Mysteries of the Deep (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Bermuda Triangle Doomsday - full transcript
Mysterious reports of boiling seas in the Bermuda Triangle might be evidence of a deadly undersea volcano with a long list of victims; Jeremy Wade investigates the newest discoveries from this strange stretch of water in search of proof.
Is our vital undersea
cable network at risk
from forces beyond our control?
It could literally cripple
modern society as we know it.
Can new discoveries on
the sea floor finally confirm
an explosive theory about
the atlantic's most notorious
expanse of water?
Could this explain
some of the stories
that we've heard about
the bermuda triangle?
And how have a fortunate
few gone over the world's
most famous waterfall and lived
to tell the tale?
It's very,
very unlikely that you
would survive going
over the niagara falls.
The underwater realm
is another dimension.
It's a physically hostile
place where dreams of promise
can sink into darkness.
I'm jeremy wade.
I'm searching the world
to bring you
the most iconic and baffling
underwater mysteries
known to science.
Shipwrecks can't just
disappear... Or can they?
It's a dangerous,
unexplored frontier that
swallows evidence.
We know more about the face
of mars than we do
our deepest oceans.
Where unknown is normal
and understanding
is rare.
Over the years, the bermuda
triangle has been the scene of
the disappearance of dozens of
ships and aircraft
and hundreds of people.
What is it about
this area of ocean
that has made it so notorious?
Now, scientists are making big
discoveries at the bottom of
our oceans that promise
to shed new light on
some of the bermuda triangle's
most mysterious incidents.
On a calm spring day,
a tugboat is sailing
from puerto rico
to fort lauderdale,
florida, through
the southern section of
the bermuda triangle.
Her experienced captain is
resting below deck
when he receives a sudden call
to come to the bridge.
The compass was spinning
like mad,
and he'd never seen anything
like that before.
A strange darkness
descends on the vessel,
and without warning,
all the tugboat's
electronic systems shut down.
Nothing electric was working.
The communications were all out.
The captain heads out
on deck and is shocked
by what he sees.
The crew become aware that
the sea around the ship
is boiling.
The currents on the sea
are going wildly in
different directions.
The crew are
absolutely terrified.
The fog is just
so thick that he can't
distinguish between where the
sky stops and the sea starts.
Fearing the worst,
the captain orders
full speed ahead
to escape the churning waters.
Eventually, the tugboat breaks
through the fog into
calmer seas and sails away
from the danger.
The crew are at a loss
to explain what they have
just experienced.
What could have caused this
to happen?
We want to know what it is,
and we want to know more.
One natural phenomenon
that can have a dramatic effect
on the state of the sea is
underwater seismic activity.
Volcanoes and marine systems
vary quite a bit, just like
they do on land.
It can cause disturbances
that can
affect the surface of the water.
In that case, what
you actually have is heat.
They emit a huge amount of...
Of gases,
and all of those create bubbles.
Underwater volcanoes
have bean blamed for sea
disturbances and ship
disappearances
elsewhere in the world.
But no volcanic activity
was reported
in the vicinity
of the tugboat incident.
So what else might
be responsible?
There are also underwater
rock shifts that will release
unexpected waves,
unexpected currents.
But generally,
those currents are not
associated with bubbling
or boiling.
For the ocean to be as volatile
as the waters that surrounded
the besieged tugboat,
it is thought that
some other natural force
must have been at play,
and there is
one prime suspect...
The highly combustible gas,
methane.
Methane deposits are
mixtures of ice
and gas that are found
in sediments
in the world's oceans,
and we're finding more and more
of them.
Kept in an icy state
by the immense pressure
and low temperatures at
the bottom of the ocean,
methane, often in the form of
solid compounds
called hydrates,
only needs a small disturbance
to be unleashed.
You go to the bottom
of the ocean, and you shake up
and you disturb the areas
where the hydrates are,
and literally bubbles of gas
erupt from the bottom
of the ocean
and start going up
the water column.
So could releases of
methane from the sea floor
have caused the appearance of
a boiling sea around the tugboat
traveling through
the bermuda triangle?
By the time methane
gas reaches the top surface,
it is going very rapidly.
That motion
generates turbulence,
seemingly random motion
in all directions.
But a boiling sea was not
the only phenomenon witnessed
by the tugboat crew.
Their navigational instruments
also malfunctioned.
When gas is followed close
to a conductive surface,
they build up
an electric charge.
It's known as
the streaming potential.
It's an electric
kinetic phenomenon.
This charge could have
overloaded the tugboat's
electrical systems,
sending its instruments haywire.
The tugboat was then sailing
blind, trying to get through
the dense fog,
possibly another effect
of methane.
Those small bubbles,
they've had the opportunity
to hit
100% relative humidity,
and they will release a fog
when those bubbles have burst.
It's a fog that should be
fairly dense.
A methane burst seems
the most likely cause
of the mysterious event
experienced by the tugboat crew.
But could methane be
responsible for
more deadly incidents
in these notorious waters?
Could this potentially
explain some of
the narratives and the stories
that we've heard
about the bermuda triangle?
Terrifying a tugboat crew
is one thing,
but causing the disappearance
of whole ships
with all passengers and crew
is quite another.
This would require
an enormous force.
October 1985.
In the norwegian oil fields
of the north sea,
a helicopter captures
this extraordinary footage.
Routine drilling
beneath a rig has
accidentally unlocked
a large pocket of natural gases,
predominantly methane.
Huge quantities of gas
roar up from the sea floor
with a force that threatens
the stability of
the platform itself.
This phenomenon, known by oil
workers as the burp of death,
is not uncommon in oil fields,
but could there be dangerous
methane deposits elsewhere,
including in
the bermuda triangle,
with the power
to take down ships?
Methane gas escaping
from the sea floor is
responsible for a number of
disturbing incidents at sea.
But could it be behind
mystery disappearances
in the bermuda triangle?
The 1985 gas release
that threatened an oil platform
in the north sea
showed devastating force.
The incident was not a natural
occurrence, however.
It was caused by
intrusive human activity,
drilling for oil.
But could massive methane
discharges like this occur
naturally and on a scale that
could endanger shipping?
In 2017, researchers at
the arctic university
of norway report
a remarkable new discovery...
Huge craters at the bottom
of the ocean up to
half a mile wide
and almost 100 feet deep.
The norwegian research
indicates that you could have
large bubble bursts
from the sea floor.
The giant craters found at
the bottom of the barents sea
reveal what could be
evidence of massive,
naturally-occurring
deep ocean methane bursts.
These large methane craters were
the result of significant
methane explosions.
The methane built up
in large amounts and then was
released all at once.
