1 00:00:10,470 --> 00:00:12,180 [soft music playing] 2 00:00:14,807 --> 00:00:15,641 [Zac] Water. 3 00:00:19,145 --> 00:00:20,772 We're made mostly of water. 4 00:00:21,731 --> 00:00:22,982 Around 70%. 5 00:00:24,567 --> 00:00:28,154 And what a bizarre coincidence, or no coincidence at all, 6 00:00:28,237 --> 00:00:32,325 is that our planet's surface is covered by water at that same percentage. 7 00:00:32,825 --> 00:00:34,702 That's how important water is to us. 8 00:00:35,203 --> 00:00:38,164 So as we work hard to protect the air and the land, 9 00:00:38,915 --> 00:00:42,543 it's just as crucial, if not more, that we protect the sea. 10 00:00:43,503 --> 00:00:48,174 Here in Australia, there is a system of 3,000 individual coral reefs 11 00:00:48,257 --> 00:00:50,134 spanning 1,400 miles. 12 00:00:50,885 --> 00:00:55,515 They are living structures that provide a habitat to an ecosystem so vast 13 00:00:55,598 --> 00:00:58,768 they're considered the tropical rain forests of the sea. 14 00:00:58,851 --> 00:01:02,980 But after a long, healthy life around 25 million years, 15 00:01:03,773 --> 00:01:09,779 the coral reef in this area is dying, about half of it, since 1995. Gone. 16 00:01:10,321 --> 00:01:14,659 Dead. And soon with it, all of those organisms that depend on them. 17 00:01:18,246 --> 00:01:20,456 Including… us. 18 00:01:21,290 --> 00:01:22,959 We're all running out of time. 19 00:01:30,842 --> 00:01:34,011 -There's Dory. -Yep, there's Dory. And there's Nemo. 20 00:01:34,095 --> 00:01:36,055 -[Darin] Hey! -[Zac chuckles] Hi, buddy! 21 00:01:37,014 --> 00:01:39,225 We're on the northeastern coast of Australia 22 00:01:39,308 --> 00:01:42,228 to see how cutting-edge researchers and scientists… 23 00:01:42,311 --> 00:01:43,646 [man] We've got to explore ideas. 24 00:01:43,729 --> 00:01:44,814 -Really? -[woman] Yeah! 25 00:01:44,897 --> 00:01:47,692 No getting around the fact that they're absolutely threatened. 26 00:01:47,775 --> 00:01:50,862 [Zac] …are all working to save a very crucial part of the ocean… 27 00:01:50,945 --> 00:01:55,199 It's seagrass. It's mangroves. It's that whole coastal interface. 28 00:01:55,283 --> 00:01:58,327 [Zac] …that has been on my bucket list for the last 15 years. 29 00:01:58,411 --> 00:02:01,914 -You got some harvesting to do. -Yeah. Cool. Never done this before. 30 00:02:01,998 --> 00:02:04,083 -And along the way… Hey! 31 00:02:04,750 --> 00:02:07,295 [Zac] …we'll squeeze in as much fun as we can. 32 00:02:07,378 --> 00:02:09,130 [upbeat music playing] 33 00:02:15,887 --> 00:02:18,890 [Zac] Coral reefs make up around 2% of the ocean's floor. 34 00:02:19,724 --> 00:02:23,561 But they are home to about 25% of all sea life. 35 00:02:24,187 --> 00:02:27,273 They provide revenue for us through food and tourism. 36 00:02:27,773 --> 00:02:30,776 They protect our shorelines from storms and erosion. 37 00:02:31,736 --> 00:02:32,862 And on this adventure, 38 00:02:32,945 --> 00:02:36,240 we're gonna meet some of the people who have dedicated their entire lives 39 00:02:36,324 --> 00:02:39,202 to saving and protecting the largest coral reef system 40 00:02:39,285 --> 00:02:40,536 on the entire planet, 41 00:02:41,412 --> 00:02:42,788 the Great Barrier Reef. 42 00:02:43,664 --> 00:02:45,958 Running along the north coast of Australia, 43 00:02:46,042 --> 00:02:50,171 the Great Barrier Reef makes up 10% of the Earth's coral reef systems. 44 00:02:50,922 --> 00:02:54,550 And while all of the coral reef systems on this planet are in danger, 45 00:02:54,634 --> 00:02:57,386 because Australia is completely surrounded by water, 46 00:02:57,470 --> 00:02:59,513 the health and sea of the Great Barrier Reef 47 00:02:59,597 --> 00:03:01,849 seem especially important to this country. 48 00:03:02,350 --> 00:03:05,228 With the world's largest coral reef system right here, 49 00:03:05,311 --> 00:03:08,356 it's the perfect case study for scientists and researchers 50 00:03:08,439 --> 00:03:11,859 to figure out what's causing the decline of the world's coral reefs. 51 00:03:11,943 --> 00:03:14,654 And more importantly, how they can be saved. 52 00:03:14,737 --> 00:03:18,532 First stop on this aquatic adventure is on the shores of Queensland, 53 00:03:19,033 --> 00:03:22,536 on a little section of coast jutting out into the Coral Sea. 54 00:03:26,290 --> 00:03:28,876 This is the National Sea Simulator, 55 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:33,422 run by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, or AIMS for short. 56 00:03:34,048 --> 00:03:37,176 Here, a group of world-class innovative scientists have created 57 00:03:37,260 --> 00:03:40,805 the world's most technologically advanced research aquarium on Earth. 58 00:03:41,305 --> 00:03:43,432 This is a haven where dedicated researchers 59 00:03:43,516 --> 00:03:46,269 from all over the world can study the underwater environment 60 00:03:46,352 --> 00:03:48,688 and the impact that human activity has on it, 61 00:03:50,022 --> 00:03:53,192 all of them working together to improve the health and sustainability 62 00:03:53,276 --> 00:03:54,777 of the planet's oceans. 63 00:03:54,860 --> 00:03:57,280 [woman] The scale of the Great Barrier Reef is just massive, 64 00:03:57,363 --> 00:03:59,782 and so we're really working on intervention strategies 65 00:03:59,865 --> 00:04:03,577 that would allow us to scale up the tools that we have in our tool kit 66 00:04:03,661 --> 00:04:07,081 to really have a meaningful impact on helping the Great Barrier Reef. 67 00:04:07,164 --> 00:04:09,917 We've got to explore ideas 'cause we're stuck at a place 68 00:04:10,001 --> 00:04:11,669 where reefs are severely threatened. 69 00:04:11,752 --> 00:04:14,255 There's only a small amount of the seafloor 70 00:04:14,338 --> 00:04:16,215 that actually is coral reef, 71 00:04:16,299 --> 00:04:20,219 yet 500 million people get their sort of food and livelihoods from coral reefs. 72 00:04:20,303 --> 00:04:22,388 Five to six billion dollars each year 73 00:04:22,471 --> 00:04:24,932 from tourists coming to the beautiful reef. 74 00:04:25,016 --> 00:04:26,017 So this is a really… 75 00:04:26,100 --> 00:04:28,102 It's an employment issue, an economic issue. 76 00:04:28,185 --> 00:04:30,146 Just imagine if it disappears on our watch. 77 00:04:30,229 --> 00:04:32,064 [Zac] Yeah. "Just imagine" is right. 78 00:04:32,606 --> 00:04:36,110 The entire world, one way or another, sort of depends on the health 79 00:04:36,193 --> 00:04:39,655 of these coastal waters. So let's see what they're doing about it. 80 00:04:39,739 --> 00:04:40,906 [Ove] Let's go look at corals. 81 00:04:40,990 --> 00:04:42,616 -Yeah, please. -[Zac] Yeah. Beautiful. 82 00:04:42,700 --> 00:04:45,411 -If I can open the door. -[Darin laughs] Oh my gosh. 83 00:04:45,494 --> 00:04:48,372 [Zac] I feel like this is Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. 84 00:04:48,914 --> 00:04:51,917 And now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, behold, 85 00:04:52,626 --> 00:04:53,753 the Sea Sim Room. 86 00:04:54,628 --> 00:04:56,589 [jazz music playing] 87 00:05:04,263 --> 00:05:06,974 [Zac] It is like walking through the Chocolate Factory. 