1 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,000 The Cape of Good Hope, 2 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:38,040 on Africa's southerly tip. 3 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,520 Here, two great seas meet. 4 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,000 One, the warm Indian Ocean, 5 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,280 the other, the chilly Atlantic. 6 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:55,440 And as they mingle, so they create a billowing cloak 7 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,880 that drapes the summit of Table Mountain. 8 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:10,400 Spectacular though this is, the mountain's cloudy covering 9 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,400 is only a hint of the profound influence 10 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:18,400 that these two very different oceans have on the fortunes of life here. 11 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:25,920 12 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:33,320 And not just here at the Cape, 13 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,880 but across the length and breadth of southern Africa. 14 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,360 Two thousand miles north from the Cape, 15 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,000 beneath this sandy beach, 16 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:58,880 new life is stirring. 17 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,880 18 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,200 Hundreds of baby green turtles 19 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:21,160 emerge like a torrent from the safety of their nest. 20 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,200 Each one, just seven centimetres long, 21 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,960 must make a 100-metre sprint down the beach. 22 00:02:57,640 --> 00:02:59,040 From the moment they hatch, 23 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:03,160 they're driven by an instinctive urge to run to the sea. 24 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:16,800 Few creatures start life 25 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:21,040 with the odds for success so heavily stacked against them. 26 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:31,080 Yellow-billed kites. 27 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:37,360 Pied crows. 28 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:39,400 29 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,240 But so many of these hatchlings appear together 30 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:46,640 that predators can't catch them all. 31 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,200 Last out, this baby might seem doomed. 32 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,080 But struggling out late could just give her a chance. 33 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,160 34 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,000 The crows seem insatiable. 35 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,800 Even those that reach the sea aren't safe. 36 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,320 This female has to make a dash for it. 37 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:57,760 She's still in danger, and not just from above. 38 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,560 A ghost crab may be smaller than the hatchling, 39 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:12,240 but it has the strength to drag her into its lair. 40 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:32,320 Not this time. 41 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,120 At last, the sea. 42 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:50,840 43 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,920 She has to catch a breath if she's not to drown. 44 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,920 But the pounding waves make it desperately difficult. 45 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:11,280 46 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:35,680 Beyond the surf, calmer water. 47 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,000 But even here, the hatchling is not out of danger. 48 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:57,080 She dives. 49 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:00,280 Just in time. 50 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:25,800 Only one hatchling in a thousand will survive to adulthood. 51 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,080 But if she does, she may live for 80 years. 52 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:41,120 For now, the ocean is there to be explored. 53 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:55,120 As the hatchling disappears into the deep blue, 54 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,000 she swims into the waters 55 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,560 of one the planet's most powerful currents, 56 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:01,640 the Agulhas. 57 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,040 The Agulhas sweeps south towards the Cape, 58 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:13,440 transporting 100 billion gallons of warm water every day. 59 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,320 These tropical seas are so warm, 60 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,920 they evaporate on an enormous scale. 61 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,040 Water vapour rises until, at altitude, 62 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:30,360 it cools and condenses into clouds. 63 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,160 As the clouds drift inland, 64 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,080 they bring rain to one of the least explored corners of our planet, 65 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,400 the mountains of Mozambique. 66 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:19,680 67 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,800 This the wettest place in Southern Africa. 