Planet Earth: Ocean Deep

BBC’s Blue Planet and Planet Earth are, as far as I know, unsurpassed nature documentary series. I’d reiterate this ad nauseam if I had to, but please watch this show if you at all can. There’s nothing like it, if you enjoy the genre. Really magnificent. So it’s with some sadness that I have to tell you that we’re already at the series end with one more episode ... and what a grand finale this one is! For this last installment, we’re visiting the deep waters of the open ocean and get to see dazzling shots of several schools of hundreds of divine dolphins trapping tons of mackerels into bait balls attacked by sheer water birds from the surface; two-ton manta rays (devilfish) gliding through the night while feasting on baby sailfish; shoals of bait fish swarming around a whale shark as a shield against the predatory yellowfin tuna; and a great many other varieties of shark (such as the whitetip).

The true wonders of the deep, however, are the weirdly alien creatures that dwell deep in the ocean’s strange and dark waters ... sea spider shrimp, saw tooth eel, dumbo octopus, vampire squid, sea urchins, monk fish, spider crabs, isopods, albino squat lobsters, giant tube worms, nautiluses, ocean sunfish, sea turtle, sailfish... I’m always impressed by images of the towering chimneys of hydrothermal vents at the earth’s molten core blasting black clouds of sulfide smoke. Other than that, of course, we get to see colorful coral reefs, the most majestically, gargantuan blue whales, and countless schools of variegated fish. So, please, do yourself a favor and check out this spectacular series. Preferably the U.K. version with David Attenborough’s narration, and not the Sigourney Weaver voice over. Fortunately, there’s a follow up series, called “Life”! So, you’ll be hearing more about that very soon. Be prepared!