’t know
what could happen to me…

-Are you holding up, Henriette?
-Yes.

It's okay at the moment.
I haven't done too much damage.

We must work hard on
the ship, because...

it falls into disrepair very quickly,
so there's a lot of work,

but we love it so much that
it's not a chore to work on her,

because it feels like we're giving
back a little of what she's given us.

I've learnt things at school,

I've learned a lot aboard Fleur,

both will serve me in life.

I think that they're complementary,

and we don't really
separate the two on board.

We know very well that the schoolwork
is as important as the rest.

We're just finishing
the report on the coral,

and when we've actually finished,
this report will be used...

to send to the 2nd grade
(age 15) and for us too.

We did experiments,
we observed...

we studied and now we're in
the process of writing it up,

First in French and then
we translate it into English.

We translate everything and afterwards
we ask Henriette if it's not too bad.

So this is both a study of
coral and then of English.

-Yes.
-At the moment she's in great demand.

I won't be upset at
returning to school.

On the contrary,
I want to go back,

and I think that...

Fleur won't really have penalized
us in relation to school life.

This is our last stopover
in West Caicos,

the desert island where for a
month we've studied the coral.

Tomorrow, we leave
for the Bahamas.

This is the last time that
I'll dive amongst the coral,

and I think I've never
felt anything so strong,

because just now when
I went under water,

I really felt in my element,

in my environment as if
I'd always been there,

and I looked above me,

and I barely saw the stars
that flashed across the surface.

I saw in the distance
the spot of the fire,

and I really felt at
the origin of my life,

it's really very very strong.

At first I was a little afraid that
there were sharks or nasty beasties,

jellyfish which would sting
us under the water...

and in fact when I dived,
I was under water,

I looked at the surface,

I had the impression of seeing
the other side of the world.

It was truly a magical sensation.

In addition when I dived,
I turned around,

and I even saw the moon
through the water.

It was quite exceptional.

-Was it strange to see the moon
on the other side? -Yes.

-But it finally connects the
worlds between them. -Yes.

The sky, the stars,
the moon, the planet...

the sea which is the nourishing liquid
in which everything appeared,

the plankton...
-A large ecosystem.

And then this wonderful ecosystem
that's the coral ecosystem.

At first, I didn't understand
much about coral,

I saw a fish in it,
which was a little red,

another which was
large and thin.

And then what's funny
is that as one goes along,

we begin to understand,

we begin to differentiate and see
that there's a link between it all.

It's a whole package.

And do you think that if we don't
pay attention to the coral...

it could easily be destroyed?

Well, the coral is
extremely fragile.

Do you mean that if you destroy
a single element of the coral reef,

that could put everything at risk?
-Yes, of course.

You've seen how
everything is related,

in an extremely precise way.

As soon as you break the links
between these different blocks,

it's really like breaking the
cement that cements the whole,

and you can see the
entire edifice collapsing.

A change in the amount of CO2
in the atmosphere, for example,

at the global level,

may have consequences that are
extremely important to coral reefs.

For example, in the Pacific, we've
observed a lot of bleaching of corals,

and a number of
scientists believe...

it could be linked to a
warming of the water,

due to a change in climate that
causes these bleaching events.

Could it be very serious?

Yes it could be very serious because
it's happening at a global level.

It would be a shame that in
a few years, because of us,

there'd be other children who
could no longer see what we saw,

who could no longer
feel what we felt,

this happiness, this joy,

if it's destroyed in a
few years and well...

That's true.

It may well happen,
and as we know,

in many places nature is deeply
affected by human activity.

There's a threshold not to be
exceeded, undoubtedly?

If it exceeds a certain
threshold, indeed, as you say,

you could see an entire
ecosystem disappear forever.

But when you think about it,
one could say that nature is us,

so living in harmony with nature,

wouldn't it be living in
harmony with ourselves?

When I look at the
world or the sea,

or even the stars,

I look at them and I've the impression
they're also looking at me somehow,

and I tell myself that I'm a
very small part of the universe.

I think that all this
forms a whole.

CORAL AND PEOPLE

Fleur de Lampaul is making sail for
Nassau, capital of the Bahamas.

For millions of wealthy tourists,
Nassau represents the American dream.

It's really impressive.

At the end of the port,
far from the luxurious marinas,

we find the sailing coaster
that came from Haiti.

