The Belize coast...
mangrove forests...
lagoons...
and gentle brushstrokes of land fringe the Caribbean Sea.
And beneath the surface?
An equally captivating marine ecosystem
with a mesmerizing abundance of undersea life...
Ancient...
graceful...
It feels incredible to be in the water
with the spotted eagle rays.
...and fearsome.
Lots of sharks and as I came over the reef
it came swimming straight for me.
Swimming with a barracuda, it feels pretty intimidating.
Yeah, diving with barracudas is sometimes scarier
than diving with sharks.
A magical place where the surreal is real
and the otherworldly
right in front of you.
It's just thrilling to be out there and be a part of it.
The place Charles Darwin called
the most remarkable reef in the West Indies.
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The Belize Barrier Reef
ranging as far as 25 miles off the Belizean mainland
on Central America's Atlantic coast.
The largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere.
Second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
It is home to more than 500 species of fish
and over 100 types of hard and soft coral.
These coral are some of the most fascinating living creatures
on the planet.
You see the corals and the sea fans and the sponges
blowing in the current
and it's just an incredible place to be.
You feel very free underwater
and just seeing the movement of everything,
feeling weightless underwater while you're diving,
and looking at the incredible life
that is seen in the waters here in Belize.
It's just thrilling to be out there and be a part of it.
Over the centuries...
tube coral...
Elkhorn coral and brain coral
have helped build the foundation of life here.
Some deep-sea colonies are estimated
to be 4,000 years old.
About one-quarter of all known ocean species
depend on reefs like this for food
and for shelter.
Yet incredibly reefs make up less 1% of the ocean.
Ancient and integral,
they are the rainforests of the sea...
A place where astonishing creatures
thrive and survive.
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One of the most captivating is the spotted eagle ray.
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It feels incredible to be in the water
with the spotted eagle rays.
They're large, they're beautiful,
they're graceful,
they move so fluidly underwater and just being next to them
while they're moving in their slow rhythmic area
kind of puts you in that special place
and you could be right there next to them.
At a weight of up to 500 pounds
this flying leopard of the sea
is far from the largest of the stingray family
but their 11-foot wingspan is equal
to the world's largest bird:
the wandering albatross.
The spotted eagle ray has a long, poisonous whiptail
used to defend against predators.
Failing that, they use size and speed
and are able to jump clean out of the water
to evade attack.
Eagle rays are well armed for hunting small prey
using flat, plate-like teeth
to crush hard-shelled crustaceans.
But these are gentle creatures and run-ins with humans
are purely accidental.
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The same can't be said for the great barracuda.
Swimming with a barracuda,
you know, it feels pretty intimidating,
especially looking at them and seeing their teeth.
I guess that's where most of the divers
and snorkelers, you know,
it's nice seeing a barracuda
and feeling like the rush from them
and their aggressive looking looks.
Seven feet long, weighing as much as 100 pounds,
these ferocious predators are like missiles
cutting through the water
at speeds of up to 25 miles an hour.
Targets are struck with two rows of razor-sharp teeth:
a technique that has served this species well
for the last 50 million years.
The barracuda did not achieve this astounding level of success
by being Mr. Nice Guy,
a reputation that invokes great fascination
and fear among divers.
Barracudas do have the tendency to go for things that shine,
like metal or something like it,
and there's been many reports of people
diving with either earrings or wedding rings
and things like that
where barracudas did in fact attack them:
bite a finger off, bite an ear off.
So yeah, diving with barracudas is sometimes scarier
than diving with sharks.
Fortunately for divers
human flesh is not the first choice
of the barracuda.
There's plenty of food on the reef
if they can find it.
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The trumpet fish is a truly bizarre creature.
Floating, drifting and rotating...
It changes color and blends in with the coral.
The trumpet fish almost becomes invisible
among pillar coral.
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Predators can't see it, and neither can its prey.
Small, unsuspecting fish are unceremoniously vacuumed up
into its elongated snout.
A proficient predator.
But certainly not the only one in these waters.
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The peacock flounder.
Like a common flatfish but from another planet.
It has the incredible ability to match the color
and texture of its surroundings within seconds.
The peacock flounder has an elongated pectoral fin
that is used in mating rituals.
During courtship, both males and females
display the fin upright to initiate reproduction
in true peacock fashion.
