1 00:00:01,918 --> 00:00:03,294 NARRATOR: Off the coast of California, 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:04,462 --> 00:00:08,508 close encounters with great white sharks seem to be on the rise. 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:08,591 --> 00:00:11,052 (dramatic music) 6 00:00:11,845 --> 00:00:13,847 MALE SHARK ATTACK VICTIM (over TV): I was eye-to-eye with the shark. 7 00:00:13,930 --> 00:00:14,931 When he got up on the paddle board, 8 00:00:15,015 --> 00:00:16,558 he got a huge bite. 9 00:00:16,641 --> 00:00:20,145 The shark responsible for this attack could be a great white. 10 00:00:21,146 --> 00:00:23,898 NARRATOR: Shark scientist Doctor Michael Domeier believes 11 00:00:23,982 --> 00:00:29,154 the great white population along this stretch of US coast is booming. 12 00:00:29,237 --> 00:00:30,864 And more sharks. 13 00:00:30,947 --> 00:00:31,948 There's another one. 14 00:00:32,032 --> 00:00:33,616 NARRATOR: Means more encounters 15 00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:36,077 There are many more great white sharks along 16 00:00:36,161 --> 00:00:38,663 the coast of California than people ever imagined. 17 00:00:38,747 --> 00:00:40,582 Oh my God, look at that thing! 18 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,711 NARRATOR: Now to protect beach-goers from attacks. 19 00:00:44,794 --> 00:00:46,421 -Oh, right there. -It's another new shark, 20 00:00:46,504 --> 00:00:47,380 and she's even bigger. 21 00:00:48,006 --> 00:00:51,384 NARRATOR: A team of shark researchers are on a expedition to determine 22 00:00:51,468 --> 00:00:54,429 just how many great whites are really out there. 23 00:00:54,721 --> 00:00:56,306 Wow! 24 00:00:56,389 --> 00:00:58,850 NARRATOR: From Mexico's world-famous Guadalupe Island. 25 00:00:59,642 --> 00:01:01,102 (through scuba radio) On your right! 26 00:01:01,186 --> 00:01:03,521 NARRATOR: To a new white shark hotspot. 27 00:01:03,605 --> 00:01:06,316 Just discovered near the beaches of Southern California. 28 00:01:06,775 --> 00:01:07,609 (laughs) 29 00:01:07,859 --> 00:01:09,235 (through scuba radio) Check that out! 30 00:01:10,487 --> 00:01:12,655 (suspenseful music continues) 31 00:01:12,739 --> 00:01:15,784 NARRATOR: Their mission will bring them face to face with 32 00:01:15,867 --> 00:01:18,036 some of the largest great whites on the planet. 33 00:01:18,119 --> 00:01:19,370 (through scuba radio) Whoa, heads up! 34 00:01:19,913 --> 00:01:23,500 (crunching) 35 00:01:25,877 --> 00:01:29,297 (theme music playing) 36 00:01:30,632 --> 00:01:32,425 My name is Doctor Michael Domeier and 37 00:01:32,509 --> 00:01:35,970 I've been studying great white sharks for more than 20 years. 38 00:01:36,054 --> 00:01:40,517 What motivates me is that they're such a charismatic mega predator. 39 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:47,232 They have been virtually unchanged for ten or 12 million years. 40 00:01:48,066 --> 00:01:54,989 They get to be 20 feet long, they have a tail more like a tuna; built for speed. 41 00:01:57,575 --> 00:02:01,955 And once they mature, they sort of stop getting longer and 42 00:02:02,664 --> 00:02:05,667 they just start getting bigger around. 43 00:02:08,086 --> 00:02:10,755 One of the most amazing evolutionary marvels is that 44 00:02:10,839 --> 00:02:15,093 the same sharks are really loyal to certain geographic areas. 45 00:02:17,804 --> 00:02:20,640 And they seem to assemble into little subgroups. 46 00:02:23,726 --> 00:02:26,229 That's why we chose the word tribes; 47 00:02:26,312 --> 00:02:29,274 it's not a scientific word, it's just a word to help people 48 00:02:29,357 --> 00:02:33,194 understand that these groups of white sharks are different. 49 00:02:34,988 --> 00:02:37,740 And what's different about them? 50 00:02:38,241 --> 00:02:41,244 Their migration patterns are quite different. 51 00:02:41,327 --> 00:02:44,956 The adults tend to aggregate in very specific spots, 52 00:02:45,039 --> 00:02:47,083 it's these adult aggregation sites that 53 00:02:47,167 --> 00:02:50,128 I'm considering the definition of that tribe. 54 00:02:50,211 --> 00:02:53,089 NARRATOR: Booming populations among these shark tribes could 55 00:02:53,173 --> 00:02:56,342 explain the explosion in white shark encounters off 56 00:02:56,426 --> 00:02:57,760 the coast of California. 57 00:02:58,303 --> 00:03:01,556 MICHAEL: There are two really well-studied adult white shark tribes 58 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:03,183 in the North Eastern Pacific. 59 00:03:05,185 --> 00:03:07,478 One of them is what I call the "Red Triangle Tribe", 60 00:03:07,562 --> 00:03:09,397 off the coast of San Francisco. 61 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:11,900 The other tribe gathers at Guadalupe Island which is 62 00:03:11,983 --> 00:03:15,987 located about 160 miles offshore of Baja California. 63 00:03:18,990 --> 00:03:20,867 I believe that the Guadalupe Island Tribe is 64 00:03:21,409 --> 00:03:24,704 the most well-studied aggregation in the Northeastern Pacific. 