Original subtitles

The Belize coast...

mangrove forests...

lagoons...

and gentle brushstrokes of land fringe the Caribbean Sea.

And beneath the surface?

An equally captivating marine ecosystem

with a mesmerizing abundance of undersea life...

Ancient...

graceful...

It feels incredible to be in the water

with the spotted eagle rays.

...and fearsome.

Lots of sharks and as I came over the reef

it came swimming straight for me.

Swimming with a barracuda, it feels pretty intimidating.

Yeah, diving with barracudas is sometimes scarier

than diving with sharks.

A magical place where the surreal is real

and the otherworldly

right in front of you.

It's just thrilling to be out there and be a part of it.

The place Charles Darwin called

the most remarkable reef in the West Indies.

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The Belize Barrier Reef

ranging as far as 25 miles off the Belizean mainland

on Central America's Atlantic coast.

The largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere.

Second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

It is home to more than 500 species of fish

and over 100 types of hard and soft coral.

These coral are some of the most fascinating living creatures

on the planet.

You see the corals and the sea fans and the sponges

blowing in the current

and it's just an incredible place to be.

You feel very free underwater

and just seeing the movement of everything,

feeling weightless underwater while you're diving,

and looking at the incredible life

that is seen in the waters here in Belize.

It's just thrilling to be out there and be a part of it.

Over the centuries...

tube coral...

Elkhorn coral and brain coral

have helped build the foundation of life here.

Some deep-sea colonies are estimated

to be 4,000 years old.

About one-quarter of all known ocean species

depend on reefs like this for food

and for shelter.

Yet incredibly reefs make up less 1% of the ocean.

Ancient and integral,

they are the rainforests of the sea...

A place where astonishing creatures

thrive and survive.

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One of the most captivating is the spotted eagle ray.

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It feels incredible to be in the water

with the spotted eagle rays.

They're large, they're beautiful,

they're graceful,

they move so fluidly underwater and just being next to them

while they're moving in their slow rhythmic area

kind of puts you in that special place

and you could be right there next to them.

At a weight of up to 500 pounds

this flying leopard of the sea

is far from the largest of the stingray family

but their 11-foot wingspan is equal

to the world's largest bird:

the wandering albatross.

The spotted eagle ray has a long, poisonous whiptail

used to defend against predators.

Failing that, they use size and speed

and are able to jump clean out of the water

to evade attack.

Eagle rays are well armed for hunting small prey

using flat, plate-like teeth

to crush hard-shelled crustaceans.

But these are gentle creatures and run-ins with humans

are purely accidental.

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The same can't be said for the great barracuda.

Swimming with a barracuda,

you know, it feels pretty intimidating,

especially looking at them and seeing their teeth.

I guess that's where most of the divers

and snorkelers, you know,

it's nice seeing a barracuda

and feeling like the rush from them

and their aggressive looking looks.

Seven feet long, weighing as much as 100 pounds,

these ferocious predators are like missiles

cutting through the water

at speeds of up to 25 miles an hour.

Targets are struck with two rows of razor-sharp teeth:

a technique that has served this species well

for the last 50 million years.

The barracuda did not achieve this astounding level of success

by being Mr. Nice Guy,

a reputation that invokes great fascination

and fear among divers.

Barracudas do have the tendency to go for things that shine,

like metal or something like it,

and there's been many reports of people

diving with either earrings or wedding rings

and things like that

where barracudas did in fact attack them:

bite a finger off, bite an ear off.

So yeah, diving with barracudas is sometimes scarier

than diving with sharks.

Fortunately for divers

human flesh is not the first choice

of the barracuda.

There's plenty of food on the reef

if they can find it.

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The trumpet fish is a truly bizarre creature.

Floating, drifting and rotating...

It changes color and blends in with the coral.

The trumpet fish almost becomes invisible

among pillar coral.

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Predators can't see it, and neither can its prey.

Small, unsuspecting fish are unceremoniously vacuumed up

into its elongated snout.

A proficient predator.

But certainly not the only one in these waters.

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The peacock flounder.

Like a common flatfish but from another planet.

It has the incredible ability to match the color

and texture of its surroundings within seconds.

The peacock flounder has an elongated pectoral fin

that is used in mating rituals.

During courtship, both males and females

display the fin upright to initiate reproduction

in true peacock fashion.