68 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:41,920 Decades of civil war 69 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,360 have kept travellers away from this little-known land. 70 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:48,240 It was satellite mapping 71 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,480 that revealed the full extent of the forest that grows here. 72 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:57,240 So now it's known to outsiders as the Google rainforest. 73 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:01,240 74 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,640 It could also be called the butterfly forest. 75 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:13,560 After the rains, 76 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,400 butterflies have emerged together in huge numbers. 77 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,800 As soon as their wings dry out, they will take to the air. 78 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:33,280 Their goal, to find a mate. 79 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,200 But how? 80 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:43,880 There may be thousands close by, 81 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:45,400 but the foliage is so thick 82 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:48,640 it's difficult for them to find each other. 83 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,080 84 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:56,840 They have a remarkable solution. 85 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:02,200 They follow rivers upstream and travel to higher ground. 86 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:09,520 The journey can take hours of determined flying. 87 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:15,800 Eventually they emerge into the only open space there is. 88 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:24,760 The treeless peak of Mount Mabu. 89 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:37,160 Up here, free from the confines of the forest, 90 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:40,160 they hold a butterfly ball. 91 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:54,840 Now, the butterflies have all the space they need for their aerobatic courtship. 92 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:11,280 The male's strategy is simple, 93 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:14,760 fly higher and faster than the competition 94 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,000 and just maybe you'll win a virgin female. 95 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:35,800 This spectacular gathering, unseen by outsiders until now, 96 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,000 happens for just half an hour each morning 97 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:42,280 and for just a few weeks in the year. 98 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:54,160 Once mated, the females descend 99 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:56,880 back to the rainforest to lay their eggs. 100 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:03,040 A forest that only exists 101 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:06,680 because of moisture rising from the warm Agulhas current 102 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:10,320 hundreds of miles away in the Indian Ocean. 103 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:43,440 The rainwater now flows southwards from Mozambique's highest peaks 104 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:46,800 to the lowlands of the Eastern Cape. 105 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:53,440 And where the land flattens, rivers slow, 106 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:57,240 creating a vast swamp 50 miles across. 107 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,320 This is Gorongosa. 108 00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:09,200 Here, all kinds of creatures come to catch fish. 109 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:13,040 110 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:21,200 111 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,280 Whiskered catfish work as a team. 112 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:36,400 They take a gulp of air at the surface 113 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,640 and then belch it out underwater to create a net of bubbles, 114 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:45,440 and that traps little fish. 115 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:52,800 There are fish for everyone. 116 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:10,800 And each species has its own technique for catching them. 117 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:12,760 118 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:19,800 It's all very well having a big beak 119 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,320 but you've still got to know how to use it. 120 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:32,400 This young pelican has a lot to learn, 121 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:36,360 and not long to do so. 122 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:41,760 123 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,840 Maybe, like the catfish, teamwork is the answer. 124 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,680 It's certainly working for the flock, 125 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,560 and this pelican seems to be getting the hang of it. 126 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,400 But surely it can't swallow that catfish. 127 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,440 Trying to was a mistake. 