If you like to watch shows about the natural world, you may have watched these three amazing Great Barrier Reef episodes with David Attenborough that finished last week. If you didn’t catch it, it is now available to buy on DVD or Blu Ray from Amazon and other good retailers.
There are three 60 minute episodes, where David climbs aboard the Alucia, a 56-metre research and exploration vessel equipped with a state-of-the-art Triton submersible, laboratories and a helicopter to explore the Great Barrier Reef. He has the opportunity to unlock the secrets of the Reef as he embarks on a personal journey that reveals the true extent of its diversity, characters and complexity along the way.
Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough combines cutting edge scientific research alongside innovative filming techniques. By using the very latest infrared cameras, the hatching of the iconic clownfish is witnessed for the very first time. It is fascinating to watch how the clownfish lay and fertilise the eggs, and to how they are born and travel miles away from their home. Time-lapse macro cameras will also expose behaviour of the normally unseen tiny coral animals that built the entire Reef and the series also reveals the most magical reproduction event on the planet, the annual coral spawning.
The Reef is home to some of the world’s most fascinating animals and David explores an array of creatures such as the manta ray, the epaulette shark that walks and the humpback whale that have made the Great Barrier Reef their home. The series also uses the latest satellite tracking data to follow the incredible journeys like those of the dwarf minke whales, green turtles and tiger sharks who can travel thousands of kilometres to migrate there.
However, in the sixty years since David’s first visit, the Reef is now seriously under threat. Reflecting on his unique experiences, he explains how the Reef has lost almost half its coral since his first visit and will look at what the future holds for it. He is determined to discover how it can be saved. In his quest he consults the Reef’s top scientists and visits its island research stations where researchers and their teams are trying to help corals cope with the way our oceans are changing so rapidly. David’s journey also takes him to the deepest part of the Reef where no one has ventured before, in the hi-tech Triton Submersible, to collect corals that may help scientists to better understand this natural wonder of the world. I would highly recommend this show as it is informative with fantastic visuals.
Disclosure: We will receive the sample for the purposes of writing this review however all thoughts and opinions remain our own. We have included an Amazon affiliate link to the product. If you click on this and buy, we may earn a small commission. Image used with permission.