The peacock flounder has evolved

with both eyes on one side of its body.

Each moves independently from the other

providing the flounder with an incredible

panoramic view of the ocean above.

At the slightest glimpse of predator or prey

it simply vanishes.

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It is a handy trick, to be sure.

Especially when faced with one of the reef's top predators:

the nurse shark.

They're very shy, so when you approach them

they will swim away.

We actually had one yesterday on the dive

and as I came over the reef

it came swimming straight for me

right up in my face.

And the next moment it just turned away.

So it's not a dangerous shark to swim with

but it's a beautiful shark to see underwater.

A shy hunter, deftly weaving along the ocean floor.

It sucks just about anything it can

into its strong jaws.

The nurse shark has a boundless menu

on the reef:

Crushing hard coral or shellfish,

devouring squid,

small fish,

maybe even a peacock flounder if it gets lucky.

Unlike the peacock flounder

red lionfish are easy to spot on the reef.

They are not supposed to be here

and yet, they are everywhere.

Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific region

and were accidentally introduced into the Atlantic

more than 20 years ago.

Today, this invasive species has upset the natural order

of the marine ecosystem from Texas to the Bahamas.

For them, this strange and beautiful reef

is like a 24-hour, all-you-can eat buffet.

Here in the Atlantic

lionfish obliterate small species

steal food from larger species and have no natural predators.

But in their native environment,

the Pacific Ocean, it is a far different story.

Pacific groupers have learned to swallow the lionfish whole.

Headfirst, so its poisonous spines

become folded back and disengaged.

Cornet fish are also known to prey on the lionfish.

Here in the Atlantic these same evolutionary adaptations

are yet to appear.

And potential predators steer clear

of these bright colors and venomous spines.

For predators, learning how to hunt lionfish

could take decades, if it's even possible.

And there's no strong evidence to suggest that it is.

Divers try to keep lionfish numbers down

by spearing them whenever they can.

Once we spear them, we injure them,

and then the sharks comes along and they eat them

because they can't defend themselves anymore.

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So what happens is the lionfish will usually swim upwards

with its spines out and the moment it's hurt,

or when it's dead, the spines go back

and they can come from the front and they can eat them.

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In the meantime there are other species

that have developed a taste for lionfish

including the queen triggerfish.

You'll find the queen triggers anywhere from shallow reef,

two, three feet of water down to 100 feet.

And the queen triggers actually like to follow us

because we feed them with lionfish.

Defensively, queen triggers outsmart predators

by slipping into small crevices.

Then they actually lock themselves in

by lodging a large spine on their backs into the rock.

They won't budge until the coast is clear:

Staying close to the reef and often in close proximity

to one of the open ocean's most amazing creatures.

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Mates for life,

banded coral shrimp are usually found in pairs.

Their crimson and white stripes are one of a kind.

Their 'fur' is actually made up of small spines

used for self-defense.

But incredibly, they go largely unused.

Banded coral shrimp are far from the top of the food chain

almost as far as you can get,

yet they have no known predators.

How?

They earn their keep.

These are cleaner shrimp:

removing parasites, injured tissue

and leftover food particles from fish

such as the green moray eel.

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Even more amazing,

the banded coral shrimp advertises its services.

When hungry, it's been observed dancing

to make itself visible to potential customers.

For the large predators of the Belize Barrier Reef

the banded coral shrimp is more valuable alive

than dead.

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Its satisfied customer the green moray eel

is one of the reef's most stealthy and infamous predators.

Slithering from cave to cave relying on its green coloring

to blend into the coral and rock.

Even at lengths of up to eight feet

the green moray eel is a hard-to-catch target

for predators, such as the barracuda.

It rarely leaves the tight quarters

of the caves and holes in which it lies

in wait for passing prey.

The green moray has an astonishing ability

to swallow entire prey whole without expanding its body.

Most fish rely on suction to swallow prey whole.

But this process makes the body of the predator

expand significantly.

It just can't be done in a small cave.

Unless you're a green moray eel.

They catch their prey in their jaws.

And, incredibly, the prey is pulled down

into the throat by a second jaw

that launches out, clamps down and pulls.

No suction.

No expansion.

It's a sci-fi horror movie come to life...

and a nightmare scenario that the French grunt

would much rather avoid.

Individually less than seven inches long

French grunts travel in large, beautiful schools.

