Red Sea 4K (2016) - full transcript

[reel ticking]

[dramatic instrumental music]

[gentle instrumental music]

- [Narrator] The Red Sea. A

special idyll of the Orient.

A place of silence,

strength and diversity.

The Red Sea is famous

for its high salt content

which especially

contributes to clear water.

Algae can't spread easily here.

This is why its

broad coral reefs

can be considered a true

paradise for divers.

We can find lots of highlights

of marine life here.

There are a lot of

colorful shoals of fish,

popular anemone fish,

basses,

vigilant morays,

odd pufferfish,

and, of course,

elegant turtles.

The biggest attraction

is colorful coral reefs

shining in the sunlight.

From the Earth's orbit,

we can clearly spot

the elongated form

of the Red Sea.

It is a narrow sea,

2,240 kilometers long,

up to 2,604 meters deep,

that borders the Indian Ocean

and lies between

Northeast Africa and

the Arabian Peninsula.

The Red Sea contains

about 200,000 cubic

kilometers of water.

Its surface is spread over

438,000 square kilometers

and the water is on

average 538 meters deep.

A good question would be why

it is called the Red Sea.

There have already been

several interpretations

for it since antiquity.

On the one hand, blue algae

grows in this stretch of water.

It swims right under the

surface of the water.

In its flowering

season, it becomes red.

This is why the water

seems to be red,

if you look at it from above.

But this plant isn't widespread.

Another explanation for the

name could be the red rocks

at the Red Sea's coast.

They are red because

they contain ferric oxide

which causes that shade.

According to legend, those rocks

have been burned red by the sun.

The Red Sea could

also have got its name

from Iranian seafarers

who used colors

to name the four

points of the compass.

The color of the South was red.

The sea is geologically

very young.

It was created 25

million years ago

because of the

separation of the African

and Asian continental plates.

Then the crack was

filled with sea water

and the Red Sea was born.

Because of the constant drift

of those continental plates,

the Red Sea widens out 1.2

centimeters on average per year.

The South of the Red Sea is

especially interesting for us.

Over there, where Eritrea,

Djibouti and Yemen

border the sea, right in the

direction of the Indian Ocean.

There is a narrow

place in this area

where the sea is only

29 kilometers wide

and only 130 meters deep.

Because of this

natural bottleneck,

there is only a

sluggish water exchange

which causes a

high salt content.

In these conditions, plankton

and algae can't spread easily

and the water seems

to be crystal-clear

as we can already observe

from the shore here.

But also under the water,

the view is much

better than elsewhere,

as we are about to see now.

[peaceful instrumental music]

The most widespread

creature is,

as well, the most

important one: the coral.

The fire corals and Madre

pores, the stone corals,

are the main constructors

of the Red Sea's giant reef.

For thousands of years,

these animals have been

forming enormous constructs,

right up to whole islands,

all over the world.

The best known among them

are the Bahamas, Bermuda

and the Maldives.

That is possible because corals,

which belong to the

group of cnidarians,

perpetually excrete limestone.

The zooxanthella, a

microorganism that lives

inside the coral, helps

the corals to form lime.

They live in symbiosis,

which means that they provide

and care for each other.

These corals are really

sensitive to water temperature.

It always has to be between

20 and 29 degrees Centigrade.

Therefore, they mostly live

in shallow, tropical

and lighted waters.

Stone and fire corals

are actually just giant

colonies of polyps.

Every polyp is only

a few millimeters

up to one centimeter long.

Besides the sustenance through

their symbiotic partners,

corals mainly feed on

planktonic organisms

which they catch

with their tentacles.

Fire corals got their name

from their cnidocytes,

or stinging cells, with

which they can pierce

through human skin and

inject a painful poison.

The symptoms are

comparable to skin contact

with a stinging nettle.

But the pain can persist from

two days to up to two weeks.

The injuries can

even leave scars

that can be visible

for a lifetime.

That's why divers should

be really attentive

and careful not to

make the common mistake

of confusing fire

corals with seaweed.

As for distribution

between sessile animals,

fire corals are

really successful.

When fighting for

light and living space,

fire corals can effectively

overrun their rivals.