Instead of a gradual
release of bubbles
that causes the surface water
to churn,
these craters suggest methane
blowouts on a massive scale.
A single eruption can throw
vast quantities
of methane to sea.
We're talking millions of tons.
A ship caught in such
an event could be doomed.
The water would suddenly
become much less dense due to
the sheer quantity of gas,
sinking the vessel in a matter
of moments.
If a bubble occurred while
a ship was directly above it,
it could be submerged
into this pocket
of gas that is less
dense than the water
that the rest of the ship is...
Is on.
But this deadly gas
from the bottom
of the ocean doesn't stop
at the surface.
It continues to rise.
So if you have a crater
that's half a mile wide,
releasing a burst of methane,
and what would it do
to the air-sea interface
and the turbulence
of the air above?
You know, what... what would
that look like?
Momentum doesn't just stop
when this plume hits
the top surface.
It carries on
into the atmosphere.
If your aircraft is above that,
it will knock out the controls,
the communications, and,
of course, the navigation.
And there's
a further potentially
fatal threat
to over-flying planes.
Methane is explosive, and if
you have a huge pocket of it,
and an aircraft
goes through it...
You know, we have
all that static electricity
around 'em, as well, and if...
You just need a spark, methane,
and it's surrounded by oxygen.
Faced with shocking
evidence of the dangers
to shipping and aircraft,
scientists are racing to try
and identify where large
reserves of methane
may be located,
either in the form of gas
pockets or solid hydrates.
Currently, researchers at
the woods hole oceanographic
institute are using
spectroscopy to identify
methane hydrates.
They've been using gas
collection techniques
to actually measure
the amount of natural gas
that's found on the sea floor
in different locations,
and they're measuring
those gases to see what
their components are.
And the results
for methane are startling.
Recent discoveries show that
methane is incredibly
superabundant in the...
In the world's oceans.
Some estimate that it's
as much as 70% of
the world's supply of methane
is actually stored
under the oceans.
These undersea reservoirs
are being discovered all over
the world,
including off the east coast
of the united states,
but are there any in the seabed
under the bermuda triangle?
We currently don't have any
evidence that large methane
buildups are happening
in the area of the triangle...
That's yet to be discovered.
Massive methane discoveries
under our oceans add weight
to the theory that this gas
could be responsible
for disappearances
in the bermuda triangle.
But with reserves being
uncovered worldwide,
could methane be behind
the mystery of missing ships
in other parts of the world,
too?
Hidden on the bottom
of our oceans
is a massive network
of undersea cables.
These carry 99% of all
internet traffic
and trillions of dollars of
financial transfers every day.
They are the arteries that
keep the modern world alive.
But an alarming incident
in the early 1970s
suggest this network
could be vulnerable to
mysterious forces.
August 1972.
A military aircraft from
u.S. Task force 77 is
flying over southeast asia
on a routine flight.
As it banks over
the south china sea,
the crew sees a disturbance
in the water below... a large,
mysterious explosion bursting
from the ocean.
This is a real mystery.
No one actually really
knew what happened there.
The vietnam war is at
a critical stage,
but there are no major combat
operations in the area
at this time.
So what is exploding and why?
In an attempt to bring the war
to a swift conclusion,
the u.S. Military has initiated
a blockade of
north vietnamese ports.
All entrances to north
vietnamese ports will be mined.
Huge numbers of powerful
sea mines are deployed.
This was a huge operation done
by the united states navy.
The sea was literally seeded
with over 11,000 mines.
Floating on or just
under the surface,
these mines lie in wait for
any unsuspecting enemy vessel.
Any ships attempting
to leave or enter
these ports will do so
at their own risk.
But on August 4th, near
the north vietnamese port
of haiphong,
something strange
starts to happen.
These mines just
start exploding.
The u.S. Navy has no idea why.
The over-flying u.S. Aircrew
observe 25 explosions
in about 30 seconds.
But it's just the tip
of the iceberg.
Elsewhere along the coast,
many hundreds of mines
spontaneously explode.
When your weapons
start going off,
that is a, you know, mystery
that you want to get
to the bottom of.
What's behind this synchronized
undersea salvo?
Enemy action, a new superweapon,
or something from
out of this world?
Our vital undersea cable
network is under threat,
and with it, the very future
of the modern world.
And the key to understanding
why lies
in a mysterious incident
50 years ago.
In August 1972,
up to 4,000 u.S. Navy
mines mysteriously explode
in the seas around
northern vietnam.
The question is
what caused all of
these sea mines
to self detonate for
apparently no reason?
The initial assumption
of u.S. Investigators
is that
the enemy must be responsible.
There is speculation that it
may be the north vietnamese,
that somehow they've been able
to alter these mines
autonomously.
But few believe that
the vietnamese have
the technological means
to pull off such
a coordinated feat.
It's not as though
the vietnamese are sending out
underwater demolition teams
and blowing these things up.
The naval officers in charge,
they have no idea why these
mines were self-detonating.
With a north vietnamese
plot unlikely,
the americans
investigate further
and discover
something intriguing.
Among the different mines
deployed by the u.S. Navy,
only one specific type has
blown up in large numbers...
Magnetic mines.
These are mines which go off
when they feel
a large disturbance in
the magnetic field
of the earth.
As a ship passes through
this, it affects the field.
It's a big lump of metal,
and it affects the magnetic
field around it.
If it's a big enough effect,
the mine goes off.
But no ships were spotted
in the vicinity
of the explosions,
so there must have bean
some other kind of trigger.
U.S. Navy investigators
now strongly suspect
some sort of secret
enemy weapon,
and for this,
there is a precedent.
During world war two,
british engineers were able to
trip magnetic mines by using
huge electromagnets
attached to aircraft.
If you have a mine sitting here
in the earth's magnetic field,
then all of a sudden, this other
artificial magnetic field
comes through,
it will basically trip off
the mine.
The vietnamese are not
thought to have such means
at their disposal,
but their cold war backers,
the soviet union, could,
the americans suspect,
be using such aerial technology.
The first investigations were
all focused on sabotage
and a secret soviet weapon,
which caused probably the cia
to spend a lot of time
chasing its own tail.
Having found no evidence
of an electromagnetic
superweapon, the u.S. Navy
investigators are left
scratching their heads.
But then, in a strange twist,
reports emerge from further
afield indicating that they've
been looking in the wrong place
all along.
Elsewhere in the world,
other unexplained phenomena
have been occurring.
We know that this kind of
thing was happening not just
with these mines,
but with other things.
At the same time as
the mines went off in vietnam,
there were actually reports of
electromagnetic disturbances in
the philippines, brazil, japan.
In america itself,
power companies were
reporting failures.
