Human Planet (2011): Season 1, Episode 1 - Oceans: Into the Blue - full transcript

Only one creature has
carved a life for itself

in every habitat on earth.

That creature is us.

All over the world, we still use our
ingenuity to survive in the wild places,

far from the city lights,
face to face with raw nature.

This is the Human Planet.

The sea covers 70%
of our planet's surface.

It's home to three-quarters
of all life on earth.

All the creatures found here are perfectly
adapted to thrive in the ocean...

...all except one.

We are not evolved for a life aquatic...



...and we're way out of our depth
in this dangerous and alien world.

But great opportunities await those people
who dare to venture into the water.

As we immerse ourselves
ever deeper in the big blue,

how do we overcome
the enormous challenges that confront us?

Our relationship with the ocean
begins on the coast.

Even here,
the sea is a force to be reckoned with.

Galicia, in Northern Spain, is home

to one of Europe's
most treacherous coasts.

But the more extreme the conditions,
the greater the rewards,

if, like Javier and Angel,
you're prepared to take the risk.

Javier and Angel are on the hunt
for a strange creature

that clings to the wave-battered rocks...

at the bottom of these cliffs.

They have to move fast.
Their quarry is only exposed at low tide.



Vamos! Arriba! Arriba!

(SPEAKS SPANISH)

It's goose barnacles they're after,

a highly prized delicacy
that can sell for 200 euros a kilo.

But it's not easy pickings.
Each year, about five collectors die.

Few dare work when it's this rough.

But those who do can charge
a premium for their harvest.

Despite the onslaught,
Javier's filled his bag.

Now it's Angel's turn,
and though it's getting even rougher...

...he's going in with no safety rope.

Working unattached
allows him to dash between waves

and reach the lowest rocks,
where the biggest barnacles grow.

But one slip could be fatal.

Although the tide's coming in,
Angel's determined to collect more.

Javier and Angel's gamble paid off.

In two hours, they've gathered
enough goose barnacles

to fetch around 800 euros.
Not bad for a day at the seaside.

It's this abundance of food
that entices us into the waves.

And just a little further out,
there are even greater riches.

Coastal waters account for just
one-tenth of the world's oceans,

but they're home
to the vast majority of marine life.

The trouble is, as we venture further
from the shore, the dangers escalate.

Benjamin's training to be a harpoonist

and he knows, any clay now,
all he's learned could be put to the test.

He lives on a small Indonesian island
called Lembata.

Few crops grow in this rocky land,

and even surviving from the sea
is a struggle.

(CHATTER)

But there's one animal they wait for

that can dramatically change
their fortunes.

(SHOUTING)

(SHOUTING)

The whole village springs into action.

(SHOUTING)

It's a race against time
to get out to sea.

Benjamin and the rest of the crew

are about to take on
the biggest predator that's ever lived.

They all know the risks,

but opportunities don't come
much bigger than this.

The sperm whale.

(WHALE SONG)

Up to 18 metres long, these mighty
leviathans are powerful animals

and they won't go down without a fight.

With simple wooden boats
and handmade weapons,

the whalers seem ill-prepared for battle,
but this is how it's been for 600 years.

They can only harpoon the whale
when it surfaces to breathe...

...so they need to move fast.

Benjamin's brother prepares
to launch himself at the whale.

This is the most dangerous moment of all.

But he misses,

and now someone else must step up
before the whale dives.

(SHOUTING)

Benjamin's moment has arrived.

He's got it.

But the battle has just begun.

As the whale fights to break free,
they move to harpoon it again.

They need to prevent it from diving
and pulling a boat under.

But it's not enough.

Terrified of the thrashing whale,
the crew scramble to safety.

Another boat attacks
and harpoons the whale once more.

Now dragging several boats,
the whale slowly tires.

Eventually, its struggles are exhausted

and a final cut, through its backbone,
is made.

It's been an epic eight-hour battle,

but Benjamin has shown his skill
and bravery...

...and this time everyone returns
safely home.

The death of a whale may be sad to us,
but this is their lifeline.

One catch can feed a village for months,

and this small-scale hunt in Lembata

doesn't threaten whale numbers
in these oceans.

They only take around six whales a year.

Nothing is wasted. The meat is shared out.