88 00:05:15,399 --> 00:05:18,486 Okay, it actually looks like the world's coolest fish store 89 00:05:18,569 --> 00:05:20,946 or a Pixar movie come to life. 90 00:05:21,030 --> 00:05:22,990 -There's Dory. -[Ove] Yep, there's Dory. 91 00:05:23,074 --> 00:05:25,951 And down here, there's Nemo. 92 00:05:26,035 --> 00:05:26,952 -[Darin] Hey! -[Zac] Hi! 93 00:05:27,036 --> 00:05:27,870 [Ove] Right? 94 00:05:28,371 --> 00:05:30,956 And this is Nemo's home, right? Just like in the movie. 95 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,417 -[Zac] Beautiful. The sea anemone. -[Ove] So, yeah. 96 00:05:33,501 --> 00:05:36,170 [Zac] No joke, it is breathtaking in here. 97 00:05:36,253 --> 00:05:38,172 It doesn't look real at first, 98 00:05:38,255 --> 00:05:41,634 but then you see some tanks that look… not good. 99 00:05:42,134 --> 00:05:44,053 So, if you look at coral reefs worldwide, 100 00:05:44,136 --> 00:05:46,097 they're providing these services for humans. 101 00:05:46,180 --> 00:05:49,058 But as they… As human populations have increased 102 00:05:49,141 --> 00:05:52,937 along coastlines, we've started to see the loss of reefs due to physical damage. 103 00:05:53,020 --> 00:05:55,815 They've started to deforest the coastline 104 00:05:55,898 --> 00:05:58,734 that used to hold the sediment from flowing onto the reefs. 105 00:05:58,818 --> 00:06:00,903 Over the last, you know, few years, 106 00:06:00,986 --> 00:06:05,074 we've seen sort of bleaching events, which is where coral gets too hot. 107 00:06:05,157 --> 00:06:08,911 We've started to see sort of changes to the ecosystem as a result of that. 108 00:06:08,994 --> 00:06:11,455 You lose the corals, you start to lose the fish, 109 00:06:11,539 --> 00:06:14,250 and you start to lose the benefits to people. 110 00:06:14,333 --> 00:06:15,167 Yeah. 111 00:06:15,251 --> 00:06:17,253 [Zac] It's estimated that since 1950, 112 00:06:17,336 --> 00:06:20,506 the Earth has already lost half of its coral reefs. 113 00:06:20,589 --> 00:06:24,427 And another two-thirds of what remains are damaged and at risk. 114 00:06:24,510 --> 00:06:26,887 What they're studying here is how coral reefs change 115 00:06:26,971 --> 00:06:28,973 in various temperatures and pollution levels, 116 00:06:29,056 --> 00:06:31,725 and searching for methods to possibly restore them. 117 00:06:31,809 --> 00:06:34,437 Every one of these tanks represents a few different states. 118 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:39,942 Yeah, exactly. So this is the way it was for thousands and thousands of years. 119 00:06:40,025 --> 00:06:42,820 Right? It's an explosion of biodiversity, fish. 120 00:06:42,903 --> 00:06:45,197 There's productivity. There are reef services. 121 00:06:45,281 --> 00:06:46,407 It's a healthy system. 122 00:06:46,490 --> 00:06:50,453 Coral reefs have sort of built up an enormous amount of mutualism. 123 00:06:50,536 --> 00:06:54,457 I mean, it even goes down to the fish. When they go and hide at nighttime 124 00:06:54,540 --> 00:06:56,125 among the branches of coral, 125 00:06:56,208 --> 00:06:59,253 they pee really important nutrients into the water column 126 00:06:59,336 --> 00:07:02,173 that feed the coral, and the coral then provides protection. 127 00:07:02,256 --> 00:07:06,343 [Zac] So the fish needs protection, but the coral reef needs nutrients. 128 00:07:06,427 --> 00:07:08,429 So the fish is like, "You're in luck." 129 00:07:09,305 --> 00:07:13,893 So there's this sort of feedback loop between, you know, fish, corals, pee, 130 00:07:13,976 --> 00:07:15,686 and, you know, the reef. 131 00:07:15,769 --> 00:07:20,149 It's like the ocean's perfect bipartisan entity. 132 00:07:20,232 --> 00:07:22,776 Yeah. Absolutely. That's a really good way of putting it. 133 00:07:22,860 --> 00:07:26,238 But here's what happens if you sort of heat above two degrees 134 00:07:26,322 --> 00:07:28,824 above the summer temperatures on the reef. 135 00:07:28,908 --> 00:07:32,286 You get something that transpires as this. There's still some fish there. 136 00:07:32,369 --> 00:07:36,832 -Is this just temperature you increased? -This is just two degrees higher. 137 00:07:36,916 --> 00:07:39,251 It's a delicate symbiotic balance here. 138 00:07:39,335 --> 00:07:41,962 With the water temperature up just a few degrees, 139 00:07:42,046 --> 00:07:45,132 the coral becomes stressed and can no longer feed the algae. 140 00:07:45,216 --> 00:07:50,179 The algae dies, leaving behind a barren exoskeleton of bleached coral. 141 00:07:50,262 --> 00:07:54,308 Eventually, the organisms and fish that relied on the algae are also gone, 142 00:07:54,391 --> 00:07:57,394 and soon the entire ecosystem is dead. 143 00:07:57,478 --> 00:08:01,148 [Ove] This is sort of what would happen if you had a lot of nutrients coming in 144 00:08:01,232 --> 00:08:02,483 on a reef system. 145 00:08:02,566 --> 00:08:04,985 Because you've been pushing nitrogen into the system, 146 00:08:05,069 --> 00:08:07,363 the whole thing's sort of undergone a change. 147 00:08:07,446 --> 00:08:10,658 But more and more, we see things like algae coming in. 148 00:08:10,741 --> 00:08:13,452 And that can also be affected by grazing fishes. 149 00:08:13,536 --> 00:08:17,623 A whole bunch of fishes like to eat algae, and they're essentially the gardeners. 150 00:08:17,706 --> 00:08:21,085 They go in there, and they collect the seaweeds and eat them, 151 00:08:21,168 --> 00:08:24,463 and that allows corals to sort of grow back up into the systems. 152 00:08:24,547 --> 00:08:27,424 One of these reefs here is from the inshore Great Barrier Reef, 153 00:08:27,508 --> 00:08:30,553 and this is really where we've lost a lot of corals. 154 00:08:30,636 --> 00:08:34,765 -This one has got very big fleshy polyps. -Simulating a completely different space. 155 00:08:34,848 --> 00:08:37,851 Absolutely. So, allowing us to dial up different futures 156 00:08:37,935 --> 00:08:39,103 and look at what happens. 157 00:08:39,186 --> 00:08:42,648 'Cause if we can dial up that future and understand it, then I think we have… 158 00:08:42,731 --> 00:08:44,066 We can find solutions. 159 00:08:44,149 --> 00:08:47,444 [Zac] Seeing the impact of temperature change on the coral reef 160 00:08:47,528 --> 00:08:50,155 all laid out so clearly is pretty scary. 161 00:08:51,073 --> 00:08:54,618 But if our oceans have gone from vibrant to decaying because of humans, 162 00:08:54,702 --> 00:08:58,163 perhaps there's hope that humans can also bring about some healing. 163 00:08:59,415 --> 00:09:01,917 I wonder what the coral has to say about all of this. 164 00:09:04,253 --> 00:09:06,880 [muffled] The harm from the rise in water temperatures and pollution 165 00:09:06,964 --> 00:09:09,091 can be seen here in the Great Barrier Reef. 166 00:09:09,174 --> 00:09:10,509 Take Coral over here. 167 00:09:10,593 --> 00:09:12,553 Ugh, dude, it's so true. 168 00:09:12,636 --> 00:09:16,765 Since 1950, Earth has lost about 50% of its coral reefs. 169 00:09:16,849 --> 00:09:19,852 The rapid human-caused increase in sea temperatures, 170 00:09:19,935 --> 00:09:24,982 combined with large increases in CO2, have changed the chemistry of the oceans. 