The power systems went
completely haywire.
There's only one thing
known to meddle
with the earth's magnetic field
with such force...
The sun.
The magnetic mines
are set off by
a magnetic anomaly,
by a solar flare.
A solar flare is
an explosion of energy
on the surface of the sun.
It can trigger what's known as
a coronal mass ejection,
which blasts an immense cloud
of magnetized particles out
from the sun at over
a million miles per hour.
If the earth happens
to be in its path,
strange things start to happen.
It can cause alterations in
the earth's magnetic field.
If the magnetic flux
caused by the sun
matched that of
a large metal ship
passing near the sea mines,
it could have triggered
the underwater explosions.
For researchers, this was
sort of a smoking gun.
The explosive events
of 1972 were shocking enough,
but a similar solar event today
could have a far more
wide-ranging impact,
devastating our vital
underwater communications.
If we had a massive solar
flare, it could literally
cripple modern society
as we know it.
Explosive events in 1972
showed conclusively that
solar storms can have a dramatic
impact here on earth.
But new evidence suggests that
their effects can penetrate to
the very bottom of our oceans
with potentially
devastating consequences.
Electromagnetic radiation
from a solar flare can have
implications for radar
and communications at sea,
but it also has the potential
to affect undersea cables.
Hidden along the bottom
of the world's oceans
and connecting the continents
lies a network
of submarine cables.
All this data that we're sharing
and transferring doesn't get
thrown up through satellites.
It all goes through subsea
cable systems.
Those are really the conduits
of the modern information age.
21st century life
on earth relies on 3/4 of
a million miles of undersea
cables... every day,
these carry $10 trillion
worth of
financial transfers
and 99% of internet traffic.
Data doesn't move
through the cloud,
it moves under the ocean.
We sometimes think that they
are, since they're so deep in
the water, that they're not
affected by these solar storms,
electromagnetic kind
of disturbances.
But what we're finding now
is that
they are actually being
affected by these things.
Many experts now agree
that a large-scale solar event
could cripple our essential
underwater cable network,
causing unimaginable
disruption to our daily life.
We cannot rely upon
the sea to protect
our communication systems.
If we have another solar flare,
if there is another event
similar to that of 1972,
then that could wipe out global
communications for days,
if not weeks, causing untold
trouble for millions.
The question is not if,
but when the next solar storm
will hit us.
It's turned from a mystery
into a nightmare.
The world's great
waterfalls combine
awe-inspiring beauty with
terrifying power
and the dizzying prospect
of certain death.
On rare occasions, however,
people do survive such
chance-in-a-million cascades.
But how does anyone
overcome the most
feared and famous falls
on the planet?
How does anyone survive niagara?
May 21, 2012.
A man in his early
forties climbs
a railing near the top
of niagara falls
and jumps in.
He disappears into the torrent
and is swept over the top.
Emergency services are
scrambled to recover
what is assumed will be
his dead body,
but when they arrive
at the foot of the falls,
they are amazed
to discover him alive.
The survivor is hauled
back up the cliff
on a stretcher and airlifted
to the hospital.
There, doctors treat him
for broken ribs
and a collapsed lung,
but he lives.
Of the estimated 5,000 people
who have gone over
niagara falls,
the middle-aged man is one of
just 13 who have survived.
Statistically speaking,
it's a very,
very unlikely event that
you would survive going over
the niagara falls.
Is it luck? Is it a miracle?
Or can science help us
understand how
a fortunate few have survived
this deadly drop?
Astonishingly, some people have,
for whatever reason,
gone over these falls
and survived.
Niagara falls is a thunderous
cliff on the american-canadian
border that sends an icy torrent
plunging 188 feet down
into a churning mass
of frothy water
and jagged rocks.
This natural wonder is thought
to be the fastest flowing falls
in the world,
with over six million cubic
feet of water rushing
over the edge every minute.
Niagara falls is
absolutely spectacular,
hundreds of thousands of tons
of water crashing
over the escarpment.
It's powerful, it's fast.
There's a lot of force.
It's cold... it's one of those
amazing places on earth.
Despite the obvious dangers,
there is a long history of
people throwing themselves over
the great falls at niagara
to see if they can survive.
People get mesmerized,
and they're curious.
Can I survive it?
How could I survive it?
Is it even possible
to survive it?
The first known successful
attempt was made by a woman
called annie edson taylor,
a 63-year-old teacher
from auburn, new york.
Annie taylor decides that she is
going to be the first to survive
going over the niagara falls
purposely in a barrel.
She had a mattress wrapped on
the inside of the barrel
for cushioning,
went over the falls,
survived it, and was therefore
the first person to
successfully go over the falls.
Annie taylor survived
with just a cut and bruises,
but her first words
when she surfaced
after the death-defying feat
were a warning to others...
"no one ought to ever
do that again."
but they did.
People started to go over
the falls in barrels.
People come up
with inventive ways
to go over niagara falls...
Metal boats.
One guy used inner tubes.
I guess it's the same reason
why people want
to climb mountains.
The falls was there,
and he just wanted
to conquer it.
Some people go over because
they want to be daredevils.
Some people go over
just 'cause they're crazy.
Daredevil attempts carried
out using some form of safety
equipment like barrels
make up the majority of
niagara survivals.
But even more remarkable are
the handful of survivors who
have made the great leap
without any form of protection.
How could anybody survive
such a fall?
As far as we know,
only 13 people have survived
a leap over niagara falls,
the majority in
protective barrels,
but a handful have gone over
without any form
of protection and lived
to tell the tale.
It's kind of a mystery why
those people survive
while other people don't.
There are a number of
factors to bear in mind here.
So firstly, there's
the sheer height.
At 188 feet, niagara is higher
than the leaning tower of pisa.
188 feet, icy drop
to the bottom...
No, thank you.
But remarkably,
unprotected jumps into water
from an even greater height
have been survived.
In 2015, laso schaller
jumped into a lagoon
in switzerland from
a height of 192 feet.
He came out unscathed.
But schaller had carefully
selected his jump point
and could control exactly
where and when
he hit the water.
A jump into the mighty torrent
of niagara is far
less predictable.
At the bottom of the falls,
there are some areas
that are rockier
and some areas that are
less rocky.
And there are other odds
stacked against
a niagara jumper.
There's the shock of
the hitting the water.
The water is cold,
it's freezing.
How long do you have before
you're at risk for hypothermia?
There are so many things
working against you here.
But certain things are as
applicable to successful
niagara jumpers
as they are to any other
high divers.
Body position on water entry
is critical.
It seems as though many of
them enter the water feet first,
perhaps on the tips
of their toes,
which is protecting their
brain from a brain injury,
and therefore, they go much more
easily into the water.
