Blue Water, White Death (1971) - full transcript

This 16.5-foot
3,500-pound great white

was harpooned by a fisherman.

In June 1959,

Robert L. Pamperin
was swallowed whole

by a great white shark
off La Jolla, California.

In August 1967,

Robert Bartle
was bitten in two

by a great white shark
at Jurien Bay,
Western Australia.

In April 1969, a movie crew
arrives in South Africa,

determined to find
the great white shark

and to film it underwater.



Okay.
All right. Whoa.

TheTerrier VIII is loaded
at Durban, South Africa.

The expedition will spend
the next five months aboard

this 158-foot steamship.

Leader of the expedition,
Peter Gimbel.

The buoyancy chamber
of the diver's elevator

with the choke
installed inside it.

Gimbel is one of
the five diver photographers.

He was the first man
to photograph
the sunkenAndrea Doria.

Sure.
That's gonna really work.

Yeah. That gets...

That gets
treatment like eggs.

Diver Stan Waterman
with the captain of the port.

Stan is an underwater
photographer and lecturer.



How many of these
were in the fleet?

We went out into
the Coral Sea, actually.

And when we'd finished there,
we came to Africa

to work for Americans.

It seems strange.
Yes, it does.

Valerie Taylor,

three-time Australian
ladies spearfishing champion

and one of
two Australian divers
on the expedition.

The film came out
very well.

This is Tom Chapin,
a member of the surface crew.

Tom is a folk singer.

A press conference
just before sailing.

Now I wanna tell you
very quickly

what we're trying to do
off Durban.

We're looking for the animal

that I think
is considered to be

the most dangerous predator
still living in the world.

The great white shark,

which attacks the carcasses
of the killed whales

in the Indian Ocean,

on the whaling grounds
off here.

And in the last 10 days

has taken five sperm whales
over 40 feet in length

and removed from them
all the meat down to the spine

in a matter of
six or seven hours.

Right, see you later.

And...

Peter Lake,
still photographer.

We'll be
protecting ourselves

with these fragile
little bird cages.

And I don't have
anything else to say,

so I would like
to answer questions,

or let my colleagues
answer them.

I would never consider
going in the water

outside of this cage
with them. Ever.

Phil Clarkson,
diving coordinator.

Now, if you see
a 20-foot shark...

Ron Taylor,
the only one of the divers

who has actually seen
a great white shark.

It ran its teeth along,

and you could hear
in the water...

My head was in the water,
and I could hear

the teeth grating
along the mesh.

And it just didn't put any
pressure on it at all.

Ron was
World Spearfishing Champion
in 1965.

Ron and Valerie are married
and work as a team.

The same as if a shark
bites onto a hook.

If he actually
bites on to a hook,
he'll spit it out,

because he can feel
the metal in it.I see.

If it's steel,
he doesn't like it.

But if it's a bone
or something
that he's used to,

I think he may.

This is aluminum.
It's not steel.

It may have a different
effect on the shark.

I hope not.

Of course not.

But he has
the biting power
to get through it.

I'd say so, yeah.

Those big triangular teeth
could cut through that.

'Cause that's
tubular, isn't it? Right.

Look here.

All full there.

And beyond,
on the other side,

under the, uh,
boat deck, same thing.

Are you pleased
with your boat?

Yeah, I like it.
Really?

We thought it was
absolutely super.Yeah.

The search begins

on the whaling grounds
100 miles off Durban.

Sharks attracted
by harpooned whales

infest these waters.

TheTerrier follows
the whaling fleet.

How far ahead of us
are the whaling ships now?

Pardon?
How far ahead of us
are the other ships now?

Oh, they're about,
uh, 25...

25 miles, I think.

But on this bearing,
east of us.

They are east of us.
Yeah.

The No. 29 up there,

she chasing?

Yeah. She's chasing.

Well, let's follow him.

There's whales.
Up there!

There again.
Look at them go.

Yeah, three or four
of them up there.

There, there!

Oh, yes.
Yeah, I see it.

He ought to get
a shot at him soon

if the whale's
big enough to shoot at.

He's in range now.

All set?
All set.

They shot him!

They shot him!

Did they get him?

Yeah.

They got that one
in the lungs, forward.

Watch when he spouts.
He's spouting blood, even.

Look at that, ooh.

Now what are they gonna do?

Are they gonna pump air
in him now, or...

Yeah.
Yeah.

They have got
the air hose in...

They've got the air hose
in there now...

and then they'll
buoy it, huh?Right.

Pick it up tonight
and tow it ashore
to the whaling station.

Well, that one ought
to attract sharks,
with all that blood.

You know, they're
extraordinary creatures.

Marvelously intelligent.

