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- This is the island called Rangaroa,
and it's one of the main islands
in the Tahitian group of islands or atolls.
Divers from all over the world visit this island
to explore its lagoons and the ocean.
The fish life is awesome,
and there are many species for divers to check out.
The water is warm all year round,
and it's always clear which is what divers like.
The deep channels are great places to dive
because the channels and tides
have attracted much marine life.
The whole island has a huge amount
of fantastic diving locations,
but marine biologists are most interested in the channels
as this is thought to be where sharks breed.
But what most divers come here to see
are the sharks that have made the area their home.
This is a hammerhead, and it has a bad reputation,
but the truth is, hammerheads are very shy
and rarely come near.
Many species of shark can be seen at Rangaroa,
however, it's the silver-tipped shark
that most interests divers.
The scuba guides take the divers under the water
and feed the sharks.
This allows the divers to see the large sharks in action.
This guide has hidden small pieces of fish under some coral,
and the shark is swimming around
and using its very keen sense of smell to find the fish.
In Tahiti, shark feeding has been taking place
for more than 20 years without anybody getting hurt.
The feeding is performed at the same spots
outside the reef barriers.
The way the feeding is done
can differ from dive centre to dive centre.
The silver-tipped shark is a fairly large and slender shark
found at offshore remote island reefs.
It's also a rare shark to see,
and that's why divers like Rangaroa
because they can get a chance to swim with these rare sharks.
The silver-tipped shark is named
because of its white markings on all of its fins.
The silver-tipped shark is found near reefs
at depths of about 30 metres,
but they can go much deeper.
They're common in many areas throughout the world in warm water,
but they generally stay away from divers.
They tend to stay in the same area
and don't seem to migrate like other ocean-travelling sharks
such as the Great White, which can cross all the oceans.
They grow to a length of three metres
and can weigh as much as 162 kg.
They feed mainly on mid-water fish,
including rays and other small sharks.
They've also been known to eat squid and octopus.
Sometimes they harass divers,
but reports of attacks are very rare.
They sometimes try to let the diver know
that this is their space.
If a shark does become aggressive or angry,
the divers simply leave the area.
This time, the guide is feeding the shark in mid-water.
The guide just takes some fish pieces out of a bag
and lets the pieces drift with the current.
The sharks smell the fish and follow the scent to the divers.
This silver-tipped shark is a medium-sized one.
As the shark gets closer to the food,
it speeds up and becomes excited.
Smaller grey reef sharks stay away from the silver-tipped,
but wait patiently to dart in for a piece of food
that is missed by the white-tipped.
The grey reef sharks are timid when larger sharks are around,
but they're very fast and always manage to get some food.
Now our diving guide is going to show us
how he hand-feeds the grey reef sharks.
The problem here is all the other fish
that want a piece of the action.
Compared to the smaller fish, the sharks are very shy.
Our guide has had much experience with this group of sharks,
and he's comfortable and knows the correct technique
for feeding the sharks without losing his fingers.
The divers line up to the side while the guides feed the sharks.
Most divers come to really like sharks
and appreciate the magnificence of the animal.
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Sharks were around when the dinosaurs roamed the planet,
and they are very highly evolved for their environment.
The grey reef shark is a shy shark,
and feeding sessions such as this one
allow a diver to get close to the animal.
MUSIC
Now, this is Reef Shark City.
Hundreds of sharks come to these channels to breed
and just hang out together.
See if you can spot some silver-tip sharks
amongst the grey reef sharks.
All divers who participated in the feedings
described it as a very positive experience,
which has changed their opinion about the so often
called man-eating monsters.
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This is a Japanese mini submarine,
and it was found at 12.20pm on August 28, 2002.
It was found using the Pisces 4 and Pisces 5,
two deep-diving submersibles
operated by the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, or Hurl.
The Japanese midget submarine was the first vessel
sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The discovery was very important to Japan and America.
To find a wreck, organisations such as Hurl
start by determining the most likely place a wreck should be.
They determine the search area
and then tow a number of pieces of equipment
behind the research vessel.
These can include ROVs or remotely operated video units.
Magnetometers, which can determine metal,
such as a wreck on the ocean floor,
or they can use side-scan sonar.
The development of digital computer technology
made plotting of sonar data much easier.
The side-scan sonar is lowered down close to the seabed.
Then it sends a sound pulse into the water
on both sides of the ship.
The instrument then records the sound's echo
and prints out a very detailed picture
of the ocean floor.
This is what the scientists see.
The center line is the ship's course.
So if you imagine the ship sitting there
and shooting the sound to each side of the ship.
Today, computers can be used with the sonar
to create 3D maps of the ocean floor.