The peacock flounder has evolved
with both eyes on one side of its body.
Each moves independently from the other
providing the flounder with an incredible
panoramic view of the ocean above.
At the slightest glimpse of predator or prey
it simply vanishes.
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It is a handy trick, to be sure.
Especially when faced with one of the reef's top predators:
the nurse shark.
They're very shy, so when you approach them
they will swim away.
We actually had one yesterday on the dive
and as I came over the reef
it came swimming straight for me
right up in my face.
And the next moment it just turned away.
So it's not a dangerous shark to swim with
but it's a beautiful shark to see underwater.
A shy hunter, deftly weaving along the ocean floor.
It sucks just about anything it can
into its strong jaws.
The nurse shark has a boundless menu
on the reef:
Crushing hard coral or shellfish,
devouring squid,
small fish,
maybe even a peacock flounder if it gets lucky.
Unlike the peacock flounder
red lionfish are easy to spot on the reef.
They are not supposed to be here
and yet, they are everywhere.
Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific region
and were accidentally introduced into the Atlantic
more than 20 years ago.
Today, this invasive species has upset the natural order
of the marine ecosystem from Texas to the Bahamas.
For them, this strange and beautiful reef
is like a 24-hour, all-you-can eat buffet.
Here in the Atlantic
lionfish obliterate small species
steal food from larger species and have no natural predators.
But in their native environment,
the Pacific Ocean, it is a far different story.
Pacific groupers have learned to swallow the lionfish whole.
Headfirst, so its poisonous spines
become folded back and disengaged.
Cornet fish are also known to prey on the lionfish.
Here in the Atlantic these same evolutionary adaptations
are yet to appear.
And potential predators steer clear
of these bright colors and venomous spines.
For predators, learning how to hunt lionfish
could take decades, if it's even possible.
And there's no strong evidence to suggest that it is.
Divers try to keep lionfish numbers down
by spearing them whenever they can.
Once we spear them, we injure them,
and then the sharks comes along and they eat them
because they can't defend themselves anymore.
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So what happens is the lionfish will usually swim upwards
with its spines out and the moment it's hurt,
or when it's dead, the spines go back
and they can come from the front and they can eat them.
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In the meantime there are other species
that have developed a taste for lionfish
including the queen triggerfish.
You'll find the queen triggers anywhere from shallow reef,
two, three feet of water down to 100 feet.
And the queen triggers actually like to follow us
because we feed them with lionfish.
Defensively, queen triggers outsmart predators
by slipping into small crevices.
Then they actually lock themselves in
by lodging a large spine on their backs into the rock.
They won't budge until the coast is clear:
Staying close to the reef and often in close proximity
to one of the open ocean's most amazing creatures.
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Mates for life,
banded coral shrimp are usually found in pairs.
Their crimson and white stripes are one of a kind.
Their 'fur' is actually made up of small spines
used for self-defense.
But incredibly, they go largely unused.
Banded coral shrimp are far from the top of the food chain
almost as far as you can get,
yet they have no known predators.
How?
They earn their keep.
These are cleaner shrimp:
removing parasites, injured tissue
and leftover food particles from fish
such as the green moray eel.
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Even more amazing,
the banded coral shrimp advertises its services.
When hungry, it's been observed dancing
to make itself visible to potential customers.
For the large predators of the Belize Barrier Reef
the banded coral shrimp is more valuable alive
than dead.
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Its satisfied customer the green moray eel
is one of the reef's most stealthy and infamous predators.
Slithering from cave to cave relying on its green coloring
to blend into the coral and rock.
Even at lengths of up to eight feet
the green moray eel is a hard-to-catch target
for predators, such as the barracuda.
It rarely leaves the tight quarters
of the caves and holes in which it lies
in wait for passing prey.
The green moray has an astonishing ability
to swallow entire prey whole without expanding its body.
Most fish rely on suction to swallow prey whole.
But this process makes the body of the predator
expand significantly.
It just can't be done in a small cave.
Unless you're a green moray eel.
They catch their prey in their jaws.
And, incredibly, the prey is pulled down
into the throat by a second jaw
that launches out, clamps down and pulls.
No suction.
No expansion.
It's a sci-fi horror movie come to life...
and a nightmare scenario that the French grunt
would much rather avoid.
Individually less than seven inches long
French grunts travel in large, beautiful schools.