65 00:03:25,788 --> 00:03:32,587 In the last 20-plus years, we have identified 454 individual white sharks 66 00:03:32,670 --> 00:03:35,757 from that site. Of course, some of them may have died, 67 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,343 but not that many things can kill an adult white shark. 68 00:03:38,718 --> 00:03:42,889 Meanwhile, we had a population estimate that was published in 2011 that said 69 00:03:42,972 --> 00:03:48,186 that the entire Northeastern Pacific population of white sharks was about 450. 70 00:03:49,646 --> 00:03:52,565 I did not believe that number could be true. 71 00:03:53,107 --> 00:03:55,526 From what I'd been seeing along the coast of California at the time, 72 00:03:55,610 --> 00:03:57,862 I kept seeing more and more white sharks. 73 00:03:59,030 --> 00:04:01,866 NARRATOR: Since the 2011 population study, 74 00:04:01,950 --> 00:04:05,495 Doctor Michael Domeier and his shark-tagging partner Keith Poe 75 00:04:05,578 --> 00:04:09,999 discovered a new tribe, that could change everything people 76 00:04:10,083 --> 00:04:13,920 thought they knew about great whites off California. 77 00:04:15,713 --> 00:04:17,048 MICHAEL: We discovered this aggregation 78 00:04:17,131 --> 00:04:20,301 of adult white sharks here at Point Conception, California. 79 00:04:20,385 --> 00:04:26,641 These sharks were completely ignored in this 2011 population estimate. 80 00:04:26,724 --> 00:04:30,270 We've never done any type of population estimate here before, 81 00:04:30,353 --> 00:04:32,897 which means we have a lot of work to do. 82 00:04:34,774 --> 00:04:38,820 NARRATOR: Point Conception is a rugged stretch of California coastline, 83 00:04:38,903 --> 00:04:43,992 just west of Santa Barbara, nestled between the well-known "Red Triangle" and 84 00:04:44,075 --> 00:04:45,660 Guadalupe island tribes. 85 00:04:46,744 --> 00:04:49,330 It could be home to one of the largest aggregations of 86 00:04:49,414 --> 00:04:51,708 white sharks on the planet. 87 00:04:51,791 --> 00:04:53,167 MICHAEL: From the minimal amount of tagging 88 00:04:53,251 --> 00:04:58,089 that I've done here at Point Conception, I know these sharks leave this area and 89 00:04:58,172 --> 00:05:01,634 they come back to this area; they don't go to Guadalupe Island. 90 00:05:02,176 --> 00:05:05,179 And they don't go to the Red Triangle. It's a brand new tribe. 91 00:05:06,472 --> 00:05:10,351 Discovery of this new aggregation is really huge. 92 00:05:10,435 --> 00:05:13,396 The size of this tribe is gonna dramatically impact 93 00:05:13,479 --> 00:05:17,442 the overall population estimates in the Northeastern Pacific. 94 00:05:18,776 --> 00:05:22,238 NARRATOR: Now Domeier calls in his all-star team. 95 00:05:23,990 --> 00:05:28,911 The mission: count the number of great whites in the new Point Conception tribe. 96 00:05:30,663 --> 00:05:32,582 My name is Neha Acharya-Patel and 97 00:05:32,665 --> 00:05:36,127 I am an eDNA scientist at the University of Victoria. 98 00:05:36,669 --> 00:05:39,047 So my name is Nicole Nasby-Lucas and Michael Domeier and I have 99 00:05:39,130 --> 00:05:41,841 been working together for 20 years now. 100 00:05:41,924 --> 00:05:43,384 My name's Keith Poe and I'm a shark tagger. 101 00:05:43,468 --> 00:05:45,928 And I go out in the field and I locate them, 102 00:05:46,012 --> 00:05:48,806 so we can catch them and tag them and do research on them. 103 00:05:48,890 --> 00:05:51,267 MICHAEL: Keith Poe, he and I have been partners in tagging 104 00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:54,896 for a very long time. He is the shark whisperer, 105 00:05:54,979 --> 00:05:58,399 the shark caller and I guarantee you, with Keith on this team, 106 00:05:58,483 --> 00:06:01,277 we're gonna have sharks jumping out of the water all day long. 107 00:06:04,447 --> 00:06:08,618 The primary mission is to begin the first ever population estimate for 108 00:06:08,701 --> 00:06:11,537 these Point Conception tribe of sharks. We've never done it before, 109 00:06:11,621 --> 00:06:14,499 it's gonna be really hard for us, and because we have to start 110 00:06:14,582 --> 00:06:16,709 completely from scratch. Let's get to work. 111 00:06:16,793 --> 00:06:19,003 NARRATOR: To count sharks, they have to identify 112 00:06:19,087 --> 00:06:21,172 as many individuals as they can. 113 00:06:21,255 --> 00:06:25,051 To do that, they have to take a lot of shark pictures. 114 00:06:25,510 --> 00:06:26,844 MICHAEL: So the method that I developed 115 00:06:26,928 --> 00:06:29,639 for Guadalupe Island is actually unique in the world, 116 00:06:30,056 --> 00:06:34,685 we use the line between the dark upper-side and the white underside, 117 00:06:34,769 --> 00:06:37,105 it makes a very unique fingerprint and 118 00:06:37,188 --> 00:06:39,232 allows us to identify each shark. 