128 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,440 129 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:03,160 The rainwater, briefly held in Gorongosa's swamp, 130 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,880 has now been enriched with silt and sand. 131 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:15,000 All down this coast, sediment-laden rivers, 132 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:19,560 the Zambezi, the Limpopo, the Save, drain back to the sea, 133 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,040 and there they meet the Agulhas Current. 134 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:37,200 And what happens to all that sand? 135 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,120 Over the millennia, the Agulhas has worked it 136 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,400 into a complex underwater landscape. 137 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:02,960 This vast sand sculpture is the Bazaruto Archipelago, 138 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,080 the oldest of its kind in the world. 139 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:23,320 It may look like paradise, but living here is not easy. 140 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:28,120 141 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,360 For 100,000 years 142 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:41,440 the Agulhas Current has battered these submerged dunes 143 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,000 with underwater sandstorms. 144 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:11,080 But where the water is deep enough to escape these storms, 145 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:17,000 nutrients carried from Africa's interior fuel an explosion of life. 146 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,800 A rare oceanic hunter rules here. 147 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:40,840 Giant kingfish. 148 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:44,400 As big as a man and, weight for weight, 149 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:46,920 one of the most powerful fish in the sea. 150 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:52,640 Despite their size, 151 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:55,440 they're extraordinarily agile when hunting. 152 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,720 Normally, kingfish are solitary, 153 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:21,400 but for just a few weeks each year, they gather at places like Bazaruto 154 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,840 and prepare for an extraordinary journey, 155 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,000 one that will take them far inland. 156 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:41,360 The Mtentu River. 157 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:58,040 The king of kingfish leads them upstream. 158 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:04,080 As they travel further into freshwater, 159 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,160 they seem to change from aggressive hunters 160 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,560 into dedicated pilgrims. 161 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:25,200 Now, many miles from their natural home, 162 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:27,920 and in response to an unknown cue, 163 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:31,400 they stop and begin to circle. 164 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:45,160 Other marine fish that migrate upriver usually do so in order to breed, 165 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:49,160 but there's no evidence that these kingfish spawn up here. 166 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:54,800 Neither do they hunt. 167 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:56,800 So, what are they doing? 168 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:11,280 In truth, the purpose of this strange behaviour is still unknown. 169 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:21,760 Within a few weeks, they will retrace their journey back to the ocean. 170 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:32,520 The lives of kingfish, 171 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:35,760 like those of turtles, and butterflies, and pelicans, 172 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,720 are influenced by the Agulhas Current. 173 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:50,120 But that influence can only reach so far. 174 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,200 And this is why. 175 00:22:57,320 --> 00:22:59,600 The Drakensberg Mountains. 176 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:14,520 Here, local people say that the vultures soar so high 177 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:17,400 they can see into the future. 178 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:43,000 These sheer cliffs, rising to over 3,000 metres, 179 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,720 hold back the advancing rain clouds, and as a result, 180 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:50,040 the land beyond them is starved of water. 181 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:05,360 This is the greatest expanse of sand in the world, 182 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,520 a seemingly endless desert 183 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:11,480 that is the vast, parched centre of Southern Africa. 184 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:25,440 Thousands of miles to the west, 185 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,520 where this desert meets the Atlantic Ocean, 186 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,240 another current prevails. 187 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:39,400 But the Benguela Current, surging up the west side of Africa, 188 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:41,560 has a very different character. 189 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:46,400 190 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,480 It's extremely cold, full of nutrients, 191 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,320 and it's thronged with life. 192 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:04,600 A great white shark. 