The rate they're
being hunted now,

they'll be extinct
before we really come
to understand them.

There's a shark.

White tip,
right under the bow.

Coming along the stern.

There's the other one.

There's another one.
There's another one.

There are four down here now.

Four sharks.

Now I've lost the...
Like trying to count chickens.

No, there's definitely four.

The water has
become teeming.There are four sharks.

And inside this mechanism,
there's a firing pin.

And if any sharks
come too close
or look dangerous,

you simply pull
the safety catch out

and ram the head
against the shark.

What size cartridge is that?

Twenty-gauge.

It's really deadly.

Don't you find, sir...

that a punch right on the nose
with your bare fist...

Yes.

Those brutes can't stand
that kind of rough treatment.

How do you do that
while holding a camera?

Well, you're going to use
the far cylinder first...

You turn this one off,
you turn this one on.Yeah.

Uh, we have to keep it
fended off the side
of the boat

and keep it from swinging.

You got the hook there.
Okay.

All right.

Two, four, six...

Stan's gonna need more.

What's he got?
He's got three threes.

Nine... So, 12.

No.

Hey, Matthiessen.
Is that camera latched in?

I had a knife once

and it was so stuck
in its sheath,

it would have taken me
10 minutes to get it out

if the big fella
had come nosing around.

And that would have been
just too late.

Late?

And what do you
suppose you would have done

with that butter knife?

Which camera's going, Ron?

Uh, this one here.

Greedy albatrosses.

Ron can go in
with, uh, Stan.

And I'll go in the other side.

Okay, Ron?
Okay.

Our first dive.

A hundred miles at sea.

Six thousand feet
to the bottom.

These sharks are
eight to twelve feet long,

and weigh up to
1,200 pounds.

We look around
for a great white.

Here, a dusky shark.

A great blue.

A white-tipped oceanic
surrounded by pilot fish.

Sound travels
four and a half times faster
underwater than in air.

And it carries far.

The death throe vibrations
of the whales

attract sharks
from miles away.

These cages don't need
connections to the surface.

They can be controlled
from inside

to descend or rise
or to hover at any depth.

There she goes.

We descend.

As the shark's approach,

they pick up the blood scent
and follow that to its source,

where finally,
they're guided by sight.

Sharks of the open sea
like these

have no air bladder
to buoy them,

and they must keep moving
all their lives or sink.

Those brutes can't stand
that kind of rough treatment.

Sharks are a very
successful form of life.

They've changed little
in 100 million years.

They always seem to bump
before they bite.

It looks like a test to see

how much resistance
they're going to run into.

With this amount of food
in the water,

we expect the great white.

But he doesn't come.

No great white.

Mostly
white-tipped oceanics,

a few great blues,

and one shark
that I have never seen
anything like in my life.

It's got a sort of
a sickle dorsal fin.

Like a female
killer whale.

I don't... I don't know
what the hell it is.

I have no idea.

You can't count them,
because there are
that many around.

But you gotta watch out

you don't put your arms
or legs through the side
of the cage.

They were really
bumping the cages,
weren't they?

I reckon if
the cage wasn't there,
they'd get you for sure.

Strong southeast winds are
forecast tonight and tomorrow.

Let's run back
to Durban and get some rest

and give it another try
when the weather breaks.

There are lots of ways
to find adventure
and excitement in the ocean.

I think that
Peter and

Ron, and myself,
and Valerie,

of course working
hand in glove with Ron,
as she does,

have gradually
found our courses

narrowing down
onto sharks.

This charisma
that they have

making them the last
of the great predators,

makes them the big...

the big thing
in the sea.

The big challenge.

The day's catch
is towed to Durban.

No whales
have been sighted today.

They're never gonna be able

to spot whales
with these white caps.

Is there anything
we can do without
the whale, Peter?

I mean,
deep drips at all or...

Oh, God! If we had the
underwater noise generator,

I suppose we could.
But we don't.

But how would it be
if we went down in the cages,

and just made some noise,
rattling the bars,
or something like this,

to see if those white tips
will come around

or if any other shark
will come around.We could do that.

It'd be better
than nothing,
wouldn't it?

Two weeks
of discouragement,

rough seas, no whales.

Finally, a break
in the weather.

This one
ought to bring sharks.

Yes. Oh, yes.

Oh, yes.
There's a lot of blood
around that one.

For the first time
in two weeks,

we got everything
going for us, right?Yeah.

Weather,
water clarity,
sharks,

and the right whale.

Let's start getting
the underwater lights
ready right away.

We'll figure on
a dive tonight.

We can't afford
any light failures.

Hey, Peter?
Yeah?

Uh, they started
feeding already.