119 00:06:39,565 --> 00:06:40,900 NICOLE: In Guadalupe Island, we have 120 00:06:41,275 --> 00:06:44,570 the photo ID database that we started in 2003 that have all 121 00:06:44,654 --> 00:06:46,614 the identified sharks in it. 122 00:06:46,697 --> 00:06:49,742 Here near Point Conception, we're starting from scratch. 123 00:06:50,284 --> 00:06:52,703 NARRATOR: Creating a photo ID database will help the 124 00:06:52,787 --> 00:06:56,874 determine a population estimate for the Point Conception tribe. 125 00:06:56,958 --> 00:07:01,254 This method of counting sharks is known as mark and recapture. 126 00:07:01,337 --> 00:07:05,258 MICHAEL: You just can't count them all. The challenge is immense. 127 00:07:05,341 --> 00:07:08,803 So, you have to come up with methods to estimate how many sharks there are. 128 00:07:09,470 --> 00:07:14,016 NARRATOR: They begin by photo identifying as many sharks as they can. 129 00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:16,853 The picture acts as a tag. 130 00:07:16,936 --> 00:07:21,232 NARRATOR: Later on a return visit, they'll take a second photo survey 131 00:07:21,315 --> 00:07:24,193 of the sharks and compare it with the first. 132 00:07:24,277 --> 00:07:28,573 Some they may recognize from the first trip, others will be new. 133 00:07:28,656 --> 00:07:34,454 It's the ratio of old to new that helps them estimate the total shark population. 134 00:07:36,122 --> 00:07:38,833 So, the really important thing is to use this pole cam 135 00:07:38,916 --> 00:07:44,630 and also drop-cams to try to get images of both sides of the shark. 136 00:07:45,173 --> 00:07:48,217 We wanna get imagery and we wanna get tissue samples for DNA. 137 00:07:52,388 --> 00:07:54,140 NARRATOR: In addition to photo IDs, 138 00:07:54,223 --> 00:07:57,310 the team will attempt to collect DNA samples from 139 00:07:57,393 --> 00:07:59,604 the Point Conception great whites. 140 00:07:59,687 --> 00:08:02,190 There's a biopsy spear that I had machined and 141 00:08:02,732 --> 00:08:05,067 it compresses the skin into the chamber here. 142 00:08:05,151 --> 00:08:09,363 And when I put it in, I just twist it back and forth to make sure it dislodges. 143 00:08:09,447 --> 00:08:11,616 And once we get it back and the sample's in there, 144 00:08:11,699 --> 00:08:15,119 then we push it out into the vial to preserve it. 145 00:08:15,203 --> 00:08:17,455 NARRATOR: Genetics can tell the researchers how 146 00:08:17,538 --> 00:08:19,332 closely related these sharks are, 147 00:08:19,874 --> 00:08:23,377 providing more data on how many might be out there. 148 00:08:23,461 --> 00:08:25,379 As the technology gets better and better, 149 00:08:25,463 --> 00:08:30,218 the questions we've been able to ask with DNA, have really increased in scope. 150 00:08:30,301 --> 00:08:32,386 NARRATOR: To cover as much ground as possible, 151 00:08:32,929 --> 00:08:34,680 the team will divide and conquer. 152 00:08:35,223 --> 00:08:38,601 While Neha and Nicole work from the main research vessel, 153 00:08:38,684 --> 00:08:42,688 Mike will join Keith on his smaller boat: the Shark Tagger. 154 00:08:45,316 --> 00:08:48,277 MALE CREW: Hey, hey, shark! Shark! MALE CREW 2: Shark! Shark! 155 00:08:48,361 --> 00:08:50,196 MICHAEL: Shark right here, we got a pole cam! 156 00:08:50,279 --> 00:08:51,948 NARRATOR: They're barely ready when 157 00:08:52,031 --> 00:08:54,575 a large white shark comes right to the boat. 158 00:08:55,743 --> 00:08:58,454 MICHAEL: How close is your drop-cam to being ready? 159 00:08:58,704 --> 00:09:01,290 Because we've got a shark right here, it's right here in the stern. 160 00:09:02,291 --> 00:09:03,876 Watch your head. 161 00:09:09,799 --> 00:09:13,094 We got a couple of cameras in the water right now with a live feed off the camera. 162 00:09:14,011 --> 00:09:15,555 NEHA: I'm gonna get in the cage right now, 163 00:09:15,638 --> 00:09:18,182 I've got my kit ready, I've gonna speed the camera, 164 00:09:18,266 --> 00:09:20,935 so I can get some really good photo ID of the sharks, uh, 165 00:09:21,018 --> 00:09:22,061 when they come in close. 166 00:09:22,603 --> 00:09:26,732 We gotta tie it up alongside, we're chumming, just waiting on sharks now. 167 00:09:27,275 --> 00:09:28,359 Any moment now. 168 00:09:29,026 --> 00:09:30,987 (dramatic music plays) 169 00:09:32,572 --> 00:09:34,949 (through scuba gear) Neha, this is your safety diver. 170 00:09:35,575 --> 00:09:37,535 I'll call them out as I see them. 171 00:09:38,244 --> 00:09:42,498 Neha, on your right. Big girl coming in. 172 00:09:43,958 --> 00:09:48,254 Probably the same female as before. Topside, do you copy? 173 00:09:48,337 --> 00:09:50,840 We got a great white down here. 174 00:09:53,009 --> 00:09:54,802 MICHAEL: Okay, we got a white shark here. 175 00:09:58,472 --> 00:10:00,016 Oh there, right there. 176 00:10:00,099 --> 00:10:04,353 KEITH: There she is, right there, coming around right to my bait, right now. 177 00:10:04,437 --> 00:10:07,481 There she goes around the bow, she's gonna come up to your side, Michael. 