And high divers have
another trick to survive
hitting the water.
They will tighten up their
muscles really, really tight,
and this will help them avoid
any sort of injury
to their organs
or their other muscles
by going...
Entering the water
in super-tight form.
The maelstrom of water
at the bottom of
the falls could also offer
an initial advantage.
There is a giant
washing machine creating
air bubbles down there.
Hitting static water at speed
is like hitting a solid object,
but aerated water provides
far less resistance,
and because of this,
high divers often rig
air tanks into their dive pools
to soften their entry.
But there is a downside
to this aerated water.
You are not going to be able
to swim in that
low density, almost, water.
You can't get to the service,
you try to breathe,
you're gonna breathe in water
and air.
You're gonna drown.
In addition, the water
thundering down from the falls
creates lethal eddies
and whirlpools,
making the freezing water
completely unpredictable
and whipping debris around at up
to 30 miles per hour.
There's a dynamic movement
of water when
you get to the bottom
of the falls.
We're talking whirlpools
and currents,
so it's not like you can even
physically swim.
The water beneath 'em churns,
and it will push you under,
and most people want to come
to the surface immediately.
What people need to do
is actually swim down
below to be able
to get kicked out.
Most people who go over
the falls don't know that,
and, you know, if you're
stuck, you drown.
But against all the odds,
somehow, it is possible to
survive this lethal descent.
It might be a combination
of luck, um,
and chance and physics.
You just kind of never know.
A lot of things
have to play together.
We'll probably never really
understand how a small number
of men and women have endured
one of the most powerful
forces on the planet
and lived to tell the tale.
But for me, the best way
to survive niagara
is to never even consider
jumping in the first place.
Although statistically safe,
the history of sea travel is
awash with mysterious dangers,
sudden storms,
pillaging pirates,
even sea monsters.
But could there be
a new danger out there
on the high seas?
A secretive force that arrives
without warning,
causes huge destruction,
and disappears without trace
back into the deep?
June 13, 2019.
The norwegian-owned oil tanker,
front altair, is
sailing in international
waters near
the strait of hormuz
on a routine voyage from
the united arab emirates
to taiwan
when suddenly the ship is
shaken by a powerful impact.
The ship is smothered in smoke.
Clearly, something dramatic
has happened.
The ship's crew have no
time to launch any lifeboats.
Smoke is so thick that
the crews decide
to radio for help and abandon
ship as quickly as they can,
avoiding normal procedure
and just getting to sea
to get away from their ship.
The tanker is carrying
75,000 tons of
naphtha, a flammable liquid
hydrocarbon mixture.
It could be an accident,
so something's exploded
on the ship accidentally.
The front altair's crew are
still in the water when
the nearby u.S. Fifth fleet
receives a second
distress signal from
a different ship.
It soon emerges that
another attack has taken place
on a similar vessel
of another nation in the region,
raising the specter of
a concerted campaign being
carried out against shipping
that is vital
to the world economy.
Can this be a coincidence?
Probably not.
When you see these kind of
attacks that are very similar,
they're very close in time,
you have to start
asking questions.
Are they related?
Are they coordinated?
Fortunately, no one
is seriously harmed.
But these multiple explosions
are no accident.
Soon, it becomes apparent
a major incident has occurred.
Who or what is behind this
coordinated series of attacks?
A military assault
on a large ship
would normally utilize
missiles or torpedoes.
The moment they see smoke,
the moment they see a ship
belch fire, they think
it's been hit by a missile.
But this is not
a conventional military attack.
The damage bears
the hallmarks of magnetic mines.
Explosive devices attached
to the hull,
the outside of the ships,
which had been set off by...
Either via timer or remotely.
The damage at the blast hole
is consistent with
a limpet mine attack.
A limpet mine is
a portable small explosive
that can be stuck
to, in this case,
a hull of a ship.
Which means
this deadly military hardware
was placed in position.
So who put it there?
Mysterious coordinated attacks
on two tankers in
the strait of hormuz have
investigators baffled,
and it turns out this is not
the first time it's happened.
A month earlier
to the day, four other
huge supertankers had
sustained similar damage
in other similar attacks.
The theory about coordination
becomes even more likely.
Billions of dollars worth
of oil are shipped through
the strait of hormuz every year,
and as a result, this is one of
the most closely monitored
sea areas on the planet.
So if the perpetrators of
the attacks were using boats,
they would have been spotted.
But could they have been using
remote underwater vehicles?
Was there some kind of
submersible or some kind of
underwater mechanism
that is being used
to attack these ships?
Underwater vehicles are
usually operated
via a control line,
which makes clandestine use
over distance
difficult to impossible.
Only one other obvious option
remains that can operate
above and below water with
such stealth and precision...
Specially trained divers.
These are very highly
skilled frogmen,
highly trained
military individuals.
These are elite warriors.
The identity and true motives of
the attackers remains
shrouded in mystery.
You cannot prove who they are.
The equipment will be
internationally sourced.
They will all disappear.
No nation will acknowledge
who they are.
You actually have to
physically catch them
to be able to prove
who they belong to.
This is a region absolutely
rife with tension.
The blame game begins.
Who did it?
Iran does have a track record of
causing trouble
in the straits of hormuz,
however, they cannot be ruled
as the only potential actor.
There are terrorist
organizations around the world,
some of whom have developed
marine wings
which are specializing
in this sort of operation.
Could an unknown
terrorist network
be responsible for
these maritime attacks?
We're used to seeing
terrorist acts on land.
We're not used to seeing
terrorist acts at sea,
and especially in the stealthy
undersea environment.
This could be a really scary
new development.
As airports have become
more secure,
are terrorists turning to
ports and shipping as the new
targets of choice?
The theories with frogmen,
especially with the growth in
diving as a hobby
and as an industry, is that
these skills are actually
becoming more
and more available,
and terrorist organizations
developing marine wings
with these capabilities.
The world is now waking up
to this new threat.
But how do you stop
an underwater terrorist?
The only really way
that they're gonna be able to
protect themselves is getting
a full picture of what's
happening under the water.
So now, with technology like
sonar, electro-optics, radar,
we're actually able to see
a real-time view of
the underwater environment.
But while port defenses
can be stepped up
relatively easily,
the risk of terrorist attack
out on the open ocean remains.
Are we heading to a future where
these are gonna get
more frequent,
where there's gonna be more
and more incidents in
the maritime sphere that
impact upon global trade?
Terrorism worldwide
is constantly adapting
and evolving,
finding new ways of wreaking
havoc in new
and unexpected places.
The 9-11 terrorists turned
civilian airliners into
lethally effective missiles,
killing thousands.