Yeah, I know.

The great white shark
had not appeared by day.

Night may be the time.

I'm going where them
Chilly winds don't blow

Gonna find my true love

That's where I wanna go

Out where them
Chilly winds don't blow

Out where them
Chilly winds don't blow

Wish I was a headlight

On a westbound train

I'd shine my light on

Cool Colorado rain

Out where them
Chilly winds don't blow

Out where them
Chilly winds don't blow

I'm going where
Them chilly winds
Don't blow

Gonna find my true love

That's where I wanna go

Out where them
Chilly winds don't blow

Out where them
Chilly winds don't blow

Look at that!

There's fish
in that. Wow.

Mother of Jesus!
Will you look at that action?

This certainly beats
the decadent nightclub life.

In what way?

I mean, the ill-health
that accompanies

dancing, drinking
and dicing until
late at night.

Here we are
spot diving.

Spot diving
at two o'clock
in the morning.

This keeps you
fit as a fiddle.

Hey,
the lights went out.

Bring it
over here. Cages.

God damn.
It shorted out again.

They're gonna
have to come up.

Hey, Stuart.

Both cages are out.

Stuart,
what are we gonna do?

How come
the lights are out
this time?

Oh, my God!
They're in trouble now.

They'll have to come up.
They'll have to come up.

Better bring a light.

Get that cable
over here.

Bring that set of lights.

How deep are they?

Shine it
around the whale.

By the whale.
That's it.
Over by the whale.

Shine the light
over there.

Keep an eye on them.
Make sure they don't
drift away.

Make sure
they can see the--There! There they are.

Where?
Out there. Right there.

Very unfriendly,
down there in the dark.

There must be 20 tons
of sharks down there.

How many?
Could you count 'em?

There's no way
to count them.
No way.

They were in crisscross
layers down below.200, 300, 400...

I don't have
any idea.

That blue shark was
on the other side

taking great mouthfuls
of them.

White tips were
on the other side.

His head was
about halfway in through
the window,

and I was looking
for something to...

to bat him with.

And, I finally...

I finally just
held up a flipper.

Put my foot up
and pushed his nose.

Man, geez.

Stan,
if there's a great white
anywhere around,

don't you think
he'll be here
by tomorrow?

I think...

You know this is gonna be
the only whale in the area
tomorrow morning.

I think
he'll be here.
I really do.

I'm only worried that they eat
the whole thing tonight.

Hey, listen, kiddo.

Don't you think that
we could get out
of these cages

and go among
the sharks?

If they're just
two or three,

if we had it,
we might. But--

If we're leaving the cages
just to get better pictures

of the sharks,

couldn't we just
tie the cages
closer to the whales?

If there's many as
there are around today,

I think it would
be a bit risky.

Well,
I'll tell you.

I've been watching
the pattern and

I think that
we can do it,

and I don't think
that it's a wild risk.

And we're never gonna
get the pictures

by tying up close
to the whale
that we'll get if we...

if we go out
and swim with them.

What do you think, Ron?

Yeah, I think
we could get out.

Seems to me
the crucial thing

is that when
those sharks
bump into us

and we know
they will,

that we
react strongly.

Because, if they
take you for...

for something
in distress or dead,

if you don't react,
they're gonna bite.

We know that.
We've seen it.

We ought to swing it
a little more out.

Let's go.

Are we ready here?

Run it out
just a little.

Run it out.
All the way out.

Easy, Phil.
They're pretty edgy.

Let's go, Peter.

Let's get this
in the water.

Let's move!

Takes time.
Okay, Back up.

Now bring the line
up this way.

Hold onto it.

Not yet.
Not yet.

Is that camera slated?

I don't know.
Is that camera slated?

You'll have
to ask Peter Lake.
I don't know.

Looks like
we're not...

We don't even know
what camera it was.

Uh, well,
we can work it out.

Well, we know...
We know what that is

and we know
what the one is
that I was using...

this morning.

I wouldn't give you
a damn for this hustling,
you know?

No.

You lose more
bloody time

than anybody
can afford to lose.

Gotta hurry.

That's right.
This... this hustle up.

Those sharks
are gonna be there

till we're all
dead and gone.

A lot of time it will save
if the cage sinks.

Has that cage
been checked out?

This morning
it was ready.

They've always got
to be checked out

before they go
in the water.

Well,
neither one of them
was this morning, then.

Right.

Phil, I can't
hustle like that.

I can't make it
like that.Okay.

We're going
in the water
with two cages

that haven't been
checked out.

Want me to bring it over?
You want to take it out?

That's what
we ought to do.

That's really what
we ought to do.

But, we won't.

We're going in
like that.

Okay.

