Human Planet - Oceans: Into the Blue

 

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the first episode of a breathtaking documentary series produced by the BBC - the Human Planet.

Human Planet is an eight part British television documentary series produced by the BBC with co-production from Discovery and BBC Worldwide.

Uniquely in the animal kingdom, humans have managed to adapt and thrive in every environment on Earth. Each episode takes you to the extremes of our planet: The mountains, arctic, deserts, oceans, jungles, grasslands, rivers and even the urban jungle. Here you will meet people who survive by building complex, exciting and often mutually beneficial relationships with their animal neighbours and the hostile elements of the natural world.

Human Planet crews have filmed in around 80 locations, bringing you many stories that have never been told on television before. The team has trekked with HD cameras and state of the art gear to film from the air, from the ground and underwater. The result: a “cinematic experience” created by world-class natural history and documentary camera crews and programme makers.

Daredevil Galician barnacle-collectors

In this first instalment of the Human planet we meet people who have learned to obtain their sustenance from the sea.  As air-breathing animals humans are not adapted to survive in water. But people have found ways to live an almost aquatic life so they can exploit the sea’s riches. From a ‘shark-whisperer’ in the Pacific to Brazilian fishermen collaborating with dolphins to catch mullet, this journey into the blue reveals astonishing tales of ingenuity and bravery.

Daredevil Galician barnacle-collectors defy death on the rocks for a catch worth 200 pounds per kilo.

In Indonesia an epic whale-hunt, using traditional hand-made boats and harpoons, brings in a sperm whale.

Bajau ‘sea gypsies’ of the Sulu Sea

The Bajau ‘sea gypsies’ of the Sulu Sea spend so much time on water they get ‘land sick’ when they set foot on the land! 

Pa-aling fishermen

In this episode we dive 40 metres down to the dangerous world of the Pa-aling fishermen, where dozens of young men, breathing air through a tangled web of pipes attached to a diesel engine, capture thousands of fish in a vast net.

We also see how surfing has its origins in the ancient beliefs of the ocean-loving Polynesians, and join a Borneo free-diving spear-fisherman on a breath-taking journey 20 metres down in search of supper.

Human Planet is available on DVD from Amazon.com in the United States and Amazon.co.uk in the United Kingdom. 

Human Planet Episode 1 - Oceans: Into the Blue 

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