171 00:09:25,065 --> 00:09:25,899 Hassle. 172 00:09:25,983 --> 00:09:28,819 -Whoa! What happened? -It's coral bleaching, man. 173 00:09:28,902 --> 00:09:32,114 Everything in the reef is stripped of all its nutrients and life, 174 00:09:32,197 --> 00:09:33,907 essentially dying slowly, 175 00:09:33,991 --> 00:09:36,535 affecting the entire ocean's ecosystem. 176 00:09:37,161 --> 00:09:39,496 Well, what can be done? I mean, is it too late? 177 00:09:39,580 --> 00:09:43,375 It's not, but wide-scale changes need to be made and fast. 178 00:09:43,459 --> 00:09:45,794 There are two basic types of help, 179 00:09:45,878 --> 00:09:47,671 protective and restorative. 180 00:09:47,755 --> 00:09:49,965 Restorative includes all the methods to replant 181 00:09:50,049 --> 00:09:52,176 and repopulate more resilient coral, 182 00:09:52,259 --> 00:09:54,720 and help heal areas that can be brought back to health. 183 00:09:54,803 --> 00:09:56,722 Oof. Sounds complicated. 184 00:09:56,805 --> 00:09:57,723 A little. 185 00:09:57,806 --> 00:10:01,060 And luckily, top ecologists are working on it every day. 186 00:10:01,143 --> 00:10:03,187 -But you know what's simple? -What? 187 00:10:03,270 --> 00:10:06,190 The protective things you can do to prevent further damage, 188 00:10:06,273 --> 00:10:10,527 like not polluting, being aware of where your seafood is coming from, 189 00:10:10,611 --> 00:10:13,072 and, of course, reducing your CO2 footprint. 190 00:10:13,572 --> 00:10:15,199 That I can do. 191 00:10:15,282 --> 00:10:18,369 Oh, hey, Coral, I gotta head back up. Thanks. 192 00:10:18,452 --> 00:10:20,788 No problemo. Later, dude! 193 00:10:21,955 --> 00:10:25,209 [Zac] Our first example of restorative healing to the Great Barrier Reef 194 00:10:25,292 --> 00:10:26,752 is right here at AIMS. 195 00:10:26,835 --> 00:10:30,881 As Dr. Carly steps up to show us a new method called coral seeding. 196 00:10:31,382 --> 00:10:33,801 [Darin] We're super excited to see what you're doing 197 00:10:33,884 --> 00:10:35,844 to create some strength in the reef. 198 00:10:35,928 --> 00:10:39,515 We're really focused on trying to come up with a tool kit 199 00:10:39,598 --> 00:10:43,102 to help the reef recover into the future. So this is just one of those. 200 00:10:43,185 --> 00:10:45,646 It's a part of something we're calling coral seeding. 201 00:10:46,146 --> 00:10:50,943 Essentially, what we're trying to do is develop a way that we can sow corals 202 00:10:51,026 --> 00:10:55,781 onto reefs the same way that you would sow seeds into a forest that needs recovering. 203 00:10:55,864 --> 00:10:58,158 And then we can apply that to these, 204 00:10:58,242 --> 00:11:01,495 what we're calling settlement plugs, and then we seed them on the reefs. 205 00:11:01,578 --> 00:11:05,666 Every one of these plugs has about ten to 15 coral babies growing on it. 206 00:11:05,749 --> 00:11:08,669 Have you had any success with any of these different types? 207 00:11:08,752 --> 00:11:13,507 Last year we achieved a 25% survival rate, which we were quite pleased with. 208 00:11:13,590 --> 00:11:14,717 Amazing. 209 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,470 You guys wanna get your hands wet and help me put some corals in some devices? 210 00:11:19,304 --> 00:11:21,515 -Oh yeah. Absolutely. -[Carly] Yeah? Awesome. 211 00:11:21,598 --> 00:11:25,018 There's some stools underneath. Feel free to pop those out. 212 00:11:26,270 --> 00:11:28,063 -A little booster. -Whoa. 213 00:11:29,106 --> 00:11:30,983 Yeah, this is great. Thank you. 214 00:11:31,066 --> 00:11:33,026 So, what I can do 215 00:11:33,777 --> 00:11:38,824 is hand you guys some device components, and I'll hand you some plugs. 216 00:11:38,907 --> 00:11:43,454 And then you can put them together. Hold it by the base or the sides. 217 00:11:44,037 --> 00:11:47,416 -Zac? Yeah, so just… -Sliding it into the triangle side. 218 00:11:47,499 --> 00:11:51,253 What Darin doesn't know is that he and I are in a race to put these together. 219 00:11:52,087 --> 00:11:55,966 The last person to properly assemble their seeding device will be eliminated. 220 00:11:56,049 --> 00:11:57,926 Let me repeat the instructions. 221 00:11:58,010 --> 00:12:01,889 The last person to properly assemble their seeding device will be eliminated. 222 00:12:01,972 --> 00:12:04,641 -Hey, wanna hand me-- -Mine fit perfect and was effortless. 223 00:12:04,725 --> 00:12:08,395 -Yours is just taking a long time to-- -I'm just… I'm being kind to you. 224 00:12:08,479 --> 00:12:10,898 [Zac] The idea is to breed strains of coral 225 00:12:10,981 --> 00:12:12,524 that can survive in warmer temperatures, 226 00:12:12,608 --> 00:12:15,986 and then plant seeds of this new coral in damaged parts of the reef. 227 00:12:16,069 --> 00:12:17,780 -[Carly] There you go. -I think I'm finished. 228 00:12:17,863 --> 00:12:18,697 -Yeah? -Good job. 229 00:12:18,781 --> 00:12:22,785 [Zac] The seeding devices can provide a space for the young corals to grow. 230 00:12:23,577 --> 00:12:27,289 Once planted, the devices help anchor them firmly to the reef 231 00:12:27,372 --> 00:12:29,374 and protect the corals from predators. 232 00:12:30,501 --> 00:12:34,254 The work you're doing here is such to be celebrated 233 00:12:34,922 --> 00:12:38,383 because this supports the ecosystem 234 00:12:38,467 --> 00:12:41,970 literally from the bottom of the ocean, all the way up. 235 00:12:42,054 --> 00:12:44,973 The thing that people at home can do if they're going on holiday 236 00:12:45,057 --> 00:12:47,976 somewhere there's a reef, there are many citizen science projects 237 00:12:48,060 --> 00:12:49,937 where people can make observations 238 00:12:50,020 --> 00:12:52,606 and report things they see while they're snorkeling. 239 00:12:52,689 --> 00:12:54,650 So it's a small thing an individual can do, 240 00:12:54,733 --> 00:12:58,237 but it actually provides the researchers so much information. 241 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,156 [Zac] Like Dr. Carly said, a quick search online will show there are 242 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,117 citizen-based coral reef monitoring programs all over the world 243 00:13:04,201 --> 00:13:05,369 for those who wanna help. 244 00:13:05,869 --> 00:13:07,579 For me, it's an exciting time. 245 00:13:07,663 --> 00:13:13,043 Down the road, I think we'll be, you know, hopefully celebrating winning the fight. 246 00:13:13,126 --> 00:13:14,586 Fascinating. Thank you so much. 247 00:13:14,670 --> 00:13:16,213 -It's a pleasure. -It's fantastic. 248 00:13:16,296 --> 00:13:19,091 The coral seeding that takes place at AIMS is just the start 249 00:13:19,174 --> 00:13:20,968 of one restorative process. 250 00:13:22,636 --> 00:13:26,557 But there's another step to restoring the reefs that's been going on for years. 251 00:13:29,476 --> 00:13:30,853 We're in Cairns, 252 00:13:31,728 --> 00:13:36,066 a tourist hot spot, major port, and getaway to the Barrier Reef. 253 00:13:36,859 --> 00:13:40,028 We're taking a catamaran about 17 miles out to sea. 254 00:13:40,946 --> 00:13:45,576 And then we hop on a small tender boat to actually board the Marine World pontoon. 