All right?
Okay.

Can you hear
what I'm saying?

No.

Do you?

None of the divers
nor anyone they know

has ever been
outside of a cage

among feeding sharks.

Ah,
you wouldn't believe.

You couldn't believe.

It was fantastic.

Everything happened.

I hit the whale
and blood went everywhere.

Stan and Peter
were miles away.

They were just
surrounded by sharks.

Look, there must have been
a dozen sharks

charging in on them
all at once and then,

as Peter said, he just kept
his finger on the button

and spun in circles.

That's all he could do.

The thing is,
you can't...

You can't possibly keep
an eye on what's happening.

And so they're
just all over you.

You know what
I mean now, Stan?Coming up behind,

over your shoulders,
turning in back of you and...

You got to have a sense
of well-being.

What makes you think
I have a sense
of well-being?

Because you did,
we both had it stacked...

True standard.
You couldn't stand it
otherwise.

Yeah.

I was watching
for whitey.

I was, too.

I thought with that
day's activity,

If he was gonna
come, he would.Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, I think we'll get him
in the Mozambique Channel.

I really do.
Well, next stop.

So the rendezvous
is delayed, that's all.

Someone keeps
calling my name

Someone keeps
calling my name

Or is it just
The rustling of the wind?

Or is it just
That I need a friend?

When I was filming
blue sharks in the Atlantic,

you could, uh...
You could
watch the blue sharks,

and they always eventually
worked into a pattern...

that...
that we've seen
on this trip.

Um, they'd bump

whatever it was that
they were gonna take,

whatever the bait was,
if the bait was big.

And then they'd bite.

But they're not nearly
as heavy as shark.

Not nearly as rugged
as the sharks
we've seen here.

Not as well armed.
But the behavior

was... It was very
close to this.

They were open ocean sharks,
and so are these.

I always thought the sharks
would eat someone else

if they were going to
eat somebody.

They weren't going to eat me.

I guess
we all think like that,
or we wouldn't go down.

If you thought you were going
to be attacked and eaten...

you wouldn't
go into the water.

In several cars that
I've been in minor accidents,

I've had great fear.

But that same
sort of fear doesn't come

underwater with sharks.

It's another type
of apprehension or fear,

if you might...
might call it fear.

You sort of convince
yourself that, uh,

that there
isn't any danger.

Sort of you...

on having done something
like that, it's just...

Uh, you... you...
you sort of

wonder how you got
out of it alive.

Boy, you've seen me
come out of the water,

uh, and say, "Look,
I just didn't have it today.

"Uh, I was nervous.
I didn't feel like diving.

"The sharks
made me nervous.

"I couldn't concentrate
on the... on the camera."

Uh, there's
no shame in that.

Not... Not for me,
there isn't.

I'm not interested
in taking risks.

I'm interested in seeing
whether all of us

can perform a tough job
and calculate it so coolly

and so accurately,

uh, that we can
bring it off.

That's all.

I know if the whale
hadn't have been there

for the sharks to feed on,
that'd have attacked us.

It was just that they had
something bigger and better

to eat than us.

Can't be completely
what protected us,

because I remember
two distinctly

minutes and... and hours,
even, when the sharks

seemed disinterested
in the whale

and keenly
interested in us.

The action,
among other things,

is too fast

to indulge in philosophical
thoughts about why am I here?

Nor would I,
at any time, swap the...

the kind of activity that
we're having,
exposed to some risk,

but marvelous
adventure with all.

I believe,
it's human nature
for someone to try

and achieve
the ultimate.

Just like trying to climb
the highest mountain,

or drive a motorcar
the fastest,

or even to dive to the depths
of the ocean.

And, uh, going out into
the water with a shark
that's feeding,

it's something that nobody
else has ever done before,

and that's just
about the ultimate.

I would hope that when
the great white comes along,

we'll need to be in the cages
or damn close to them.

Because I myself don't
want to test theories
on the great white

until I've had a,
uh, good chance
to look him over.

The Terrier
steams north between
Africa and Madagascar,

charting a course
to the isolated islands

of the Mozambique Channel.

Europa, Juan de Nova, Astove,

Aldabra, St. Lazarus Bank,

Grande Comore.

I'm amazed
that there's no, uh...

nobody there
on the beach.

Do you suppose they're
hiding their women?

Yes, from you.

Hello.

Look, something on here
that says made in Japan.

I claim this land
in the name of John Lindsay.

Watch. You're through.

After three weeks
in the islands without a sign
of the great white shark

theTerrier approaches
Grand Comore.

Vailheu Shoal lies
10 miles to the west.

The only people
that I know of that have ever

dived this place
are a few French guys

over there
on French Comore.