These corals also have

so-called defense polyps,

somewhat bigger polyps

than the usual ones,

which they use in their fight

for a spot on the reefs.

They use them to sting

their opponents' tissue

and thus, destroy

it by poisoning it.

But the fish that

you can see here

are not impressed by that.

The Anthiinae, a

special kind of bass.

Actually, with them

it's quite the contrary.

Living in groups of thousands,

they use the corals'

complex formations

to hide from their predators.

What's interesting

is that almost all

of these fish are females.

Usually, only one fiftieth

of the group are male.

At first, adult fish

are always females

that later turn into males.

But that mostly just

happens if a male fish dies.

If that is the case, the

strongest female of the group

transforms into a male fish

in just a couple of days,

to take its place.

Another resident of the

reef is the soft coral.

Even though it is related

to the stone and fire coral,

it has a totally

different structure.

It gets its stability

from inner water pressure.

Its limbs and strains are

not covered in polyps.

Those are located at

the ends of the arms.

The soft corals' colors are

usually brown, yellow or green.

If it lives in the shadows,

it has a bright red,

orange or purple color.

Mostly, they are located on

the edges of reefs, overhangs

or on the ceilings of caves.

Corals are really important

for a lot of fish.

They provide shelter for

small and normal sized ones.

That's why they are

almost always

surrounded by huge swarms.

If there's an enemy,

they can instantly hide

between the branchy corals

and are almost unreachable

for big predators.

The coral's ability to

emit stinging poison

is a huge advantage here, too.

Although, the fish

have to be careful not

to come into contact

with the defense polyps,

because otherwise they

themselves might be the victims.

Because of natural barriers

and because of the environment

influencing those animals

in a special way,

many unique species

which can't be found

anywhere but the Red Sea

have developed over

millions of years.

One of those creatures

is the popular clownfish.

This genus here is also

known as Red Sea anemonefish.

They eat plankton and algae

and are comparatively small.

15 centimeters is the maximum.

The clownfish lives closely

in a so-called

symbiosis with anemones.

That means, as we have just

learned about the corals,

that two different

species both profit

from living together.

Surprisingly, clownfish are

able to live with anemones

although its

cnidoblasts are toxic.

Why doesn't it

disturb the clownfish?

Very simple.

It possesses a slime

layer which protects it

from the deadly poison.

The anemonefish

protects the anemone,

driving out predators like,

for example, butterflyfish.

In return, the anemone

protects the anemonefish

from predators.

And those can even be

rather funny looking

creatures like cornetfish.

Some of them can become

much bigger than a meter.

Those sit-and-wait predators

drift inconspicuously

in the water to suddenly

snatch smaller fish.

This is why they

are often pretty shy

and take to their heels as

soon as they spot a diver.

Let's continue our way under

the surface of the water

in search of the most colorful

fish of the coral reef.

And here we see a

royal angelfish.

They grow a little bit

longer than anemonefish,

up to 60 centimeters.

The bluecheek

butterflyfish is one

of the most

eye-catching reef fish.

They can differentiate

their fellow species

and other butterflyfish

through their coloring.

Most of the time

they live in couples

and sometimes in

smaller groups, too.

A rather inconspicuous

inhabitant of the Red Sea

is the orbicular batfish.

It's pretty flat and high.

But the older it gets, the

more it becomes discus shaped.

Characteristic for its shade

are the vertical

and brown bands.

Thanks to this high

contrast some predators

can't recognize the

form of the fish easily

and assume them to be leaves

washing through the sea.

Older fish seem to be

more silver and gray

so that they look even

more inconspicuous.

In spite of their

inconspicuous appearance,

orbicular batfish are

very active and curious.

Divers often tell about

orbicular batfish nibbling

at diving equipment or

grabbing for rising bubbles.

Bannerfishes get their name

because of the large color

stripes on their flat bodies.

Mostly, the colors are

black, white and yellow.

The colors around his eye area

are also really distinctive,

comparable to a raccoon.

Here, we can see a yellow

margin triggerfish.

This species either lives

alone or in a partnership.