255 00:13:47,536 --> 00:13:48,829 This is the last stop, 256 00:13:48,912 --> 00:13:52,249 the Marine World pontoon, where all the magic happens. 257 00:13:52,833 --> 00:13:56,336 This is a joint venture of private companies, universities, 258 00:13:56,420 --> 00:13:57,796 and concerned citizens, 259 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:00,966 all working together to help save the Great Barrier Reef. 260 00:14:01,466 --> 00:14:04,469 And we're meeting the rock stars that are here to repair it. 261 00:14:05,304 --> 00:14:07,264 Or rather the reef stars. 262 00:14:07,347 --> 00:14:08,724 [woman] Welcome to Marine World. 263 00:14:08,807 --> 00:14:12,394 What we're going to be doing today is working on something called reef stars. 264 00:14:12,477 --> 00:14:15,480 This is a type of reef restoration technique 265 00:14:15,564 --> 00:14:18,108 developed by Mars, the chocolate bar company. 266 00:14:18,191 --> 00:14:20,193 -Developed about ten years ago. -Really? 267 00:14:20,277 --> 00:14:21,236 -[Alicia] Yeah! -Cool. 268 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:22,571 Pretty interesting, huh? 269 00:14:22,654 --> 00:14:25,657 And it's literally just using pieces of steel bar 270 00:14:25,741 --> 00:14:29,578 that have been coated in sand or limestone like we have here. 271 00:14:29,661 --> 00:14:32,080 -And we attach coral pieces to it. -[Zac] Sweet. 272 00:14:32,164 --> 00:14:33,540 We put these down in the water, 273 00:14:33,624 --> 00:14:37,085 and we help restore these areas of coral rubble which have been broken 274 00:14:37,169 --> 00:14:40,130 as a result of maybe storms, it could be from blast fishing, 275 00:14:40,213 --> 00:14:42,215 and even from climate change as well. 276 00:14:42,299 --> 00:14:45,928 So the area that we're going to go out to today was an area that was hurt 277 00:14:46,011 --> 00:14:48,639 as a result of Cyclone Yasi about ten years ago. 278 00:14:48,722 --> 00:14:52,559 And so when you have corals and coral reefs, they naturally recover. 279 00:14:52,643 --> 00:14:55,354 But there's some areas where you have heaps of storm damage, 280 00:14:55,437 --> 00:14:57,314 and it just becomes a big rubble bed. 281 00:14:57,397 --> 00:15:00,776 You've got these little coral fragments that are moving around in the water. 282 00:15:00,859 --> 00:15:04,738 They pretty much don't survive unless they've got something to be attached to. 283 00:15:04,821 --> 00:15:07,950 So then today, what are you… You and Zac are gonna take off… 284 00:15:08,033 --> 00:15:10,661 We're gonna go out and collect those coral fragments. 285 00:15:10,744 --> 00:15:13,413 What we're going to look for is corals of opportunity. 286 00:15:13,497 --> 00:15:15,082 Looking for something the same size 287 00:15:15,165 --> 00:15:18,293 as between your thumb and forefinger, these sorts of fragments. 288 00:15:18,377 --> 00:15:20,587 We've got some here that I can show you as well. 289 00:15:21,088 --> 00:15:24,466 Something that's no longer attached to the actual coral. 290 00:15:24,549 --> 00:15:27,886 -Wow. So you've got some harvesting to do. -Sounds like fun. 291 00:15:28,387 --> 00:15:30,138 Yeah. Cool. Never done this before. 292 00:15:30,222 --> 00:15:33,433 Darin and I are splitting up. I've been diving for years. 293 00:15:33,517 --> 00:15:36,728 And we're gonna save Darin's first time in scuba gear for later. 294 00:15:36,812 --> 00:15:40,273 Besides, he has to stay on the boat and see how they prep the reef stars. 295 00:15:40,774 --> 00:15:42,234 Okay. This is it. 296 00:15:42,317 --> 00:15:44,194 [inhales] Ready to dive. 297 00:15:46,405 --> 00:15:47,280 Ah. 298 00:15:47,364 --> 00:15:49,491 It is so good to be back in the ocean. 299 00:15:50,283 --> 00:15:51,785 Look at the coral. 300 00:15:51,868 --> 00:15:53,286 Look at the fish. 301 00:15:53,370 --> 00:15:54,913 Look at the sharks. 302 00:15:56,832 --> 00:15:58,750 Those are gray reef sharks, 303 00:15:58,834 --> 00:16:01,253 and they're the most common sharks in this area. 304 00:16:01,336 --> 00:16:04,214 They usually only attack people if they feel threatened. 305 00:16:04,297 --> 00:16:07,551 So I'm just gonna head this way and try to seem nonthreatening. 306 00:16:07,634 --> 00:16:09,678 After all, we're here to save the reef. 307 00:16:09,761 --> 00:16:11,888 That is, like, the opposite of threatening. 308 00:16:12,472 --> 00:16:15,350 Seriously though, do you see the size of those things? 309 00:16:16,351 --> 00:16:17,978 Okay. Back to work. 310 00:16:19,187 --> 00:16:21,773 Remember, we're searching for broken coral pieces 311 00:16:21,857 --> 00:16:26,111 about the size of my hand to bring up and attach to the reef star frames. 312 00:16:26,194 --> 00:16:27,487 Wonder how Darin's doing. 313 00:16:27,571 --> 00:16:30,866 You know, the Great Barrier Reef is not just coral or fish. 314 00:16:30,949 --> 00:16:33,160 It's seagrass. It's mangroves. 315 00:16:33,243 --> 00:16:35,454 It's that whole coastal interface 316 00:16:35,537 --> 00:16:39,458 that is critical to the fish life that we see out here. 317 00:16:39,541 --> 00:16:43,628 They start their lives back on the coast. In terms of the runoff and the filtering 318 00:16:43,712 --> 00:16:45,964 that happens through mangroves and seagrass systems, 319 00:16:46,048 --> 00:16:49,134 that's all part of what we know as the Great Barrier Reef. 320 00:16:49,217 --> 00:16:50,635 Thirty percent of the ocean animals 321 00:16:50,719 --> 00:16:53,346 will have spent some time on a reef in its lifestyle. 322 00:16:53,430 --> 00:16:57,809 So it's incredibly important that they're vibrant and alive. 323 00:16:58,393 --> 00:17:00,937 The reef's been through some pretty tough times recently. 324 00:17:01,021 --> 00:17:04,608 The sequential bleachings in 2016 and 2017. 325 00:17:04,691 --> 00:17:09,029 And, in fact, I think much of the world thinks the reef is gone, which it isn't. 326 00:17:09,112 --> 00:17:14,951 But, obviously, as the world hopefully starts to deal with climate change, 327 00:17:15,035 --> 00:17:18,622 we still have to build as much resilience into the reef as is possible. 328 00:17:18,705 --> 00:17:20,373 I think there's two parallel tracks. 329 00:17:20,457 --> 00:17:23,001 Deal with climate change. Global issue. Everyone has to do it. 330 00:17:23,085 --> 00:17:25,629 And what can we do on the reef to help better manage it, 331 00:17:25,712 --> 00:17:27,881 to build resilience into the reef system. 332 00:17:29,216 --> 00:17:33,136 [Zac] This is one of the world's largest coral reef restoration programs. 333 00:17:34,721 --> 00:17:37,557 Installations yield a rapid growth in coral, 334 00:17:37,641 --> 00:17:41,103 increasing the coverage by 12 times in a few months. 335 00:17:41,186 --> 00:17:43,438 And the fish population nearly triples. 336 00:17:44,022 --> 00:17:45,315 Over the past decade, 337 00:17:45,398 --> 00:17:49,569 diver teams have installed around 20,000 reef stars worldwide, 338 00:17:49,653 --> 00:17:52,531 using almost 300,000 coral fragments. 