It was a shark
that put his head

out of the water
and attacked.

Then attacked.
Oh, my God.

That must
have been a white.

The only one I could
think of that would do that.

There were five Kerrocks
with two men each.

Three men returned.
The other seven were killed.

God, that's unprecedented.

Or drowned.
Yeah.

But imagine one shark
attacking, um,
more than one boat.

Only a white could
be that mean.

Stan,

with this current, how you
got the safety lines rigged?

I put out an extra
long one. 120 feet,

double the 60-foot
length from the ladder.

Because when I lowered
the 60-foot,

it went immediately
under the boat

and it was taken out
with the current.

I think we've got a hell
of a current running today.

When we come up,
we ought to crawl
along the bottom

so that we're well
up current.

'Cause once we
leave the bottom,

we'll get swept down
toward the boat.

Peter Lake,
did you get that?

Current's like
a river.

Good luck. Keep somebody
on the look out here,

because I couldn't have
gotten up without some help.

There's a real strong
current down there.

I've got to go
back down.

They're shooting
a barracuda.

I only see
three people.

Get us...
Get Stan some help.

Yeah, help.

Where is everybody?
They're supposed
to help us.

Go get somebody
for the cameras,
please.

Where's the crew?

Thank you.

Current's very strong.

Peter's gonna
need some help
with his camera here.

There's a shocking
current coming up.

You can barely
swim against it.

Where's Lake?

Where's Lake?
He missed the line.

We lose sight of him,
we'll never find him.

Down current,
and I saw Pete, like,
start to swim in.

And I watched him 'cause
he started to swim up

from down current,
and that's a bad thing to do.

But I saw him reach
the back of the boat.

And I thought,
"He's all right."

When did he
get carried away?

He didn't listen
to what Peter said.

He came up from
where we were
down current.

And I saw him
head to the boat.Way out there.

I got on
and he wasn't there.

Ron, try to get
that outboard started.

There!
There's his flare.

His flare's out.
Keep your eye on that spot.

I thought Peter Lake
was onboard, and he wasn't.

They've picked him up.
Yeah, they picked him up.

They picked him up.
Yes, they're bringing him in.

I don't know
how he got out there,

'cause he definitely was
to the boat at one stage.

He wasn't on the ladder,
but he was only
a few feet away.

Always fun to get
rescued at sea.

Those giant squid
had me worried, though.

I really expected to find

that white line
right under the prop.

And it was just hanging
right by the ladder.

You mean straight down
by the ladder?Yeah.

Where did you find it?

Well, it went...
It angled under the hull.

If you bastards stand
there with a camera again...Yes!

...when we're trying to get up
that ladder and need help.

We're gonna pull you
right down with us.

Camera and all!
Camera and all.

Christ! That was frustrating.

Do you mean I was...
We were so there.

And here they were,

"Tom, is your sound all right?
Let me check my aperture."

"What you giving it?" "Help!"

You know,
it's easy to be relaxed

when you're being swept
out to sea.

There's nothing you can do.

It was a great island, kiddo.

Ron?
But let's go.

The expedition arrives

at the village of Batticaloa
on the east coast of Ceylon.

What's the biggest shark
that they've ever gotten
in this village, Rodney?

Rodney Jonklaas,
Sinhalese diver and biologist.

He says between 3,000
and 4,000 pounds.

How long was he?

He said as big as his boat
which is about, uh...

Sixteen feet.

Do they believe
the moracomes in as close in

as the Hermesis?
5 miles out?

Quite possible.

Quite possible.

Here, Billy. Come on.

Billy. Billy.

Come on, Billy.
Very good dog.

TheTerrier lies at anchor
five miles east of Batticaloa,

over the wreck of the British
aircraft carrier Hermes,

sunk by the Japanese in 1942.

All wrecks attract sea life,

and this one,
resting at the edge
of the continental shelf,

lures fish
from the ocean deep.

Now, here's what
we propose to do.

What we're trying
to accomplish

is to get
the heavy anchor chain

from the, uh, Terrier

shackled into a point
as near the bow

of the Hermes
as we possibly can.

You know that we've got
a hell of a current
running here on this wreck,

and we can't use the cages

until we've got
our lines down.

I think our main problem is
that we're going to 170 feet

to get these lines
shackled in and...

We've got a problem
on decompression here.

Problem with bends
unless we're very careful.

Stan had the bends
a few years back

and both his legs
were paralyzed
for several weeks.

So keep an eye on your time
and your depth.

After a 20-minute dive
to 170 feet,

we have to ascend in stages,

taking 22 minutes
to reach the surface.

This decompression
should eliminate

excess nitrogen in our bodies.