Operators and technicians control the towed instruments
from a control room in the ship.
Once the scientists think they've found the wreck,
they can then get a submersible vessel like the Pisces.
The Pisces 5 and the Pisces 4 are three-person battery-powered
submersibles with a maximum operating depth of 2,000 meters
or 6,280 feet.
These vehicles allow scientists to observe the deep sea
through multiple viewports.
The submersibles are launched and recovered
with a specialised A-frame on the aft deck
of their primary support vessel.
A typical dive lasts from 6 to 10 hours, hatch to hatch.
The submersibles are launched and recovered
during daylight hours only.
And in the evenings, they are serviced
on board their support vessel in the submersible hangar.
The destroyer USS Ward fired a shot from its four-inch gun
that appeared to hit the submarine.
At an investigation, some didn't believe
the commander's claim of a hit and some doubted there
even was a submarine.
The discovery of this Japanese midget submarine, however,
confirms the reported sighting and actions of the USS Ward.
The search for the Japanese midget sub
has been ongoing for 61 years since it was first sunk.
This midget subfind has been described
as the most significant modern marine archaeological find
ever in the Pacific.
Inside the submersibles, the crew are pretty cramped.
The submersibles are packed with electronics and instruments.
They even have their own sonar system
to help them see what's ahead of them.
While a typical dive lasts for less than 10 hours,
both submersibles have emergency life support
for three people to remain on board for five days.
Each submersible weighs 13 tons and can carry 600 pounds.
The primary data that comes from the submersible dives
are videos.
Each sub is equipped with three digital cameras.
At least one of the cameras is on at all times during a dive.
The Japanese midget submarine was found in 400 metres of water
about five miles off the mouth of Pearl Harbor.
The exterior of the wreck appears to be very well-preserved
after more than 60 years underwater.
In September 2002, US federal agencies
agreed that scientific research on the wreck and its environment
was necessary to determine the preferred alternative
for long-term management of the wreck.
Tangaluma Island lies 35 miles from Brisbane,
Queensland's capital city.
The climate is subtropical and 97% of the island's
19,000 hectares is national park.
The 126 species of bird life that reside on the island
represents its healthy, natural environment.
The resort, Tangaluma, is located on the west
and lead with side.
It's like other holiday-style resorts
that are found on the many islands
along Australia's northeastern coast.
However, it's Tangaluma's nightlife that sets it apart
from any other island in the world.
Come bus, up to 100 or more guests can be seen banding that appear,
waiting to view the arrival of important visitors,
a pod of eight bottlenose dolphins who appear nightly
to be fed by the resort patrons.
It's thought that Australia has the only two locations
that this phenomenon takes place.
Monkey Maya on the west coast also plays host
to a pod of feeding dolphins.
However, it's Tangaluma that reflects so graphically
the public's change of attitude to both conservation
of our marine mammals and the environment in general.
The main pier is the gateway for incoming and outgoing tourists
via a ferry.
Fish and also utilise the pier to gather some very nice catches,
indicating again the healthy, natural environment of the island.
Listen.
A sign at the foot of the pier greets the arriving guests.
Informing them, the section of the beach stretching
approximately 20 metres from the pier is reserved at all times
for the nightly visitors.
It's here that the story began.
The dolphins found that an abundance of baked fish
attracted by the pier's lights was easy hunting
and naturally exploited the situation.
Over time, they became accustomed to the noise
and activity of the human audience.
And soon after, they even began taking fish from fishermen.
Mark Orem's completes the story.
At the end of summer one year, one of the dolphins
actually had a very young calf, who she was still suckling.
And one of the things that we know about dolphins
is that when they are suckling a young calf,
their energy requirements are far greater than normal.
And what that means is that this particular dolphin
with a young calf needed to find additional food sources
so that she could support this young animal
that was feeding from her.
And I think that that's really the thing that made her
overcome her reluctance to take fish that she hasn't caught
for herself.
In time, other dolphins began to take fish.
Recently, Mark established the Dolphin Research Centre.
From the centre, Mark runs one-hour programmes
for visiting children.
It's a fun experience, and Mark encourages participation
by asking plenty of questions.
Although it's not relevant to Mark's study
regarding the management of wild dolphins and human interaction,
he's surprised by the lasting effect the programme
and feeding experience has on the children.
The dolphins arrive at the pier between 5 and 6.30pm.
Often from separate directions,
and it's not clear yet if the eight dolphins that visit
are a complete pod or part of a larger pod.
During our visit, a ninth dolphin appeared,
although it didn't feed.
Ross Deakin, manager of the Dolphin Care and Research programme,
prepares the beach area for the feed,
while Mark ready sees video camera and hydrophone,
which record the night's activities.