Though breathtaking,
these schools have a practical purpose:
Traveling in large groups increases the odds of survival
during an attack.
And if one fish finds a good feeding area
they all do.
Come nightfall, the school splits up
and individuals forage the ocean floor
for small crustaceans.
Swimming solo, they must be extra vigilant
for they are one of the tastiest fish on the reef.
All the barracudas out there, even the dolphins,
they love the grunts.
You see them all around and they make like grunt noise
actually just like their name.
So they go like 'gruh-gruh'
and it's one of the fish we found that the dolphins like
because of their noise they make.
The grunting noise is actually the sound
of small jaws grinding together.
Though the reason for this remains unknown.
While foraging the ocean floor at night
the French grunt may cross paths
with another little noisemaker: the squirrelfish.
Known to make a staccato chattering sound
not unlike that of their terrestrial namesake,
they're actually called squirrelfish
for a different reason:
A third spine that juts straight up
like a squirrel's tail.
Unlike French grunts
the purpose of squirrelfish sounds is known:
One 'grunt' is used when guarding territory
and when their eerily large eyes pick up
on an approaching predator
a staccato noise sounds the alarm.
But until that happens
the squirrelfish are free to feed.
And one species they may try to take a bite from...
is the sea cucumber.
One of the most common creatures in the sea,
yet, it is like something from another planet.
Sea cucumbers are echinoderms
related to sea stars and sea urchins.
They come in all shapes, sizes and colors:
From just one inch to more than six feet long.
The sea cucumber is a popular menu item
for predators,
but surprisingly, it's no pushover.
If threatened, it contracts, lightning fast,
and shoots toxic internal organs at an attacker
only to quickly regenerate them later.
Some sea cucumber species may discharge sticky threads
to ensnare their enemies.
These truly remarkable defense mechanisms
may work on smaller fish looking for a quick bite.
But not on the larger ones.
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The southern stingray.
These diamond-shaped rays are expert bottom feeders.
Reaching up to six feet in diameter
and more than 200 pounds in weight.
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Like most rays, they're often found
buried on the sea floor with just their eyes
poking above the sand.
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The southern stingray avoids reef walls and rocky areas.
Its hunting and hiding techniques
are strongest on the sandy sea floor.
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To locate their target,
they use acute senses of smell and touch.
But they also have a 6th sense called electro reception.
Which means it can detect the natural electric currents
given off by all living organisms.
When prey is sensed hiding nearby
the ray sprays water out of its mouth
disturbs the sand with its wings
and flushes out its meal.
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The southern stingray's much smaller cousin
is the yellow stingray.
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Round in shape about the size of a tea saucer,
these rays have a broader hunting ground
than their larger relatives.
Exploring rocky areas and coral reefs for food.
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But they use their most clever trick
in the sand.
When the yellow stingray senses nearby prey
it raises its snout to create a cozy-looking nook
for a small creature:
Luring them into what appears to be a safe harbor.
Southern stingrays fall prey to larger fish
such as tiger sharks.
They are able to avoid predators
by hiding in the sand
or exploding with quick bursts of speed.
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Meanwhile, up above
one of the ocean's most majestic creatures,
the hawksbill sea turtle visits the reef for food.
Sometimes they could be a little spooked
if you kind of pull up on them suddenly
they get frightened and just take off.
But generally they're very, very friendly with divers.
When they're feeding they generally would just
kind of look up and go, "Oh, it's just a diver."
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Named for their bird-like beak
they are one of the smaller species of sea turtle
growing to about 150 pounds.
Hawksbill have a pair of claws on each flipper
something that sets them apart from other sea turtles.
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They are omnivores, drawn to reefs
such as this one in Belize.
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Here, they feed mostly on invertebrates
like sponges, algae or sometimes even fish.
Hawksbills can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific,
and Indian Oceans.
And although populations are most dense
here in the Caribbean,
the hawksbill is listed as a critically endangered species.
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Its beautiful shell, makes it a target for poachers
who profit from the illegal sale of the 'tortoiseshell'
used to make jewelry and other ornaments.
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Hawksbills are also susceptible to entanglement in gill nets
and are caught accidentally on long fishing lines.
The decline of the hawksbill is bad news
for the Belize Barrier Reef.
These ancient creatures remove sponges
from the surface of the reef
allowing better feeding access for fish.
