1 00:00:02,300 --> 00:00:04,780 The oceans are places of wonder. 2 00:00:06,660 --> 00:00:10,620 Blue Planet II showed us the beauty and extraordinary behaviour of 3 00:00:10,620 --> 00:00:15,260 marine life, whilst highlighting how fragile and threatened our seas 4 00:00:15,260 --> 00:00:16,540 have become. 5 00:00:16,540 --> 00:00:19,860 Now, as Blue Planet Live carries out a health check 6 00:00:19,860 --> 00:00:23,060 on the world's oceans, we are staying closer to home. 7 00:00:24,740 --> 00:00:27,740 Our British seas are rich, varied, 8 00:00:27,740 --> 00:00:30,380 and key to our island heritage, 9 00:00:30,380 --> 00:00:33,380 but how are our lifestyles affecting them? 10 00:00:33,380 --> 00:00:34,900 Whoa! 11 00:00:34,900 --> 00:00:38,740 We'll meet the unsung heroes dedicated to protecting our waters 12 00:00:38,740 --> 00:00:40,740 and the wildlife that relies on them... 13 00:00:40,740 --> 00:00:44,100 If we don't look after nature nobody else will. 14 00:00:44,100 --> 00:00:47,140 And celebrate the scientists striving for solutions to 15 00:00:47,140 --> 00:00:49,100 the challenges. 16 00:00:49,100 --> 00:00:50,220 Whoa! 17 00:00:50,220 --> 00:00:53,260 Plus, we'll meet the crabs with a flair for style... 18 00:00:53,260 --> 00:00:55,060 They're dressing up in seaweed as 19 00:00:55,060 --> 00:00:56,780 a means of camouflaging themselves? Yes. 20 00:00:56,780 --> 00:01:01,220 ..and delve into our very own deep sea coral reefs. 21 00:01:01,220 --> 00:01:04,700 This is the most important deep sea coral, I think, in the whole world, 22 00:01:04,700 --> 00:01:06,220 and this is just off of Scotland. 23 00:01:08,820 --> 00:01:10,780 So, dip into our UK waters 24 00:01:10,780 --> 00:01:13,500 and see them like you've never seen them before. 25 00:01:13,500 --> 00:01:15,660 BOTH: Welcome to Blue Planet UK. 26 00:01:26,700 --> 00:01:28,980 Hi and welcome back to Blue Planet UK. 27 00:01:28,980 --> 00:01:31,380 Today we have come to south-east England. 28 00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:36,260 My home patch, Gillian, I love it down here. 29 00:01:36,260 --> 00:01:37,340 This Kent coast 30 00:01:37,340 --> 00:01:41,500 is full of memories for me and here in Herne Bay I can remember playing 31 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:43,620 just on these sandy beaches here, 32 00:01:43,620 --> 00:01:47,820 building castles and generally causing mayhem with my brothers. 33 00:01:47,820 --> 00:01:50,220 This is so different from my home patch in Cornwall. 34 00:01:50,220 --> 00:01:54,180 These huge flat expanses, the landscape is beautiful. 35 00:01:54,180 --> 00:01:57,940 Just goes to show what a rich and varied coastline Britain has. 36 00:01:57,940 --> 00:01:59,540 More about Kent in a minute 37 00:01:59,540 --> 00:02:01,740 but let's take a look at what's in today's programme. 38 00:02:03,660 --> 00:02:07,620 Out of sight is certainly not out of mind as we meet the people 39 00:02:07,620 --> 00:02:10,300 digging deep into the Sidmouth fatberg. 40 00:02:10,300 --> 00:02:15,020 This is the biggest one I've seen, it's probably about here. 41 00:02:15,020 --> 00:02:19,020 Chris gets a snapshot of the UK's underwater wildlife when he meets 42 00:02:19,020 --> 00:02:21,620 photographer Kirsty Andrews. 43 00:02:21,620 --> 00:02:24,860 Hiding underneath those waves are just a whole cast of the most 44 00:02:24,860 --> 00:02:26,260 amazing creatures. 45 00:02:26,260 --> 00:02:27,700 Got one! 46 00:02:27,700 --> 00:02:31,460 There's family fun as I take my nephews hunting for prehistoric 47 00:02:31,460 --> 00:02:33,420 shark teeth. 48 00:02:33,420 --> 00:02:34,940 That's a good one, isn't it? 49 00:02:34,940 --> 00:02:39,180 And the Blue Planet Live team listen closely as they go in search 50 00:02:39,180 --> 00:02:40,460 of sperm whales. 51 00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:46,220 Up there we've got Margate and behind me is Whitstable, 52 00:02:46,220 --> 00:02:49,100 and Herne Bay was really put on the map when the Victorians 53 00:02:49,100 --> 00:02:53,020 decided that sea bathing was going to be their new hobby. 54 00:02:53,020 --> 00:02:56,060 Steve, did you know that this isn't the original pier? 55 00:02:56,060 --> 00:02:59,540 The first one was built in 1831. That's my fun fact for the day. 56 00:02:59,540 --> 00:03:01,420 I'm sure you knew that... Oh, it's a good fact. 57 00:03:01,420 --> 00:03:05,140 It was made of wood and it quite literally fell apart. 58 00:03:05,140 --> 00:03:09,100 The second pier they decided wasn't prestige enough for the town. 59 00:03:09,100 --> 00:03:11,780 And the third pier was one of the biggest in its day. 60 00:03:11,780 --> 00:03:14,940 And that's the remnants of it just there, over our shoulder. 61 00:03:14,940 --> 00:03:17,940 There's a lot of people, in fact, that would like to see it rebuilt. 62 00:03:17,940 --> 00:03:20,500 Herne Bay and the whole Kent coastline, in fact, 63 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:23,420 isn't just valuable for its holiday heritage. 64 00:03:23,420 --> 00:03:26,620 The cliffs and the beaches here are also rich in marine life. 65 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:32,980 On the Kent coastline you can find towering chalk cliffs, 66 00:03:32,980 --> 00:03:35,140 glistening mudflats, 67 00:03:35,140 --> 00:03:38,420 and creeks winding through the salt marsh. 68 00:03:38,420 --> 00:03:42,700 Its shallow seas are home to everything from seals to starfish. 69 00:03:45,180 --> 00:03:49,180 The coastline of Kent has changed dramatically over the millennia. 70 00:03:49,180 --> 00:03:53,380 Reculver was once a village, now just the church is left, teetering 71 00:03:53,380 --> 00:03:55,180 dangerously close to the waves. 72 00:03:58,820 --> 00:04:01,380 Steve, what a stunning place to have grown up. 73 00:04:01,380 --> 00:04:02,820 I can see why you love it so much. 74 00:04:02,820 --> 00:04:06,580 Of course I did! Playing up here with my brothers and then learning 75 00:04:06,580 --> 00:04:08,540 so much about the wildlife. 76 00:04:08,540 --> 00:04:11,380 Just behind us here you've got the waders and they're attracted here 77 00:04:11,380 --> 00:04:16,020 because there's so much of the flat seabed exposed as the tide goes out. 78 00:04:16,020 --> 00:04:18,260 It's not just great for the birds. 79 00:04:18,260 --> 00:04:19,820 You've also got seals here. 80 00:04:19,820 --> 00:04:23,940 Common and grey but, of course, the most grey seals are right 81 00:04:23,940 --> 00:04:25,500 up round the coast in Norfolk. 82 00:04:25,500 --> 00:04:29,140 Well, grey seals are actually, globally, quite a rare species, 83 00:04:29,140 --> 00:04:33,260 but the UK has almost half the world's grey seal population 84 00:04:33,260 --> 00:04:35,980 so it makes them a species of special responsibility 85 00:04:35,980 --> 00:04:37,220 in this country. 86 00:04:37,220 --> 00:04:40,140 Now, they are marine mammals, but they are bound to the land. 87 00:04:40,140 --> 00:04:43,180 That's because they have to come ashore once a year to breed 88 00:04:43,180 --> 00:04:46,060 in the winter, and when they do that's when they're really 89 00:04:46,060 --> 00:04:48,060 vulnerable to disturbance. 90 00:04:48,060 --> 00:04:50,900 But a few years ago I got to go swimming with grey seals on 91 00:04:50,900 --> 00:04:53,820 the Isles of Scilly and I got to see them in their environment 92 00:04:53,820 --> 00:04:55,300 on their terms. 