For their eggs, they

build big hollows

of sometimes up to

two meters diameter,

in which the female can

lay up to 500,000 eggs.

The bale of eggs, about

the size of a fist,

is weighed down by the

parents using coral branches

and watched over by

them until they hatch.

There are a lot of

different kinds of filefish.

Optically, there are

numerous variations

in colors and patterns.

But still, there are

a lot of parallels

regarding their body structure.

Just like their relative,

the triggerfish,

they have strong teeth.

And there are kinds that

feed on corals, too.

This coral actually looks kind

of gnawed-off at some places.

Maybe that was one

of the many relatives

of the orange filefish.

Many inhabitants of the

reef also feed on algae

or other floating plants,

if there's an opportunity

like this one.

There are a lot of kinds

of silvery shining fishes,

for example, the rabbitfish.

The Giant Grouper

is a true giant.

Up to three meters long,

he is he biggest bony

fish in the coral reef.

The young are black

and white-colored

and have yellowish fins,

whereas the adult

fish are grey-brown

with some brighter

spots on them.

Striking about them as

well, is their grim face,

especially their mouth.

The Giant Groupers' territory

lays 50 to 100

meters underwater,

sometimes in caves or wrecks.

They usually only

leave it when searching

for a partner or for hunting.

They feed on critters,

langoustes,

and small sea

turtles,

and sometimes,

even small sharks.

However, in heavily

fished areas,

there aren't many

Giant Groupers anymore.

This predatory fish can

be really intimidating

because of his size.

And even though they

do not look like it,

because of their size and

their very slow way of moving,

they are really aggressive.

Sometimes, they

even attack humans.

35 meters deep down, we can

find the black triggerfish.

This fish is the

biggest of its kind

and reaches up to 40

centimeters in length.

The name of the triggerfish

refers to a mechanism

which protects it from

being eaten by predators.

It uses its strong fins to

cling on to the coral reef

so that it cannot be pulled

out against its will.

The great diversity of

different kinds of fish

is really impressive.

Here under the sea, it is

a true paradise for fish.

But there are also a lot

of things to discover

above the water surface,

even for humans.

The long beaches,

directly bordering on

green bushes and forests,

provide a great mix

of the atmospheres

of beaches and bathing lakes.

The long sandy beaches

along the shore invite you

for relaxing walks in

the salty humid air.

Not only divers enjoy the

great bodies of water,

it is inviting for everybody

to either take part

in some sporting activities

or just to simply

relax and enjoy it.

[lively instrumental music]

If you are interested in sailing

or water motorsport activities,

you can discover all kinds

of yachts, motor

boats or jet skis.

Even so, you should not deny

the fact that the nature

of the Red Sea suffers

from human influences, too.

Especially, polluting the

water with dirty sewage,

or wild fishing, really

damage the ecosystem.

Another harmful impact of

tourism is wild anchoring.

The anchors rip out

parts of the coral reef

and thus, destroy it.

Diving tourism has also taken

on an overburdening dimension.

However, initiatives

for nature conservancy,

protected areas, and

other restrictions

have already made a

significant difference.

But people need to

make more of an effort

to live in communion

with nature,

because some species of the

Red Sea are already endangered.

One of them, the

beautiful sea turtle.

One of the Red Sea's

largest inhabitants

is passing us right

here, the sea turtle.

Even though it is

longer than 1.5 meters

and weighs more than 200 kg,

it manages to daintily

float through the water.

Here, it truly is

in its element.

The sea turtle seems to

glide through the water

like a bird glides in the air.

Even though it can move onshore,

it spends almost its

entire life underwater.

Sea turtles are not

faithful to a habitat,

meaning that they do not have

one specific place to live.

Every year, it travels

enormous distances in the sea.

When sea turtles

are still young,

they feed on crayfish,

jellyfish and fish eggs.

But when they get older,

they become vegetarians.

Sea turtles can

live up to 50 years.

As I said, the sea turtles

are an endangered species.

The main reason: in a

lot of Asian countries,

they are known to be a delicacy

and their shells are

often manufactured

into jewelry and lucky charms.

Since 1979, hunting and dealing

with sea turtles

has been illegal.