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Turtles are also an important element
of the Belize ecotourism industry
attracting divers eager to swim side by side
with creatures that have roamed these oceans
for the last 100 million years.
Here on the reef, hawksbills often cross paths
with their much larger cousins...
the green sea turtle.
Weighing as much as 500 pounds.
They have been known to snack on sponges and jellyfish,
but for the most part,
these gentle giants are herbivores
feeding mainly on grass and algae.
The pigment from this predominantly green diet,
colors their fat.
This is how they earned their name.
Like all species of sea turtle
they face incredible odds of survival.
For every one to 200 eggs laid by a female
just 1% reach sexual maturity
which can take as long as 35 years.
But the lucky few who make it can live to 80 years or more.
These sea turtles have likely migrated
thousands of miles to forage here
from their breeding ground, elsewhere in the Caribbean.
They'll shuttle back and forth for their entire lifetime.
Incredibly, every 2 or 3 years,
female hawksbill and green sea turtles
will return to the exact beach, on which they hatched,
to lay their eggs.
Long distance swimming is a part of their DNA.
The ancestors of this ancient species
once swam side by side with prehistoric creatures.
The oldest known sea turtles
date back about 150 million years:
85 million years before the dinosaurs became extinct.
Just like the prehistoric giants
with whom they once shared the earth
sea turtles are reptiles.
They breathe air
but are able to hold their breath
for unbelievable amounts of time.
When resting or sleeping underwater
a sea turtle can go four to seven hours
without surfacing.
But the time is much shorter
when the turtle is actively foraging.
Quite possibly, for sea grass
which can be a hard meal to catch
if it's in fact not sea grass at all.
These are garden eels.
The width of a straw,
they are usually about 16 inches in length.
But you're not likely to see that much of them.
The garden eel uses its hard, pointy tail
to burrow into the sandy sea floor.
Slime on their skin cements the walls of the burrows
preventing cave-ins.
Here they will stay for most of their lives
surviving on plankton that float by continuing
their expert imitation of billowing sea grass...
or simply vanishing.
Also finding a home on the sandy bottom
is one of the reef's most-peculiar creatures:
the cushion sea star.
There are about 1,500 species of sea stars
in the world's oceans: occupying the seabed
giving rise to questions such as:
Are they alive?
Do they eat?
The answers:
They are alive and they do eat.
Using a remarkable adaptation:
The sea star pushes its stomach outside of its body
lays it over a bed of coral and waits.
While its stomach acids and digestive juices
break down the coral.
The sea star then eats
the defenseless, nutrient-rich organisms
inside the coral at its leisure.
These insidious slow-motion killers
also threaten the coral reef.
If left unchecked,
they can consume vast amounts of coral
leaving a trail of devastation in their path.
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The yellow line arrow crab, on the other hand
usually leaves behind nothing more than a trail
of excited reef divers.
With its truly unique triangular head
framed by eight spider-like legs it is always a popular photo op.
These small crabs are nocturnal feeders
and tend to scavenge the reefs for invertebrates.
Moving nimbly around the reef is the smooth trunkfish.
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Dorsal and anal fins propel it forward
while its tail acts as a rudder.
They're not fast but they don't need to be
to snare the small plant and animal particles
on which they feed.
Occasionally they blow at the sea floor
to uncover hidden morsels.
If bothered by a predator such as the nurse shark
the smooth trunkfish does not need to flee.
When touched, it secretes colorless toxins
fatal to predators who are usually warned off
by the bright colors of the potential prey.
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But not all colorful characters on the Belize Barrier Reef
are afforded the same protection.
The spotlight parrotfish has no such defense
against predators such as moray eels.
Instead, it is quick:
Poking in and out of coral crevices and caves.
These parrotfish use their beak-like jaw
to bite of chunks of coral.
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Specialized teeth in the throat, designed for crushing
release the nutrients from algae and the coral itself.
This ability to consume
one of the most plentiful food sources in the reef
is a powerful survival adaptation.
But the spotlight parrotfish has an even stronger one:
when population densities are low
and breeding slows down.
Females can actually become males
in order to help repopulate the species.
This incredible transformation is brightly advertised
as secondary males, as they're called
will change color:
from red and brown to bright blue.
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Here in the Belize Barrier Reef and on reefs around the globe
shimmering creatures glide weightlessly
through rocky coral.