So if the threat of deepwater
terrorists isn't countered,
what might they do in
the future with, say,
a supertanker full of oil?
cable network at risk
from forces beyond our control?
It could literally cripple
modern society as we know it.
Can new discoveries on
the sea floor finally confirm
an explosive theory about
the atlantic's most notorious
expanse of water?
Could this explain
some of the stories
that we've heard about
the bermuda triangle?
And how have a fortunate
few gone over the world's
most famous waterfall and lived
to tell the tale?
It's very,
very unlikely that you
would survive going
over the niagara falls.
The underwater realm
is another dimension.
It's a physically hostile
place where dreams of promise
can sink into darkness.
I'm jeremy wade.
I'm searching the world
to bring you
the most iconic and baffling
underwater mysteries
known to science.
Shipwrecks can't just
disappear... Or can they?
It's a dangerous,
unexplored frontier that
swallows evidence.
We know more about the face
of mars than we do
our deepest oceans.
Where unknown is normal
and understanding
is rare.
Over the years, the bermuda
triangle has been the scene of
the disappearance of dozens of
ships and aircraft
and hundreds of people.
What is it about
this area of ocean
that has made it so notorious?
Now, scientists are making big
discoveries at the bottom of
our oceans that promise
to shed new light on
some of the bermuda triangle's
most mysterious incidents.
On a calm spring day,
a tugboat is sailing
from puerto rico
to fort lauderdale,
florida, through
the southern section of
the bermuda triangle.
Her experienced captain is
resting below deck
when he receives a sudden call
to come to the bridge.
The compass was spinning
like mad,
and he'd never seen anything
like that before.
A strange darkness
descends on the vessel,
and without warning,
all the tugboat's
electronic systems shut down.
Nothing electric was working.
The communications were all out.
The captain heads out
on deck and is shocked
by what he sees.
The crew become aware that
the sea around the ship
is boiling.
The currents on the sea
are going wildly in
different directions.
The crew are
absolutely terrified.
The fog is just
so thick that he can't
distinguish between where the
sky stops and the sea starts.
Fearing the worst,
the captain orders
full speed ahead
to escape the churning waters.
Eventually, the tugboat breaks
through the fog into
calmer seas and sails away
from the danger.
The crew are at a loss
to explain what they have
just experienced.
What could have caused this
to happen?
We want to know what it is,
and we want to know more.
One natural phenomenon
that can have a dramatic effect
on the state of the sea is
underwater seismic activity.
Volcanoes and marine systems
vary quite a bit, just like
they do on land.
It can cause disturbances
that can
affect the surface of the water.
In that case, what
you actually have is heat.
They emit a huge amount of...
Of gases,
and all of those create bubbles.
Underwater volcanoes
have bean blamed for sea
disturbances and ship
disappearances
elsewhere in the world.
But no volcanic activity
was reported
in the vicinity
of the tugboat incident.
So what else might
be responsible?
There are also underwater
rock shifts that will release
unexpected waves,
unexpected currents.
But generally,
those currents are not
associated with bubbling
or boiling.
For the ocean to be as volatile
as the waters that surrounded
the besieged tugboat,
it is thought that
some other natural force
must have been at play,
and there is
one prime suspect...
The highly combustible gas,
methane.
Methane deposits are
mixtures of ice
and gas that are found
in sediments
in the world's oceans,
and we're finding more and more
of them.
Kept in an icy state
by the immense pressure
and low temperatures at
the bottom of the ocean,
methane, often in the form of
solid compounds
called hydrates,
only needs a small disturbance
to be unleashed.
You go to the bottom
of the ocean, and you shake up
and you disturb the areas
where the hydrates are,
and literally bubbles of gas
erupt from the bottom
of the ocean
and start going up
the water column.
So could releases of
methane from the sea floor
have caused the appearance of
a boiling sea around the tugboat
traveling through
the bermuda triangle?
By the time methane
gas reaches the top surface,
it is going very rapidly.
That motion
generates turbulence,
seemingly random motion
in all directions.
But a boiling sea was not
the only phenomenon witnessed
by the tugboat crew.
Their navigational instruments
also malfunctioned.
When gas is followed close
to a conductive surface,
they build up
an electric charge.
It's known as
the streaming potential.
It's an electric
kinetic phenomenon.
This charge could have
overloaded the tugboat's
electrical systems,
sending its instruments haywire.
The tugboat was then sailing
blind, trying to get through
the dense fog,
possibly another effect
of methane.
Those small bubbles,
they've had the opportunity
to hit
100% relative humidity,
and they will release a fog
when those bubbles have burst.
It's a fog that should be
fairly dense.
A methane burst seems
the most likely cause
of the mysterious event
experienced by the tugboat crew.
But could methane be
responsible for
more deadly incidents
in these notorious waters?
Could this potentially
explain some of
the narratives and the stories
that we've heard
about the bermuda triangle?
Terrifying a tugboat crew
is one thing,
but causing the disappearance
of whole ships
with all passengers and crew
is quite another.
This would require
an enormous force.
October 1985.
In the norwegian oil fields
of the north sea,
a helicopter captures
this extraordinary footage.
Routine drilling
beneath a rig has
accidentally unlocked
a large pocket of natural gases,
predominantly methane.
Huge quantities of gas
roar up from the sea floor
with a force that threatens
the stability of
the platform itself.
This phenomenon, known by oil
workers as the burp of death,
is not uncommon in oil fields,
but could there be dangerous
methane deposits elsewhere,
including in
the bermuda triangle,
with the power
to take down ships?
Methane gas escaping
from the sea floor is
responsible for a number of
disturbing incidents at sea.
But could it be behind
mystery disappearances
in the bermuda triangle?
The 1985 gas release
that threatened an oil platform
in the north sea
showed devastating force.
The incident was not a natural
occurrence, however.
It was caused by
intrusive human activity,
drilling for oil.
But could massive methane
discharges like this occur
naturally and on a scale that
could endanger shipping?
In 2017, researchers at
the arctic university
of norway report
a remarkable new discovery...
Huge craters at the bottom
of the ocean up to
half a mile wide
and almost 100 feet deep.
The norwegian research
indicates that you could have
large bubble bursts
from the sea floor.
The giant craters found at
the bottom of the barents sea
reveal what could be
evidence of massive,
naturally-occurring
deep ocean methane bursts.
These large methane craters were
the result of significant
methane explosions.
The methane built up
in large amounts and then was
released all at once.
Instead of a gradual
release of bubbles
that causes the surface water
to churn,
these craters suggest methane
blowouts on a massive scale.
A single eruption can throw
vast quantities
of methane to sea.