Though breathtaking,

these schools have a practical purpose:

Traveling in large groups increases the odds of survival

during an attack.

And if one fish finds a good feeding area

they all do.

Come nightfall, the school splits up

and individuals forage the ocean floor

for small crustaceans.

Swimming solo, they must be extra vigilant

for they are one of the tastiest fish on the reef.

All the barracudas out there, even the dolphins,

they love the grunts.

You see them all around and they make like grunt noise

actually just like their name.

So they go like 'gruh-gruh'

and it's one of the fish we found that the dolphins like

because of their noise they make.

The grunting noise is actually the sound

of small jaws grinding together.

Though the reason for this remains unknown.

While foraging the ocean floor at night

the French grunt may cross paths

with another little noisemaker: the squirrelfish.

Known to make a staccato chattering sound

not unlike that of their terrestrial namesake,

they're actually called squirrelfish

for a different reason:

A third spine that juts straight up

like a squirrel's tail.

Unlike French grunts

the purpose of squirrelfish sounds is known:

One 'grunt' is used when guarding territory

and when their eerily large eyes pick up

on an approaching predator

a staccato noise sounds the alarm.

But until that happens

the squirrelfish are free to feed.

And one species they may try to take a bite from...

is the sea cucumber.

One of the most common creatures in the sea,

yet, it is like something from another planet.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms

related to sea stars and sea urchins.

They come in all shapes, sizes and colors:

From just one inch to more than six feet long.

The sea cucumber is a popular menu item

for predators,

but surprisingly, it's no pushover.

If threatened, it contracts, lightning fast,

and shoots toxic internal organs at an attacker

only to quickly regenerate them later.

Some sea cucumber species may discharge sticky threads

to ensnare their enemies.

These truly remarkable defense mechanisms

may work on smaller fish looking for a quick bite.

But not on the larger ones.

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The southern stingray.

These diamond-shaped rays are expert bottom feeders.

Reaching up to six feet in diameter

and more than 200 pounds in weight.

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Like most rays, they're often found

buried on the sea floor with just their eyes

poking above the sand.

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The southern stingray avoids reef walls and rocky areas.

Its hunting and hiding techniques

are strongest on the sandy sea floor.

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To locate their target,

they use acute senses of smell and touch.

But they also have a 6th sense called electro reception.

Which means it can detect the natural electric currents

given off by all living organisms.

When prey is sensed hiding nearby

the ray sprays water out of its mouth

disturbs the sand with its wings

and flushes out its meal.

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The southern stingray's much smaller cousin

is the yellow stingray.

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Round in shape about the size of a tea saucer,

these rays have a broader hunting ground

than their larger relatives.

Exploring rocky areas and coral reefs for food.

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But they use their most clever trick

in the sand.

When the yellow stingray senses nearby prey

it raises its snout to create a cozy-looking nook

for a small creature:

Luring them into what appears to be a safe harbor.

Southern stingrays fall prey to larger fish

such as tiger sharks.

They are able to avoid predators

by hiding in the sand

or exploding with quick bursts of speed.

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Meanwhile, up above

one of the ocean's most majestic creatures,

the hawksbill sea turtle visits the reef for food.

Sometimes they could be a little spooked

if you kind of pull up on them suddenly

they get frightened and just take off.

But generally they're very, very friendly with divers.

When they're feeding they generally would just

kind of look up and go, "Oh, it's just a diver."

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Named for their bird-like beak

they are one of the smaller species of sea turtle

growing to about 150 pounds.

Hawksbill have a pair of claws on each flipper

something that sets them apart from other sea turtles.

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They are omnivores, drawn to reefs

such as this one in Belize.

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Here, they feed mostly on invertebrates

like sponges, algae or sometimes even fish.

Hawksbills can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific,

and Indian Oceans.

And although populations are most dense

here in the Caribbean,

the hawksbill is listed as a critically endangered species.

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Its beautiful shell, makes it a target for poachers

who profit from the illegal sale of the 'tortoiseshell'

used to make jewelry and other ornaments.

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Hawksbills are also susceptible to entanglement in gill nets

and are caught accidentally on long fishing lines.

The decline of the hawksbill is bad news

for the Belize Barrier Reef.

These ancient creatures remove sponges

from the surface of the reef

allowing better feeding access for fish.

