Main content

Shallow Seas

Episode 9 of 11

From tropical paradises where the newborn calf takes his first faltering breaths to the storm-ravaged icy polar seas, the whales' great feeding grounds, we reveal seas of great contrast and surprise.

Shallow Seas follows a humpback whale and calf on their epic journey across the richest seas that fringe our coasts. From tropical paradises, where the newborn calf takes his first faltering breaths, to the storm-ravaged icy polar seas, the whales' great feeding grounds, we reveal seas of great contrast and surprise.

In tropical Indonesia we discover the richest coral reefs of all, home to creatures more of fantasy like the head-butting pygmy seahorse, flashing 'electric' clam and bands of 30-strong sea snakes, never filmed before, on the hunt.

In the baking deserts of Arabia, we uncover mysterious giant colonies of seabirds and in Australia ingenious surfing dolpins that have learned to hydroplane right up onto the beach to catch their fish.

New underwater timelapse photography reveals extraordinary events normally too slow to register - like plagues of sea urchins felling great aquatic forests of giant kelp and giant star fish on the rampage, monsters in their world.

And we witness the heart-stopping drama of gigantic bull fur seals attacking king penguins, who despite their severe weight disadvantage, put up one of the most spirited defences ever filmed.

Available now

58 minutes

Audio described

Last on

Wed 30 Aug 2023 19:00

Clips

Credits

Role Contributor
Producer Mark Brownlow
Presenter David Attenborough
Series Producer Alastair Fothergill

Broadcasts

  • Sun 26 Nov 2006 21:00
  • Thu 7 Dec 2006 01:50
  • Wed 7 Mar 2007 19:00
  • Sun 29 Jun 2008 18:40
  • Tue 12 Aug 2008 18:00
  • Tue 19 Aug 2008 18:00
  • Sun 14 Sep 2008 16:50
  • Sun 9 Nov 2008 18:00
  • Sat 13 Jun 2009 18:00
  • Sat 13 Jun 2009 18:30
  • Sat 29 Aug 2009 18:00
  • Sat 9 Oct 2010 20:10
  • Tue 16 Nov 2010 19:00
  • Wed 17 Nov 2010 01:00
  • Sat 20 Nov 2010 19:00
  • Fri 24 May 2013 16:15
  • Wed 16 Apr 2014 15:15
  • Thu 31 Aug 2017 16:15
  • Thu 22 Mar 2018 15:15
  • Wed 30 Aug 2023 19:00

Featured in...