We're talking millions of tons.
A ship caught in such
an event could be doomed.
The water would suddenly
become much less dense due to
the sheer quantity of gas,
sinking the vessel in a matter
of moments.
If a bubble occurred while
a ship was directly above it,
it could be submerged
into this pocket
of gas that is less
dense than the water
that the rest of the ship is...
Is on.
But this deadly gas
from the bottom
of the ocean doesn't stop
at the surface.
It continues to rise.
So if you have a crater
that's half a mile wide,
releasing a burst of methane,
and what would it do
to the air-sea interface
and the turbulence
of the air above?
You know, what... what would
that look like?
Momentum doesn't just stop
when this plume hits
the top surface.
It carries on
into the atmosphere.
If your aircraft is above that,
it will knock out the controls,
the communications, and,
of course, the navigation.
And there's
a further potentially
fatal threat
to over-flying planes.
Methane is explosive, and if
you have a huge pocket of it,
and an aircraft
goes through it...
You know, we have
all that static electricity
around 'em, as well, and if...
You just need a spark, methane,
and it's surrounded by oxygen.
Faced with shocking
evidence of the dangers
to shipping and aircraft,
scientists are racing to try
and identify where large
reserves of methane
may be located,
either in the form of gas
pockets or solid hydrates.
Currently, researchers at
the woods hole oceanographic
institute are using
spectroscopy to identify
methane hydrates.
They've been using gas
collection techniques
to actually measure
the amount of natural gas
that's found on the sea floor
in different locations,
and they're measuring
those gases to see what
their components are.
And the results
for methane are startling.
Recent discoveries show that
methane is incredibly
superabundant in the...
In the world's oceans.
Some estimate that it's
as much as 70% of
the world's supply of methane
is actually stored
under the oceans.
These undersea reservoirs
are being discovered all over
the world,
including off the east coast
of the united states,
but are there any in the seabed
under the bermuda triangle?
We currently don't have any
evidence that large methane
buildups are happening
in the area of the triangle...
That's yet to be discovered.
Massive methane discoveries
under our oceans add weight
to the theory that this gas
could be responsible
for disappearances
in the bermuda triangle.
But with reserves being
uncovered worldwide,
could methane be behind
the mystery of missing ships
in other parts of the world,
too?
Hidden on the bottom
of our oceans
is a massive network
of undersea cables.
These carry 99% of all
internet traffic
and trillions of dollars of
financial transfers every day.
They are the arteries that
keep the modern world alive.
But an alarming incident
in the early 1970s
suggest this network
could be vulnerable to
mysterious forces.
August 1972.
A military aircraft from
u.S. Task force 77 is
flying over southeast asia
on a routine flight.
As it banks over
the south china sea,
the crew sees a disturbance
in the water below... a large,
mysterious explosion bursting
from the ocean.
This is a real mystery.
No one actually really
knew what happened there.
The vietnam war is at
a critical stage,
but there are no major combat
operations in the area
at this time.
So what is exploding and why?
In an attempt to bring the war
to a swift conclusion,
the u.S. Military has initiated
a blockade of
north vietnamese ports.
All entrances to north
vietnamese ports will be mined.
Huge numbers of powerful
sea mines are deployed.
This was a huge operation done
by the united states navy.
The sea was literally seeded
with over 11,000 mines.
Floating on or just
under the surface,
these mines lie in wait for
any unsuspecting enemy vessel.
Any ships attempting
to leave or enter
these ports will do so
at their own risk.
But on August 4th, near
the north vietnamese port
of haiphong,
something strange
starts to happen.
These mines just
start exploding.
The u.S. Navy has no idea why.
The over-flying u.S. Aircrew
observe 25 explosions
in about 30 seconds.
But it's just the tip
of the iceberg.
Elsewhere along the coast,
many hundreds of mines
spontaneously explode.
When your weapons
start going off,
that is a, you know, mystery
that you want to get
to the bottom of.
What's behind this synchronized
undersea salvo?
Enemy action, a new superweapon,
or something from
out of this world?
Our vital undersea cable
network is under threat,
and with it, the very future
of the modern world.
And the key to understanding
why lies
in a mysterious incident
50 years ago.
In August 1972,
up to 4,000 u.S. Navy
mines mysteriously explode
in the seas around
northern vietnam.
The question is
what caused all of
these sea mines
to self detonate for
apparently no reason?
The initial assumption
of u.S. Investigators
is that
the enemy must be responsible.
There is speculation that it
may be the north vietnamese,
that somehow they've been able
to alter these mines
autonomously.
But few believe that
the vietnamese have
the technological means
to pull off such
a coordinated feat.
It's not as though
the vietnamese are sending out
underwater demolition teams
and blowing these things up.
The naval officers in charge,
they have no idea why these
mines were self-detonating.
With a north vietnamese
plot unlikely,
the americans
investigate further
and discover
something intriguing.
Among the different mines
deployed by the u.S. Navy,
only one specific type has
blown up in large numbers...
Magnetic mines.
These are mines which go off
when they feel
a large disturbance in
the magnetic field
of the earth.
As a ship passes through
this, it affects the field.
It's a big lump of metal,
and it affects the magnetic
field around it.
If it's a big enough effect,
the mine goes off.
But no ships were spotted
in the vicinity
of the explosions,
so there must have bean
some other kind of trigger.
U.S. Navy investigators
now strongly suspect
some sort of secret
enemy weapon,
and for this,
there is a precedent.
During world war two,
british engineers were able to
trip magnetic mines by using
huge electromagnets
attached to aircraft.
If you have a mine sitting here
in the earth's magnetic field,
then all of a sudden, this other
artificial magnetic field
comes through,
it will basically trip off
the mine.
The vietnamese are not
thought to have such means
at their disposal,
but their cold war backers,
the soviet union, could,
the americans suspect,
be using such aerial technology.
The first investigations were
all focused on sabotage
and a secret soviet weapon,
which caused probably the cia
to spend a lot of time
chasing its own tail.
Having found no evidence
of an electromagnetic
superweapon, the u.S. Navy
investigators are left
scratching their heads.
But then, in a strange twist,
reports emerge from further
afield indicating that they've
been looking in the wrong place
all along.
Elsewhere in the world,
other unexplained phenomena
have been occurring.
We know that this kind of
thing was happening not just
with these mines,
but with other things.
At the same time as
the mines went off in vietnam,
there were actually reports of
electromagnetic disturbances in
the philippines, brazil, japan.
In america itself,
power companies were
reporting failures.
The power systems went
completely haywire.
There's only one thing
known to meddle
with the earth's magnetic field
with such force...
The sun.