193 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:07,840 They can raise their body temperature 194 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,120 to 10 degrees above that of the surrounding sea. 195 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:20,120 But doing so requires an enormous amount of high-grade fuel. 196 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:26,960 So this is a great bonanza for them. 197 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,200 The body of a dead whale. 198 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:42,560 The carcass will draw in every great white for miles around. 199 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:49,040 And here, off Cape Town, that means a lot of sharks. 200 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:02,680 Instead of feeding in a frenzy, 201 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,040 these sharks have rather refined table manners. 202 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,400 They swim side by side to get the measure of each other, 203 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:25,240 then each takes its turn. 204 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,240 This female is the biggest, so she eats first. 205 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:05,000 The next only feeds when she gives way. 206 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:42,560 The waters of the Benguela are so rich, 207 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:47,560 they support more great white sharks than any other seas on the planet. 208 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:52,520 209 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,040 And they are so cold, 210 00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:04,960 they attract some surprising creatures to these African shores. 211 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:07,920 212 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,360 Penguins. 213 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,560 African penguins. 214 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:26,000 This female is returning to relieve her partner. 215 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:31,240 Of course, there's no ice here, 216 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:33,960 but these rocks can be almost as slippery. 217 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,000 218 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:13,000 But there are more serious obstacles than the slippery rocks awaiting them. 219 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:26,480 It's his turn to feed, 220 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,400 so he leaves her to look after their eggs. 221 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:44,160 Now, she must tackle a problem faced by no other kind of penguin. 222 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,680 For the next 10 days, she must protect her eggs 223 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:49,760 from the African sun. 224 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:06,200 A dense coat of feathers that keeps her warm in cold seas 225 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:07,880 now stifles her. 226 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:16,760 On these exposed rocks, she must shade her eggs instead of keeping them warm. 227 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:24,880 Everything here seems the wrong way round. 228 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:41,680 For some, the soaring temperature 229 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:43,160 is too much. 230 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:53,400 A neighbour deserts his nest. 231 00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:58,680 His egg will not survive. 232 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:12,920 He's not the only one to give up. 233 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:17,320 Some years, not a single chick is reared. 234 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:33,200 Penguins are adapted to withstand temperatures of 40 degrees below zero, 235 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,440 not 40 degrees above. 236 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,640 237 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:55,640 Now, at the hottest part of the day, the very worst time, 238 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:57,800 her chicks are hatching. 239 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:08,600 Just when they need her most, 240 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:12,680 she's reaching the limit of her endurance. 241 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,200 After 10 days of intensive fishing, 242 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:34,240 the chick's father comes back to take his turn at the nest. 243 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:36,720 But will he be too late? 244 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,120 245 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:47,080 246 00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:58,640 He greets his young for the very first time. 247 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:01,680 248 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:14,080 The coolness of the Benguela Current brought the penguins here. 249 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:18,680 But that very coolness is a great disadvantage 250 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:21,040 because it generates little rain. 251 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:31,840 It can, however, produce moisture in a different form. 252 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:34,400 253 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:42,120 A thick blanket of fog rolls in from the sea 254 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,840 and condenses on this thirsty land. 255 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:58,760 And each year, the desert bursts into life with a dazzling display. 