But still, every year

thousands of them die

because they are

being hunted illegally

or if they accidentally swim

into the shrimp fishing nets.

Among the sea turtle and

the large variety of fish,

the moray eel calls the

Red Sea its home, as well.

They look really

similar to eels.

If you compare them

to the snake eel,

it is hard to see a difference.

Both of them have

long stretched bodies

that are flattened to the sides.

The moray's colors are

usually brown to black-purple.

But species that are living

in tropical regions are really

colorful and noticeable.

Unlike other fish, the

moray does not have pelvic

or pectoral fins, not

even in the larva stage.

They move by meandering.

Due to the structure

of its gills,

the moray eel has to

actively breathe under water.

For this process, it has to

open its mouth, close it again

and then push out the collected

water through its gills.

This behavior often

gets misunderstood

as a threatening gesture

by inexperienced divers,

who may start panicking.

Even though they might look

scary, morays are calm animals.

They sometimes even

allow people to pet them.

One still has to pay attention

to not hold on to them or

make them feel cornered.

In that case they may bite,

which can cause a

painful infection.

In the worst case scenario,

it's even possible

to lose a finger.

Moray eels living in corals

that attract a lot of

tourists often get fed.

This, however,

effects their behavior

and only makes them more

obtrusive and aggressive.

The Red Sea with

its huge coral reef

offers a lot of great

possible hideouts.

Depending on the size

of the moray eel,

it can have several hideouts,

with up to 200 meters

from one another.

Smaller moray species

rarely leave their shelter

and only hunt in

their own caves.

To not cut themselves on the

sharp edges of the corals,

their skin is covered in

a thick layer of mucus.

Moray eels are very

faithful to their home

and only leave it to

hunt and to reproduce.

Something particularly

interesting is the fact

that the moray eel is nocturnal.

This means the moray

can cover itself

in the darkness of the night.

In addition to that,

most of its prey is

resting around this time.

But do fish actually sleep?

For us humans it

might be unimaginable

but most fish don't

possess eyelids

and therefore can't

close their eyes.

Nonetheless they must

rest at night to relax

and restore their energy.

Especially coral reefs with

their countless hideouts

are often used as a shelter,

where the fish can switch

into a kind of stand-by mode

which lowers their

awareness and reaction time.

Here we caught a nocturnal

porcupinefish who was looking

for a shady place he

could rest during the day.

It's really difficult

to say how awake

he must feel right now.

Something we definitely

know, however,

is that fish never really fall

into a state of deep sleep.

They are always

prepared to react

in case of a sudden threat.

That's also why this

porcupinefish flees

as soon as he notices us.

Some species have developed

different kinds of abilities

to reduce the threat

of potential predators.

The porcupinefish is,

just like the puffer

fish, a slow swimmer.

He therefore needs a different

option to protect himself.

Regarding protection,

the puffer fish,

as well as this

white-spotted puffer,

have a truly unique technique.

They can inflate themselves

like a water balloon,

becoming so big that

they don't even fit

in the mouth of many predators.

The bluespotted ribbon tail ray,

who prefers hunting during

the night time or high tide,

covers himself with some sand,

if he wants to rest

well sheltered.

When the sun starts

setting over the Red Sea,

the time for all nocturnal

animals has come.

That means their day begins

when calm time starts

for most other living beings.

Slowly but surely the sun

disappears beyond the horizon

and induces an

idyllic atmosphere.

Even from the

orbit of our Earth,

the region of the Red

Sea looks simply magic.

Beneath the water

surface as well,

we can experience a

completely different world.

The moray eel now starts

its search for prey.

Its big maw and sharp teeth

give it a big advantage

during the hunt, since it's

easier to keep hold of its prey.

If the victim is too big

to be swallowed whole,

the moray can form a knot

around it with its body.

By doing so, the moray can

hold on tight to its meal,

while ripping it into small

pieces with its mouth.

Morays have a great

sense of smell,

which helps them

to track down prey.

They have four nostrils that

are located over their mouth.

These are the best features

to help tell them apart

from the similar-looking eels.