93 00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:30,540 What an incredible experience! 94 00:05:31,500 --> 00:05:36,500 To have that moment of connection with a wild animal is just... 95 00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:37,860 It's just unforgettable. 96 00:05:40,980 --> 00:05:44,180 But there's something even more special. 97 00:05:44,180 --> 00:05:48,700 When I dive I can hold my breath for about just under a minute. 98 00:05:48,700 --> 00:05:51,420 A seal's average dive is ten minutes. 99 00:05:51,420 --> 00:05:54,980 The record dive is 32 minutes 100 00:05:54,980 --> 00:05:58,340 and that seal went down to a depth of 200 metres, 101 00:05:58,340 --> 00:06:00,420 which is absolutely incredible. 102 00:06:07,340 --> 00:06:08,460 Ah! 103 00:06:11,060 --> 00:06:13,180 To say that was amazing is an understatement. 104 00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:20,900 Now, when seals dive, or when I dive even, the same three things happen. 105 00:06:22,060 --> 00:06:24,140 The heartbeat drops, 106 00:06:24,140 --> 00:06:28,780 the blood is shunted from the limbs to the vital organs, 107 00:06:28,780 --> 00:06:30,620 the heart, the lungs, the brain... 108 00:06:32,420 --> 00:06:35,500 ..and the lungs fill with fluid 109 00:06:35,500 --> 00:06:37,100 as you start to dive deeper, 110 00:06:37,100 --> 00:06:39,700 and this stops the lungs from collapsing. 111 00:06:39,700 --> 00:06:45,020 All of this is a way to maximise the oxygen that's taken on board 112 00:06:45,020 --> 00:06:46,860 at the beginning of the dive. 113 00:06:46,860 --> 00:06:50,300 And what's really cool, in my opinion, 114 00:06:50,300 --> 00:06:52,340 is that it's all triggered 115 00:06:52,340 --> 00:06:56,020 when the face comes into contact with cold water. 116 00:06:56,020 --> 00:06:58,460 I think that's absolutely incredible, 117 00:06:58,460 --> 00:07:01,620 and I love that we share this with these beautiful creatures. 118 00:07:10,340 --> 00:07:13,820 Gillian, they are so inquisitive, they're coming right up to you. 119 00:07:13,820 --> 00:07:16,180 It was an amazing experience, 120 00:07:16,180 --> 00:07:18,220 but you've got to remember they were wild animals 121 00:07:18,220 --> 00:07:20,740 and I was swimming with them in their environment, 122 00:07:20,740 --> 00:07:23,620 so they could choose how close they wanted to come to me. 123 00:07:23,620 --> 00:07:24,860 But it's when you're on land 124 00:07:24,860 --> 00:07:27,300 you've really got to give them that respectful distance. 125 00:07:27,300 --> 00:07:31,500 Do you know, there's so much to celebrate about the UK coastline, 126 00:07:31,500 --> 00:07:33,860 but for every amazing story, 127 00:07:33,860 --> 00:07:37,060 there's so much that can still be done. 128 00:07:37,060 --> 00:07:38,140 Well, absolutely. 129 00:07:38,140 --> 00:07:41,300 I mean, we now know how much care we need to take about what we put 130 00:07:41,300 --> 00:07:45,060 in the ocean as well as what we take out of it, and generations of waste 131 00:07:45,060 --> 00:07:47,140 can cause a real marine disaster. 132 00:07:47,140 --> 00:07:48,900 Yeah, they certainly can! 133 00:07:48,900 --> 00:07:51,820 I mean, have you got any idea what a fatberg is? 134 00:07:51,820 --> 00:07:55,100 If you don't, let me explain. OK, this isn't nice. 135 00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:57,740 So, it's really... In the sewers, 136 00:07:57,740 --> 00:08:02,820 all the congealed fats and greases that mix together with, maybe, 137 00:08:02,820 --> 00:08:05,860 discarded wet wipes, other sanitary products. 138 00:08:05,860 --> 00:08:09,220 It's not nice, but when I heard about one down in Devon, 139 00:08:09,220 --> 00:08:11,260 I had to go and find out what it was. 140 00:08:14,780 --> 00:08:16,420 Sidmouth, 141 00:08:16,420 --> 00:08:20,500 a coastal town proud of its beaches and the quality of its sea, 142 00:08:20,500 --> 00:08:22,260 rated as excellent for bathing. 143 00:08:24,500 --> 00:08:28,140 But under the seafront, there's a growing problem that you may 144 00:08:28,140 --> 00:08:31,500 remember hitting the headlines last year... 145 00:08:31,500 --> 00:08:34,180 A giant fatberg as big as a Boeing 747, 146 00:08:34,180 --> 00:08:36,220 or six double-decker buses, 147 00:08:36,220 --> 00:08:38,940 has been discovered blocking a sewer in a seaside town. 148 00:08:38,940 --> 00:08:43,220 Lurking beneath the town, a 21st-century reality. 149 00:08:43,220 --> 00:08:44,940 It's the biggest one I've seen. 150 00:08:44,940 --> 00:08:47,340 It's probably about here. 151 00:08:47,340 --> 00:08:48,940 Charlie found the fatberg 152 00:08:48,940 --> 00:08:51,500 when he was inspecting the sewers with his crew. 153 00:08:54,180 --> 00:08:56,580 Andrew Roantree from South West Water 154 00:08:56,580 --> 00:08:58,180 is at the heart of the work 155 00:08:58,180 --> 00:09:01,300 to remove the fatberg before the busy tourist season 156 00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:03,060 starts this summer. 157 00:09:03,060 --> 00:09:05,860 What sort of monster are we talking about? Well, this one, 158 00:09:05,860 --> 00:09:09,980 when they first went down, they estimated it was about 64 metres 159 00:09:09,980 --> 00:09:15,580 long... Wow. So, it's sort of six double-decker buses size. 160 00:09:15,580 --> 00:09:18,940 Wow. So it is a big...a big lump. 161 00:09:18,940 --> 00:09:23,980 To me, I find it quite surprising that a place as rural as Sidmouth 162 00:09:23,980 --> 00:09:26,140 has got such a big problem underneath it. 163 00:09:26,140 --> 00:09:29,420 Yeah, that has come as a bit of a surprise to us. 164 00:09:29,420 --> 00:09:31,780 In the south-west, most of our sewerage system 165 00:09:31,780 --> 00:09:33,100 is relatively smaller. 166 00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:36,140 We don't have a lot of big, urban environments. 167 00:09:36,140 --> 00:09:38,700 This sewer where the fatberg has been found 168 00:09:38,700 --> 00:09:42,980 was a historic holding tank, 169 00:09:42,980 --> 00:09:46,220 and effectively it was a tidal release mechanism - 170 00:09:46,220 --> 00:09:49,020 raw sewage discharged to sea - 171 00:09:49,020 --> 00:09:52,260 based upon which direction the tide was going. Wow. 172 00:09:52,260 --> 00:09:56,420 People have poured away hot fats down their kitchen sink, 173 00:09:56,420 --> 00:10:00,700 and that becomes the glue that sticks together 174 00:10:00,700 --> 00:10:03,340 other stuff down in the sewer. 175 00:10:03,340 --> 00:10:05,700 And over the last few years, 176 00:10:05,700 --> 00:10:11,460 we've particularly noticed that that other stuff tends to be wet wipes. 177 00:10:11,460 --> 00:10:15,780 Wet wipes really should not go down the toilet at all. 178 00:10:15,780 --> 00:10:19,060 They just don't break down like toilet paper does. 179 00:10:23,300 --> 00:10:26,620 It's crazy to think that we're in an area 180 00:10:26,620 --> 00:10:29,940 that is really quite beautiful. 181 00:10:29,940 --> 00:10:33,540 It's naturally wonderful, and to think that just here, 182 00:10:33,540 --> 00:10:37,820 there's a 64m problem, completely man-made... 183 00:10:40,660 --> 00:10:44,020 Victorians would flush their waste straight out to sea, thinking 184 00:10:44,020 --> 00:10:46,980 that the ocean was large enough to dilute it all. 185 00:10:46,980 --> 00:10:50,260 They would quite literally paddle next to their own waste. 