They unload their meager cargo.

What struck me, is the fact that
there is on one side of the port,

some really totally poor
people that to survive...

they spent four days at sea since
leaving from Haiti for Nassau.

They just have their sails,
they may very well...

remain for days as
seen in Grand Turks,

without food or water,

then there are rich people who
arrive with their huge yachts.

They sometimes even
have helicopters,

they have everything
to have a nice life.

There really is an
imbalance in the scales.

Too much wealth
as too much poverty

can lead to the
destruction of nature.

We meet the Aquanaute,

a futuristic ship which
allows one to discover...

the underwater world
without getting wet.

Oh, just in front of us, it's...

In the Bahamas, tourism
is a necessary evil.

These islands have their
beauty as their only asset.

But the coral reefs are damaged
by both overfishing by locals,

and by the millions of
foreign visitors.

Aboard the Aquanaute,

it's possible to learn about
the coral without damaging it.

Even tourism can
become ecological,

and contribute to the
protection of the environment.

Fleur de Lampaul now reaches an
isolated region of the Bahamas.

We're entering Exuma park.

There's no depth... only
about 50 cm below the hull,

and it's sailing by sight.

There's someone who's experienced
in the ship who watches the depth.

And here we sail according
to the colour of the water.

It's a little tense
as sailing goes,

things happen fast.

I didn't expect so many colours.

It's beautiful...
it's really great.

It's paradise, it's magnificent.

There's lots of deserted islands.

I didn't know that
such a place existed.

The Exuma national park
is 25 km long.

It includes dozens of unspoilt islands.

This animal sanctuary can repopulate the
archipelago in fish, lobsters and shellfish.

But this preserved environment
attracts a growing number of visitors.

To protect it, it only has a
single custodian: Ray Dardil.

Ray does all the jobs here and
works tirelessly 7 days a week.

We move in with him to help
him in his numerous tasks.

Knowing our love for cetaceans,

Ray entrusts to us a
very special mission.

This is a rib.

So here's the shoulder blades.

This one is heavier
than the others.

The vertebrae are larger
than our heads.

Wait for me.

This sperm whale was stranded
about two years ago,

and there are others which
have been stranded,

and it's rotting on a beach,

so Ray suggested that
we reconstruct it.

I wonder how it will be possible
to put them together.

It's now several months that we've
dived every day in the coral waters.

The reef dwellers have
become familiar to us.

We no longer mistake for flowers,
these strange animals,

worms, their feathers allow them
to filter the water to catch plankton.

Observing the fish is a
fascinating spectacle.

Swimming against the current these
elegant blue damsels feed on plankton.

The life of the gray
damsel is tiring.

She must defend her miniscule
territory against the intruders,

and God knows there are many.

With its powerful beak,

the parrot fish feeds on algae
on the surface of the coral.

The sharp beak of the butterfly fish,

allows them to capture their
food in the hollows of the reef.

The butterflies live in
faithful couples.

The angelfish are of
supreme elegance.

The Royal Angel is the most
colourful fish in the Caribbean.

It is naturally shy.

The tricolour angel,
comes to visit us on every dive.

The coral serves as shelter
for these herbivorous fish,

ready to disappear at
the slightest alarm.

Above the reef glide
a school of caranx,

predators trimmed for speed.

A shark prowls.

This powerful predator doesn't
scare these giant groupers.

We, too, are accustomed
to the presence of the shark.

Close to pouncing on its prey,

a trumpet fish floats
among the gorgonians.

In its hole,

the Tiger Grouper awaits the unwary
who would approach too close.

His cousin, the Brown
grouper does the same.

The ray feeds by filtering the sand.

This peaceful fish hides under
its tail a formidable sting.

The timid surgeonfish also
have a weapon of defense,

a small sharp blade
near their tail.

In case of attack, the lime fish
prefers to hide in a hole.

It will jam itself there by means
of its powerful dorsal spines.

As for the puffer fish,

he relies on his armour and
his toxic flesh for protection.

The life of a fish is not
always a bed of roses.

The reconstruction of the sperm
whale skeleton is coming to an end.

For three weeks, Ray was
the best of companions.

It’s difficult to
imagine that it's a...

sperm whale because
the bones are so huge,

we washed them, you
don't realize, it's like rock.