256 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:11,120 Water is so scarce that this show will not last long, 257 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:16,040 so plants compete to attract their pollinators with colour. 258 00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:32,760 Here in Namaqualand, a 600-mile strip of coastal desert 259 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,440 becomes carpeted with blooms. 260 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:53,760 The morning sun opens a Namaqua Daisy 261 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:56,600 and reveals a male monkey beetle 262 00:34:57,040 --> 00:34:58,720 asleep inside. 263 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:07,920 Nights here are so cold, 264 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:12,080 that monkey beetles shelter within the closed up petals of the daisies. 265 00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:20,840 The habit brings benefits to both sides. 266 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:24,280 The beetle is kept warm and the flower gets pollinated. 267 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,960 But now the beetle has urgent business. 268 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,040 He must find a mate. 269 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:36,200 270 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,360 As he searches, he hops from bloom to bloom, 271 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:43,600 pollinating each in turn. 272 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:51,640 At last, he spots a potential mate. 273 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,680 A golden princess. 274 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,040 But here comes trouble. 275 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:09,160 A rival. 276 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:22,160 There's no time for introductions. 277 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:30,280 But he's been too slow. 278 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:40,200 The rivals immediately begin to brawl. 279 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,760 The female will only mate inside the daisy, 280 00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:51,480 so they wrestle for possession. 281 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:13,720 They're so engrossed in fighting they've pushed her off. 282 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:30,640 The challenger is ejected. 283 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:49,440 The winner wastes no time before getting back to business. 284 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:10,560 At last. 285 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:28,360 Now there will be a new generation of monkey beetles 286 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:30,920 to pollinate these Namaqualand flowers. 287 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,680 For most of the year, this land is desperately dry, 288 00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:48,760 but just occasionally, brief, violent storms sweep in from the cold ocean. 289 00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:50,720 290 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:05,120 Springbok have been roaming this desert for many months, 291 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:09,760 searching for one of these rare and highly-localised downpours. 292 00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:14,840 293 00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:36,160 The grass is sprouting. 294 00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:42,640 And that is worth celebrating. 295 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:56,880 If you're a springbok 296 00:39:57,400 --> 00:39:59,760 that means pronking. 297 00:41:24,120 --> 00:41:28,160 We still don't know exactly why they do this. 298 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:30,920 The simplest answer 299 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,160 is that they're dancing for joy. 300 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:57,560 Africa's most southerly tip. 301 00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:02,520 This is where the two great ocean currents, 302 00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:06,920 the warm Agulhas and the cold Benguela, crash into one another. 303 00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:16,480 And this collision, in itself, draws in life in abundance. 304 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:19,280 305 00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:35,160 A super-pod of hunting dolphins, 5,000 strong. 306 00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:42,840 307 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:52,320 And shadowing them, 308 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:56,840 Africa's biggest predator, 309 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:01,960 a Bryde's whale. 310 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:07,080 This female is 15 metres long 311 00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:10,400 and weighs more than a whole family of elephants. 312 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:26,120 The dolphins are in pursuit of sardines. 313 00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:27,760 Millions of them! 314 00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:33,440 But these cold-water fish are heading towards 315 00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:36,080 an impenetrable barrier of warm water 316 00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:38,320 that they will not cross, 317 00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:40,080 the Agulhas Current. 318 00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:41,440 319 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:45,400 They're trapped. 320 00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:53,120 And that gives the whale her chance. 