Ragged-tooth sharks might look ferocious with their rows of razor sharp teeth but these creatures are surprisingly docile and are happy to share the water with curious divers. In this week's episode our cameraman travels to Aliwal Shoal, South Africa for some very close encounters with these amazing sharks.
The annual Sardine Run phenomenon brings huge shoals of migrating sardines past South Africa’s eastern coastline – and baitballs of these bite-sized fish don’t stand a chance against the ocean’s top predators. From the bizarre-looking garfish to the large Zambezi shark, the predators waste no time getting in on the feeding action, and the tiny anchovies are attacked from every direction. It’s a breathtaking experience for our cameraman – but it’s not without risk! During a few hair-raising moments, the panicked fish attempt to use him as cover from the frenzied blacktip reef sharks.
Our cameraman films a pair of mating leopard sharks and a cuttlefish laying her eggs. There’s also a rare glimpse of a tiger-tail seahorse and some bizarre pufferfish behaviour.
Divers in Indonesia’s Cenderawasih Bay are almost guaranteed a sighting of whale sharks. Well-known to the locals, these gentle giants gather in huge numbers around fishing platforms waiting for an easy meal. We’re treated to an amazing and close-up encounter with these ocean behemoths as they gulp down mouthfuls of small fish.
Take your time exploring the unusual reef formations of Thailand’s Phi-Phi National Marine Reserve and you’ll be treated to some amazing sightings! Our cameraman captures a huge school of yellowtail barracuda, a giant clam, a creepy-looking sea cucumber, vividly coloured scorpionfish and some impressive gorgonian sea fans – all in ultra HD.
Exploring the waters off Thailand’s picturesque Koh Racha Noi island is like diving in an aquarium! A powder blue surgeon fish darts past, redtail butterflyfish school above the reef and a peacock mantis shrimp scuttles across the coral, showcasing its extraordinary colourations. We’re also treated to a pufferfish feeding display and a close-up look at the beautiful bearded scorpionfish – all in ultra HD.
It’s jellyfish season in the Phi-Phi National Marine Reserve so we’re taking an up-close look at these amazing creatures and the tiny fish that live amongst their tentacles – in ultra HD! We also capture an unusual interaction between a wrasse and a blackspotted pufferfish.
This week, a lesson on why divers should not get too close to turtles locked in a territorial battle! We also film rare razor wrasse behaviour on South Africa’s famous Aliwal Shoal reef, a cave encounter with some pineapple fish and a mantis shrimp on the hunt.
This week in Wild Oceans … your guide to unusual shadow-stalking behaviour courtesy of a trumpetfish on the hunt! A white-tip reef shark is also on the lookout for potential prey, and we end off with a last-minute encounter with some playful dolphins.
Filming the notoriously fierce and territorial titan triggerfish calls for extra caution this week. Our final dive from the Philippines also brings us a rare sighting of a critically endangered green turtle and a lucky encounter with a beautiful clown triggerfish – all in ultra-HD!
It’s all about the eels this week … in ultra-HD! A fimbriated moray eel hides out in a crevice, while a white-eyed moray puts on a stunning and rare display as it swims across the reef on the hunt for dinner. We’re also treated to a close-up encounter with a creepy-looking burrowing sea cucumber and an unusual starfish!
In this week’s Wild Oceans, we explore the untouched reefs of the Philippines in ultra high definition. A beautiful lionfish shows off its venomous spines, tiny shrimp scuttle across an anemone, and we take a close-up look at a vividly coloured nudibranch. There’s even a ‘mystery fish’ that has our seasoned underwater cameraman scratching his head. Can you identify it? Let us know in the comments below!
A close encounter with a cruising hawksbill turtle, a huge school of swarming catfish, a bizarre-looking giant frogfish ‘hopping’ across the corals and pristine reefs as far as the eye can see! This World Oceans Day, we celebrate the wonders of the underwater world in ultra high definition with another extraordinary dive in Sogod Bay, Philippines.
Filming in 4K, cameraman Stewart Whitfield takes us on a wall dive at Sogod Bay in southern Philippines. The beauty of this dive lies in the incredible quality of the reef and the extraordinary details and colours this camera can capture. Look out for damselfish, masked porcupine pufferfish, a magnificently camouflaged spiny devilfish and even some soft corals filmed in high speed. Special thanks to www.rayadivers.com
Our underwater cameraman gets a good workout keeping up with an eagle ray on the hunt for its next meal. With their large wingspans and long whiplike tails (which are barbed with venomous spines!), these beautiful creatures are able to glide effortlessly through the water – so getting good shots of them can be tricky! And that’s not the only ray to make an appearance this week: keep an eye out for the stunning (and far less camera-shy) round ribbon-tail ray.
Diving in the crystal-clear waters of Andiamo in Indonesia is a visual spectacle! The intricate seascape is home to large populations of schooling fish, from hundreds of yellow-spotted fusillers to cruising batfish and a school of convict blennies hovering close to the reef. Beautifully coloured soft corals, sponges and amazing sea fans decorate the sea floor.
Our cameraman manages to capture some circling sharks, a host of colourful nudibranchs and a rare hermit crab after braving rough waters and powerful surges at Aliwal Shoal in South Africa. The area’s infamous currents don’t seem to trouble the resident turtles as they cruise the reef.
Phuket’s Kata Reef is a unique and beautiful coral playground! Underwater cameraman Nicolas Lurot captures a mimic octopus making a dash for cover to evade a lionfish on the hunt and a bizarre-looking frogfish as it “walks” along the seafloor. Also on a diver’s must-see list: a fish that looks like a pineapple and a rare purple scorpionfish. Special thanks to Nicolas Lurot from Freedom Divers http://www.freedom-divers.com
From the big (think playful bottlenose dolphins and a cruising leopard – or zebra – shark) to the small (like the tiny seaweed goby and juvenile dragon wrasse), we’re treated to a whole host of unusual encounters in this dive off South Africa's Sodwana Bay!
Our underwater cameraman manages to keep his fingers intact after a disgruntled moray eel launches a surprise attack. And there are other amazing sightings in store on this dive off South Africa’s Sodwana Bay: friendly potato bass, vividly coloured paper fish, a shy mantis shrimp, a cruising turtle and a rare encounter with a school of devil rays!