As the man who dealt the decisive blow,
Benjamin gets a larger share,

and for a while at least,
his family won't be going hungry.

(CHATTER)

Although we've evolved for a life on land,

we've become
remarkably efficient oceanic hunters.

Adaptability is the secret of our success

at discovering new ways
to exploit the ocean.

And in a few special places, this means
working with the creatures of the sea.

These fishermen of Laguna in Brazil

have forged one of the most
extraordinary partnerships

between humans and wild animals
found anywhere on earth.

Edson is up early
to fish the large numbers of mullet

that migrate through these waters
every May.

But there's a problem.

The water's so murky, the fishermen
can't see where to cast their nets.

So, they join forces with
the most intelligent animal in the sea.

But, like all relationships,
a certain amount of patience is required.

(CHATTER)

Finally, their friends surface.

(CLICKING AND WHISTLING)

The local bottlenose dolphins
are celebrities in Laguna.

In fact, Edson and his pal Alfredo
know each one by name.

Incredibly, the dolphins drive the mullet
towards the fishermen,

and even signal when to cast their nets,
with these distinctive dives.

(CHATTER)

The fishermen say they can tell
the size of the school,

and which way it's travelling,

from the vigour and direction of the dive.

The dolphins do the hard work,
herding the mullet.

The fish are served
to the fishermen on a plate...

...but what the dolphins stand to gain
is less clear.

Since they detect prey by echolocation,

they have no problem
hunting in the murky water,

but picking off individuals
from the school is more difficult.

It seems the nets panic the fish
into breaking formation,

making them much easier
for the dolphins to chase down.

(CHATTER AND SHOUTING)

(CHATTER)

As the nets are hauled in,
the benefits of teamwork are revealed.

(CHATTER)

Edson and the other fishermen
have no doubt

how much the dolphins help them.

No matter how we catch it,
seafood is vital to human survival,

providing the main source of protein
for about half the world's population.

(SHOUTING)

But there's a lot more to our ancient
connection with the sea than just food.

The more we've come to depend
on the ocean,

and the further we've pushed
into its vast frontier,

the greater its influence
has become in our lives.

The Pacific covers one-third of the globe.

The tiny specks of land
in the middle of it

are about as remote as life can get
for a human being.

With so few options on land,

the surrounding ocean underpins almost
every aspect of life on a Pacific island.

Over 3,000 kilometres
from the nearest continent,

Hawaii is one of the most isolated of all.

There are few places where the sea has had
a greater impact on human existence.

(CHANTING SONG)

(CHANTING SONG)

MAN: The ocean, significantly to us,
it's... it's our home.

Our connection is so great,
we look at it as our origin.

The water is who we are, and the water
is our mother, our father, our gods.

For Tom "Pohako" Stone,
displaying his skill in the ocean

is a central part of what it means
to be Hawaiian.

Sliding on waves, as it was known,

has been practised
by the Polynesians for millennia.

But it was around 1,000 years ago,
when they arrived in Hawaii,

that it evolved into surfing.

TOM: When we actually learned
that we could construct boards

to stand up and surf a wave,

it became a very ritualistic component
of our culture.

Far more than just a sport, surfing was
a sacred art form for Tom's ancestors.

It was a core part of their society,

and the noble pursuit
of warriors, kings and queens.

TOM: We have a lot of history
about women that... that surf,

and, you know, they surfed so well
that they actually reached godly status.

We revered these women.

From ancient origins,
surfing has now gone global.

And for some,
searching for the ride of your life

has become an extreme obsession.

December 9th, 2009.

The world's surfing elite
has gathered in Hawaii,

to ride some of the biggest swells
to hit these shores in over a decade.

Surfing's certainly changed,
but for many it's still a way of life,

and the best riders are still
revered as gods

amongst the worldwide surfing tribe.

With waves over 15 metres,
five storeys high,

this is a real test of skill and stamina.

Ken Bradshaw is famed
for taming a 26-metre wave,

probably the biggest ever ridden.

But these unpredictable swells
can claim even the most seasoned surfer.

Trapped in a rolling mountain
of white water,

Ken is tossed around like a rag doll
in a washing machine.

Just as he surfaces,
another giant breaker comes crashing in.

After a relentless pounding
from six successive waves,

Ken eventually escapes in one piece.