321 00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:15,720 But the sardines are so speedy 322 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:19,000 that the whale only catches a few with each pass. 323 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:29,360 More and more hunters arrive. 324 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:31,240 325 00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:42,880 The whale needs the other hunters, to push the fish upwards, 326 00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:45,120 forcing them against the surface. 327 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:58,440 Now they have nowhere to escape. 328 00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:18,400 With each lumbering turn, she loses precious time, 329 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:21,360 time that favours the more nimble. 330 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:43,040 The Bryde's whale probably knows that this opportunity 331 00:45:43,120 --> 00:45:45,560 will last less than five minutes. 332 00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:51,560 And with the last few lunges, she finally cashes in. 333 00:46:43,920 --> 00:46:46,440 The forces that triggered this great event 334 00:46:46,520 --> 00:46:49,200 have also shaped the fortunes of life 335 00:46:49,280 --> 00:46:52,400 far beyond this particular battleground. 336 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:59,080 Without these currents, Southern Africa would be a desert. 337 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:08,920 But combined, the very different powers of the Agulhas and the Benguela 338 00:47:09,320 --> 00:47:14,280 have transformed the Cape into a land where life can flourish. 339 00:47:38,640 --> 00:47:42,040 The Comoros Islands off Africa's east coast, 340 00:47:42,120 --> 00:47:44,920 are a haven for green turtles. 341 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:52,320 Every year, a million turtles hatch on these beaches, 342 00:47:53,360 --> 00:47:57,120 but the chances of any one of them surviving is tiny. 343 00:47:57,360 --> 00:47:59,040 344 00:48:01,080 --> 00:48:02,400 345 00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:08,840 The Africa team came here to try and capture 346 00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:13,440 the dramatic first few minutes in the lives of these baby turtles. 347 00:48:14,240 --> 00:48:18,840 It was to be both a technical and surprisingly emotional challenge. 348 00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:32,680 FLAY: It's only when you get down on the eye level of the baby turtle 349 00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:35,800 that you realise what an enormous journey it's got to make down the beach. 350 00:48:35,880 --> 00:48:37,640 And it really is quite epic. 351 00:48:39,680 --> 00:48:42,440 PEARSON: That's fine. Oh, yeah, that's lovely. 352 00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:46,480 It's using all of these complicated, heavy bits of equipment, 353 00:48:46,560 --> 00:48:49,440 which hopefully will enable us to get into the world of a turtle 354 00:48:49,520 --> 00:48:51,040 which is just a few inches long. 355 00:49:01,520 --> 00:49:04,400 As they break out of all the soft sand, they hit the hard sand 356 00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:06,440 and that's where the real sprint takes place. 357 00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:09,480 They must be desperate to hit that water 358 00:49:09,560 --> 00:49:12,360 because you can see, the sea's just over the horizon. 359 00:49:12,440 --> 00:49:14,760 We were following them all the way down and you do kind of get 360 00:49:14,840 --> 00:49:16,960 involved with them and cheering them on. 361 00:49:19,960 --> 00:49:22,200 FLAY: Okay, slow down a bit, slow down. 362 00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:27,960 And then suddenly all these crows come flocking in 363 00:49:28,040 --> 00:49:29,760 and start picking them off 364 00:49:29,840 --> 00:49:32,400 and you just think that's just so unfair. 365 00:49:33,760 --> 00:49:36,320 PEARSON: Lots more coming in. There's loads coming in now. 366 00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:41,640 FLAY: And you've got to feel for them. 367 00:49:41,720 --> 00:49:43,720 You know, it's really quite upsetting, 368 00:49:43,800 --> 00:49:46,600 particularly when you're looking through the camera and I'm just filling a frame 369 00:49:46,680 --> 00:49:48,320 with a turtle running down the beach, 370 00:49:48,400 --> 00:49:51,600 then suddenly from nowhere a beak comes in and woosh, and that's it. 371 00:49:53,960 --> 00:49:55,880 That turtle is no more. 372 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:02,560 The turtles that escape 373 00:50:02,640 --> 00:50:04,080 the perils of the beach 374 00:50:05,040 --> 00:50:07,440 still have to face pounding surf. 375 00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:16,400 But at last, they're in their element. 376 00:50:21,960 --> 00:50:24,360 More than can be said for the crew. 377 00:50:24,440 --> 00:50:25,680 They're faster than you, aren't they? 378 00:50:25,760 --> 00:50:28,640 Yep. It's a bit embarrassing. 379 00:50:29,440 --> 00:50:32,640 Beaten by something that's less than a day old. 380 00:50:34,960 --> 00:50:36,640 When we saw hatchlings getting off the beach 381 00:50:36,720 --> 00:50:38,080 and you see them going in the white water you think 382 00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:40,120 they'd just get obliterated. 383 00:50:43,120 --> 00:50:46,240 They just punch through the water, they do get flung around 384 00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:48,760 but then they just right themselves, 385 00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:51,120 keep on swimming, and they're ahead of you 386 00:50:51,200 --> 00:50:54,400 coming out the back of the wave and it's amazing. 387 00:50:56,040 --> 00:50:58,200 You're seeing all these baby turtles getting picked off 388 00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:01,080 left, right and centre, but they just keep going. 389 00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:03,440 They are just so resilient. 