The magnetic mines
are set off by
a magnetic anomaly,
by a solar flare.
A solar flare is
an explosion of energy
on the surface of the sun.
It can trigger what's known as
a coronal mass ejection,
which blasts an immense cloud
of magnetized particles out
from the sun at over
a million miles per hour.
If the earth happens
to be in its path,
strange things start to happen.
It can cause alterations in
the earth's magnetic field.
If the magnetic flux
caused by the sun
matched that of
a large metal ship
passing near the sea mines,
it could have triggered
the underwater explosions.
For researchers, this was
sort of a smoking gun.
The explosive events
of 1972 were shocking enough,
but a similar solar event today
could have a far more
wide-ranging impact,
devastating our vital
underwater communications.
If we had a massive solar
flare, it could literally
cripple modern society
as we know it.
Explosive events in 1972
showed conclusively that
solar storms can have a dramatic
impact here on earth.
But new evidence suggests that
their effects can penetrate to
the very bottom of our oceans
with potentially
devastating consequences.
Electromagnetic radiation
from a solar flare can have
implications for radar
and communications at sea,
but it also has the potential
to affect undersea cables.
Hidden along the bottom
of the world's oceans
and connecting the continents
lies a network
of submarine cables.
All this data that we're sharing
and transferring doesn't get
thrown up through satellites.
It all goes through subsea
cable systems.
Those are really the conduits
of the modern information age.
21st century life
on earth relies on 3/4 of
a million miles of undersea
cables... every day,
these carry $10 trillion
worth of
financial transfers
and 99% of internet traffic.
Data doesn't move
through the cloud,
it moves under the ocean.
We sometimes think that they
are, since they're so deep in
the water, that they're not
affected by these solar storms,
electromagnetic kind
of disturbances.
But what we're finding now
is that
they are actually being
affected by these things.
Many experts now agree
that a large-scale solar event
could cripple our essential
underwater cable network,
causing unimaginable
disruption to our daily life.
We cannot rely upon
the sea to protect
our communication systems.
If we have another solar flare,
if there is another event
similar to that of 1972,
then that could wipe out global
communications for days,
if not weeks, causing untold
trouble for millions.
The question is not if,
but when the next solar storm
will hit us.
It's turned from a mystery
into a nightmare.
The world's great
waterfalls combine
awe-inspiring beauty with
terrifying power
and the dizzying prospect
of certain death.
On rare occasions, however,
people do survive such
chance-in-a-million cascades.
But how does anyone
overcome the most
feared and famous falls
on the planet?
How does anyone survive niagara?
May 21, 2012.
A man in his early
forties climbs
a railing near the top
of niagara falls
and jumps in.
He disappears into the torrent
and is swept over the top.
Emergency services are
scrambled to recover
what is assumed will be
his dead body,
but when they arrive
at the foot of the falls,
they are amazed
to discover him alive.
The survivor is hauled
back up the cliff
on a stretcher and airlifted
to the hospital.
There, doctors treat him
for broken ribs
and a collapsed lung,
but he lives.
Of the estimated 5,000 people
who have gone over
niagara falls,
the middle-aged man is one of
just 13 who have survived.
Statistically speaking,
it's a very,
very unlikely event that
you would survive going over
the niagara falls.
Is it luck? Is it a miracle?
Or can science help us
understand how
a fortunate few have survived
this deadly drop?
Astonishingly, some people have,
for whatever reason,
gone over these falls
and survived.
Niagara falls is a thunderous
cliff on the american-canadian
border that sends an icy torrent
plunging 188 feet down
into a churning mass
of frothy water
and jagged rocks.
This natural wonder is thought
to be the fastest flowing falls
in the world,
with over six million cubic
feet of water rushing
over the edge every minute.
Niagara falls is
absolutely spectacular,
hundreds of thousands of tons
of water crashing
over the escarpment.
It's powerful, it's fast.
There's a lot of force.
It's cold... it's one of those
amazing places on earth.
Despite the obvious dangers,
there is a long history of
people throwing themselves over
the great falls at niagara
to see if they can survive.
People get mesmerized,
and they're curious.
Can I survive it?
How could I survive it?
Is it even possible
to survive it?
The first known successful
attempt was made by a woman
called annie edson taylor,
a 63-year-old teacher
from auburn, new york.
Annie taylor decides that she is
going to be the first to survive
going over the niagara falls
purposely in a barrel.
She had a mattress wrapped on
the inside of the barrel
for cushioning,
went over the falls,
survived it, and was therefore
the first person to
successfully go over the falls.
Annie taylor survived
with just a cut and bruises,
but her first words
when she surfaced
after the death-defying feat
were a warning to others...
"no one ought to ever
do that again."
but they did.
People started to go over
the falls in barrels.
People come up
with inventive ways
to go over niagara falls...
Metal boats.
One guy used inner tubes.
I guess it's the same reason
why people want
to climb mountains.
The falls was there,
and he just wanted
to conquer it.
Some people go over because
they want to be daredevils.
Some people go over
just 'cause they're crazy.
Daredevil attempts carried
out using some form of safety
equipment like barrels
make up the majority of
niagara survivals.
But even more remarkable are
the handful of survivors who
have made the great leap
without any form of protection.
How could anybody survive
such a fall?
As far as we know,
only 13 people have survived
a leap over niagara falls,
the majority in
protective barrels,
but a handful have gone over
without any form
of protection and lived
to tell the tale.
It's kind of a mystery why
those people survive
while other people don't.
There are a number of
factors to bear in mind here.
So firstly, there's
the sheer height.
At 188 feet, niagara is higher
than the leaning tower of pisa.
188 feet, icy drop
to the bottom...
No, thank you.
But remarkably,
unprotected jumps into water
from an even greater height
have been survived.
In 2015, laso schaller
jumped into a lagoon
in switzerland from
a height of 192 feet.
He came out unscathed.
But schaller had carefully
selected his jump point
and could control exactly
where and when
he hit the water.
A jump into the mighty torrent
of niagara is far
less predictable.
At the bottom of the falls,
there are some areas
that are rockier
and some areas that are
less rocky.
And there are other odds
stacked against
a niagara jumper.
There's the shock of
the hitting the water.
The water is cold,
it's freezing.
How long do you have before
you're at risk for hypothermia?
There are so many things
working against you here.
But certain things are as
applicable to successful
niagara jumpers
as they are to any other
high divers.
Body position on water entry
is critical.
It seems as though many of
them enter the water feet first,
perhaps on the tips
of their toes,
which is protecting their
brain from a brain injury,
and therefore, they go much more
easily into the water.
And high divers have
another trick to survive
hitting the water.