All big wave surfers know the risks,

but the adrenaline and the glory
is addictive.

And just as the ancient Hawaiians
discovered,

surfing is still the most
spectacular demonstration

of our ability to conquer the waves.

Our mastery of the sea is impressive,
but we'll never tame its full fury.

The enormous waves of December 9th

were created by intense
tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific.

When warm waters fuel the ferocity
of depressions over the ocean,

they can create
the most violent weather systems on earth.

People must stay well away
from the raging sea

during these tempestuous times,

but they can't stop it coming to them.

These super-storms, with winds
of over 300 kilometres per hour,

wreak havoc on the human world.

(SHOUTING)

It can take years to recover
from the destruction.

(SHOUTING)

Sometimes over 1,600 kilometres wide,

hurricanes and typhoons are persistent
reminders of the ocean's awesome force.

It's little wonder that coastal people
look at these mighty waters

with great reverence...

...but not just for
the power of the ocean,

but also the power
of the creatures that live in it.

In the islands off Papua New Guinea,
Blais is known as a sorcerer of the sea.

Possessing the mysterious ability
to summon sharks from the deep,

he's one of the last so-called
"shark callers",

a traditional hunting technique
steeped in superstition.

(CHANTS some)

Blais respects ritual,
but he also understands shark behaviour.

Rattling in the water
mimics the activity of feeding fish.

Sharks can detect these vibrations
from three kilometres away,

but they don't always respond.

(CHANTS some)

(RATTLING)

(RATTLING)

And as industrial fishing
decimates shark numbers,

the waits are getting even longer.

(RATTLING)

Finally, a grey reef shark
emerges from the blue.

Blais has appeased its spirit.

But now he has to catch it,
and sharks are notoriously skittish.

It's a game of cat and mouse.

Blais tries to entice the shark close
enough to slip a noose around its neck...

...but one false move and it's game over.

Finally it takes the bait.
Slowly he prepares the noose.

Blais can't keep hold of
the thrashing shark,

but this wooden float prevents it diving.

Then, as if under a spell,
the shark suddenly stops.

But in fact the float exploits
a quirk in shark biology,

exhausting it so much, it enters a state
known as tonic immobility.

Blais approaches with caution.

The shark is still very much alive
and its bite could cause serious injury.

In the past, Blais would have
killed the shark for food.

But today he lets it go free.

Blais is committed to keeping
his shark-calling culture alive...

(SOUNDING HORN)

...and this means keeping sharks alive.

And it's not just traditions
that are threatened.

In some seas around the world,

a growing shortage of fish
is forcing people deeper and deeper,

just to land a decent catch.

So deep, they venture
to the very limits of human survival.

Welcome to the world
of the Pa-aling divers,

perhaps the most dangerous
fishing method of all.

8O men, many of whom are still teenagers,

are preparing to dive to over 4O metres,

breathing air pumped through these
makeshift tubes by this rusty compressor.

Joseph is one of the youngest aboard,
but he's aware of the risks.

He's already witnessed
just how lethal his job can be.

The seas around the Philippines
were once rich with life,

but they've been so over-exploited

that decent fish numbers
are only found at perilous depths.

(SHOUTING)

The divers guide the huge ball of nets
4O metres down to the sea floor,

but all the while
their air supply is at risk.

Back on the boat,

the ailing compressor
and the ever-worsening tangle of tubes

need constant attention.

Like a failing heart
pumping through clogged arteries,

if this circulation system fails,

at this depth, it's almost certain death.

Joseph and the team unravel the nets

and lay them out
by securing them to rocks.

They must work fast.

Joseph knows, the longer he spends
at these depths,

the more dangerous it becomes.

With every breath,
more nitrogen dissolves in his body,

making him increasingly vulnerable
to decompression sickness - "the bends".

The top of the net is suspended
by plastic containers filled with air,

creating a huge cavernous trap beneath.

Now it's time to set the scare-line.

The boats drag the 1,000-metre line
to form a huge circle around the net,

and the divers position themselves
along it.

Joseph and the team begin closing
the trap by swimming towards the net.

The waving streamers
and the curtain of rising bubbles

panics the fish and they flee.

As the line of divers tightens,
more and more fish

swim straight into the gaping net.