390 00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:06,440 391 00:51:10,040 --> 00:51:13,560 And that made what happened next so distressing. 392 00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:20,000 A particularly high spring tide flooded the beach. 393 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:25,920 Any baby turtles still in their nests would be lucky to survive. 394 00:51:26,680 --> 00:51:29,160 - See it bubbling out as well, sea the air. - Yeah. 395 00:51:32,040 --> 00:51:33,880 Well, it means that basically anything below that line 396 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:35,120 is going to be gone. 397 00:51:35,200 --> 00:51:36,920 Let's hope and pray it's not, but... 398 00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:41,760 As you say, we don't know. Let's wait and see. 399 00:51:50,120 --> 00:51:53,240 All across the world, turtles are in decline. 400 00:51:54,320 --> 00:51:56,120 Their eggs are stolen, 401 00:51:56,200 --> 00:51:58,760 the adults are hunted for their flesh, 402 00:51:58,960 --> 00:52:01,040 and they drown in fishing nets. 403 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:05,880 But here in the Comoros, they have friends. 404 00:52:07,840 --> 00:52:10,960 It's amazing here in Itsamia. It's just a really heartening story 405 00:52:11,040 --> 00:52:13,240 of how the local people 406 00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:15,520 are doing everything they can to protect, sort of, 407 00:52:15,600 --> 00:52:17,800 what they think of as their turtles. 408 00:52:19,040 --> 00:52:22,920 And some of the baby turtles have survived the flood tide. 409 00:52:23,940 --> 00:52:27,980 I've already found two baby turtles in the nest. 410 00:52:28,120 --> 00:52:31,720 411 00:52:31,719 --> 00:52:38,699 If we save the nests we help them to leave. 412 00:52:39,780 --> 00:52:41,660 It's my village, 413 00:52:41,820 --> 00:52:46,500 I must protect the baby turtles and the big turtles, 414 00:52:46,660 --> 00:52:48,740 it's for all of us. 415 00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:53,360 The whole village comes to help the hatchlings. 416 00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:58,440 But the most important effort is to protect the adults 417 00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:01,520 from outsiders who would hunt them for their meat. 418 00:53:04,880 --> 00:53:08,080 They've taken it upon themselves to really police the beaches around here 419 00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:11,280 and make sure that poaching is kept to a minimum. 420 00:53:14,800 --> 00:53:17,360 The selfless protection these people provide 421 00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:20,520 means that this is one of the few places in the world 422 00:53:20,600 --> 00:53:23,560 where turtle numbers are actually increasing. 423 00:53:26,640 --> 00:53:29,120 And remarkably, here in Itsamia, 424 00:53:29,200 --> 00:53:32,880 the population has, in fact, doubled in the last decade. 425 00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:43,480 As the shoot was coming to the end, cameraman Kevin Flay 426 00:53:43,560 --> 00:53:46,720 noticed that some of the turtles that made it through the surf, 427 00:53:46,800 --> 00:53:49,040 faced one last danger. 428 00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:52,240 I'm getting shots of a kite which is flying down 429 00:53:52,400 --> 00:53:54,400 and taking turtles off the water surface. 430 00:53:54,480 --> 00:53:57,480 That was a part of the story we had to tell. 431 00:53:59,400 --> 00:54:01,360 The aim is for us 432 00:54:01,440 --> 00:54:04,840 to be underwater looking straight up 433 00:54:04,920 --> 00:54:10,160 as this happens and that's actually really quite hard. 434 00:54:11,840 --> 00:54:13,600 Okay. Three. 435 00:54:13,880 --> 00:54:15,840 Two, one. 436 00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:20,160 Undeterred, the crew got into position. 437 00:54:26,720 --> 00:54:28,920 There we go, the kite's up. 438 00:54:42,440 --> 00:54:44,440 You can't see where you're going because my head's glued 439 00:54:44,520 --> 00:54:48,120 to this viewfinder, so I'm banging into rocks and things like that. 440 00:54:48,320 --> 00:54:51,800 I'm really just trying to keep the turtle in shot. 441 00:55:08,640 --> 00:55:09,880 Something came in then? 442 00:55:09,960 --> 00:55:12,920 She came in and swooped down over the water's surface. 443 00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:14,720 And you could see the kite from underwater? 444 00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:16,440 I could see it. I could see the shape. 445 00:55:16,520 --> 00:55:19,120 In frame and you were running? Yeah. 446 00:55:21,920 --> 00:55:23,920 Didn't take the turtle. Didn't take the turtle. 447 00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:25,440 Probably that's the best of both worlds. 448 00:55:25,520 --> 00:55:27,640 because we got our lovely underwater shot of a kite 449 00:55:27,720 --> 00:55:29,440 and the turtle gets away! 450 00:55:31,880 --> 00:55:34,640 This lucky hatchling isn't the only one. 451 00:55:36,040 --> 00:55:38,320 With the help of the village of Itsamia, 452 00:55:38,400 --> 00:55:42,160 thousands more have a chance to make it to the open ocean. 453 00:55:43,520 --> 00:55:45,640 It's only really local populations that can actually 454 00:55:45,720 --> 00:55:48,000 support and sustain this conservation work. 455 00:55:48,080 --> 00:55:49,400 If it comes from the roots upwards 456 00:55:49,480 --> 00:55:51,440 then it's got a chance of success. 457 00:55:52,240 --> 00:55:55,000 You know, I think it's amazing, I really do, the fact that they do this 458 00:55:55,080 --> 00:55:57,640 and, you know, we should see it more often around the world. 459 00:56:01,040 --> 00:56:04,400 It's hard not to admire these extraordinary little creatures 460 00:56:04,480 --> 00:56:06,720 as they battle against such odds. 461 00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:15,960 This baby turtle won't touch land again 462 00:56:16,040 --> 00:56:20,120 until she returns to the very same island to lay her own eggs. 463 00:56:21,400 --> 00:56:24,800 With luck, she'll find the beach is still protected 464 00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:26,920 by the people of Itsamia.