339 00:17:53,365 --> 00:17:54,199 Like this one. 340 00:17:55,992 --> 00:17:59,913 Here's a small loose piece. This is exactly what we're looking for. 341 00:18:02,332 --> 00:18:04,626 Shout-out to Owen Wilson. Wow. 342 00:18:06,711 --> 00:18:09,339 Or flip it, and shout-out to Mom. 343 00:18:12,717 --> 00:18:15,178 Here's an example of a sea star that's been planted. 344 00:18:15,262 --> 00:18:16,847 Look how well it's starting to grow 345 00:18:16,930 --> 00:18:19,891 as it creates a new shelter and home for the other organism, 346 00:18:19,975 --> 00:18:24,146 and eventually adds more biodiversity to the entire area. 347 00:18:24,646 --> 00:18:26,731 We'll bring these coral pieces up to the boat, 348 00:18:26,815 --> 00:18:28,775 and Darin can take it from there. 349 00:18:32,070 --> 00:18:36,074 [Samantha] What we're gonna do is take our little fragments that we have here, 350 00:18:36,158 --> 00:18:38,451 and we're going to pop them straight onto the star. 351 00:18:38,535 --> 00:18:40,162 -So if you wanna take this one here. -Yeah. 352 00:18:40,245 --> 00:18:42,539 What we can do is we can lay it across the top here. 353 00:18:43,039 --> 00:18:47,127 And then each fragment gets two cable ties to attach it to… 354 00:18:47,210 --> 00:18:49,588 -[Darin] That's as simple… -[Samantha] Easy as it is. 355 00:18:49,671 --> 00:18:54,134 So one at the bottom, one at the top. And then we just tighten them on there. 356 00:18:54,217 --> 00:18:56,469 [Darin] We're doing this, and it's by hand. 357 00:18:56,553 --> 00:18:58,763 My brain goes, "How the hell can we scale this?" 358 00:18:58,847 --> 00:18:59,681 [Andy] Yeah. 359 00:18:59,764 --> 00:19:02,392 And we're dealing with something that's so massive. 360 00:19:02,475 --> 00:19:03,977 [Katie] We might not be able to repair 361 00:19:04,060 --> 00:19:08,648 and keep these kind of technologies going on all 3,000 reefs, 362 00:19:08,732 --> 00:19:11,484 but if you can focus these efforts where they're needed most, 363 00:19:11,568 --> 00:19:14,654 you're gonna help sustain those reefs and make sure they're resilient 364 00:19:14,738 --> 00:19:16,907 through those tough and lean times. 365 00:19:16,990 --> 00:19:18,700 -Can you grab it from the top? -[Darin] Yeah. 366 00:19:18,783 --> 00:19:20,160 -[Katie] Lift it up. -Lift the star? 367 00:19:20,243 --> 00:19:23,121 Yeah, it's the safest way. You can lift it over, and then… 368 00:19:23,205 --> 00:19:24,873 [Samantha] I'll show you where we put them. 369 00:19:24,956 --> 00:19:27,626 [Zac] Once enough coral is attached to the frame, 370 00:19:27,709 --> 00:19:30,629 they're lowered on this platform till they're ready to be planted 371 00:19:30,712 --> 00:19:33,256 on a section of the seafloor that's in need. 372 00:19:33,798 --> 00:19:35,634 [soft music playing] 373 00:19:39,512 --> 00:19:41,097 [Zac] It's beautiful down here. 374 00:19:44,351 --> 00:19:47,229 Diving underwater feels like I'm visiting another planet. 375 00:19:54,444 --> 00:19:55,445 I'm weightless… 376 00:19:59,658 --> 00:20:00,909 isolated from people… 377 00:20:02,619 --> 00:20:04,412 and surrounded by strange creatures. 378 00:20:06,581 --> 00:20:09,834 I'm reminded of why it's so important to protect the oceans. 379 00:20:11,711 --> 00:20:15,131 And it feels so good to be a part of the repair and protection of it. 380 00:20:15,632 --> 00:20:19,469 But this is only a stopgap, and there's still a long way to go. 381 00:20:20,220 --> 00:20:23,682 Man, I can't wait for Darin to get a chance to dive before we leave. 382 00:20:27,060 --> 00:20:29,354 Oh, I'm running out of air. Time to go up. 383 00:20:38,363 --> 00:20:40,865 Between the ocean and the land 384 00:20:40,949 --> 00:20:44,202 is a unique biome that protects corals and their reefs. 385 00:20:44,869 --> 00:20:46,997 They're called mangroves, 386 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:49,582 shrub and tree species that live and grow 387 00:20:49,666 --> 00:20:52,419 on the edge of the coast where the water meets the land. 388 00:20:52,502 --> 00:20:54,713 Ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef 389 00:20:54,796 --> 00:20:57,257 rely on mangrove forests to function properly. 390 00:20:57,757 --> 00:21:00,844 And unfortunately, the mangroves are also threatened. 391 00:21:01,845 --> 00:21:04,514 We're visiting a public and protected park 392 00:21:04,597 --> 00:21:06,975 to meet a local Indigenous climate activist 393 00:21:07,058 --> 00:21:09,227 and caretaker of the mangroves 394 00:21:09,311 --> 00:21:12,188 for a better look at this beautiful and lush habitat. 395 00:21:12,272 --> 00:21:13,815 So, you liking it up here? 396 00:21:13,898 --> 00:21:15,525 -Yeah. We got a good day. -Yeah? 397 00:21:15,608 --> 00:21:16,860 -Yeah. -[Darin] Loving it. 398 00:21:16,943 --> 00:21:19,654 -We're in mangrove country. -In the mangrove today, yes. 399 00:21:19,738 --> 00:21:20,572 Up here in Cairns. 400 00:21:21,990 --> 00:21:24,576 [Zac] And it's still raining. Don't worry. 401 00:21:25,910 --> 00:21:27,329 Cameras love that. Right, guys? 402 00:21:27,412 --> 00:21:31,750 What does it mean to your mob, your people, the mangroves, and the reef? 403 00:21:31,833 --> 00:21:35,378 In Aboriginal culture, in Indigenous culture here in Australia, 404 00:21:35,462 --> 00:21:39,382 we see the cultural connection that they both have between each other. 405 00:21:39,466 --> 00:21:40,508 -Yeah. -[Jiritju] Okay? 406 00:21:40,592 --> 00:21:42,886 So one might be, say, the little brother 407 00:21:42,969 --> 00:21:46,139 might be the mangroves. And the big brother might be the reef. 408 00:21:46,222 --> 00:21:50,393 So, what is working and what isn't working in terms of the environmental impact 409 00:21:50,477 --> 00:21:52,145 in mangroves' health right now? 410 00:21:52,228 --> 00:21:55,690 What we have is, like, the man-made effects that happen. 411 00:21:55,774 --> 00:21:58,485 So your destruction of habitats like this here. 412 00:21:58,568 --> 00:22:03,615 An example is taking out these mangroves just to put a car park in, all right? 413 00:22:03,698 --> 00:22:06,951 Take out these mangroves, and you got the effect of barren land, 414 00:22:07,035 --> 00:22:09,496 which then means more sediment runoff. 415 00:22:09,579 --> 00:22:11,956 Okay, that then directly flows into the water system, 416 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,209 then the water system takes it out to the reef. 417 00:22:14,292 --> 00:22:18,630 So more and more man-made pollution as a result going directly into the ocean. 418 00:22:18,713 --> 00:22:20,298 [Jiritju] Directly to the reef. Yeah. 419 00:22:20,382 --> 00:22:25,011 So mangroves, they need fresh water, and they need salt water as well. 420 00:22:25,095 --> 00:22:28,681 It's not just dependent on salt water. They actually need that oxygen as well. 421 00:22:28,765 --> 00:22:31,017 [Darin] They're really an environmental tree. 422 00:22:31,101 --> 00:22:37,399 They're keeping kind of a safety boundary between the land world and the ocean. 423 00:22:37,482 --> 00:22:40,235 It might be a coincidence that the airport was like, 424 00:22:40,318 --> 00:22:42,237 "We'll build here with the mangroves." 