If too much nitrogen remains,
bubbles may form

that force tissues apart

and can double a man
over in pain.

Bent victims gave
the condition its name.

The Bends.

It can cause paralysis
and death.

What's happening?
Well, Peter's in trouble.

He's, uh, I think...

He may be slightly bent.
We don't know.

Can you get someone
to send a tank over?

Where does it go?
Get a tank!

Someone's got the bends.

Christ!
You just threw it over?

Did he get it?

Well, I don't know,
but I hope it doesn't sink.

Well, if it does,
we'll throw another one.He got it.

There, I think
Peter's coming up.

Tell the guys
to break those lines
off the compressor.

Get the chamber running.

Really?
Compression chamber?

Yes! The chamber!
The chamber!

Get the recompression
chamber ready!

Valerie,
what's happening?

Has Peter gone down again?

Yes.
Valerie, who is it?

Well, he came up too quick.

I don't know.
He must have run out--

I don't know why he just
suddenly came up
when he shouldn't have.

Who is it, Valerie,
do we know?

It's Peter.

Is he gonna use
the chamber,

or should we bring him
more air?

Thirty feet
for three minutes.

Twenty feet for 21 minutes,
and 10 feet for 37 minutes.

That oughta do it.
For what, Phil?

Huh?
What's that for?

That's if they've been
down to 180 feet

for longer than
they should have been.

Now, why would
Peter have it
more than I should have?

I don't understand.

I really don't.
Neither do I.

He didn't stay any longer
the last dive, did he?

The first dive you took?

No, no, we came up
at the same time.

He was down longer
though, today.

It doesn't take much.
That's right.

As a matter of fact,
I was down the least long,

because I took so long
to get down,

you see.
Yeah,
that's undoubtedly it.

My God, I bet
that's the difference.

Send down another tank.

Is that the tank?
Yeah.

He's pain-free at 30 feet.

We're gonna have
to work him up awful slowly.

Here he comes.

All right.

Now just stay on the surface
for another three minutes.

Long time coming.

Boy, I know what you mean.

Man, oh, man.

Are you chilled?

Yep.

It felt as if somebody
had put a hypodermic needle

about as big around
as your little finger

right into the middle
of a joint

and was pumping it up
as fast as possible.

Just exploding
the whole thing,
literally,

with pressure.

My God.

Same bloody way
all the way to the bottom.

What do you think it was?
20 feet of visibility
down there?

Oh, I don't know.

It was terrible.

I'm with you.

Just now.

How'd you like that one?

Oh, boy.

The damn cable's cut.

Yeah, I'll say.
Right in half.

Really cut.

Okay, we're all set.

How many volts
we got going through?

A hundred and fifteen volts
through both cables.

It doesn't take
a big cable to kill you.

No, it takes more...
And if anybody down here
gets a shot,

you'll have to bring him
right up,

and then they'll get
the bends.Yeah.

I mean,
you're asking for it.

We've used up a week,

and what have we got?

The water clarity stinks.

The current is unworkable
with the cages.

There aren't any sharks,

and things
aren't gonna change.

We oughta get outta here.

Phil, I just can't
predict it like that.

I'm sorry and I won't...
I'm not willing to accept
these predictions.

I still think we can attract

a great white shark
to this wreck.

Here's what I thought
would work very well
this morning.

To take a big team down

to the shallowest surface
of the wreck.

I presume Mr. Lake would like

to take pictures
of the whole thing.

Yep.
That accounts
for six people

and no diver on the surface.

Yep.
Which doesn't make me
particularly happy.

Well, we don't have
that problem,

since you're going to be
on the surface.

Because none of us is going
to dive if you dive.

When did you take that poll?

Shortly ago.

Weather conditions
are so rotten here.

Peter, it's really time
to give up on this one.

Well, where does that leave
for us to try?

Well, like I said before,

I know a place
where big-game fishermen

and abalone divers
have seen them
on many occasions,

and I've seen them there
twice myself.

And I think if you want them,

you're going to have
to go there.

And that's Dangerous Reef,
South Australia.

Boy, that's a long way
from here.

Yep, but I think
if you want them

that's where you're going
to have to go.

Hello, darling.

Hello, sweety. Yoo-hoo!

Hello, there.
Hello, there.

Hello! Wake up!

Little seal, wake up.
That's it.

It's all right.
Oh, dear.

Oh, I'm gonna cry.

He got a fright, Valerie.

Oh, dear. It happens...

It's the worst nightmare
he's ever had, Stan.

We can get old animals,
farm animals,

horses or whatever...
Yeah, yeah.

...sheep, goat.
Yeah, yeah.

And we can get

as much whale oil
as we want, right?