All these abilities and traits

make the moray a very

effective hunter.

And its menu is long.

Because there is no such thing

as a food specialist among them,

morays actually eat

pretty much everything

that consists of meat,

even rotting carcasses.

But still, bigger

morays are pretty modest

about the search for food

and so only go hunting once

every two or three nights.

Other animals deal

with the darkness

in a totally different way.

These triggerfish, for example,

hide in caves and

crevices at dusk.

There, they can use

their trigger mechanism

to clip on to the underground

and not drift in

the water current.

Sea turtles as well, sometimes

use the technique of wedging

to get some rest somewhere

without getting disturbed.

This is mostly what they do

when they feel molested

by other big creatures.

For example, pushy divers

that swim after them

for a long time,

trying to film them.

Well, at least the turtle's

look tells us very clearly,

and we obviously

want to respect that.

Sea turtles also do not

have the special luxury

of being able to

rest in the dark.

Especially for turtles

living in open waters,

the night is a peculiar matter.

During the breeding season,

they only swim by night

and travel around 2,000

kilometers eastwards.

They are heading to the

beach of their birth,

using the Earth's magnetic

field to orientate.

When they have

reached that target,

they dig a hole in which

they lay their eggs,

all in the darkness

of the night.

Optically, their eggs

look really similar

to birds' and chicken eggs.

During breeding time, countless

turtles lay their eggs

on the same beach,

where they can then

be hatched by the sun.

Interestingly, this is the point

when the sex of the

offspring is determined.

If temperatures are lower

than 29.9 degrees

Centigrade, it's male.

If they're hotter, it is female.

Because all the eggs have been

laid at about the same time,

there are a lot of

baby turtles hatching

at the end of the

breeding season.

[gentle instrumental music]

This means that more

of them have the chance

to survive their difficult

and exhausting first journey

into the ocean, because

on their way there,

they can get eaten

by other animals.

Seagulls especially,

but also ravens

and various land animals,

for example, raccoons.

The small and soft turtle

babies are a tempting snack

for those animals.

But when all of

them hatch at once,

even hungry predators

get replete quickly

because, obviously,

they can only eat what

fits in their stomachs.

In that way, these

small sea turtles

hopefully go

successfully on their way

and contribute to the raising

of the sea turtle's

decreasing population.

When looking at the

turtle swimming,

we can truly only wish to

have these glorious creatures

on our planet forever.

[gentle instrumental music]

Back to the night

in the Red Sea.

The nocturnal predators

are coming out.

One of them is the

bluespotted ribbontail ray.

On the menu today: shellfish,

crayfish and starfish.

Rays feel very comfortable

on the soft seafloor

40 meters deep.

Stingrays have the habit of

burying themselves in the sand,

so they cannot be seen while

they are waiting for prey.

Sometimes they

just do it to rest.

The bluespotted ribbontail

ray is easily distinguishable

from other ray species by his

color and special blue dots.

He can change their intensity

if he wants to hide.

Buried and with low

color intensity,

he is almost impossible to spot.

What's good for the stingray

can easily ruin a nice vacation.

The ray reacts

within a split second

with a sting using

his venomous thorn.

The poison is not deadly,

but the thorn can

injure internal organs.

Visitors should be

very careful in places

with high a stingray population.

Big relatives of the stingray

behave a little bit differently.

For example, the

spotted eagleray.

He has more similarities

with the good old manta ray.

Both like to swim in deeper

water, especially at night.

During the day, they can

be seen near the surface,

also closer to the coast.

Mostly just to warm up.

He has a blackish,

dark blue color,

with a white stain pattern on

the top of his rhomboid body.

His belly is white with

some random dark stains.

Measuring from tail to head,

they can reach over 3.3 meters

long and three meters wide.

On their tail is a sting

with barbs placed on it

to defend themselves

against enemies.

Let's hope that he does not

have to use it on his way down

into the darker

and deeper water.

Also, we get to meet

the porcupinefish again.

Finally he is moving.

Now we can see his

special way of swimming.

He is not using his

tail as a drive.

He is using it for steering.

For thrust he is

using his breastfins.