425 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,616 Because then the mangroves are actually offsetting their actual carbon emissions. 426 00:22:46,699 --> 00:22:47,909 -Oh, interesting. -Yeah. 427 00:22:47,992 --> 00:22:51,913 So they're taking out more of the CO2 just by being here in itself. 428 00:22:52,497 --> 00:22:55,625 So, how much CO2 do the mangroves, like, eat versus-- 429 00:22:55,708 --> 00:22:59,963 It'd be more… 20% more than what your normal trees. 430 00:23:00,630 --> 00:23:04,592 What we do here affects someone else on the other side of the world 431 00:23:04,676 --> 00:23:06,219 or on the other side of Australia. 432 00:23:06,302 --> 00:23:10,223 Vice versa. What they do on that side of the country affects what happens here. 433 00:23:11,391 --> 00:23:15,270 My generation and the younger generation, really sick of sitting around now. 434 00:23:15,353 --> 00:23:17,605 So we're not gonna let you destroy it on us. 435 00:23:17,689 --> 00:23:20,191 We're actually gonna get up and start doing what we can. 436 00:23:20,275 --> 00:23:23,319 Because I wanna leave something beautiful for my daughters. 437 00:23:23,403 --> 00:23:26,906 I want them to actually be able to go out to the reef and know that, 438 00:23:26,990 --> 00:23:30,201 "My father did his part by looking after the mangroves, 439 00:23:30,285 --> 00:23:32,412 that I get to go out and see the reef." 440 00:23:32,495 --> 00:23:34,456 "I get to see the beautiful fish out here, 441 00:23:34,539 --> 00:23:37,000 see the beautiful coral that's out here as well." 442 00:23:37,083 --> 00:23:39,210 And I think if we all think about 443 00:23:39,294 --> 00:23:43,423 what Indigenous people have is… We're leaving it to the next generation. 444 00:23:43,506 --> 00:23:45,467 -We can start now. -[Jiritju] We can start now. 445 00:23:45,550 --> 00:23:47,385 It's a good time to start now. 446 00:23:47,469 --> 00:23:50,054 [Zac] And with that, we'll start our tour show. 447 00:23:50,805 --> 00:23:52,932 All right. Let's check out this boardwalk. 448 00:23:53,683 --> 00:23:56,686 So all this before you came down here was just dry. 449 00:23:56,769 --> 00:23:59,606 And now 'cause of that rainfall that we just had, 450 00:23:59,689 --> 00:24:01,941 all the water's starting to catch in here now. 451 00:24:02,025 --> 00:24:05,403 That's the other importance about having the mangrove systems and roots 452 00:24:05,487 --> 00:24:08,656 that's around here is they hold all that water here in the soil, 453 00:24:08,740 --> 00:24:11,367 and then it's actually benefiting all these plants. 454 00:24:11,451 --> 00:24:14,621 -[Zac] 'Cause it all would go out to sea. -[Jiritju] It'd go straight out to sea. 455 00:24:16,289 --> 00:24:20,668 So if you noticed when we were walking through just before how dense it was, 456 00:24:20,752 --> 00:24:23,963 it was a different kind of species of mangrove. 457 00:24:24,047 --> 00:24:27,509 So now we're going through these ones, and you'll see these trees here 458 00:24:27,592 --> 00:24:32,388 are more clustered together, more of your straight kind of trees now. 459 00:24:33,139 --> 00:24:36,809 [Darin] And how many different types of species of mangroves are there? 460 00:24:36,893 --> 00:24:41,231 [Jiritju] So, altogether, there's 42 types of species. 461 00:24:42,106 --> 00:24:44,567 [Zac] Insert Dagobah system joke here. 462 00:24:45,610 --> 00:24:47,111 [hoarsely] "Away, put your weapon." 463 00:24:47,654 --> 00:24:51,032 [Jiritju] See some of these ones here? These are different species again. 464 00:24:51,115 --> 00:24:54,619 You see some of those little sharp little stems that's pointing up? 465 00:24:54,702 --> 00:24:56,704 -[Darin] Yeah. -[Jiritju] So they're just breathers. 466 00:24:56,788 --> 00:24:57,622 [Zac] Oh, cool. 467 00:24:58,164 --> 00:25:00,458 [Darin] The purpose of the breather is what? 468 00:25:00,542 --> 00:25:03,711 [Jiritju] To breathe in oxygen. That acts like their snorkel. 469 00:25:03,795 --> 00:25:06,673 Just like we need the mask and snorkel out on the reef, 470 00:25:06,756 --> 00:25:08,716 they have their own little snorkel here now. 471 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,469 -We're just mimicking the mangroves. -[Jiritju] Yeah! 472 00:25:12,345 --> 00:25:16,474 These ones here, you'll have… This is the leaf. Okay? 473 00:25:16,558 --> 00:25:18,893 You might not see it now, but that's the actual leaf 474 00:25:18,977 --> 00:25:21,145 that we have on these trees here. 475 00:25:21,229 --> 00:25:23,815 So what will happen is when there's mud, 476 00:25:23,898 --> 00:25:26,651 you'll drop it, and see how it stands up just like that? 477 00:25:26,734 --> 00:25:29,070 -[Zac] Hey! -[Jiritju] They're actually planted now. 478 00:25:29,153 --> 00:25:30,572 -We planted. -[Jiritju] You planted. 479 00:25:30,655 --> 00:25:32,615 I've officially planted some mangroves. 480 00:25:33,658 --> 00:25:36,160 [Zac] Look how gnarly they look, man. This looks like Mordor. 481 00:25:36,244 --> 00:25:38,746 -[Darin] Good luck walking through there. -[Zac] Yeah. 482 00:25:39,539 --> 00:25:41,791 -Takes a lot of practice. -It looks crazy in here. 483 00:25:41,874 --> 00:25:46,170 -This is different than where we started. -[Jiritju] A bit more muddy now, you know? 484 00:25:47,005 --> 00:25:49,382 Kinda that more mangroves smell that you're smelling. 485 00:25:49,465 --> 00:25:51,759 [Darin] This is so beau… I love that it's raining. 486 00:25:53,177 --> 00:25:54,095 [Zac] I bet they don't. 487 00:25:54,178 --> 00:25:56,180 -[Jiritju] It's lovely, isn't it? -It's so beautiful. 488 00:25:56,264 --> 00:25:57,932 -[Jiritju] It's keeping-- -[Zac] Sweet. 489 00:25:58,016 --> 00:26:00,143 [Jiritju] Keeping the mozzies at bay. 490 00:26:04,731 --> 00:26:07,984 [Jiritju] I think now walking around out on country here for a little bit 491 00:26:08,067 --> 00:26:10,528 and seeing some of my country, 492 00:26:10,612 --> 00:26:13,698 and you're getting the full tropical effect here. 493 00:26:13,781 --> 00:26:16,284 -That's right. -You get the rain. You get the mangroves. 494 00:26:16,367 --> 00:26:18,578 You'll go to the reef and enjoy it even more. 495 00:26:18,661 --> 00:26:21,164 Beautiful, brother. Thank you. This'll mean a lot to us. 496 00:26:21,247 --> 00:26:24,375 -We'll come full circle at the reef. -Yeah, that's right. 497 00:26:24,459 --> 00:26:26,586 [Zac] From sequestering CO2 498 00:26:26,669 --> 00:26:29,422 to protecting both land and the Barrier Reef, 499 00:26:29,505 --> 00:26:31,591 mangroves play an important part 500 00:26:31,674 --> 00:26:33,926 in maintaining the balance of life on Earth. 501 00:26:34,010 --> 00:26:35,637 And Jiritju's message 502 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,431 plays an important part in protecting the mangroves. 503 00:26:42,226 --> 00:26:45,021 After all this talk about the Great Barrier Reef, 504 00:26:45,104 --> 00:26:47,357 it's time to experience it for ourselves. 