186 00:10:51,900 --> 00:10:56,380 Historically, this practice continued in the UK for decades. 187 00:10:56,380 --> 00:11:00,660 It took until 2002 for the waste here to be routed through a new 188 00:11:00,660 --> 00:11:03,980 sewage works, cleaning the water and killing bacteria. 189 00:11:05,420 --> 00:11:08,540 Nowadays, it seems like South West Water put in huge efforts 190 00:11:08,540 --> 00:11:12,020 to preserve the quality of our seas. 191 00:11:12,020 --> 00:11:15,620 But removing this fatberg is no small scale operation. 192 00:11:16,980 --> 00:11:20,100 Protective breathing apparatus has to be worn at all times 193 00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:22,380 when approaching the fatberg. 194 00:11:22,380 --> 00:11:26,620 The gases are so concentrated that any spark could cause an explosion. 195 00:11:28,220 --> 00:11:32,940 Samples from the fatberg are taken to Exeter University where John Love 196 00:11:32,940 --> 00:11:36,980 and Nicky Cunningham are ready to get, well, stuck in! 197 00:11:38,220 --> 00:11:41,140 Fatbergs can potentially be hazardous to the environment 198 00:11:41,140 --> 00:11:42,500 because, for instance, 199 00:11:42,500 --> 00:11:45,340 micro plastics have recently been 200 00:11:45,340 --> 00:11:47,180 banned in face creams. 201 00:11:47,180 --> 00:11:49,620 But it is possible that the fatberg 202 00:11:49,620 --> 00:11:53,100 itself has actually accumulated micro plastics over the years 203 00:11:53,100 --> 00:11:57,820 and can release those almost like a slow-release pollutant. 204 00:11:57,820 --> 00:12:00,060 And then that would go to the sea, 205 00:12:00,060 --> 00:12:03,060 that would enter the food chain, potentially. 206 00:12:03,060 --> 00:12:05,860 And so while we think that we may have stopped the source of 207 00:12:05,860 --> 00:12:09,180 pollution, actually, because there is a reservoir there, we might not 208 00:12:09,180 --> 00:12:11,820 see the effects for quite some time. 209 00:12:14,980 --> 00:12:17,340 John and Nicky superheat the sample, 210 00:12:17,340 --> 00:12:21,460 killing any bacteria and melting the fat to reveal its dirty secrets. 211 00:12:23,660 --> 00:12:24,940 Ah! Wow! 212 00:12:24,940 --> 00:12:27,500 You can see that there is a lot of liquid in there. 213 00:12:27,500 --> 00:12:29,820 But, look, we've already got... 214 00:12:31,060 --> 00:12:33,340 ..some really gross panty liners. 215 00:12:33,340 --> 00:12:35,020 Yuck! 216 00:12:35,020 --> 00:12:37,420 So, we're going to... We're going to leave that there. 217 00:12:38,780 --> 00:12:41,020 And we'll just dig our way through it. 218 00:12:42,780 --> 00:12:45,700 That looks like a wet wipe. Yep. 219 00:12:45,700 --> 00:12:49,060 What's interesting about this is you can actually see it 220 00:12:49,060 --> 00:12:50,620 solidifying on my gloves. 221 00:12:50,620 --> 00:12:53,100 So even if it's liquid when it's poured down the sink, 222 00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:55,300 it really won't take very long before it hardens 223 00:12:55,300 --> 00:12:57,540 and solidifies in the sewer. 224 00:12:57,540 --> 00:12:59,900 It's like the world's least enjoyable lucky dip, isn't it?! 225 00:12:59,900 --> 00:13:01,140 It's funny! 226 00:13:01,140 --> 00:13:02,820 THEY LAUGH 227 00:13:02,820 --> 00:13:05,860 It's by understanding the make-up of the fatberg 228 00:13:05,860 --> 00:13:08,380 that new methods to prevent them growing in the first place 229 00:13:08,380 --> 00:13:09,660 can be developed. 230 00:13:11,020 --> 00:13:13,500 The water industry will say very, very strongly that there are 231 00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:16,620 products out there that people believe they can dispose of 232 00:13:16,620 --> 00:13:18,900 by flushing them away, and actually they can't. 233 00:13:18,900 --> 00:13:19,940 This is a... 234 00:13:21,900 --> 00:13:23,500 We don't know what that is. Cotton bud? 235 00:13:23,500 --> 00:13:25,220 A cotton bud stick, yeah. 236 00:13:26,260 --> 00:13:28,540 Whoa! Thank goodness! 237 00:13:28,540 --> 00:13:29,900 Thank goodness for the screen! 238 00:13:32,220 --> 00:13:34,420 The dissection all has to take place 239 00:13:34,420 --> 00:13:36,500 behind a ventilated protective barrier. 240 00:13:45,180 --> 00:13:48,260 If you are wondering what it's smelling like... Ugh! 241 00:13:48,260 --> 00:13:50,020 It's not good, is it? 242 00:13:50,020 --> 00:13:52,020 It's awful. 243 00:13:52,020 --> 00:13:53,500 Absolutely awful. 244 00:13:55,580 --> 00:13:57,740 And here are the main culprits... 245 00:13:57,740 --> 00:14:00,460 Sanitary products and wet wipes. 246 00:14:00,460 --> 00:14:02,540 There you go. So those are our treasures. 247 00:14:02,540 --> 00:14:03,900 All in a day's work. 248 00:14:05,660 --> 00:14:10,300 With so much work going on behind the scenes and under our feet 249 00:14:10,300 --> 00:14:13,540 to conserve our coastline, we all need to do our part. 250 00:14:15,460 --> 00:14:19,020 Unfortunately, the Sidmouth fatberg shows that it's not just what we put 251 00:14:19,020 --> 00:14:23,100 in our bins that creates the plastic problem but also what we flush 252 00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:27,100 down our loos. And we need to act responsibly, now and in the future, 253 00:14:27,100 --> 00:14:30,420 because a fatberg future is not one I relish. 254 00:14:42,260 --> 00:14:46,580 It's a startling statistic to know that three quarters of all the fat 255 00:14:46,580 --> 00:14:50,260 and grease in our sewers comes from our very own homes. 256 00:14:50,260 --> 00:14:53,540 Putting it in the bin really can make a difference. 257 00:14:53,540 --> 00:14:57,580 But bad news stories can be turned around, as Gillian found out. 258 00:14:59,740 --> 00:15:03,140 My very first film for Springwatch was on my home patch 259 00:15:03,140 --> 00:15:04,660 of Cornwall in 2016. 260 00:15:07,180 --> 00:15:08,500 Basking sharks... 261 00:15:10,260 --> 00:15:11,500 Seal colonies... 262 00:15:12,860 --> 00:15:14,060 Dolphins... 263 00:15:17,220 --> 00:15:21,340 We tend to be more impressed with the big things, the big animals. 264 00:15:21,340 --> 00:15:23,300 And, of course, they're impressive, 265 00:15:23,300 --> 00:15:24,700 but if you take your time 266 00:15:24,700 --> 00:15:26,100 and you take the trouble 267 00:15:26,100 --> 00:15:28,580 to investigate the small things, 268 00:15:28,580 --> 00:15:30,740 the little things, the Lilliputian 269 00:15:30,740 --> 00:15:33,220 world as I like to call it, 270 00:15:33,220 --> 00:15:35,420 a whole new world opens up. 271 00:15:35,420 --> 00:15:40,020 There's a tiny creature that has recently been discovered not far 272 00:15:40,020 --> 00:15:43,500 from here that tells a huge story. 273 00:15:43,500 --> 00:15:46,740 What's exciting about this story is that you don't have to travel 274 00:15:46,740 --> 00:15:49,460 very far to some exotic, far-flung place. 275 00:15:49,460 --> 00:15:54,060 This tiny creature was discovered on a very unassuming beach 276 00:15:54,060 --> 00:15:55,940 in the middle of Falmouth town. 277 00:15:55,940 --> 00:16:00,180 It's the sort of place that you rock up to with your deck chairs 278 00:16:00,180 --> 00:16:03,860 and your windbreak, grab a crab sandwich and have an ice cream. 