To defend himsel, mother

nature gave him, besides

little spikes on his body, a,

for fish, deadly poison.

Even humans who eat

parts of the fish

that have traces of poison

are in danger of dying.

Contact can lead to

paralysis, or even death.

Good for the porcupine fish

that we are not here to eat him.

Let's leave him alone

because the night is short.

The calm night and beautiful

silence is truly romantic.

Even the moray eels

realize and appreciate it.

They go out at night to

look for possible partners.

But how do corals reproduce?

Most soft corals

are male or female.

But a small number of

them is hermaphrodite.

Depending on the species,

there are two different

ways of reproduction.

The first method

is the ejaculation

of the ova and

sperms into the water

where they both meet.

The chance for the successful

pollination is very low.

That's why everything has

to be perfectly timed

and coordinated.

In the case of success,

the larvae then float in

the water and drift away.

If they land on free

reefs or stones,

they will transform

to normal polyps

and start spreading

into a big colony.

The second method is a

little bit different.

The coral only ejaculates

the sperms which float

in the water until they

hit the ova on other coral,

which never left the coral.

The fertilized ovum

evolves into a ready polyp.

It will not be repelled

in the water until

it is fully evolved.

The time of day does not

play a role for the coral.

While the sun is rising, lots

of inhabitants of the reef

get into their regular

day-to-day rhythm.

The Moray eel now

has time to relax

after filling his stomach and

getting back to his home cave.

Already waiting:

a cleaner wrasse.

The fish climbs

in the eels mouth

and eats the remaining

food off its teeth.

It is an advantage for both.

The moray eel has clean teeth

and the cleaner wrasse is fed.

Most fish that live in this reef

are getting really active now.

In this environment, as a fish,

you have a strategic advantage

if you stay in groups or swarms.

Not only birds

live in big groups.

Fish do it as well.

But not every swarm

stays the whole year.

Some fish only group up

for a couple of months,

some only if the

situation requires it.

Swarms can be separated

into two different types.

The proper and the irregular.

The jack mackerel, butterflyfish

and the bigeyes belong

to the proper type.

The pure swarm

includes mostly fish

of the same species and age

and always has the

same number of members.

If one member is left alone,

they seem stressed,

confused and disorientated.

Quite the contrary if

they are in the company

of the rest of the group.

Everything is well coordinated.

They stay organized

due to communication

between each other.

That's why the distance

between the fish

and the speed always

stays the same.

Proper swarms can be

found in salty waters.

They live under the constant

pressure of predators.

The coloring is perfectly

adapted to the swarm life

and a big advantage

for the fish.

It's supposed to

confuse enemies.

Besides the proper swarm there

is also the irregular swarm,

which has several similarities

to the first type.

They are also known as

groupfish because of their habit

of only gathering if

predators are nearby.

Fish of various different

species and age can be found

in such a swarm.

Even if the fish are left

alone they can get along

as well as they

did in the group.

Irregular swarms live

mostly in freshwater.

Swimming in groups or

swarms holds the advantage

that it is more likely to

survive an attack by a predator.

It is much harder for one fish

alone to escape the enemy,

because for predators,

focusing on only one is easier

than on all of them at once.

In addition, the high

number of members

in the swarm helps

spot offenders faster.

But ironically, this

vast amount of fish

also attracts enemies

and predators.

Swarm formation is

actually only profitable

when the habitat is large,

food portions are widely spread

and big enough to provide

for the whole group.

But swarms are useful

for hunting, though.

When using techniques like

encircling or pushing,

prey can be caught much

more easily and faster.

For us as observers,

these totally mixed swarms

obviously provide one kind

of selfish advantage.

They are just incredibly

beautiful to look at.

It is amazing how many abilities

and strategies you can find

in the reef's creatures that

are all sharing one habitat

but are using it in

totally different ways.

Through diversity, a giant

kind of organism is created

in which the smallest component

adds its part to the puzzle,

which is even more than just

the sum of its component parts.

Our trip through the

reef is over now.

But the Red Sea is

always worth a visit.

In the variety of

its inhabitants,

there's always something

new to discover.

On that note, good

bye and see you.