505 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:50,860 We're on the northeast coast of Queensland at Airlie Beach 506 00:26:50,943 --> 00:26:53,905 to ride 39 nautical miles out to sea. 507 00:26:54,447 --> 00:26:56,949 Yes, the goal is to go diving in the reef. 508 00:26:57,033 --> 00:27:00,953 But this is definitely one of those "journey, not the destination" scenarios, 509 00:27:01,037 --> 00:27:03,915 because we'll be taking this to get out there. 510 00:27:03,998 --> 00:27:05,416 Cue the yacht rock! 511 00:27:05,500 --> 00:27:07,669 [rock music playing] 512 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:10,088 [Darin] This is pretty epic. 513 00:27:10,171 --> 00:27:12,799 -Like we entered the zone, dude. -Danger zone. 514 00:27:14,217 --> 00:27:17,929 Yeah, dude. I'm stoked. I've been diving for, man, almost 15 years now. 515 00:27:18,012 --> 00:27:19,764 This is the one place, 516 00:27:19,847 --> 00:27:23,101 without fail, every single person I've been on a dive with always says, 517 00:27:23,184 --> 00:27:25,103 "You have to go to the Great Barrier Reef." 518 00:27:25,186 --> 00:27:27,438 It's just… It's another world down there. 519 00:27:27,522 --> 00:27:29,691 I'm really excited to see what's down there. 520 00:27:29,774 --> 00:27:30,608 [Darin] Yes. 521 00:27:33,778 --> 00:27:35,530 -Hey, man. -[man] Morning, gentlemen. 522 00:27:35,613 --> 00:27:39,784 [Zac] Peter is our diving instructor. Darin has never done this before. Ever. 523 00:27:39,867 --> 00:27:42,036 -Good to see you too. -[Peter] Well, here we are. 524 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:45,957 Just about to, uh, arrive at the Great Barrier Reef. 525 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,167 -Man. -[Peter] Let's take you back a bit. 526 00:27:48,251 --> 00:27:51,838 About 10,000 years ago, you could've walked all the way here. It was all land. 527 00:27:52,338 --> 00:27:55,133 About 10,000 years ago, the last ice age ended. 528 00:27:55,216 --> 00:27:57,552 When the ice age ended, the sea level rose. 529 00:27:57,635 --> 00:28:00,763 And about 6,000 years ago, it reached its present level. 530 00:28:00,847 --> 00:28:03,891 Previous to that, this was a mountain over here, 531 00:28:03,975 --> 00:28:07,478 and this was a mountain over here. And we're in what was a big river. 532 00:28:08,521 --> 00:28:12,024 As the sea level rose, it covered up these mountains, 533 00:28:12,108 --> 00:28:14,610 and coral started to grow on top of them. 534 00:28:14,694 --> 00:28:19,323 So we've got this coral that is growing on the top of a very old submerged mountain. 535 00:28:19,824 --> 00:28:20,825 -Very cool. -What? 536 00:28:20,908 --> 00:28:23,077 And it's sort of reached this present level. 537 00:28:23,161 --> 00:28:26,372 So we're in what would have been a river about 10,000 years ago. 538 00:28:26,456 --> 00:28:28,124 [upbeat music playing] 539 00:28:29,625 --> 00:28:32,170 The coral on the Great Barrier Reef is fantastic. 540 00:28:34,338 --> 00:28:36,799 I've heard, in the last few years particularly, 541 00:28:36,883 --> 00:28:39,302 more and more people coming to the reef 542 00:28:39,385 --> 00:28:42,180 having heard that it's in terrible shape, 543 00:28:42,263 --> 00:28:44,932 and now they see perfectly healthy brown coral, 544 00:28:45,016 --> 00:28:48,644 but because it's brown, they look at it and go, "It must be dead. It's brown." 545 00:28:48,728 --> 00:28:53,399 People are quite used to seeing coral, either in a video or in a postcard-- 546 00:28:53,483 --> 00:28:55,693 -[Zac] That's rainbow-colored. -…it's brightly colored. 547 00:28:55,777 --> 00:28:57,570 Because people won't buy a postcard 548 00:28:57,653 --> 00:29:00,031 if it's got a picture of poo-brown coral on it. 549 00:29:00,114 --> 00:29:00,948 [laughing] 550 00:29:01,032 --> 00:29:04,660 However, I'm not saying we're not doing any bad things to our oceans. 551 00:29:04,744 --> 00:29:07,121 You know, we're overfishing. We put too much plastic. 552 00:29:07,205 --> 00:29:09,332 But I don't think it's all doom and gloom. 553 00:29:09,415 --> 00:29:11,793 Everywhere you look, you're gonna see something new. 554 00:29:11,876 --> 00:29:13,211 You'll see different species. 555 00:29:13,294 --> 00:29:16,339 There's a lot big fish here, and you'll enjoy that for sure. 556 00:29:17,215 --> 00:29:20,718 [Zac] Our new home away from home for the next few days will be here. 557 00:29:21,219 --> 00:29:24,388 What is that? Waterworld? Kevin Costner is over there right now? 558 00:29:24,472 --> 00:29:27,141 [Zac] It does look just like Waterworld. Look at that. 559 00:29:27,809 --> 00:29:29,435 This is Reefworld, 560 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:34,607 a floating three-story pontoon located in Hardy Reef. 561 00:29:35,399 --> 00:29:36,442 Wow. 562 00:29:36,526 --> 00:29:37,360 Hey! 563 00:29:38,152 --> 00:29:42,365 [Zac] This next part is the big reward, the icing on the cake in this episode. 564 00:29:42,865 --> 00:29:46,661 Darin and I will have a chance to stay overnight in the reef. 565 00:29:46,744 --> 00:29:49,372 Not on the reef. In the reef. 566 00:29:49,455 --> 00:29:51,624 Underwater. You'll see. 567 00:29:51,707 --> 00:29:54,252 Sure, you can sleep on the deck, 568 00:29:54,335 --> 00:29:58,089 but down below, a hotel experience four meters underwater, 569 00:29:58,172 --> 00:30:01,300 guaranteed to be the best room with a view ever. 570 00:30:01,384 --> 00:30:05,012 Welcome to Reefworld. It's quite steep down here. 571 00:30:05,721 --> 00:30:07,640 -So just hold on to the handrails. -[Darin] Yeah. 572 00:30:08,432 --> 00:30:09,517 Oh, sweet. 573 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:11,602 -[Darin] Whoa. -[Zac] Wow. 574 00:30:12,436 --> 00:30:13,771 Like we're in a spaceship. 575 00:30:13,855 --> 00:30:14,981 Oh! 576 00:30:15,606 --> 00:30:16,607 What? 577 00:30:16,691 --> 00:30:18,609 [Zac] This reminds me of Troy McClure's house. 578 00:30:21,529 --> 00:30:22,738 Oh, hey, buddy. 579 00:30:22,822 --> 00:30:26,409 Tonight, I'll be sleeping with the fishes, but not in the Mafia way. 580 00:30:26,492 --> 00:30:29,412 [man] A blue light in the bottom, that's what attracts them at nighttime. 581 00:30:29,495 --> 00:30:32,248 The one thing about these windows is they're not soundproof, 582 00:30:32,331 --> 00:30:35,459 so you'll definitely hear the fish, but that's the best thing about it 583 00:30:35,543 --> 00:30:37,295 is hearing nature during the night. 584 00:30:37,378 --> 00:30:38,462 [Zac] I don't mind that. 585 00:30:38,546 --> 00:30:42,049 And these windows are two-way, so we can see the fish, they can see us, 586 00:30:42,133 --> 00:30:44,051 but all the scope in between that as well. 587 00:30:44,135 --> 00:30:46,220 [Zac] They've probably seen some pretty crazy things. 588 00:30:46,304 --> 00:30:49,265 -They've told me a few things. -[laughing] 589 00:30:49,348 --> 00:30:50,224 [Zac] Oh jeez. 590 00:30:50,308 --> 00:30:51,934 [happy music playing] 591 00:30:59,317 --> 00:31:02,278 [Zac] We're up with the sun and getting fueled for the dive. 592 00:31:09,535 --> 00:31:11,370 And picking up a few souvenirs. 593 00:31:19,879 --> 00:31:21,714 [Peter] Hello, gentlemen. How are we doing? 594 00:31:21,797 --> 00:31:23,049 -We're good. -Pretty good. 595 00:31:23,132 --> 00:31:25,885 -[Peter] Good. We're going to, uh… -Get in the water? 