This deep-sea round-up is so effective,

it can take 50% of the fish
from a reef.

The net is closed, and now Joseph must do
something even more dangerous,

get inside and herd the catch
to the far end.

On deck, the tangled web of tubes
is getting worse.

Once the catch is concentrated, the net
is released from its anchor points.

Now comes the most lethal stage of all -

guiding the net
as it shoots to the surface.

All too often, the divers ascend
too quickly and get the bends.

As the catch is hauled onto the boat,
its size is revealed.

Just under a tonne of fish isn't bad,

but it's nowhere near what these fishermen
were landing a few years ago.

And this isn't the only problem.
Some of the crew do have the bends.

One diver has returned to the bottom
to relieve the symptoms,

whilst, closer to the surface,
another is massaged

to release the painful bubbles
in his spine.

Every day, these Pa-aling divers

are taking greater risks
for dwindling rewards.

Joseph has his dreams,

but the harsh reality is he'll be diving
twice again today, just to make ends meet.

We've become so successful in the ocean,

it's predicted that in 5O years
almost all the fish could be gone...

...and this may not be
the only change to come.

All around the world,
sea levels are rising.

Soon our planet could be
even more dominated by the ocean,

and our ability to survive here
will be pushed to the very limit.

Yet there are some people who've
already adapted to life in a water world.

In the coral seas between Borneo,
Sulawesi and the Philippines,

there are people who live
more intimately with the ocean

than any other culture on earth.

The Bajau Laut build their lives
in the middle of the sea,

often many kilometres from land.

(CHATTERING)

The ocean has a profound influence
on every aspect of their existence.

They even measure the passage of time
by the rhythm of the tides

rather than minutes and hours.

And there are some whose relationship
with the sea runs even deeper.

The Bajau, who live on houseboats,

have almost completely
severed their ties with the land.

Nohara rarely sets foot ashore.

Nohara and her family usually only
visit land to trade for rice and fuel,

or to mend their boats.

But, like many Bajau,
Nohara gets "land-sick"

and she prefers to stay aboard.

Her family has no nationality,
no fixed abode and almost no money,

but the ocean provides
everything they need.

They eat a bewildering variety of seafood.

Her children adapt to an aquatic
way of life from a very young age.

Some Bajau children
spend so much time in the sea,

their eyes adjust
to focus better underwater.

But there's one member of this community
whose adaptation is even more staggering.

Sulbin is an underwater hunter,

and the living proof of just how far
we can push our bodies

towards a life aquatic.

Sulbin's search for supper takes him
on a incredible journey under the waves,

and his abilities
will take your breath away.

First he prepares
by entering a trance-like state.

Sulbin is about to push his body
almost beyond the realms of possibility,

and if you want to try and join him,
get ready to hold your breath

for as long as you can.

He takes one last breath.

Focused and calm, Sulbin descends
2O metres to the sea floor.

His heartbeat slows
to around 3O beats per minute.

The pressure at these depths
crushes his chest,

squeezing the air in his lungs
to one-third of its usual volume,

Even without weights,
he's negatively buoyant enough

to stride across the bottom of the sea
as if hunting on land.

By now, the carbon dioxide in his blood
causes

an almost irresistible urge
to gasp for air,

but Sulbin must keep his mind on the hunt.

After a minute and three-quarters,
Sulbin spots a fish.

Sulbin can go even deeper than this
and stay down for up to five minutes,

but he's not one to show off
and, after all, he's got what he came for.

Two-and-a-half minutes of hunting
under pressure on one breath.

Perhaps the idea of humans
existing as marine mammals

is not so far-fetched after all.

Through amazing adaptability
and endeavour,

we've pushed our limits of survival
into the ocean,

and, as we've immersed ourselves
deeper in the sea,

it's had a profound effect on our lives.

But as we continue to change the nature
of the greatest environment on our planet,

how we'll adapt in the future
remains to be seen.

The most technical and demanding shoots
for the Human Planet: Oceans programme

were those that took place underwater.

The dive camera crew were well prepared
to film fishermen in the Philippines.

But they weren't quite prepared
for the dangers they'd witness

and the friendships they'd forge.

Liminangcong is home to the 8O Pa-aling
fishermen that the film crew will follow.