178 00:10:07,565 --> 00:10:10,026 MICHAEL: Right off the bow, right off the bow. 179 00:10:10,860 --> 00:10:13,404 (music intensifies) 180 00:10:15,656 --> 00:10:22,246 She's giant, giant, giant. Oh my God. 181 00:10:23,497 --> 00:10:25,791 -(music crescendos) -(radar beeping) 182 00:10:25,916 --> 00:10:30,171 NARRATOR: Michael captures a left profile shot of this female. 183 00:10:30,254 --> 00:10:32,632 And her unique markings are clear. 184 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:36,844 -MICHAEL: Left side done. -KEITH: Here she comes she's turning back. 185 00:10:36,927 --> 00:10:38,137 MICHAEL: All right, I need the right side. 186 00:10:38,638 --> 00:10:40,556 -(photo capture) -(radar beeping) 187 00:10:41,057 --> 00:10:44,060 -I just got the entire right side. -Good job. 188 00:10:44,602 --> 00:10:47,355 NARRATOR: The three main regions of pigment variability 189 00:10:47,605 --> 00:10:52,193 are the gills, the pelvis and the tail. 190 00:10:52,693 --> 00:10:55,488 Pigment patterns aren't symmetrical so it's important to 191 00:10:55,571 --> 00:10:58,574 get pictures of both sides of the shark. 192 00:10:59,867 --> 00:11:04,205 We have to start identifying individuals, once we feel like we've got good imagery 193 00:11:04,288 --> 00:11:09,001 of one side of the shark, hopefully both sides, then let's try to get the biopsy. 194 00:11:09,085 --> 00:11:10,670 Hopefully we can keep them around for a while and 195 00:11:10,753 --> 00:11:12,129 get to know 'em a little bit better. 196 00:11:12,380 --> 00:11:14,006 (music intensifies) 197 00:11:14,090 --> 00:11:16,759 NICOLE: Oh nice. 198 00:11:20,137 --> 00:11:22,807 A shark just made a pass right in front of the drift cam. 199 00:11:23,307 --> 00:11:26,185 SAFETY DIVER (through scuba radio): Neha, on your left. On your left. 200 00:11:26,977 --> 00:11:30,064 I think that's two sharks we've spotted so far. 201 00:11:35,695 --> 00:11:39,699 Big female. She just took off. 202 00:11:40,408 --> 00:11:42,660 Heads up Sharktagger. Think she's headed your way. 203 00:11:43,077 --> 00:11:45,454 KEITH: Here she comes, she's gonna come up to your side, Michael. 204 00:11:45,996 --> 00:11:47,915 MICHAEL: Look, there she is. 205 00:11:48,791 --> 00:11:52,545 (dramatic music) 206 00:11:53,838 --> 00:11:55,172 -Here it comes, here it comes. -KEITH: Here she comes. 207 00:11:55,256 --> 00:11:57,174 -Oh, wow. -Got her. 208 00:11:58,592 --> 00:12:01,637 (music continues) 209 00:12:04,140 --> 00:12:07,017 Here she comes again. She's gonna take that fish. 210 00:12:07,101 --> 00:12:08,185 MICHAEL: And she wants that. 211 00:12:10,020 --> 00:12:13,441 (music continues) 212 00:12:17,403 --> 00:12:20,030 MICHAEL: (grunts) Yep, I'm getting the right side. 213 00:12:20,114 --> 00:12:21,157 KEITH: You got, you got, you got both sides of her? 214 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:22,116 MICHAEL: I got, yes, I gotta go for it. 215 00:12:22,199 --> 00:12:24,410 KEITH: Go, go, go! 216 00:12:27,413 --> 00:12:29,331 (grunts) 217 00:12:32,168 --> 00:12:33,502 Got it. 218 00:12:33,586 --> 00:12:36,130 -Yeah! Right on! -Wahoo, check it out. 219 00:12:36,672 --> 00:12:39,091 NARRATOR: They get the ID picture and the biopsy 220 00:12:39,175 --> 00:12:45,181 from this big female. That's one. But there's a lot more to go. 221 00:12:48,768 --> 00:12:52,813 MICHAEL: Here's another one, here's another one, she's big, big. Big, big. 222 00:12:52,897 --> 00:12:55,024 -KEITH: Oh yeah, two. -Holy smoke. 223 00:12:55,107 --> 00:12:57,651 -KEITH: Players here now, baby. -That's a lot of sharks, Keith. 224 00:12:59,612 --> 00:13:01,781 NARRATOR: With multiple sharks swarming around the boat 225 00:13:01,864 --> 00:13:04,325 Michael and Keith struggle to keep up. 226 00:13:06,285 --> 00:13:09,830 -KEITH: Woo-hoo-hoo. -There's a new shark right there. 227 00:13:09,914 --> 00:13:11,582 KEITH: Man, we got sharks everywhere. 228 00:13:13,501 --> 00:13:17,546 -MICHAEL: Oh my God. -No, no, no, no. Not the camera! 229 00:13:21,050 --> 00:13:22,426 (theme music plays) 230 00:13:22,510 --> 00:13:25,846 KEITH: He's gonna come up to your side, Michael. 231 00:13:26,388 --> 00:13:29,183 (chuckles) Oh my God. I don't know what you think, 232 00:13:29,266 --> 00:13:33,604 -thats five different sharks at least huh? -KEITH: There is at least. 233 00:13:33,687 --> 00:13:36,106 MICHAEL: All the previous population estimates did not 234 00:13:36,190 --> 00:13:39,735 take into account this group right here. 235 00:13:39,819 --> 00:13:43,531 That's what we're trying to do. Put these on the map right now. 236 00:13:43,614 --> 00:13:47,117 -KEITH: Here comes a big one. -MICHAEL: Look at that, look at that. 237 00:13:47,201 --> 00:13:50,621 NARRATOR: These pictures are the very first photo IDs of 238 00:13:50,704 --> 00:13:53,040 the Point Conception white sharks. 