596 00:31:25,968 --> 00:31:29,263 …get you to slip into some black rubber here before we get in. 597 00:31:29,347 --> 00:31:30,765 -Cool. -There's the suit. 598 00:31:30,848 --> 00:31:33,059 -There's a little one for you. -For you. 599 00:31:35,728 --> 00:31:36,687 Party on, Wayne. 600 00:31:37,647 --> 00:31:40,024 [grunts] This is a little snug. 601 00:31:43,069 --> 00:31:45,321 [chuckles] We look like The Life Aquatic crew. 602 00:31:47,531 --> 00:31:49,450 [chuckles] Will you zip me, baby? 603 00:31:49,533 --> 00:31:51,744 -[coughs, laughs] -[Darin] Absolutely, honey. 604 00:31:52,453 --> 00:31:54,413 -[chuckles] -You look great, sweetheart. 605 00:31:55,081 --> 00:31:57,333 Jeez, Darin, you're too… too ripped, man. 606 00:31:58,376 --> 00:31:59,377 You're pumped up. 607 00:31:59,460 --> 00:32:01,879 -You're busting out of the suit. -Excuse my size. 608 00:32:02,463 --> 00:32:03,589 Whoa. Okay. 609 00:32:03,673 --> 00:32:05,049 Comfortable? -[Zac] Not really. 610 00:32:05,132 --> 00:32:07,259 Did you see me just squeeze him in there? 611 00:32:09,011 --> 00:32:11,180 Let's go bring you down this end, gentlemen. 612 00:32:11,263 --> 00:32:14,392 [Zac] We start with the scenic cruise through an area called the Whitsundays 613 00:32:14,475 --> 00:32:16,811 to get our dive spot on the Hardy Reef. 614 00:32:17,311 --> 00:32:20,356 As the salty wind blows against my face and through my hair, 615 00:32:21,273 --> 00:32:24,652 the anticipation of the experience is racing inside me. 616 00:32:24,735 --> 00:32:28,114 I always have a little nervous energy before a dive. 617 00:32:28,197 --> 00:32:29,865 It's not fear, 618 00:32:29,949 --> 00:32:33,661 more like a healthy respect for the fact that, just like flying, 619 00:32:33,744 --> 00:32:36,956 breathing underwater isn't a natural human experience. 620 00:32:37,039 --> 00:32:39,500 My conscience dances between caution 621 00:32:39,583 --> 00:32:42,670 and relaxing enough to enjoy every wondrous moment. 622 00:32:42,753 --> 00:32:46,757 Darin says he's ready, but he really has no idea what he's in for. 623 00:32:47,675 --> 00:32:50,094 And I guess neither do I, for that matter. 624 00:32:54,390 --> 00:32:55,224 Here we go! 625 00:32:56,017 --> 00:32:57,101 [splashing] 626 00:32:59,020 --> 00:33:01,022 [splashing] 627 00:33:03,399 --> 00:33:04,483 [Zac] It's beautiful, 628 00:33:05,776 --> 00:33:08,154 to the point that it doesn't even seem real. 629 00:33:08,654 --> 00:33:11,073 I've seen countless pictures and videos. 630 00:33:11,157 --> 00:33:13,200 They don't do the experience justice. 631 00:33:14,744 --> 00:33:17,872 That's why this is the ultimate dive location. 632 00:33:19,790 --> 00:33:22,293 The reef is teeming with life. 633 00:33:23,252 --> 00:33:25,004 Huge schools of fish 634 00:33:25,087 --> 00:33:27,590 in countless varieties, shapes, and colors. 635 00:33:29,842 --> 00:33:32,803 I don't know what this thing is, but look how awesome it is! 636 00:33:32,887 --> 00:33:35,097 I'm gonna touch it, just lightly. 637 00:33:35,181 --> 00:33:36,474 Touch. Touch. 638 00:33:41,312 --> 00:33:45,816 It's true. The corals are a little brown in some areas, but they're not dead. 639 00:33:45,900 --> 00:33:48,402 And they will hopefully come back even stronger. 640 00:33:49,612 --> 00:33:52,907 And for that, I give a big thanks to everyone we met along the way, 641 00:33:53,616 --> 00:33:55,409 all those who have worked so tirelessly 642 00:33:55,493 --> 00:33:58,454 to save the Great Barrier Reef and who continue to work. 643 00:34:02,083 --> 00:34:04,543 And Darin has no idea how lucky he is. 644 00:34:05,211 --> 00:34:07,546 For this reef to be his first dive, 645 00:34:08,297 --> 00:34:09,799 I know he's lovin' it. 646 00:34:14,595 --> 00:34:17,765 I will relive this moment in my head forever and ever. 647 00:34:18,265 --> 00:34:21,185 It's truly one of the coolest experiences of my life. 648 00:34:24,855 --> 00:34:26,107 [bubbling] 649 00:34:32,029 --> 00:34:32,863 [Darin] Yeah! 650 00:34:34,031 --> 00:34:35,157 That was amazing. 651 00:34:36,700 --> 00:34:39,537 -How was that for your first dive, buddy? -Dude! Come on. 652 00:34:39,620 --> 00:34:41,413 -[Zac] Good job. -That was amazing. 653 00:34:41,497 --> 00:34:42,456 We smashed that. 654 00:34:43,332 --> 00:34:44,208 Oh man. 655 00:34:44,291 --> 00:34:48,045 Some of those fish that just came right up to us like a little dog. 656 00:34:48,129 --> 00:34:49,380 -[Peter] Yeah. -It was like… 657 00:34:49,463 --> 00:34:52,091 -A little dog? It was a massive dog! -A massive fish. 658 00:34:52,174 --> 00:34:55,511 Outweighs any dog I've ever seen. That was, like, a 300-pound dog. 659 00:34:55,594 --> 00:34:58,639 …being able to touch 'em, and, they're just, like, chill. 660 00:34:58,722 --> 00:35:00,558 [Zac] Yeah. You actually touched it? 661 00:35:00,641 --> 00:35:03,561 -Oh yeah. -You should probably get that looked at. 662 00:35:03,644 --> 00:35:05,646 [laughing] 663 00:35:06,522 --> 00:35:08,941 Oh. Cool, man. Dude, I seriously… 664 00:35:09,024 --> 00:35:12,111 I can't believe that you got to see that on your first dive. 665 00:35:12,194 --> 00:35:13,487 -[Darin] Yeah. -[man] Was it good? 666 00:35:13,571 --> 00:35:14,405 Oh yeah. 667 00:35:14,905 --> 00:35:17,533 Uh! Unreal, bro. I… Like, that was… 668 00:35:18,492 --> 00:35:21,537 I've never seen coral that alive and thriving 669 00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:26,500 and just so… so many different colors and… 670 00:35:26,584 --> 00:35:28,586 -That was really cool. Good job, D. -Yeah. 671 00:35:28,669 --> 00:35:32,756 I can't believe you checked that off the list first, lucky son of a gun. 672 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:34,592 [upbeat music playing] 673 00:35:38,095 --> 00:35:41,140 [Zac] Diving in the Great Barrier Reef has been a dream come true for me. 674 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:44,351 And it's good to see how much is being done to save it. 675 00:35:44,852 --> 00:35:48,355 But at the same time, like all of the Earth's oceans, 676 00:35:48,439 --> 00:35:52,193 it remains under constant threat of climate change, pollution, 677 00:35:52,276 --> 00:35:53,360 and overfishing. 678 00:35:53,444 --> 00:35:57,156 The future of our coral reefs and all the sea life within 679 00:35:57,239 --> 00:35:58,365 remains to be seen. 680 00:35:59,116 --> 00:36:00,951 There's a chance for healing. 681 00:36:01,035 --> 00:36:04,538 We have the ability to repair the reef little by little, 682 00:36:04,622 --> 00:36:08,334 to possibly even reverse what now seems inevitable. 683 00:36:08,417 --> 00:36:10,336 But the question remains, 684 00:36:10,419 --> 00:36:15,216 can we also reduce the very actions that have done damage in the first place? 685 00:36:15,299 --> 00:36:18,719 Only time will tell. And speaking of time, I don't know the next time 686 00:36:18,802 --> 00:36:20,387 I'll get a chance to do this again, 687 00:36:20,471 --> 00:36:24,725 so I think I'll take it all in just once more. 688 00:36:26,018 --> 00:36:26,852 Later. 689 00:36:27,353 --> 00:36:28,771 [splashing] 690 00:36:31,899 --> 00:36:33,651 [soft music playing]