Angelfish.
Like most of its salt-water cousins,
this French angelfish can reach lengths of two feet
and weigh up to four pounds
feeding on sponges, algae and invertebrates.
Juveniles act as cleaner fish:
Removing parasites from grunts, snappers and moray eels.
But one of the most remarkable aspects
of this species is their monogamous social structure.
Angelfish such as these grey angels
remain loyal to one mate.
Pairing helps them care for their young
and defend their territory against competitors.
But defending against the black-tipped reef shark
is a different story.
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As a species,
sharks date back 450 million years.
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Black-tipped reef sharks are not giants
and are certainly not the prehistoric monster sharks
that are believed to have come before them.
They are, however, evolutionary works of art.
Unparalleled hunters, ultimate survivors,
they are at once beautiful and imposing.
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For divers, being eye to eye with these ancient hunters
is an adrenaline rush like no other.
My favorite dive spot will definitely have to be
the Blue Hole.
There's a dive there called the Playground.
Lots of sharks, silver reef sharks,
black-tipped reef sharks so it's amazing to go down there
and to hang on a depth of about 60 feet
and then having the sharks swim around you all the time
until the end of the dive.
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Here, sharks prowl every part of the reef
for fish, stingrays, crustaceans
anything on which they can feed.
Razor-sharp senses help them find food.
Sounds and vibrations give them
their first hint of a possible meal.
Superb sight and smell draw them closer
to their target.
Then their secret weapon
a sense organ called "ampullae of lorenzini,"
is what sets them apart.
All living things give off a faint electric charge
and all sharks have the incredible ability
to detect this.
So even if they can't see it, smell it, hear it, taste it
or touch it they know where their prey is
and can expose its precise location.
Multiple rows of teeth help them devour their prey.
Sometimes, the hunt is less about sense
and more about speed.
Black-tipped reef sharks are known to position themselves
deep below large schools of fish near the surface...
before shooting through the school
and into the air like a rocket.
In the hopes of ending up with a mouthful of fish.
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Fish, like these horse-eye jacks:
Named for their large, dark, horse-like eyes.
Reaching weights of as much as 55 pounds
these rugged bony fish can be a substantial meal
for top predators.
In a school, they are a sight to behold.
Like other schooling fish,
horse-eye jacks find strength in numbers.
If one sees food, they all do.
If one sees a predator, they all do.
Their colorings are also an advantage:
Dark on the top, they blend with the ocean floor.
Lighter on the bottom,
they blend with the sunlit surface.
Horse-eye jacks hide in plain sight
from predators above, and below.
But jacks aren't the only schooling fish
on the Belize Barrier Reef.
The blue tang.
Their fins and scales reflect light
in boundless shades of blue.
Their flat, broad teeth are perfect for nipping algae
from the reef.
And if a predator happens upon them while they eat
it's in for a nasty surprise.
Two sharp spines, one on each side of its tail
stick straight out
when the blue tang feels threatened.
These spines are sharp enough to slash an adversary.
It's no wonder this species is nicknamed "The Blue Barber."
Some fish on the reef don't actually look like fish.
The sand diver or lizardfish takes no chances
around an inquisitive diver.
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The lizardfish would also be wise
to steer clear of the puffer fish.
It may look like an easy meal
but puffer fish carry deadly toxins
and have the ability to inflate
several times their normal size:
Larger than the mouths of most predators.
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The tetrodotoxin in puffer fish
is 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide.
Some puffers have enough toxins in their bodies
to kill 30 adult humans.
But divers are more likely to be killed
by one of these fish in a restaurant than on a dive.
Puffer fish are a delicacy in Japan:
Specially prepared by licensed chefs
to have the toxins removed.
From graceful gliders and the sensationally surreal
to masters of masquerade and awe-inspiring ancients,
the Belize Barrier Reef is a universe unto itself
and one of the many wonders of the Great Blue Wild.
Sharks and turtles can be found there,
you see the corals and the sea fans and the sponges
blowing in the current
and it's just an incredible place to be.
You feel very free underwater
and just seeing the movement of everything,
feeling weightless underwater while you're diving
and looking at the incredible life
that is seen in the waters here in Belize
and it's just thrilling to be out there
and be a part of it.
Being able to get within inches of nature,
it's a wonderful feeling.
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