279 00:16:03,860 --> 00:16:08,140 This is where a group of volunteers made a find that I think is 280 00:16:08,140 --> 00:16:09,460 really exciting. 281 00:16:11,580 --> 00:16:13,940 What I'm looking for is a rock pool 282 00:16:13,940 --> 00:16:16,500 where there's lots of hermit crabs. 283 00:16:21,580 --> 00:16:23,180 Right, let's have a look in here. 284 00:16:25,060 --> 00:16:26,780 No sign of our little fella. 285 00:16:37,740 --> 00:16:39,220 OK, there we go. 286 00:16:41,620 --> 00:16:44,060 That's a common hermit crab in there. I don't know if you can see 287 00:16:44,060 --> 00:16:46,260 that, its little claws poking out. 288 00:16:47,380 --> 00:16:50,060 That's what I'm after, but this isn't the right species. 289 00:16:50,060 --> 00:16:52,020 Just pop them back in. 290 00:17:01,460 --> 00:17:04,900 Hermit crabs are a type of crab that make use of empty shells 291 00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:06,740 that are found all over the beaches. 292 00:17:06,740 --> 00:17:10,860 They're incredible animals with bags of personality, but the particular 293 00:17:10,860 --> 00:17:13,500 species of hermit crab that I'm looking for 294 00:17:13,500 --> 00:17:15,100 is really not easy to find. 295 00:17:18,860 --> 00:17:21,380 Ha! SHE LAUGHS 296 00:17:24,020 --> 00:17:25,340 Found him! 297 00:17:27,340 --> 00:17:30,740 That is Clibanarius erythropus, 298 00:17:30,740 --> 00:17:34,020 "soldier clad in mail with red legs", 299 00:17:34,020 --> 00:17:36,700 and this one is being really obliging. 300 00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:39,300 Can you see that it's come right out of the shell? 301 00:17:40,460 --> 00:17:43,740 And you can get a really clear view of its red legs. 302 00:17:43,740 --> 00:17:45,860 And what's remarkable about this is 303 00:17:45,860 --> 00:17:48,340 both its claws are the same size. 304 00:17:48,340 --> 00:17:51,540 What's common among most hermit crabs is one claw is larger, 305 00:17:51,540 --> 00:17:55,300 so that's how you can be sure that you're looking at a clibanarius. 306 00:17:55,300 --> 00:17:57,220 It doesn't have a common name yet. 307 00:17:59,140 --> 00:18:03,220 So, these little guys were found in Cornwall 308 00:18:03,220 --> 00:18:04,940 a long time ago. 309 00:18:04,940 --> 00:18:07,860 This is actually the northern limit of their range. 310 00:18:07,860 --> 00:18:09,700 They're found in Europe as well, 311 00:18:09,700 --> 00:18:13,420 but in the 1960s, there was a massive oil spill, 312 00:18:13,420 --> 00:18:15,020 the Torrey Canyon oil spill. 313 00:18:20,260 --> 00:18:24,780 The clean-up effort involved the use of lots of toxic dispersants 314 00:18:24,780 --> 00:18:26,380 that cleaned up the oil, 315 00:18:26,380 --> 00:18:29,340 but also wiped out a lot of invertebrate life. 316 00:18:32,220 --> 00:18:35,260 And our tiny hermit crab officially 317 00:18:35,260 --> 00:18:37,900 became extinct from UK shores. 318 00:18:40,780 --> 00:18:45,700 That was until it miraculously reappeared on this very beach. 319 00:18:45,700 --> 00:18:48,860 This is one of the things that I love about the little things 320 00:18:48,860 --> 00:18:53,180 in life, the fact that these animals have arrived back on these shores 321 00:18:53,180 --> 00:18:55,460 after what was, at its time, 322 00:18:55,460 --> 00:18:58,540 one of the worst environmental disasters recorded. 323 00:18:58,540 --> 00:19:02,620 It's an indicator that the marine life along these shores 324 00:19:02,620 --> 00:19:05,540 may finally have recovered. 325 00:19:05,540 --> 00:19:07,500 I'd love to think that they're here to stay. 326 00:19:13,740 --> 00:19:16,860 Well, that little survivor went on to be called St Piran's crab 327 00:19:16,860 --> 00:19:19,460 by a popular audience vote on Springwatch. 328 00:19:19,460 --> 00:19:22,700 St Piran being the 5th-century Cornish abbot and saint. 329 00:19:22,700 --> 00:19:24,980 Joining me today is Lauren Eyles 330 00:19:24,980 --> 00:19:27,780 from the Marine Conservation Society. 331 00:19:27,780 --> 00:19:30,820 That was the biggest man-made disaster of its time. 332 00:19:30,820 --> 00:19:33,420 What are the challenges facing our oceans today? 333 00:19:33,420 --> 00:19:35,060 There are so many challenges. 334 00:19:35,060 --> 00:19:38,740 I mean, plastic and litter is kind of the obvious one, 335 00:19:38,740 --> 00:19:42,700 and so many of us are aware about it at the moment, 336 00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:45,900 but it's not just plastic and litter. 337 00:19:45,900 --> 00:19:50,500 What we need to see as well are more but also well-managed areas 338 00:19:50,500 --> 00:19:53,580 that protect habitats and species, 339 00:19:53,580 --> 00:19:57,740 so all the amazing things we get here in UK oceans, and there are 340 00:19:57,740 --> 00:20:01,740 some incredible things. And we need to see those areas protected. 341 00:20:01,740 --> 00:20:05,940 Why do you think plastic pollution has caught the public's imagination? 342 00:20:05,940 --> 00:20:09,700 A real light has been switched on for so many, and particularly 343 00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:12,220 after so many did watch Blue Planet II, 344 00:20:12,220 --> 00:20:13,940 we really witnessed that 345 00:20:13,940 --> 00:20:19,580 in terms of mass participation and concern for marine litter 346 00:20:19,580 --> 00:20:24,620 where we saw hundreds of people turn out on beaches across the UK. 347 00:20:24,620 --> 00:20:27,460 You know, the question I often get asked is, can these beach cleans 348 00:20:27,460 --> 00:20:28,660 really make a difference? 349 00:20:28,660 --> 00:20:31,780 We involve people in science. 350 00:20:31,780 --> 00:20:35,060 Our work is all about citizen science, 351 00:20:35,060 --> 00:20:38,700 and it's the data that we collect which is absolutely key 352 00:20:38,700 --> 00:20:41,660 to the health of the marine environment. 353 00:20:41,660 --> 00:20:43,860 At the Marine Conservation Society, 354 00:20:43,860 --> 00:20:46,700 we use that information, that data, 355 00:20:46,700 --> 00:20:48,580 to really bring about change. 356 00:20:48,580 --> 00:20:52,460 So, we've used it to inform all of the plastic bag levees, 357 00:20:52,460 --> 00:20:57,060 to encourage better labelling of wet wipe products and also a ban 358 00:20:57,060 --> 00:20:59,020 on microbeads in the UK. 359 00:21:00,180 --> 00:21:05,060 So, it's hugely important to collect the information which then gives us 360 00:21:05,060 --> 00:21:08,740 the evidence to really change the situation around. 361 00:21:08,740 --> 00:21:12,180 So, when you go down to the beach, of course, enjoy the wildlife, enjoy 362 00:21:12,180 --> 00:21:15,700 the coastline, but help by picking up some litter or, like Steve 363 00:21:15,700 --> 00:21:18,700 did with his nephews, look out for some ancient life. 364 00:21:21,820 --> 00:21:25,220 I grew up on the on the Isle of Sheppey, and Minster was where I 365 00:21:25,220 --> 00:21:27,220 lived - this is my back garden. 366 00:21:27,220 --> 00:21:30,580 This is where I spent my summer days, up and down the coast, 367 00:21:30,580 --> 00:21:32,660 in the sea, through the rock pools, 368 00:21:32,660 --> 00:21:35,100 and I love being in this environment, and coming back here 369 00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:37,940 is almost reliving childhood memories. 