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Turtles are also an important element

of the Belize ecotourism industry

attracting divers eager to swim side by side

with creatures that have roamed these oceans

for the last 100 million years.

Here on the reef, hawksbills often cross paths

with their much larger cousins...

the green sea turtle.

Weighing as much as 500 pounds.

They have been known to snack on sponges and jellyfish,

but for the most part,

these gentle giants are herbivores

feeding mainly on grass and algae.

The pigment from this predominantly green diet,

colors their fat.

This is how they earned their name.

Like all species of sea turtle

they face incredible odds of survival.

For every one to 200 eggs laid by a female

just 1% reach sexual maturity

which can take as long as 35 years.

But the lucky few who make it can live to 80 years or more.

These sea turtles have likely migrated

thousands of miles to forage here

from their breeding ground, elsewhere in the Caribbean.

They'll shuttle back and forth for their entire lifetime.

Incredibly, every 2 or 3 years,

female hawksbill and green sea turtles

will return to the exact beach, on which they hatched,

to lay their eggs.

Long distance swimming is a part of their DNA.

The ancestors of this ancient species

once swam side by side with prehistoric creatures.

The oldest known sea turtles

date back about 150 million years:

85 million years before the dinosaurs became extinct.

Just like the prehistoric giants

with whom they once shared the earth

sea turtles are reptiles.

They breathe air

but are able to hold their breath

for unbelievable amounts of time.

When resting or sleeping underwater

a sea turtle can go four to seven hours

without surfacing.

But the time is much shorter

when the turtle is actively foraging.

Quite possibly, for sea grass

which can be a hard meal to catch

if it's in fact not sea grass at all.

These are garden eels.

The width of a straw,

they are usually about 16 inches in length.

But you're not likely to see that much of them.

The garden eel uses its hard, pointy tail

to burrow into the sandy sea floor.

Slime on their skin cements the walls of the burrows

preventing cave-ins.

Here they will stay for most of their lives

surviving on plankton that float by continuing

their expert imitation of billowing sea grass...

or simply vanishing.

Also finding a home on the sandy bottom

is one of the reef's most-peculiar creatures:

the cushion sea star.

There are about 1,500 species of sea stars

in the world's oceans: occupying the seabed

giving rise to questions such as:

Are they alive?

Do they eat?

The answers:

They are alive and they do eat.

Using a remarkable adaptation:

The sea star pushes its stomach outside of its body

lays it over a bed of coral and waits.

While its stomach acids and digestive juices

break down the coral.

The sea star then eats

the defenseless, nutrient-rich organisms

inside the coral at its leisure.

These insidious slow-motion killers

also threaten the coral reef.

If left unchecked,

they can consume vast amounts of coral

leaving a trail of devastation in their path.

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The yellow line arrow crab, on the other hand

usually leaves behind nothing more than a trail

of excited reef divers.

With its truly unique triangular head

framed by eight spider-like legs it is always a popular photo op.

These small crabs are nocturnal feeders

and tend to scavenge the reefs for invertebrates.

Moving nimbly around the reef is the smooth trunkfish.

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Dorsal and anal fins propel it forward

while its tail acts as a rudder.

They're not fast but they don't need to be

to snare the small plant and animal particles

on which they feed.

Occasionally they blow at the sea floor

to uncover hidden morsels.

If bothered by a predator such as the nurse shark

the smooth trunkfish does not need to flee.

When touched, it secretes colorless toxins

fatal to predators who are usually warned off

by the bright colors of the potential prey.

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But not all colorful characters on the Belize Barrier Reef

are afforded the same protection.

The spotlight parrotfish has no such defense

against predators such as moray eels.

Instead, it is quick:

Poking in and out of coral crevices and caves.

These parrotfish use their beak-like jaw

to bite of chunks of coral.

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Specialized teeth in the throat, designed for crushing

release the nutrients from algae and the coral itself.

This ability to consume

one of the most plentiful food sources in the reef

is a powerful survival adaptation.

But the spotlight parrotfish has an even stronger one:

when population densities are low

and breeding slows down.

Females can actually become males

in order to help repopulate the species.

This incredible transformation is brightly advertised

as secondary males, as they're called

will change color:

from red and brown to bright blue.

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Here in the Belize Barrier Reef and on reefs around the globe

shimmering creatures glide weightlessly

through rocky coral.