We can get a fair bit
at this time.

And what we're talking
about doing is, you know,

constructing in various ways
a whale carcass.

That's right.
We're getting the red meat,

we're putting the blubber over
by dripping the oil...

I think we oughta also...

put in an order
and even a man on the job

at the abattoirs here

to can up all their blood.

We've gotta lay it
on a bit, right?Right.

So let's leave it
that way

and just write the order
the way you want it.

Yeah.
All right.

Not for you, seagulls!

I can remember
a picture vividly...

Rodney Fox,
Australian diver.

One of the few people
to survive

the attack
of a great white shark.

My legs and arms dropped back
along the shark's body,

and I just remember
how leisurely

and easily his tail was
just going through the water,

and yet there was
a great swirling
around my ears,

like I was doing
a tremendous speed.

I tried as hard as I could

to find his eyes
and gouge in them.

Did you reach his eyes?

I'm not too sure.
It all happened
in such a split second.

I was hitting and gouging
not knowing exactly
where they were

when he pulled off
and let go.

I instinctively thrust out
with my right hand

to push it off
and get it away further,

and it disappeared
about a foot into its mouth.

And I could feel
the razor-sharp teeth

just tearing
over the tendons and top

as it was pushed in.

So, I immediately dragged
my arm out

and cut the whole
underside of it

over the teeth,
pulling it away again.

Good Lord.
That's that one right there.

Yeah,
that's the scars there.I hadn't noticed that.

There.
Good Lord.

I've got dozens of little...

Do you know
how many stitches
they put into you?

Not exactly.
I had 94 in my hand.

They stitched up a lot
of the ribs together first,

and then all of the muscles.

And then, they pulled the skin
over the whole lot

and covered it up as well.

And then,
I realized straightaway

the next thing I needed to do.

So, I pushed off,
went up to the surface,

got one breath of air,

looked down,

and I've got
this pictured today

of the red blood

and this great, big
black conical head

coming up towards me.

And that's when I thought
I was really gone,

because I had...

It was coming up
for attack again

and I had nothing
to defend myself with.

And very luckily,
it must have decided

to clean up
the little bits first,

because then,
I'd went to the float

that I was towing behind me.

Um, I remember floating
up to the surface,

and immediately,
I'm hitting the surface,

the boat saw all the blood
in the water.

And before I even yelled out,
"Shark," which I did twice,

they were on their way
to pick me up.

I think the great white shark
bites without hesitation.

You mean,
they just would come in and...Yeah. Oh, yes, yes.

That's the scary part.

And this visibility here
is nowhere near as good
as in the Indian Ocean.

We will only have
about 40-foot visibility
here.

Whereas in Indian Ocean,
we had over 100-foot.

So, one can come out
of the gloom very quickly.

Well, we'll see.

You just want about two cups
of whale oil in there.

Yeah.
At any time, huh?

Yeah, just enough
to keep that little drip,

consistent drip going
in the water all the time.

It leaves a good slick
that they can follow.

It's been
a cold summer, Peter.

Water maybe too cold for 'em.

This is Adelaide radio.

Adelaide radio.
Adelaide radio.

Forecast.

Northeast to northerly winds

reaching 20 to 30 knots
in western parts...

Has anything hit it yet, Ron?

No. Not yet.

What about it, Stan?

Anything touch those baits?

No, they haven't
been touched at all.

None of them?
No.

Has anyone checked it?

Has anyone checked that bait?

Yes. Something took it.

Yeah, something
has taken it, all right.

Have you looked at the line?

Is it cut?

Yeah, it's cut.
Huh?

Did you see it, Peter?

Here it comes.

Here it comes in now.

Look at that fish!

Okay.

There he is!

The great white!

Somebody get Gimbel.

He's following it.
He's feeling it.

Can we get in the water?

Going in there?
No!

Get in there.

Holy smokes!

Have a little salt water.

Well,
he's a 14-footer, I think.

Come on, let's get dressed.
Come on.

Let's go. Come on. Come on.

Here we go!

Oh, you bet it's a shark.

Let's go.
I forgot something.

Anyone care
for a quick dip?

Rodney?
Prep 2-7 seven down here.

Bring it real quick.
Straight away, please.

Boy, he almost sunk the boat.

Yeah, he got jammed
between the cages

and got frightened.
Yeah.

Hey, look,
if you get a picture,

I want to get in
right away, okay?

What do you mean
if we get a picture?

Well, I mean,
leave some room for me.

To give him
his first taste
is a little bit scary.

We'll drop this out
on the float.

And you reckon,
once he's had a mouthful,

he'll get his nerve up, eh?

Generally, after they've had
a taste,

they start really
to tear into things

and really start to be active.