370 00:21:40,260 --> 00:21:44,220 This coastline is part of the London clay formation dating back 371 00:21:44,220 --> 00:21:46,300 around 50 million years. 372 00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:48,420 Once, it was a lush forest. 373 00:21:48,420 --> 00:21:51,260 Nowadays, the cliffs hold secrets of days gone by. 374 00:21:53,740 --> 00:21:55,060 This is what we're after today, 375 00:21:55,060 --> 00:21:57,180 shark's teeth, and they vary in size. 376 00:21:57,180 --> 00:21:59,700 This is quite a big one that I found here, 377 00:21:59,700 --> 00:22:02,500 and I can remember finding this one as a kid. 378 00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:04,180 It's got a lot of history to it. 379 00:22:04,180 --> 00:22:06,380 I can't wait now to be taking my nephews out, 380 00:22:06,380 --> 00:22:08,740 and hopefully we'll get a few today. 381 00:22:10,860 --> 00:22:14,300 Fossil hunting is a bit of a family tradition, 382 00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:17,460 and today I've got the whole Brown clan out with me. 383 00:22:19,420 --> 00:22:20,660 My nephews... 384 00:22:20,660 --> 00:22:23,180 Wow! Look at this. 385 00:22:23,180 --> 00:22:24,620 My two brothers... 386 00:22:24,620 --> 00:22:26,780 This is just brotherly competition. 387 00:22:26,780 --> 00:22:27,820 ..and myself. 388 00:22:31,700 --> 00:22:36,340 The sea washes fossils out of the clay here like a giant sieve, 389 00:22:36,340 --> 00:22:39,860 and they can be found by anyone that's willing to search for them. 390 00:22:41,180 --> 00:22:44,060 You never know what you're going to get here, which makes looking 391 00:22:44,060 --> 00:22:45,940 for fossils all the more exciting. 392 00:22:49,620 --> 00:22:50,660 Got one! 393 00:22:51,780 --> 00:22:55,020 Each and every tide unlocks even more secrets, 394 00:22:55,020 --> 00:22:56,940 ready for keen eyes to find. 395 00:23:00,180 --> 00:23:02,780 Everything in this life at the moment is all about it 396 00:23:02,780 --> 00:23:06,780 being instantaneous and getting instant gratification, 397 00:23:06,780 --> 00:23:09,980 but here you've got to take your time, you've got to be patient, 398 00:23:09,980 --> 00:23:13,980 and then when you find the teeth, it all makes it worthwhile. 399 00:23:13,980 --> 00:23:15,300 They're all enjoying it, 400 00:23:15,300 --> 00:23:17,860 they're all living in the moment and not rushing. 401 00:23:17,860 --> 00:23:22,500 And these are the sort of things that being outside can do for you. 402 00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:24,860 In actual fact, you found them twice up here before. 403 00:23:24,860 --> 00:23:26,980 What do you enjoy about looking for sharks' teeth? 404 00:23:28,140 --> 00:23:30,020 Finding them! Finding them... 405 00:23:30,020 --> 00:23:32,060 STEVE LAUGHS 406 00:23:32,060 --> 00:23:34,740 Well, I suppose that's the whole point, isn't it? 407 00:23:36,300 --> 00:23:41,140 I used to enjoy coming to the beach with my family when I was younger, 408 00:23:41,140 --> 00:23:44,540 and it's just nice to be able to bring my family here now, 409 00:23:44,540 --> 00:23:47,580 my two young boys, and I just hope that they can enjoy it as much 410 00:23:47,580 --> 00:23:48,900 as I did when I was growing up. 411 00:23:51,500 --> 00:23:54,260 Fossils could be found in many places in the UK, 412 00:23:54,260 --> 00:23:59,140 from the Jurassic Coast in Dorset to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. 413 00:23:59,140 --> 00:24:02,820 But even if your beach isn't famed for its prehistoric treasures, 414 00:24:02,820 --> 00:24:05,860 there are still secret worlds waiting to be discovered. 415 00:24:08,860 --> 00:24:11,860 Rock pools provide havens for marine life, 416 00:24:11,860 --> 00:24:14,900 hiding and waiting for the tide to turn. 417 00:24:14,900 --> 00:24:17,780 And as it does, here on Minster beach, 418 00:24:17,780 --> 00:24:19,700 it's time to head home for the day. 419 00:24:20,860 --> 00:24:22,500 Let's have a look. 420 00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:23,820 You've found another one! 421 00:24:24,980 --> 00:24:26,380 That's a good one, isn't it? 422 00:24:27,940 --> 00:24:30,500 So, do you prefer playing on your computer 423 00:24:30,500 --> 00:24:32,780 or being out and looking for sharks' teeth? 424 00:24:32,780 --> 00:24:34,180 Er, looking for sharks' teeth. 425 00:24:34,180 --> 00:24:36,740 Yeah, and how many did you find today? Eight. 426 00:24:36,740 --> 00:24:38,620 And how many did your dad find? One. 427 00:24:38,620 --> 00:24:40,420 That's good, isn't it? You win again. 428 00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:47,300 Finding sharks' teeth, whether you're 33 years old or 13 years old, 429 00:24:47,300 --> 00:24:48,660 is fun. 430 00:24:48,660 --> 00:24:52,740 You're out here and it's the history and the imagination, 431 00:24:52,740 --> 00:24:56,660 knowing that what you've got is a fossilised tooth 432 00:24:56,660 --> 00:25:00,140 that's millions of years old, and to be down on the beach 433 00:25:00,140 --> 00:25:03,380 finding your own pieces of prehistoric history... 434 00:25:04,620 --> 00:25:06,060 What kid wouldn't enjoy that? 435 00:25:15,260 --> 00:25:17,620 Steve, that looked like such fun. 436 00:25:17,620 --> 00:25:19,100 What a great thing to do with kids. 437 00:25:19,100 --> 00:25:21,740 Yeah, I'm still grinning from it now. They love it, 438 00:25:21,740 --> 00:25:24,100 and I used to love it when I was a kid. 439 00:25:24,100 --> 00:25:29,020 And the thing is that Herne Bay itself is a huge place for going out 440 00:25:29,020 --> 00:25:30,900 and collecting fossilised sharks' teeth. 441 00:25:30,900 --> 00:25:32,820 Who would have thought that a Kent beach 442 00:25:32,820 --> 00:25:35,140 would have so many million years' worth of history? 443 00:25:35,140 --> 00:25:38,500 Well, back in the day, this place would have had a climate 444 00:25:38,500 --> 00:25:39,940 more like what Spain is today, 445 00:25:39,940 --> 00:25:41,700 and it would have been a rich habitat 446 00:25:41,700 --> 00:25:45,540 for mammals, birds, insects, and of course marine life. 447 00:25:45,540 --> 00:25:48,420 So, Steve, what are your top tips for fossil hunting here? 448 00:25:48,420 --> 00:25:52,540 Well, you know, the thing is, where we're actually standing now, 449 00:25:52,540 --> 00:25:55,140 the sharks would have been swimming over, 450 00:25:55,140 --> 00:25:57,580 and so these sharks, they're extinct now, 451 00:25:57,580 --> 00:26:00,740 but take a look, this is their teeth. 452 00:26:00,740 --> 00:26:03,180 These are fossils you found here? Yeah! 453 00:26:03,180 --> 00:26:06,300 Me and my nephews and my brothers have found these. 454 00:26:06,300 --> 00:26:07,460 How cool is that? 455 00:26:07,460 --> 00:26:10,260 And you can tell so much, can't you, about the sharks? 456 00:26:10,260 --> 00:26:13,500 And when you're looking for them, the biggest tip I've got for you 457 00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:18,380 is to look amongst the shingle the same size as the teeth. 