Angelfish.

Like most of its salt-water cousins,

this French angelfish can reach lengths of two feet

and weigh up to four pounds

feeding on sponges, algae and invertebrates.

Juveniles act as cleaner fish:

Removing parasites from grunts, snappers and moray eels.

But one of the most remarkable aspects

of this species is their monogamous social structure.

Angelfish such as these grey angels

remain loyal to one mate.

Pairing helps them care for their young

and defend their territory against competitors.

But defending against the black-tipped reef shark

is a different story.

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As a species,

sharks date back 450 million years.

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Black-tipped reef sharks are not giants

and are certainly not the prehistoric monster sharks

that are believed to have come before them.

They are, however, evolutionary works of art.

Unparalleled hunters, ultimate survivors,

they are at once beautiful and imposing.

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For divers, being eye to eye with these ancient hunters

is an adrenaline rush like no other.

My favorite dive spot will definitely have to be

the Blue Hole.

There's a dive there called the Playground.

Lots of sharks, silver reef sharks,

black-tipped reef sharks so it's amazing to go down there

and to hang on a depth of about 60 feet

and then having the sharks swim around you all the time

until the end of the dive.

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Here, sharks prowl every part of the reef

for fish, stingrays, crustaceans

anything on which they can feed.

Razor-sharp senses help them find food.

Sounds and vibrations give them

their first hint of a possible meal.

Superb sight and smell draw them closer

to their target.

Then their secret weapon

a sense organ called "ampullae of lorenzini,"

is what sets them apart.

All living things give off a faint electric charge

and all sharks have the incredible ability

to detect this.

So even if they can't see it, smell it, hear it, taste it

or touch it they know where their prey is

and can expose its precise location.

Multiple rows of teeth help them devour their prey.

Sometimes, the hunt is less about sense

and more about speed.

Black-tipped reef sharks are known to position themselves

deep below large schools of fish near the surface...

before shooting through the school

and into the air like a rocket.

In the hopes of ending up with a mouthful of fish.

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Fish, like these horse-eye jacks:

Named for their large, dark, horse-like eyes.

Reaching weights of as much as 55 pounds

these rugged bony fish can be a substantial meal

for top predators.

In a school, they are a sight to behold.

Like other schooling fish,

horse-eye jacks find strength in numbers.

If one sees food, they all do.

If one sees a predator, they all do.

Their colorings are also an advantage:

Dark on the top, they blend with the ocean floor.

Lighter on the bottom,

they blend with the sunlit surface.

Horse-eye jacks hide in plain sight

from predators above, and below.

But jacks aren't the only schooling fish

on the Belize Barrier Reef.

The blue tang.

Their fins and scales reflect light

in boundless shades of blue.

Their flat, broad teeth are perfect for nipping algae

from the reef.

And if a predator happens upon them while they eat

it's in for a nasty surprise.

Two sharp spines, one on each side of its tail

stick straight out

when the blue tang feels threatened.

These spines are sharp enough to slash an adversary.

It's no wonder this species is nicknamed "The Blue Barber."

Some fish on the reef don't actually look like fish.

The sand diver or lizardfish takes no chances

around an inquisitive diver.

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The lizardfish would also be wise

to steer clear of the puffer fish.

It may look like an easy meal

but puffer fish carry deadly toxins

and have the ability to inflate

several times their normal size:

Larger than the mouths of most predators.

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The tetrodotoxin in puffer fish

is 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide.

Some puffers have enough toxins in their bodies

to kill 30 adult humans.

But divers are more likely to be killed

by one of these fish in a restaurant than on a dive.

Puffer fish are a delicacy in Japan:

Specially prepared by licensed chefs

to have the toxins removed.

From graceful gliders and the sensationally surreal

to masters of masquerade and awe-inspiring ancients,

the Belize Barrier Reef is a universe unto itself

and one of the many wonders of the Great Blue Wild.

Sharks and turtles can be found there,

you see the corals and the sea fans and the sponges

blowing in the current

and it's just an incredible place to be.

You feel very free underwater

and just seeing the movement of everything,

feeling weightless underwater while you're diving

and looking at the incredible life

that is seen in the waters here in Belize

and it's just thrilling to be out there

and be a part of it.

Being able to get within inches of nature,

it's a wonderful feeling.

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