239 00:13:53,457 --> 00:13:55,459 MICHAEL: Totally just got left side. 240 00:13:57,628 --> 00:13:59,255 NARRATOR: Back at the mothership, 241 00:13:59,338 --> 00:14:03,342 researcher Neha Acharya-Patel and a safety diver watch out for 242 00:14:03,425 --> 00:14:06,178 more sharks from inside a cage. 243 00:14:07,596 --> 00:14:10,599 (suspenseful music plays) 244 00:14:11,392 --> 00:14:15,271 SAFETY DIVER: Incredible how these sharks just come out of nowhere. 245 00:14:15,688 --> 00:14:18,399 NARRATOR: Each shark has its own signature markings, 246 00:14:18,482 --> 00:14:23,654 but all great whites have the same basic color pattern for good reason. 247 00:14:23,737 --> 00:14:25,239 MICHAEL: If you're looking down at a great white shark, 248 00:14:25,322 --> 00:14:28,826 you're looking down at a darker surface, you can't really see it. 249 00:14:28,909 --> 00:14:31,328 Just like if you're looking up a great white shark, 250 00:14:31,412 --> 00:14:34,665 you're seeing brighter sunlight and that white belly 251 00:14:34,748 --> 00:14:38,752 again are very hard to see. That's called counter shading. 252 00:14:38,878 --> 00:14:42,506 So, the color pattern of a white shark's all about invisibility. 253 00:14:43,799 --> 00:14:44,925 Here it comes, here it comes. 254 00:14:45,009 --> 00:14:46,427 -KEITH: Here she comes. -Here we go. 255 00:14:48,345 --> 00:14:50,264 -KEITH: Holy moly. -He's huge, brother. 256 00:14:51,181 --> 00:14:54,184 (music intensifies) 257 00:14:55,978 --> 00:14:58,939 -Oh my God, get the bucket. -(laughter) 258 00:14:59,023 --> 00:15:01,817 MICHAEL: No, no, no, don't eat the bucket, don't eat the bucket. 259 00:15:01,901 --> 00:15:03,402 Don't eat the fender! 260 00:15:04,737 --> 00:15:07,281 KEITH: Oh, there's another one right here, they're getting bigger and bigger now. 261 00:15:07,364 --> 00:15:09,575 -(laughs) -MICHAEL: Different shark. 262 00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:11,744 NARRATOR: Shark after shark comes in, 263 00:15:11,827 --> 00:15:16,332 circles the boat and is photographed and identified. 264 00:15:16,415 --> 00:15:21,170 The goal now is to keep the pictures coming and sort them out later. 265 00:15:22,671 --> 00:15:27,009 At this rate, they'll have a solid photo sample of the sharks at Point Conception. 266 00:15:27,301 --> 00:15:29,345 I've lost count of how many sharks we've seen today. 267 00:15:29,428 --> 00:15:32,640 KEITH: It's, it's been a lot, that's for sure. 268 00:15:32,723 --> 00:15:37,227 This location's like a conveyor belt of sharks. When we're here multiple days, 269 00:15:37,311 --> 00:15:40,189 we don't very often see the same sharks. 270 00:15:40,272 --> 00:15:43,108 KEITH: They're literally coming by, one right after another, like they're... 271 00:15:43,192 --> 00:15:45,277 -MICHAEL: Like right now. -KEITH: Put together in a Congo line. 272 00:15:45,611 --> 00:15:47,404 -MICHAEL: Check her out. -KEITH: Oh, wow. 273 00:15:47,488 --> 00:15:51,450 -Here she comes. -MICHAEL: Oh no, not the bucket. 274 00:15:51,533 --> 00:15:55,913 -KEITH: Oh my God, another new one. -MICHAEL: Oh! (laughs) 275 00:15:55,996 --> 00:15:58,082 Nicole's gonna have her work cut out for her, 276 00:15:58,165 --> 00:16:00,459 we got clips and clips and clips and putting together 277 00:16:01,001 --> 00:16:03,379 the left with the right, is not gonna be easy. 278 00:16:05,047 --> 00:16:06,632 SAFETY DIVER (through scuba radio): Hey guys I think I saw another one 279 00:16:06,715 --> 00:16:10,302 in the distance... There it is. 280 00:16:11,428 --> 00:16:14,723 Neha, heads up. Down below. 281 00:16:15,891 --> 00:16:18,769 (dramatic music intensifies) 282 00:16:20,479 --> 00:16:22,773 Incredible...incredible. 283 00:16:24,441 --> 00:16:27,611 (music crescendos) 284 00:16:31,031 --> 00:16:33,575 MICHAEL: There she is, different shark right now. 285 00:16:34,910 --> 00:16:36,620 NARRATOR: The two teams spend the next several hours 286 00:16:36,704 --> 00:16:41,792 documenting the enormous numbers of sharks in the Point Conception tribe. 287 00:16:42,710 --> 00:16:44,086 MICHAEL: Only way we're gonna get the beginning of 288 00:16:44,169 --> 00:16:46,964 a decent population estimate is to just keep sampling, 289 00:16:47,047 --> 00:16:49,383 keep videotaping, keep taking pictures. 290 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,762 See how many individuals we can identify in just a few days that we're here. 291 00:16:57,099 --> 00:16:59,476 NARRATOR: As the sun goes down on day one, 292 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,856 Michael reconvenes with Neha and Nicole back at the mothership. 293 00:17:03,939 --> 00:17:05,315 NEHA: Did you manage to get any samples? 294 00:17:05,399 --> 00:17:07,860 MICHAEL: Well, Neha, (chuckles) I got you three. 295 00:17:07,943 --> 00:17:12,156 I've never seen so many big sharks in such a short amount of time anywhere. 296 00:17:12,239 --> 00:17:16,744 We had three, 16 foot females around us at the same exact time. 297 00:17:16,827 --> 00:17:18,328 -NICOLE: Wow. That's amazing. -NEHA: That's wild. 298 00:17:18,871 --> 00:17:20,372 Blown away by how many sharks we saw. 299 00:17:20,456 --> 00:17:22,875 This is a major tribe of white sharks right here, 300 00:17:23,333 --> 00:17:25,419 undescribed tribe of white sharks. 