458 00:26:18,380 --> 00:26:21,100 They all wash up together. If the shingle's going to wash up, 459 00:26:21,100 --> 00:26:23,020 the sharks' teeth will wash up with it. 460 00:26:23,020 --> 00:26:24,820 And that is the first thing you've got to do. 461 00:26:24,820 --> 00:26:27,220 Once you've got your eye in and you spot one, 462 00:26:27,220 --> 00:26:29,420 it's much easier to then start finding others, 463 00:26:29,420 --> 00:26:31,820 but finding your first one is the tricky bit. 464 00:26:31,820 --> 00:26:34,700 Must be so exciting, though. Yeah. 465 00:26:34,700 --> 00:26:38,060 Before Chris Packham left for Mexico for Blue Planet Live, 466 00:26:38,060 --> 00:26:40,100 he went to meet a British photographer 467 00:26:40,100 --> 00:26:42,020 who wants to show that British seas 468 00:26:42,020 --> 00:26:44,420 are just as exciting as anywhere else on Earth. 469 00:26:48,820 --> 00:26:52,660 I've come to meet a lawyer by day but a diver by passion. 470 00:26:52,660 --> 00:26:57,140 Kirsty Andrews is also a keen marine photographer who fools fans 471 00:26:57,140 --> 00:26:59,940 of her photographs into thinking that she travels the world 472 00:26:59,940 --> 00:27:03,860 because her subjects look so exotic. 473 00:27:03,860 --> 00:27:06,780 We took some of Kirsty's photographs out on the streets 474 00:27:06,780 --> 00:27:09,100 to see whether people could guess where they were taken. 475 00:27:10,340 --> 00:27:11,700 Fish! 476 00:27:11,700 --> 00:27:13,980 Fish. Fish, yes. Fish. 477 00:27:13,980 --> 00:27:16,660 A Hawaiian fish? 478 00:27:16,660 --> 00:27:17,780 Somewhere round there. 479 00:27:19,580 --> 00:27:23,780 I'm wondering if it is more over, like, the Caribbean way or, like, 480 00:27:23,780 --> 00:27:25,500 the Galapagos or something. 481 00:27:25,500 --> 00:27:27,020 Somewhere off Australia. 482 00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:28,980 The Pacific or the Indian Ocean. 483 00:27:28,980 --> 00:27:31,020 Tropical waters because it's a scuba diver 484 00:27:31,020 --> 00:27:33,420 and it's coral reef and it's colourful. 485 00:27:35,220 --> 00:27:36,380 Luminescent snail, 486 00:27:36,380 --> 00:27:38,780 let's go for that, sounds like a species. Sounds official! 487 00:27:38,780 --> 00:27:41,300 And in the Atlantic Ocean. 488 00:27:41,300 --> 00:27:42,820 I reckon it's a trick question 489 00:27:42,820 --> 00:27:45,260 and they're all off the coast of Britain, the UK. 490 00:27:45,260 --> 00:27:48,340 These are all off our coast? Really? 491 00:27:48,340 --> 00:27:51,300 Well, yeah, no, don't believe it. 492 00:27:51,300 --> 00:27:53,140 I don't think the UK is tropical, mate, 493 00:27:53,140 --> 00:27:55,100 especially with the weather today! 494 00:28:00,060 --> 00:28:03,660 Kirsty, what is it that makes you want to immerse yourself 495 00:28:03,660 --> 00:28:06,140 in this leaden froth? 496 00:28:06,140 --> 00:28:08,420 It doesn't look very appealing today, it's true, 497 00:28:08,420 --> 00:28:10,820 but then it also looks really enticing to me. 498 00:28:10,820 --> 00:28:14,220 I mean, what is in there, you know, hiding underneath those waves, 499 00:28:14,220 --> 00:28:17,580 is just a whole cast of just the most amazing creatures. 500 00:28:17,580 --> 00:28:19,780 I started off just taking a little camera in my pocket, 501 00:28:19,780 --> 00:28:23,660 see what I could see, and then it's gradually become a bit obsessional, 502 00:28:23,660 --> 00:28:25,060 that I just love to, really.... 503 00:28:25,060 --> 00:28:27,700 I like the technical challenge of photography, 504 00:28:27,700 --> 00:28:31,460 as well as just getting that much closer to the wildlife and capturing 505 00:28:31,460 --> 00:28:33,660 that behaviour, just to create that perfect shot, 506 00:28:33,660 --> 00:28:35,020 which I haven't quite got yet. 507 00:28:35,020 --> 00:28:36,500 Well, let's have a look. Yeah, sure. 508 00:28:36,500 --> 00:28:38,140 I'll need my glasses. 509 00:28:38,140 --> 00:28:39,900 This was taken in Scotland. 510 00:28:39,900 --> 00:28:43,340 These are sponges and anemones and corals, are they? 511 00:28:43,340 --> 00:28:44,380 That's right. 512 00:28:44,380 --> 00:28:46,860 And it is extraordinarily colourful. 513 00:28:46,860 --> 00:28:50,020 It's like a scene from Finding Nemo, isn't it? 514 00:28:50,020 --> 00:28:52,260 Except you're short of a clownfish and you've got a diver 515 00:28:52,260 --> 00:28:54,100 giving it perspective there. 516 00:28:54,100 --> 00:28:55,340 That's right! 517 00:28:55,340 --> 00:29:00,260 Well, we don't have clownfish in the UK, but we do have corkwing wrasse. 518 00:29:00,260 --> 00:29:01,620 Goodness, look at that. 519 00:29:01,620 --> 00:29:05,180 It really does look like it could be on a tropical reef. It does indeed. 520 00:29:05,180 --> 00:29:08,860 This is the male, often the male is more colourful than the female. 521 00:29:08,860 --> 00:29:10,540 Amazing, what a stunning animal. 522 00:29:10,540 --> 00:29:13,420 So, this is a bit of a cheeky one, really. 523 00:29:13,420 --> 00:29:17,220 I was coming back from a dive and I spotted this just bit of rubbish. 524 00:29:17,220 --> 00:29:18,420 On closer look, 525 00:29:18,420 --> 00:29:21,380 I saw it had a little Scottish lobster living in it. 526 00:29:21,380 --> 00:29:23,220 Looks a bit feisty! It does. 527 00:29:23,220 --> 00:29:26,260 It's come out to say, you know, well, I can't do a Scottish accent 528 00:29:26,260 --> 00:29:28,260 and it's probably best that I don't, actually, 529 00:29:28,260 --> 00:29:31,500 but we can imagine what it's saying, it's come out of its house... Yeah. 530 00:29:31,500 --> 00:29:34,900 And you do see this, you see wildlife making a home out of things 531 00:29:34,900 --> 00:29:36,460 on the seabed. 532 00:29:36,460 --> 00:29:39,460 That's not necessarily what you want to see, but there's a different 533 00:29:39,460 --> 00:29:41,940 message that you can use your photography for, as well. 534 00:29:41,940 --> 00:29:44,780 I do try and get an eye-catching composition. 535 00:29:44,780 --> 00:29:48,700 I like a face-on kind of shot to really grab attention. 536 00:29:48,700 --> 00:29:51,820 This is a greater pipefish. Oh, yes. 537 00:29:51,820 --> 00:29:53,140 Snout pointing forwards... 538 00:29:53,140 --> 00:29:56,260 I like the symmetry of that one, I have to say. 539 00:29:56,260 --> 00:29:58,340 The fish is not spectacular. 540 00:29:58,340 --> 00:30:01,700 Maybe a bit more spectacular for you. Here's another symmetry shot. 541 00:30:01,700 --> 00:30:03,500 Yeah, now that I like a lot. 542 00:30:03,500 --> 00:30:05,900 I mean, obviously the tentacles aren't exactly symmetrical 543 00:30:05,900 --> 00:30:07,180 but I'm being niggly. 544 00:30:07,180 --> 00:30:09,300 It's a cuttlefish with its tentacles raised, is it? 545 00:30:09,300 --> 00:30:10,820 That's right, yeah. 546 00:30:10,820 --> 00:30:15,260 The textures and colours are absolutely fantastic. 547 00:30:15,260 --> 00:30:18,980 And that's all the chromatophores in the cuttlefish that it uses 548 00:30:18,980 --> 00:30:20,060 to give the display. 549 00:30:20,060 --> 00:30:22,620 And in this shot, it's giving me a threat display, 550 00:30:22,620 --> 00:30:24,300 it's trying to warn me off. Is that right? 551 00:30:24,300 --> 00:30:26,020 I like the photos. 