Then you'll let us
get in the water?

I'll push you.

You may have to.

Well, I still haven't seen
that Mr. Big.

Did you hear him?
He's big all right.

I heard all of you
yelling and howling.

And he also
acts like no other shark.

On the surface.
My gosh!

What'd he do?
Well, he was halfway...

His back was heaved
right up out of water.

Completely.
And just wild thrashing.

Is he fat?

Oh, fat and thick and heavy.

He's long and fat.

How did you...

How come you were back here?

Because that's my job.

Come on,
you were here photographing.

He was just beautiful.

You guys can
see okay there?

Hey, do you see him?

Coming straight to you!

Here he comes!

It might be another one.

I wouldn't be surprised.

Pull, pull it.
Slowly, slowly, slowly.

Oh, God!

Little one.
"Little one"?

Are you kidding?

He's tagging banks.

He's gotta be
better than 12.

Keep him going, fellas.

Keep it moving.

Here he comes.

Oh, man.

Pull it, pull it, pull it.

Oh, he's gotta be 12!

Oh, yeah, at least 12.

He's still here.

We gotta get the cage
ready and rolling.

All right?

We better get the cage
ready and rolling.

Oh, but he's
more than 12.

He's 12 anyhow, right?

It's a big shark.

Who can I give a hand?

Phil's getting ready.

What's he doing, Rodney?

He's trolling it up the cage

for a real big lunch.

He's putting his nose
right up against the bars,

and I think he's bending
them out more.

Oh, be quiet, Rodney!
Go away!

Go lift them cage, so it isn't
too close to the other.

Who is going in first,
Peter?

Yeah.

Yeah.
Who?

Me! Don't get in my way.

I'm gonna start shooting
right away.

But stop it as the water
gets up to about here

because I wanna clean my mask
and clean the camera.

All right.

Let it go!
Let's get down there!

He's a big one.
He must be 16 feet long!

Good luck, Stan.

There, he's down there!

Oh, he's got some scars
on his head.

I bet Gimbel's
demitted with joy in there.

Right up towards the cage!

That's Ron.

Get back in, Ron.

Silly fool. I don't know
what he's doing
out of the cage.

Where is he?
There, look at him

sitting on top of the cage.

What's he doing that for?

They are both out of the cage
by the look of it now.

He cut a line over here.

All right.

Your tank.

He's jumping
for the shark.

Yes, we know.
We're gonna get your line.

You had your chance
to tell Ron.

Tell Ron!

Tell Ron he's gonna get taken

if keeps jumping
out of that cage.

My line was bitten in two
by the shark,

and we have no connection
to the ship.

Will you throw us a line?
Coming over now.

Okay.

There never was an animal
like that. Never.

The power
and the aggressiveness

of the thing is beyond belief.

He doesn't dash,
he just comes and...

and bites. He took
one of the static cylinders

of the cage, our cage,

and just took it in his mouth
very methodically

and just raked it.

He's a wild show.

What a shark. That's worth
every minute of the wait.

We were all sticking out
the top, but,

you know, it's NG.

I got the liver scared out
of me at one point.

What happened?
I got my tank
hooked in the harness,

and I thought the shark
was going to attack me.

It was very damn scary,
I'll tell you that.

Now, keep your hands
inside that cage.

Get a move on, Lake, if you
want to get some stills.

Hand him
that yellow camera.

And if it looks
like it's all bashed up,

I'll drop my little anchor
down to you,

and hook it on and drive away

to the mortuary.

Cameras are out there.
Be damn careful.

I will.

Attaboy, Peter.

Beautiful!

Oh, no way.

Jumped like a French knight.

Rodney,
easy with that blood.
It's our last can.

Cut the line!

Dragging it
around and around.

Are you all right, kiddo?

There I was at 10,000 feet,

my parachute eaten by rats.

Sorry about your cage, fella.
Wait till you see it.

How bad is it?
What a mess!

What, has he bent
the cage up, Stan?

Oh, wait till you see.

Looked like King Kong
just tried to get out of jail.

He'll tow it for miles
if he gets it loose.

Wow. Wow.

You know, that animal is
more than anything I expected.

Just fantastic.

He is awesome.

Well, it took a long while.

Well, we made it.

That's very good.

Yeah. I said you'd get it.

I knew you'd get it.

I don't know,
we were all freaked out.

Did he smile at you?

He came the other way.

Dangerous.
He can't go by himself.

How can you laugh at
anything like that?

All right, ready?
Here you go.

Yes.

Oh, boy! Look at him.
He's going to the cage.Yeah.

What's funny?

But if he comes at you,
just go...

Until they what?

Now we know
what size he is.