301 00:17:25,502 --> 00:17:28,797 So far our sampling from the Point Conception tribe is 302 00:17:28,881 --> 00:17:32,051 really robust, compared to the Guadalupe Island tribe. 303 00:17:35,054 --> 00:17:36,764 (theme music) 304 00:17:38,140 --> 00:17:40,517 MICHAEL: Yesterday it was so crazy on Keith's boat, 305 00:17:40,601 --> 00:17:44,396 so, we're gonna bring in Neha out today, just help us keep things organized. 306 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:46,273 She can deal with all the tissue samples and 307 00:17:46,356 --> 00:17:49,735 labeling and taking notes. That would be a big help. 308 00:17:51,361 --> 00:17:54,323 NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Nicole will go through the images from day one, 309 00:17:54,406 --> 00:17:57,743 to identify and count up all the individuals. 310 00:17:59,369 --> 00:18:01,747 -MICHAEL: Oh, there's one. -KEITH: Wow, check that out. 311 00:18:02,164 --> 00:18:03,290 MICHAEL: Oh, there's another one right there. 312 00:18:03,373 --> 00:18:04,958 -NEHA: Oh, there's two of them. -KEITH: Wow, they're everywhere. 313 00:18:05,042 --> 00:18:07,294 -MICHAEL: What's going on. -NEHA: Two sharks. 314 00:18:08,462 --> 00:18:10,297 NARRATOR: Almost immediately, they spot 315 00:18:10,380 --> 00:18:13,133 several great whites surfacing near the boat. 316 00:18:14,593 --> 00:18:16,970 MICHAEL: Here we go. 317 00:18:17,262 --> 00:18:19,264 (music intensifies) 318 00:18:19,348 --> 00:18:21,809 -Look, look, look. -KEITH: That's cool, here she is. 319 00:18:22,017 --> 00:18:24,019 MICHAEL: She's got some markings on her face. 320 00:18:24,103 --> 00:18:26,230 KEITH: They get bitten all the time hanging out with their boyfriends. 321 00:18:27,481 --> 00:18:30,442 There's another one. That's a boy. It's a mature male. 322 00:18:32,069 --> 00:18:34,696 NARRATOR: Researchers identify the sex of a shark by 323 00:18:34,780 --> 00:18:37,991 the presence of male organs called claspers. 324 00:18:38,534 --> 00:18:40,285 And they come in sets of two. 325 00:18:42,246 --> 00:18:44,623 MICHAEL: Look at that, another female. 326 00:18:45,874 --> 00:18:48,627 NARRATOR: Researchers have found that white sharks often 327 00:18:48,710 --> 00:18:50,546 segregate based on sex. 328 00:18:50,629 --> 00:18:54,133 With males stay mostly separate from females. 329 00:18:54,216 --> 00:18:59,096 But here at Point Conception, the males and females are together. 330 00:18:59,638 --> 00:19:02,391 MICHAEL: From my extensive satellite tracking, 331 00:19:02,474 --> 00:19:07,437 I've found that for the most of the year, they probably never even see each other. 332 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:10,941 At these adult aggregation sites, 333 00:19:11,024 --> 00:19:15,195 it's one of the only places and times where males and 334 00:19:15,279 --> 00:19:16,947 females are there together. 335 00:19:17,030 --> 00:19:20,951 And I really believe that they're mating at these coastal aggregation sites. 336 00:19:23,287 --> 00:19:25,080 NARRATOR: If tribal aggregation sites 337 00:19:25,164 --> 00:19:28,834 are mating grounds, then they're critically important to the future of 338 00:19:28,917 --> 00:19:30,878 the white shark population. 339 00:19:30,961 --> 00:19:36,341 MICHAEL: Different shark. I have never seen a shark that looked like that before. 340 00:19:36,425 --> 00:19:38,218 (intense music builds) 341 00:19:38,302 --> 00:19:40,971 Yeah, that's pigment, that's a pigment, deal. 342 00:19:41,054 --> 00:19:42,681 KEITH: That's weird looking. 343 00:19:42,764 --> 00:19:43,682 (camera shutters) 344 00:19:43,765 --> 00:19:47,436 NARRATOR: This female white shark exhibits a very unusual pattern 345 00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:50,230 It could be genetic or even a skin disease. 346 00:19:51,940 --> 00:19:54,776 Regardless, she's easy to identify. 347 00:19:56,403 --> 00:19:58,947 MICHAEL: Look at her eye even messed up. 348 00:19:59,031 --> 00:20:00,490 -KEITH: Yeah. -NEHA: Yeah. 349 00:20:01,158 --> 00:20:05,162 NARRATOR: She's an example of the diversity in the Point Conception tribe. 350 00:20:05,287 --> 00:20:06,705 (radar beeping) 351 00:20:08,999 --> 00:20:12,085 -KEITH: Whoa. -NEHA: Ah! Oh, wow. 352 00:20:12,169 --> 00:20:14,630 MICHAEL: I didn't need that. I think she's a zombie. 353 00:20:14,713 --> 00:20:17,090 NEHA: It did kind of look like lesions on her body. 354 00:20:17,174 --> 00:20:19,426 MICHAEL: Yeah, I'd get ready with the biopsy, you know, 355 00:20:19,509 --> 00:20:22,596 I have a good shot of her, that will allow us to ID her. 356 00:20:23,013 --> 00:20:25,933 NEHA: All right, she's coming back around to your side, Keith. 357 00:20:28,143 --> 00:20:29,853 NARRATOR: Genetics might explain the shark they've 358 00:20:29,937 --> 00:20:32,689 named "Zombie's" unique appearance. 