They will tighten up their
muscles really, really tight,
and this will help them avoid
any sort of injury
to their organs
or their other muscles
by going...
Entering the water
in super-tight form.
The maelstrom of water
at the bottom of
the falls could also offer
an initial advantage.
There is a giant
washing machine creating
air bubbles down there.
Hitting static water at speed
is like hitting a solid object,
but aerated water provides
far less resistance,
and because of this,
high divers often rig
air tanks into their dive pools
to soften their entry.
But there is a downside
to this aerated water.
You are not going to be able
to swim in that
low density, almost, water.
You can't get to the service,
you try to breathe,
you're gonna breathe in water
and air.
You're gonna drown.
In addition, the water
thundering down from the falls
creates lethal eddies
and whirlpools,
making the freezing water
completely unpredictable
and whipping debris around at up
to 30 miles per hour.
There's a dynamic movement
of water when
you get to the bottom
of the falls.
We're talking whirlpools
and currents,
so it's not like you can even
physically swim.
The water beneath 'em churns,
and it will push you under,
and most people want to come
to the surface immediately.
What people need to do
is actually swim down
below to be able
to get kicked out.
Most people who go over
the falls don't know that,
and, you know, if you're
stuck, you drown.
But against all the odds,
somehow, it is possible to
survive this lethal descent.
It might be a combination
of luck, um,
and chance and physics.
You just kind of never know.
A lot of things
have to play together.
We'll probably never really
understand how a small number
of men and women have endured
one of the most powerful
forces on the planet
and lived to tell the tale.
But for me, the best way
to survive niagara
is to never even consider
jumping in the first place.
Although statistically safe,
the history of sea travel is
awash with mysterious dangers,
sudden storms,
pillaging pirates,
even sea monsters.
But could there be
a new danger out there
on the high seas?
A secretive force that arrives
without warning,
causes huge destruction,
and disappears without trace
back into the deep?
June 13, 2019.
The norwegian-owned oil tanker,
front altair, is
sailing in international
waters near
the strait of hormuz
on a routine voyage from
the united arab emirates
to taiwan
when suddenly the ship is
shaken by a powerful impact.
The ship is smothered in smoke.
Clearly, something dramatic
has happened.
The ship's crew have no
time to launch any lifeboats.
Smoke is so thick that
the crews decide
to radio for help and abandon
ship as quickly as they can,
avoiding normal procedure
and just getting to sea
to get away from their ship.
The tanker is carrying
75,000 tons of
naphtha, a flammable liquid
hydrocarbon mixture.
It could be an accident,
so something's exploded
on the ship accidentally.
The front altair's crew are
still in the water when
the nearby u.S. Fifth fleet
receives a second
distress signal from
a different ship.
It soon emerges that
another attack has taken place
on a similar vessel
of another nation in the region,
raising the specter of
a concerted campaign being
carried out against shipping
that is vital
to the world economy.
Can this be a coincidence?
Probably not.
When you see these kind of
attacks that are very similar,
they're very close in time,
you have to start
asking questions.
Are they related?
Are they coordinated?
Fortunately, no one
is seriously harmed.
But these multiple explosions
are no accident.
Soon, it becomes apparent
a major incident has occurred.
Who or what is behind this
coordinated series of attacks?
A military assault
on a large ship
would normally utilize
missiles or torpedoes.
The moment they see smoke,
the moment they see a ship
belch fire, they think
it's been hit by a missile.
But this is not
a conventional military attack.
The damage bears
the hallmarks of magnetic mines.
Explosive devices attached
to the hull,
the outside of the ships,
which had been set off by...
Either via timer or remotely.
The damage at the blast hole
is consistent with
a limpet mine attack.
A limpet mine is
a portable small explosive
that can be stuck
to, in this case,
a hull of a ship.
Which means
this deadly military hardware
was placed in position.
So who put it there?
Mysterious coordinated attacks
on two tankers in
the strait of hormuz have
investigators baffled,
and it turns out this is not
the first time it's happened.
A month earlier
to the day, four other
huge supertankers had
sustained similar damage
in other similar attacks.
The theory about coordination
becomes even more likely.
Billions of dollars worth
of oil are shipped through
the strait of hormuz every year,
and as a result, this is one of
the most closely monitored
sea areas on the planet.
So if the perpetrators of
the attacks were using boats,
they would have been spotted.
But could they have been using
remote underwater vehicles?
Was there some kind of
submersible or some kind of
underwater mechanism
that is being used
to attack these ships?
Underwater vehicles are
usually operated
via a control line,
which makes clandestine use
over distance
difficult to impossible.
Only one other obvious option
remains that can operate
above and below water with
such stealth and precision...
Specially trained divers.
These are very highly
skilled frogmen,
highly trained
military individuals.
These are elite warriors.
The identity and true motives of
the attackers remains
shrouded in mystery.
You cannot prove who they are.
The equipment will be
internationally sourced.
They will all disappear.
No nation will acknowledge
who they are.
You actually have to
physically catch them
to be able to prove
who they belong to.
This is a region absolutely
rife with tension.
The blame game begins.
Who did it?
Iran does have a track record of
causing trouble
in the straits of hormuz,
however, they cannot be ruled
as the only potential actor.
There are terrorist
organizations around the world,
some of whom have developed
marine wings
which are specializing
in this sort of operation.
Could an unknown
terrorist network
be responsible for
these maritime attacks?
We're used to seeing
terrorist acts on land.
We're not used to seeing
terrorist acts at sea,
and especially in the stealthy
undersea environment.
This could be a really scary
new development.
As airports have become
more secure,
are terrorists turning to
ports and shipping as the new
targets of choice?
The theories with frogmen,
especially with the growth in
diving as a hobby
and as an industry, is that
these skills are actually
becoming more
and more available,
and terrorist organizations
developing marine wings
with these capabilities.
The world is now waking up
to this new threat.
But how do you stop
an underwater terrorist?
The only really way
that they're gonna be able to
protect themselves is getting
a full picture of what's
happening under the water.
So now, with technology like
sonar, electro-optics, radar,
we're actually able to see
a real-time view of
the underwater environment.
But while port defenses
can be stepped up
relatively easily,
the risk of terrorist attack
out on the open ocean remains.
Are we heading to a future where
these are gonna get
more frequent,
where there's gonna be more
and more incidents in
the maritime sphere that
impact upon global trade?
Terrorism worldwide
is constantly adapting
and evolving,
finding new ways of wreaking
havoc in new
and unexpected places.
The 9-11 terrorists turned
civilian airliners into
lethally effective missiles,
killing thousands.
So if the threat of deepwater
terrorists isn't countered,
what might they do in
the future with, say,
a supertanker full of oil?