Two fishing boats are crammed
with 8O divers, their food and provisions,

before heading out for two weeks at sea.

At the fishing grounds,
Simon and Roger are playing catch-up,

as their technical underwater equipment
is slowing them down.

They've just dropped the lines.
They didn't even tell us.

The captain seems to be on a mission
to prove something today

so we've got to go fast.

Underwater filming is risky,
but these risks are nothing

compared to those faced daily
by the compressor divers.

Compressor diving
is a dangerous way to make a living.

Air, often tainted with diesel,

is pumped through thin plastic tubes
right down to the divers.

At 64, Joning is one of
the veterans on the boat,

and knows the harsh realities
of compressor diving.

Most of the divers are young and fit,
and they need to be.

It's physically demanding work

and the men are totally reliant
on the compressor to keep them breathing.

To use, basically, what's essentially
a garden hose down at 25 metres,

to pump air into your mouth, is just mad.

The biggest danger for these fishermen
is known as

decompression sickness,
or "the bends".

The bends can happen when divers
have been down deep for a long time,

and then come up too quickly
to the surface.

Nitrogen is absorbed into the body

and, as the divers rise up,

bubbles are formed that can lodge
in the joints, causing intense pain.

Two guys are in real trouble
on this deep dive.

Martin, a young diver, is in such pain

that his friend tries to relieve it
by massaging him.

Once on the surface,
it's obvious to everyone

that Martin is still in trouble.

If not treated, the bends can lead
to permanent injuries and even death.

Meanwhile, the second diver,
Michael, is also having problems.

It seems like two men just
came up with the bends.

They went pretty deep on this dive,
trying to get more fish.

But we've taken them onto our boat
to get some medical attention

so, hopefully, they're all right.

Simon tries to relieve their symptoms
with the crew's first aid supplies.

One more.

Michael's had 15 minutes on oxygen now.

I've now put Martin back onto
another set of 15 minutes.

This is the... you know,
the rudimentary decompression first aid

we can give them at the moment-

give them oxygen, give them water
to rehydrate and keep them warm.

Both of them are saying
that their symptoms are decreasing

and they are looking a lot more happy
than they did about half an hour ago.

He gives them oxygen,

which helps reduce the nitrogen
in their bodies and relieves their pain,

but even this most basic
of diving first aid

is not normally available
to the Pa-aling fishermen.

NO pain'?

This isn't surprising,

as the fishermen in the Philippines belong
to the lowest wage earners in the country,

earning about 25 US dollars
for a week's work.

However, for many, like Joning and his
family, this is their whole way of life.

His son had got the bends,
and now has to use crutches.

But this isn't the only time
the dangers of compressor diving

have hit Joning's family.

I'm very sorry about that.

That's... yeah, that's terrible.

(M UTTERS)

- That's very sad, isn't it?
- It is.

Having spent a week living
and working with the compressor divers,

Simon and Roger have become
very close to the fishermen.

(CHATTERING)

To fully understand their way of life,

Simon needed to experience first-hand
what it's like to be a compressor diver.

So Joning is keen to take him
on a shallow dive.

(AIR HISSES)

SIMON: I've seen the boys do it.
They've made it look easy.

But we've had several guys that have
gone down with symptoms of the bends.

I've got to admit I'm feeling
a little bit apprehensive, actually.

Simon has scuba-dived for 16 years
and has logged over 3,000 dives,

but this is diving at its most basic.

SIMON: The first minute, I've got to say,

I was, er... a little bit petrified,
actually.

This is a violent thing. It's just
punching air down your throat.

It's quite mad.

It took me a minute
to kinda get myself under control

and then once you've got the hang of it,

and once you believe in it
and trust in it, then you can swim on.

There were a couple of times
when I lost it, though.

I was flailing around everywhere.

I was trying to find it again
and get it back in.

But Joning was keeping a good eye on me,
and the rest of the guys were as well,

but I wouldn't want to do that for
a whole sort of fish-catching session,

that's for sure.

A strong camaraderie
between the divers has been forged.

The film crew have captured
a dramatic sequence,

and the fishermen head home happy,
with a boatload of fish to sell.

Joning and everyone on board have
finished another Pa-aling fishing trip,

and all can return safe and sound
to their families.