The internal sounds of the camera attracted Karma,
the largest of the pod.
She became excited and gently nudged the camera.
When interacting with dolphins,
never place human values upon their behaviour.
Karma's nudge could indicate friendship, curiosity,
or be a warning gesture.
Karma weighs more than 200 kg.
She can propel her three metre body at speeds of 45 km/h,
or leap six metres into the air.
If angered, she could inflict camera damage and serious injury.
Wild dolphins can be rough with each other.
However, they're mostly gentle with humans.
Their ability at high speed to take fish and leave fingers
is truly amazing.
Ross and Mark are confident of their programme's safety.
Thank you for coming straight in.
Unfortunately, we've got quite a bit of weight in here,
which has been stirred up over the last couple of days.
Tangle rumours management take a common sense approach to this activity.
Only a small portion of a dolphin's normal intake of food is offered.
Touching the dolphins is strictly prohibited.
Ross's top priority is preventing these mammals
from becoming dependent on humans.
We have dolphins that come in here that purely just enjoy what's happening in front of them.
They're quite often some of the dolphins that we see come and aren't even particularly hungry.
They'll just come in and play games with us
when they're not actually that hungry.
So, yeah, I'm sure that they do seek human companionship.
It's the humans that are taught and trained at Tangleuma
while the dolphins simply go about their natural business.
The people seem to enjoy the reversal of roles and approach the dolphins with varying emotion.
Oh, it was beautiful and it was exciting to be in the water there with the dolphins.
It wasn't tough.
Even though they're big and strong, you still don't feel afraid of them because they're gentle.
Well, I had been over to Monkey Iron and sent them over there and it was beautiful,
so when I went out you could do it here too.
One of the most memorable occasions for Tangleuma staff was an incident involving the dolphin Blind Freddy.
Strangely enough, his name is not reflective of his eyesight.
Blind Freddy sustained potentially fatal wounds from a shark attack
and his quick recovery amazed the staff.
Tangleuma acts as a living museum.
It's descriptive of our past and present attitudes and philosophies.
Which have changed so dramatically over the last 30 years.
For the future, there's hope that we may understand and work within the barriers nature provides.
OK, now it's time to introduce you to the Patty Seal team and learn how kids can also learn to scuba dive.
We're the Patty Seal team. The scuba team just for kids like you and me, right, keros?
Yeah, Shina, it's really cool to breathe underwater and export stuff.
You've got to try it and get on the Patty Seal team, right, Daria?
Right. To become a Patty Seal, you complete five aquamissions.
They're underwater scuba dives with an instructor.
You learn to be a real diver and it's fun, isn't it, Alano?
Yeah, you learn to float like your weightless, to read your air gauge, give hand signals
and a whole bunch of things that you'll need to know when you're a diver.
After these five aquamissions? Ta-da! You're a Patty Seal!
And that's just the start. Tell them what's next, blade.
After you're a Patty Seal team member, you get to do even cooler aquamissions.
Like diving on a sunken boat, finding your way with an underwater compass and searching for stuff that's lost underwater.
On one aquamission, you can even see what it's like to be an astronaut. Ready to get started?
One of the best parts of joining the Patty Seal team is all the gear.
Let's look at everything you're going to be using.
You probably know you need a map so you can see underwater.
That's right, Seal team.
Unlike fish, we can't see very clearly underwater.
The most important thing is to use a mask that fits properly.
A mask that leaks really sucks the fun right out of a dump.
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Fins let you swim without using your hands. Your instructor will help you find ones that fit right.
A wetsuit lets you stay warm longer.
And it makes me look like a superhero.
You wish, bubble head.
The scuba unit is what lets you go underwater.
Scuba has been around for about 50 years, but it's under been in recent times that the equipment has evolved into the comfortable and streamlined style that we have today.
The unit is made up of three major parts, and when a single works as a small unit.
You breathe from the regulator in your mouth, and the tank holds your air.
You have an air gauge that tells you how much air you have so you don't run out.
Correct Seal team and the submersible pressure gauge can be a simple one or a very advanced gauge.
There are heaps of great gauges a diver can get today.
It's in this area that sport diving equipment has really improved from the early days.
Your instructor can show you a few.
Your instructor will help you get your gear on and get set.
After going over what to do, remember to listen.
The BCD is the jacket part. You put air in or let it out so you float or sink when you want.
See this extra regulator? That's called octopus.
Because it'll suck your brains out.
Just it does not. You use your octopus to share air with another paddy seal.
Your instructor will show you how to get set up and adjust your gear.
You'll go underwater and breathe.
Just relax, breathe and enjoy it.
And remember, don't hold your breath.
Great Seal team will show the viewers more next time.
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