And then when we reconstruct it,
one realizes that it's a huge beast.

It gives one the impression of
reconstructing a dinosaur.

Two parts touch,

the others bits don't touch.

I think it may be
more like that.

Your bit goes...

It's looks like that...

Reconstructing a sperm
whale skeleton at Exumas,

has been for the crew
a great lesson... in English.

Every day Ray goes on
patrol through the Park.

Ray, is a giant,

he's really a very big man,

who always has his hat,
and he has hats...

for every moment
of life possible.

He's like the cowboy of the seas when
you see him land with his superb boat,

like a horse, yes it serves
as a horse, it's clear.

He's really a cowboy.

To pursue the many poachers
that enter the park,

Ray relies on the
speed of his boat.

Regrettably, the poachers
are also well equipped,

and the pursuits are
often dangerous.

Ray informs visiting boats of the
strict legislation of the park.

Here, it's forbidden to
take anything.

Today, everything is going well.

But sometimes when caught
in the act and risking jail,

the poachers prefer
to attack.

I've had people try
to take my life,

with knives, bottles, and rocks.

It's happened often.

But whenever I go on patrol,
it's very dangerous.

But I believe in the park.

I don't want to die,

but I'll have done all this
work for nothing, if I leave.

So I stay.

To protect Ray, the army has
given him an armed guard.

The main threat comes
from local fishermen.

Having exhausted fish
stocks outside the park,

they're forced into poverty
and are desperate...

to plunder the reefs
that Ray protects.

I think very much of the
fishermen and their children.

They go hungry now because
they don't have enough to eat.

And I know that
they're very poor.

But I believe that I am right by
stopping them from fishing now,

so that 10 families can eat in the future,

or maybe even 100.

I hope I'm doing something good.

How to protect the
planet that sustains us,

and at the same time allow the
development of human societies?

It's all about balance.

During our long journey,

we've learned that we can't
think of people on one side,

and nature on the other.

Man is part of nature.

Fleur de Lampaul
goes back out to sea.

In 1.5 months we'll reach
the shores of Europe.

ON THE WAY BACK

I often look at the sea,
I stare at the horizon,

and I think that over
there is Europe, France,

I wonder what's going on, I wonder if
there are people waiting for me there.

We're at sea somewhere
between the Bahamas and France,

soon the voyage will be over.

9 Months ago, we began our
first crossing of the Atlantic,

heading for French Guiana.

A few days away from
the French coast.

We've forgotten nothing
of our adventure,

neither the happy days,
nor the hard knocks.

To go on Fleur I had to
take a big step forward,

leaving my family, my house,
my home, my comfort.

It's not easy every day,

and most importantly,
I didn't imagine...

that this dream would
ask so much from me.

I think what's hard, is that you have
to always be giving your best...

to go in the right direction,
so the team is homogeneous,

so that we achieve our goals.

After 31 days at sea
since France,

the shores of South America
were finally in sight.

Fleur de Lampaul would
spend the winter...

in the heart of the vast
Amazon rainforest.

Nature is threatened everywhere by
the development of human societies.

However some rare communities can still
live in harmony with their environment.

South of French Guiana,

we are ready to learn
from the Wayana Indians.

Don't these people of the forest have
something to teach us Westerners?

I remember being
among the Wayanas,

we fished every day
for fish in the river.

And one day I was fishing
and I thought, it's true,

the Indians, they have need of this
nature to live every day, it's required.

What they eat is all around them.

I caught a fish,

and I saw that there were gold miners
that polluted the river, close by.

I thought, they're killing my fish,
they kill what I eat.

While in France, if someone
pollutes the river near my home,

I don't think that it's my fish.

I'll eat the fish which I get
in the supermarket.

That's good, but you cut there.

That's it.

Okay.

Perhaps we had forgotten it,

living in cities or the forest, it's
always nature that sustains us.

-So how should I do it?
-You put your arrow like me,

like this...

and you aim well on the
fish and then you shoot.

Splash...

In fact, Hetipo...
he's a bit like my brother.

He's given me so much.

He taught me a lot about nature,
he knew a lot.

The Wayanas taught me that having
friends very different from oneself,

it's very important because you
see something other than you,

it allows you to have a more objective
judgment on you and on society,

to be able to benefit from the good
things, see what's bad and what's good,

and it's true that having different
friends is very rewarding.