359 00:20:32,773 --> 00:20:36,902 So, the team really wants to collect the tissue sample from her. 360 00:20:39,196 --> 00:20:40,572 MICHAEL: Here she is right here, Keith, 361 00:20:40,656 --> 00:20:41,698 if you can get her right here, right here, right here. 362 00:20:42,824 --> 00:20:45,619 (dramatic music builds) 363 00:20:46,578 --> 00:20:49,164 -Get her. -(music crescendos) 364 00:20:54,127 --> 00:20:56,588 -KEITH: Got it, right on. -NEHA: Yeah! Woohoo! Good job. 365 00:20:57,130 --> 00:21:00,259 The white shark is right at the top of this food chain and 366 00:21:00,342 --> 00:21:02,761 essentially if you take out any piece of the food chain, 367 00:21:02,844 --> 00:21:05,013 that whole system collapses. 368 00:21:05,180 --> 00:21:09,226 And so the more data we have can really increase how well 369 00:21:09,309 --> 00:21:11,770 we understand this system. 370 00:21:11,853 --> 00:21:13,981 KEITH: Here's one deep right there. 371 00:21:15,774 --> 00:21:17,067 NARRATOR: The team spends the rest 372 00:21:17,150 --> 00:21:19,653 of the day photo IDing and tissue sampling. 373 00:21:21,697 --> 00:21:24,825 MICHAEL: Here at Point Conception, it's a whole new ball game. 374 00:21:24,908 --> 00:21:26,493 I know it's an aggregation site. 375 00:21:26,576 --> 00:21:29,246 The world doesn't know because I've yet to publish the papers. 376 00:21:29,621 --> 00:21:34,668 But this is a major, major great white shark tribe. 377 00:21:36,503 --> 00:21:40,173 NARRATOR: Their time in Point Conception is coming to an end. 378 00:21:40,257 --> 00:21:43,218 But while everyone was photographing sharks, 379 00:21:43,302 --> 00:21:45,929 Nicole made a wild discovery. 380 00:21:46,013 --> 00:21:47,806 Okay, so check this out. 381 00:21:49,349 --> 00:21:52,477 Turns out that one of the females matches up with a Guadalupe Island shark. 382 00:21:52,561 --> 00:21:54,187 -No kidding. -Yeah. 383 00:21:54,271 --> 00:21:58,942 NARRATOR: Of the 27 sharks they've identified in Point Conception, 384 00:21:59,026 --> 00:22:05,073 one is a familiar face. Livvy. She's a massive female and 385 00:22:05,157 --> 00:22:08,076 a member of the Guadalupe Island tribe. 386 00:22:08,994 --> 00:22:12,456 I, I was shocked, I mean, I wasn't even thinking that was gonna happen. 387 00:22:12,539 --> 00:22:15,459 I was surprised that we were able to identify a Guadalupe Island shark. 388 00:22:15,542 --> 00:22:17,753 -The plot thickens. -Right. 389 00:22:18,378 --> 00:22:19,838 (theme music builds) 390 00:22:20,213 --> 00:22:25,427 We have seen very, very few adult white sharks from one tribe visit another. 391 00:22:25,510 --> 00:22:29,806 I mean, the percentage has gotta be less than ten percent. 392 00:22:30,515 --> 00:22:34,519 So, for Livvy to just show up at Point Conception was pretty cool. 393 00:22:34,603 --> 00:22:37,731 Now that we have a really good start with our Point Conception tribe, 394 00:22:37,814 --> 00:22:41,985 I wanna call my collaborator Doctor Oscar Sosa down in Mexico, 395 00:22:42,569 --> 00:22:44,654 and let him know what we've found. 396 00:22:47,366 --> 00:22:48,950 Hey Oscar, how are you? 397 00:22:49,034 --> 00:22:50,410 (over computer): Hey, how are you, Michael? 398 00:22:50,494 --> 00:22:53,830 Doctor, we are really good, we just got back from Point Conception. 399 00:22:53,914 --> 00:22:55,791 This is a bit of a shocker; 400 00:22:55,874 --> 00:22:58,752 one of the sharks was one that’s in our Guadalupe Island catalog. 401 00:22:58,835 --> 00:23:01,797 -Wow, is that true? -Yep, Livvy. 402 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,383 To find out that one shark from Guadalupe Island 403 00:23:04,466 --> 00:23:06,927 is showing up in Point Conception is great. 404 00:23:07,010 --> 00:23:10,889 It goes with our hypothesis that the aggregation in Guadalupe Island 405 00:23:10,972 --> 00:23:14,643 is getting to a number that might be the animals 406 00:23:14,726 --> 00:23:16,478 looking for some other new places. 407 00:23:16,561 --> 00:23:20,440 And in just two days, we saw almost 30 sharks, Oscar. 408 00:23:20,524 --> 00:23:23,735 -Wow, that’s, that's great. -I’m really curious to see how 409 00:23:23,819 --> 00:23:28,073 that number will match up in our upcoming expedition to Guadalupe Island. 410 00:23:28,156 --> 00:23:29,825 If we see about the same, or more or less. 411 00:23:29,908 --> 00:23:32,244 Yes, that would be interesting to look for, right? 412 00:23:32,327 --> 00:23:36,039 That might give us some idea if it’s, you know, a similar sized tribe or not. 413 00:23:36,123 --> 00:23:39,084 -Yeah, of course, of course. -All right Oscar, then stay tuned, 414 00:23:39,167 --> 00:23:41,002 -we’ll be in touch. -Adios. 415 00:23:41,294 --> 00:23:42,838 MICHAEL: We just wrapped up two great days at 416 00:23:42,921 --> 00:23:45,465 Point Conception where we saw a lot of sharks. 417 00:23:45,549 --> 00:23:50,178 But it’s been ten years now since I did a population estimate for Guadalupe Island. 