552 00:30:26,020 --> 00:30:27,540 I suppose, if there's a limitation, 553 00:30:27,540 --> 00:30:30,220 it's the fact that none of them are backlit, and I love shooting 554 00:30:30,220 --> 00:30:33,900 into the light, you know, putting that rim of light around things 555 00:30:33,900 --> 00:30:35,980 and using it to create effects going into the camera. 556 00:30:35,980 --> 00:30:38,300 I suppose you've got here... Yeah, OK, there's a natural one 557 00:30:38,300 --> 00:30:40,540 using the sunlight there. That's beautiful. 558 00:30:40,540 --> 00:30:43,020 Well, there we are. You've finished on a high because that's my 559 00:30:43,020 --> 00:30:45,500 favourite photograph that you've shown me. 560 00:30:45,500 --> 00:30:50,300 The seal is perfectly positioned in that white foaming water, 561 00:30:50,300 --> 00:30:52,540 and you've got that remarkable 562 00:30:52,540 --> 00:30:56,020 silvery molten texture above it. 563 00:30:56,020 --> 00:30:58,660 That's my favourite, that and the cuttlefish are my favourites. 564 00:30:58,660 --> 00:31:01,460 But in terms of what you want... We've always got ambitions of what 565 00:31:01,460 --> 00:31:04,500 we imagine we want to do next. 566 00:31:04,500 --> 00:31:08,420 What is it for you? Oh, well, keep on improving, I suppose. 567 00:31:08,420 --> 00:31:10,740 I've never had that perfect, 568 00:31:10,740 --> 00:31:13,060 peaceful moment with a basking shark. 569 00:31:13,060 --> 00:31:15,500 I'd like to just be there and have one swim up to me, 570 00:31:15,500 --> 00:31:17,580 mouth open, feeding, 571 00:31:17,580 --> 00:31:19,180 and be able to capture that. 572 00:31:19,180 --> 00:31:21,500 Bit of backlight underneath. 573 00:31:21,500 --> 00:31:24,380 Silhouetted against with all those rays coming down through the water. 574 00:31:24,380 --> 00:31:26,620 I'll think of you and I'll try and do something like that. 575 00:31:26,620 --> 00:31:28,060 Ah! I'm dreaming of it already! 576 00:31:36,860 --> 00:31:39,980 Across the country, there are many conservation success stories 577 00:31:39,980 --> 00:31:42,100 that give us cause for celebration, 578 00:31:42,100 --> 00:31:46,020 and one such story is of the white-tailed eagles of Mull. 579 00:31:46,020 --> 00:31:49,940 Last year, young natural history film-maker Tom Campbell captured 580 00:31:49,940 --> 00:31:52,980 this tale that he aptly named Where Eagles Dare. 581 00:31:56,940 --> 00:32:00,580 The Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, 582 00:32:00,580 --> 00:32:02,940 is a rugged and beautiful landscape. 583 00:32:04,780 --> 00:32:07,900 It's home to RSPB Officer Dave Sexton... 584 00:32:09,660 --> 00:32:12,220 ..and the UK's largest bird of prey. 585 00:32:13,700 --> 00:32:17,980 The white-tailed sea eagle was once the most common eagle in the UK 586 00:32:17,980 --> 00:32:21,740 but was hunted to extinction a century ago, mainly due 587 00:32:21,740 --> 00:32:24,100 to its reputation for killing livestock. 588 00:32:27,860 --> 00:32:31,180 In the 1980s, the birds were reintroduced to Scotland. 589 00:32:33,500 --> 00:32:35,220 Initially, to the Isle of Rum, 590 00:32:35,220 --> 00:32:37,940 before eventually settling on neighbouring Mull. 591 00:32:39,860 --> 00:32:43,100 This cemented Dave's future on the island, too. 592 00:32:44,700 --> 00:32:48,700 We were driving back along the sea loch and we knew the sea eagles 593 00:32:48,700 --> 00:32:52,140 might be around. There'd been one or two sightings from Mull. 594 00:32:52,140 --> 00:32:56,100 Suddenly, as we were driving back, there was this massive bird flapping 595 00:32:56,100 --> 00:32:59,260 hard across, quite low over the water, over the sea loch. 596 00:32:59,260 --> 00:33:02,620 And we leapt out of the vehicle and there was a sea eagle. 597 00:33:02,620 --> 00:33:05,940 And it was just an incredible experience. And that's what 598 00:33:05,940 --> 00:33:09,500 really inspired me to get involved in this project 599 00:33:09,500 --> 00:33:11,380 to bring sea eagles back to Scotland. 600 00:33:13,380 --> 00:33:17,300 I've made a nuisance of myself, really, by pestering the guys 601 00:33:17,300 --> 00:33:21,460 in species protection department, and I was sent on a secret mission 602 00:33:21,460 --> 00:33:24,940 to protect the only pair of nesting sea eagles in Britain. 603 00:33:27,180 --> 00:33:30,820 Dave is travelling deep into the heart of Tiroran Forest 604 00:33:30,820 --> 00:33:36,420 with a team from the RSPB to visit a very special pair of eagles, 605 00:33:36,420 --> 00:33:38,300 Fingal and Iona. 606 00:33:41,180 --> 00:33:42,660 We know this pair really well. 607 00:33:42,660 --> 00:33:45,500 The female was hatched in 1998. 608 00:33:45,500 --> 00:33:48,620 She's a Scottish bird from north-west Scotland. 609 00:33:48,620 --> 00:33:52,500 The male here is actually a Norwegian import from 1997. 610 00:33:52,500 --> 00:33:54,300 So they're good mature birds now 611 00:33:54,300 --> 00:33:56,420 and have been raising chicks for many years. 612 00:33:58,180 --> 00:34:02,860 What we're doing today is trying to ring the chick of this pair. 613 00:34:02,860 --> 00:34:05,980 The ringing process is really important because it helps us 614 00:34:05,980 --> 00:34:08,380 monitor the overall population. 615 00:34:08,380 --> 00:34:12,700 Justin and Lewis are now going to be measuring, getting the ring on. 616 00:34:12,700 --> 00:34:16,100 It's a British Trust for Ornithology ring on one leg 617 00:34:16,100 --> 00:34:19,220 and a colour ring with big letters on another leg, 618 00:34:19,220 --> 00:34:21,460 that we'll be able to read, hopefully, from a distance. 619 00:34:23,580 --> 00:34:27,540 They begin the long and dangerous climb to the eyrie. 620 00:34:27,540 --> 00:34:30,660 They must work fast so the family aren't disturbed for long. 621 00:34:32,340 --> 00:34:35,580 SEA EAGLE CRIES 622 00:34:35,580 --> 00:34:40,580 Somewhat bemused, perhaps, the eaglet allows the work to continue 623 00:34:40,580 --> 00:34:44,260 and the team get away from the nest as soon as possible, 624 00:34:44,260 --> 00:34:46,060 leaving the chick in peace. 625 00:34:50,380 --> 00:34:52,660 As white-tailed sea eagles have re-established 626 00:34:52,660 --> 00:34:54,460 their territories on Mull, 627 00:34:54,460 --> 00:34:57,780 the islanders have found benefits to living alongside 628 00:34:57,780 --> 00:34:59,420 this impressive predator. 629 00:35:02,540 --> 00:35:05,660 Sea eagles benefit the community because a lot of people come here 630 00:35:05,660 --> 00:35:09,740 on their holidays specifically to see the eagles, and it's widely 631 00:35:09,740 --> 00:35:12,500 regarded as the best place, certainly in the United Kingdom, 632 00:35:12,500 --> 00:35:14,180 to come and view sea eagles. 633 00:35:14,180 --> 00:35:16,140 All that generates trade for the island. 634 00:35:19,740 --> 00:35:24,020 Local skipper Martin Keivers has found that people will flock 635 00:35:24,020 --> 00:35:27,980 for miles to get a glimpse of this bird's 636 00:35:27,980 --> 00:35:29,940 impressive hunting display. 637 00:36:14,580 --> 00:36:18,820 It seems that the sea eagles are going from strength to strength 638 00:36:18,820 --> 00:36:20,740 here on Mull, 639 00:36:20,740 --> 00:36:25,900 and Dave has been part of their story since the very beginning... 