For the Wayanas,

the warmth of a community life
and respect for mother earth,

are more important than the
accumulation of material goods.

Will we be able to draw inspiration
from these Indian values,

When we return home?

Anyway, here where we are,
we can't go back...

and live like prehistoric man.

Now, what we need to do
is try to live with nature,

and by destroying it
as little as possible.

Learning about other
forms of culture,

does not mean being cut
off from our own society.

Navigation periods were utilized
to follow the school curriculum,

and drafting the documents
sent regularly to France,

where many secondary
schools follow our journey.

We learn much more than
in the school system,

we learn tollerance,
we learn to live in a group.

We learn a little about
the rules of the world.

People say...

that travel broadens the mind for
young people, I think that's true.

On the way to the Bahamas,
we stopped at the Silver Bank,

to study the reproduction
of humpback whales,

accompanied by Anne Collet,
marine mammal biologist.

Swimming with a whale,
it seemed an impossible dream,

and then we tried it,
and I think it shows us that...

we should always try
to do the best we can,

and one has to try to go as far
as possible to realise their dreams.

For 3 months, Fleur de Lampaul sailed
in the desert islands of the Bahamas.

So, point number one,
is heading 279,

for point number two,
it'll be heading 262.

Their crystal clear waters...

are home to the most beautiful
coral reefs in the Caribbean.

Guided by Pierre Lejeune,
a marine biologist,

we studied the ecology
of the coral there,

and the impact of humans
on this fragile environment.

In nature, study is
synonymous with enjoyment,

and the wonder is
always waiting for you.

I love the coral reefs,
because...

it's a bit like a garden,

with all these animals,

but a garden which is
a bit in another world,

in that of the sea and us,

we go there, but...

we have no gills, so
we can't stay there long,

so we just stay for the time
that we can hold our breath,

and it's a bit like a
secret garden.

One day in the Bahamas we tried
to feed the giant groupers.

In the future , I'd like a job
working for the environment,

to make people aware that
the planet is in danger.

Before, I wanted to do
a job for me only.

Now, I want to do a job for me,
but also for others.

And I want to devote
my whole life to it.

I think it's so nice to give
and to receive.

Now, I want to do
something for the Earth,

because I like nature very much.

I've learned to love it
during this expedition.

Already, I'd like that my job
is related to nature.

I wish that everyone
loved nature like me,

because I think when you love it,
then you want to protect it.

I'm happy with what we've
all done together, because...

it's really a collective effort
and we're proud of it now.

Approaching the end of the trip,

we realise that the strongest
thing out of this experience,

is the human adventure.

There is no flirting because...

because it helps to build
a stronger friendship.

You can say anything to me.

I like talking about so many
things with the boys,

and it allows a lot of
confidence in one another.

We're not going to flirt,

because on board we have a
moral contract that forbids it,

and so we're really going to
the heart of friendship.

At sea, the stars guide sailors.

Our dreams also
showed us the way.

But in order for them to
take shape in our lives,

it took a lot of work.

It may be that,

it's this combination of
dream and rigour,

that makes so memorable,
the Fleur de Lampaul adventure.

I don't think I could name everything
I've learned from this experience.

I think it has enriched me
in my culture already,

because I've learned a lot about
the world in which we live.

I think that I've
also grown a little.

I've become a little more
independent and resourceful.

I've thought a lot about myself thanks
to the others in this expedition.

I've questioned myself and a lot of
things like that and it's good.

And now, it's a life that I'm
really used to and I love it,

and it's true that now
I have two homes,

I have Fleur and then my house back
home in France with my parents.

I also have two families.

It's lovely, we're back.

Already.

So here we come,
it's so exciting.

There's our parents,
all the journalists and everyone.

Come on, we're gonna party.

It's good to be back.

Sweetie.

What's it like to see your parents
after this long separation?

It's strange...
we're excited.

It's really moving, everyone's
waiting for us, it's very loud.

It's great, it's good.

We have butterflies
in our stomach.

Fleur! Fleur!

We rejoin our families of the land
and leave our family of the sea.

But the path begun on the
ocean will continue with us,

because we've learned
to believe in our dreams.

As for Fleur, next year,
she'll leave again.

Well, we've dived with whales,

through their writings,
we felt really close to her.

Then the end of the story is...

It's from the bottom of our hearts.

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