640 00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:29,980 ..from witnessing the first chicks fledging 641 00:36:29,980 --> 00:36:32,380 to seeing numbers steadily grow. 642 00:36:34,180 --> 00:36:37,900 Here, on the wild west coast of Scotland, 643 00:36:37,900 --> 00:36:40,700 eagles are thriving once more. 644 00:36:51,060 --> 00:36:55,140 Now it's time to go behind the scenes of Blue Planet Live. 645 00:36:55,140 --> 00:36:58,060 One of the species that they're filming are sperm whales, 646 00:36:58,060 --> 00:37:01,580 and you may remember they had a massive impact on the audience 647 00:37:01,580 --> 00:37:04,660 in Blue Planet II when they had cameras put on them. 648 00:37:32,380 --> 00:37:35,860 One of the challenges facing the team this time was trying to get 649 00:37:35,860 --> 00:37:38,620 a camera to record sperm whale behaviour 650 00:37:38,620 --> 00:37:40,380 at an even greater depth. 651 00:37:40,380 --> 00:37:44,100 But finding a sperm whale is a challenge all of its own. 652 00:37:57,340 --> 00:38:00,460 The team are attempting to film sperm whales who spend 653 00:38:00,460 --> 00:38:04,660 much of their time under water but surface occasionally for air. 654 00:38:07,700 --> 00:38:11,020 Sperm whales spend 45 minutes out of every hour in the darkness 655 00:38:11,020 --> 00:38:12,260 of the deep ocean, 656 00:38:12,260 --> 00:38:15,020 so just coming out here and looking for them would be really tricky. 657 00:38:15,020 --> 00:38:17,820 We take advantage of the fact that they make sound the whole time 658 00:38:17,820 --> 00:38:20,460 they're under water to keep up with them. 659 00:38:21,700 --> 00:38:24,980 I'm using an underwater microphone to track the whales. 660 00:38:24,980 --> 00:38:28,540 So, when they're hunting for squid, they make echolocation like bats do 661 00:38:28,540 --> 00:38:31,620 in the night-time sky. We can hear that with this, 662 00:38:31,620 --> 00:38:33,100 and this will actually tell us 663 00:38:33,100 --> 00:38:35,140 which direction the clicks are loudest, 664 00:38:35,140 --> 00:38:37,660 so we can follow them and stay with the family. 665 00:38:47,380 --> 00:38:48,980 We can hear a few kilometres away. 666 00:38:48,980 --> 00:38:52,500 The echolocation that the sperm whales make is really loud 667 00:38:52,500 --> 00:38:56,860 and so we can usually hear them before we see them. 668 00:38:56,860 --> 00:38:59,900 So we'll get closer and then we'll start seeing blows 669 00:38:59,900 --> 00:39:01,820 and start working today. 670 00:39:04,100 --> 00:39:08,020 Blows are plumes of spray that the whales make when breathing 671 00:39:08,020 --> 00:39:09,580 at the surface. 672 00:39:10,900 --> 00:39:14,740 In a calm, clear expanse of water, they're easy to spot. 673 00:39:14,740 --> 00:39:18,140 And, sure enough, the team have seen one. 674 00:39:18,140 --> 00:39:20,700 The engines are cut and they are joined 675 00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:22,860 by the underwater camera team. 676 00:39:26,900 --> 00:39:30,460 Cameraman Mark Sharman prepares his underwater equipment. 677 00:39:33,300 --> 00:39:36,180 Sperm whales are incredible animals to film. 678 00:39:36,180 --> 00:39:40,180 Just their sheer size alone is really awesome, 679 00:39:40,180 --> 00:39:43,180 and just to be that close to something that huge 680 00:39:43,180 --> 00:39:45,380 is an unbelievable feeling. 681 00:39:45,380 --> 00:39:48,220 There's not many things you can do in the world that makes you feel 682 00:39:48,220 --> 00:39:50,060 so small and insignificant. 683 00:39:52,780 --> 00:39:55,060 Just go straight down. OK. 684 00:39:56,460 --> 00:40:00,940 Camera ready, Mark enters the water to approach the sperm whale. 685 00:40:02,780 --> 00:40:05,060 The wind is starting to pick up onshore. 686 00:40:05,060 --> 00:40:08,260 We're getting a bit a chop, and it could end up being a bit 687 00:40:08,260 --> 00:40:09,980 difficult to keep an eye on him, 688 00:40:09,980 --> 00:40:13,420 so it's something that we really have to watch for. 689 00:40:18,580 --> 00:40:22,900 Mark manages to get some footage, but not what he was hoping for. 690 00:40:37,020 --> 00:40:39,700 So, there were two whales at the surface - 691 00:40:39,700 --> 00:40:43,260 the calf Corkscrew and Knife, the mother. 692 00:40:43,260 --> 00:40:45,340 Corkscrew turned on her back, 693 00:40:45,340 --> 00:40:48,260 and it looked like she must have been looking up at me 694 00:40:48,260 --> 00:40:51,420 as I was at the surface. So a very unusual perspective, 695 00:40:51,420 --> 00:40:55,540 to see an upside-down swimming sperm whale about ten metres below me. 696 00:40:55,540 --> 00:40:57,540 But, yeah, that's what I saw. 697 00:40:57,540 --> 00:41:00,820 But as they didn't do a deep dive, then I'm pretty sure 698 00:41:00,820 --> 00:41:04,140 they're going to be surfacing in the next five... 699 00:41:04,140 --> 00:41:05,740 ..15 minutes or so. 700 00:41:15,540 --> 00:41:18,780 Mark re-enters the water to get even more shots 701 00:41:18,780 --> 00:41:21,020 of these magnificent creatures. 702 00:41:23,140 --> 00:41:25,420 Here you go. Yeah. 703 00:41:25,420 --> 00:41:27,380 How was that? It was amazing. 704 00:41:27,380 --> 00:41:29,940 Yeah, finally got the shot. 705 00:41:29,940 --> 00:41:32,820 You guys dropped me in a great position. 706 00:41:32,820 --> 00:41:36,180 I was able to get in front of her, and she was cruising right, 707 00:41:36,180 --> 00:41:39,460 so I had a good five metres of her coming towards me, 708 00:41:39,460 --> 00:41:41,780 which was a fantastic angle to get, 709 00:41:41,780 --> 00:41:45,340 and then she came right past me. She didn't notice me. 710 00:41:45,340 --> 00:41:48,500 And then I just saw her eyes just open like that... Wow. 711 00:41:48,500 --> 00:41:51,460 ..as I'm passing. It was unbelievable. 712 00:42:13,300 --> 00:42:16,860 What an encounter there for Mark! Magic. Absolute magic. 713 00:42:16,860 --> 00:42:18,980 Well, that is it from us today. 714 00:42:18,980 --> 00:42:21,620 Don't forget to join the Blue Planet Live team tonight 715 00:42:21,620 --> 00:42:24,820 for more wondrous stories from the oceans of BBC One. 716 00:42:24,820 --> 00:42:27,060 Whilst they're bringing you the stories 717 00:42:27,060 --> 00:42:30,660 from the world's waters, we'll be back same time tomorrow 718 00:42:30,660 --> 00:42:34,380 for more from this great UK coastline. 719 00:42:35,420 --> 00:42:37,980 Next time on Blue Planet UK.... 720 00:42:37,980 --> 00:42:39,980 I love science experiments. 721 00:42:39,980 --> 00:42:43,980 ..I get in a spin when I find out how washing your clothes can result 722 00:42:43,980 --> 00:42:45,460 in plastic pollution. 723 00:42:45,460 --> 00:42:47,780 We're finding a lot of fibres in the marine environment. 724 00:42:47,780 --> 00:42:49,300 We're finding them in the deep sea 725 00:42:49,300 --> 00:42:51,660 and we're finding them in marine creatures as well. 726 00:42:51,660 --> 00:42:55,580 We learn how a national dish has been bad for our fish. 727 00:42:55,580 --> 00:42:58,420 Who would have thought that underneath that lovely crispy batter 728 00:42:58,420 --> 00:43:00,620 could be a kind of shark? 729 00:43:00,620 --> 00:43:05,940 We find out about the crustaceans making a comeback along our coast. 730 00:43:05,940 --> 00:43:09,060 And Chris discusses a fashion-conscious crab 731 00:43:09,060 --> 00:43:11,940 when he meets biologist Paul Naylor. 732 00:43:11,940 --> 00:43:15,420 They're dressing up in seaweed as a means of camouflaging themselves?