418 00:23:50,262 --> 00:23:53,140 It’s really important for us to go check that number in 419 00:23:53,223 --> 00:23:56,518 this overall picture of how many great white sharks are 420 00:23:56,601 --> 00:23:58,186 there in the Northeastern Pacific. 421 00:23:59,187 --> 00:24:01,231 NARRATOR: Keith and Neha stay behind 422 00:24:01,314 --> 00:24:05,819 at Point Conception, while Nicole and Michael sail 400 miles south 423 00:24:06,278 --> 00:24:09,156 to recount sharks at Guadalupe Island. 424 00:24:09,406 --> 00:24:11,700 (dramatic music plays) 425 00:24:12,909 --> 00:24:16,788 This great white hotspot hosts the most well-studied tribe 426 00:24:16,872 --> 00:24:18,498 in the Northeastern Pacific. 427 00:24:19,249 --> 00:24:23,336 Back at Guadalupe Island, I’ve been coming here for 22 years, 428 00:24:23,420 --> 00:24:24,504 I can’t believe it. 429 00:24:25,046 --> 00:24:28,508 This is the best place in the world to study great white sharks. 430 00:24:29,176 --> 00:24:30,886 (music intensifies) 431 00:24:32,220 --> 00:24:34,055 -Woo. -NICOLE: Nice one. 432 00:24:34,139 --> 00:24:36,391 Wow. (chuckles) Incredible. 433 00:24:36,475 --> 00:24:39,853 The conditions for working at Guadalupe Island are way 434 00:24:39,936 --> 00:24:43,482 superior to Point Conception because the water is clear; 435 00:24:43,565 --> 00:24:45,150 we can see so much further, 436 00:24:45,233 --> 00:24:47,486 we can capture so many more images of sharks. 437 00:24:50,113 --> 00:24:51,072 -Do you have a couple more of those-- -WOMAN DIVER: Yup. 438 00:24:51,156 --> 00:24:52,616 -to put one in each corner? -Yeah. 439 00:24:53,033 --> 00:24:55,952 NARRATOR: To keep an eye out for sharks coming up from the deep, 440 00:24:56,036 --> 00:24:59,039 Michael and Nicole ready a drop camera. 441 00:24:59,122 --> 00:25:02,792 One giant difference between the Point Conception tribe site and 442 00:25:02,876 --> 00:25:05,378 the Guadalupe Island tribe site is the water depth. 443 00:25:05,837 --> 00:25:10,217 At Point Conception it’s really shallow. At Guadalupe Island, we’re anchoring up 444 00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:12,427 at probably three to four hundred feet of water. 445 00:25:12,511 --> 00:25:15,639 And we’re right on the edge of a cliff that goes into thousands of feet of water. 446 00:25:17,349 --> 00:25:18,183 NICOLE: We have a camera, we can drop deep 447 00:25:18,266 --> 00:25:22,062 and try to get a perspective on what sharks are down deep that might not be 448 00:25:22,145 --> 00:25:23,104 coming up to the cage. 449 00:25:24,356 --> 00:25:26,274 (music crescendos) 450 00:25:26,691 --> 00:25:28,276 NARRATOR: While the drop camera provides 451 00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:31,947 another set of eyes in the deep, Michael prepares for a cage dive, 452 00:25:32,239 --> 00:25:34,449 to photo ID sharks near the surface. 453 00:25:35,033 --> 00:25:37,494 -(water splashing) -(suspenseful music plays) 454 00:25:37,994 --> 00:25:39,829 NICOLE (through scuba radio): Michael, you copy? 455 00:25:39,913 --> 00:25:41,206 Gotcha, I hear you. 456 00:25:41,289 --> 00:25:43,833 NICOLE: All right, so Michael’s in the water and he has a camera 457 00:25:43,917 --> 00:25:48,046 that’s giving me a live feed so I can see exactly the, what he’s seeing. 458 00:25:50,340 --> 00:25:53,218 NARRATOR: Michael also has twin lasers on his camera, 459 00:25:53,301 --> 00:25:55,804 calibrated to measure the sharks he’s filming. 460 00:25:56,513 --> 00:25:58,640 (music continues) 461 00:25:59,224 --> 00:26:02,060 NICOLE (through scuba radio): Michael, are you seeing anything down there? 462 00:26:04,062 --> 00:26:07,148 Oh, here comes one. Wow! 463 00:26:07,315 --> 00:26:08,233 NICOLE (yells): Shark! 464 00:26:08,441 --> 00:26:09,943 -(music intensifies) -(water sloshing) 465 00:26:10,026 --> 00:26:12,153 MICHAEL (through scuba radio): Whoa, that came out of nowhere. 466 00:26:12,946 --> 00:26:14,573 Beautiful male. 467 00:26:15,156 --> 00:26:16,324 NICOLE (yells): Ahh! 468 00:26:16,408 --> 00:26:19,828 MICHAEL: Just out of range. I'm not sure what shark that was 469 00:26:21,121 --> 00:26:24,165 NICOLE: Coming around again. Here we go. It's coming up from below. 470 00:26:25,750 --> 00:26:28,420 NARRATOR: This great white demonstrates a well-documented 471 00:26:28,503 --> 00:26:32,382 attack strategy, by ambushing the bait at the surface with a 472 00:26:32,549 --> 00:26:34,009 vertical strike from below. 473 00:26:36,052 --> 00:26:37,721 -(music intensifies) -(water splashing) 474 00:26:38,263 --> 00:26:41,349 -MICHAEL: Do you recognize him? -NICOLE: Yeah, that's definitely, Duncan. 475 00:26:42,183 --> 00:26:46,146 NARRATOR: Nicole logs in Duncan the first known shark of the day. 476 00:26:47,147 --> 00:26:48,898 -(music intensifies) -(water splashing) 477 00:26:48,982 --> 00:26:51,276 MICHAEL: That's one fired up shark, folks. 478 00:26:51,776 --> 00:26:54,821 Wow, check that out, we got two sharks now. 479 00:26:56,364 --> 00:26:58,283 NICOLE: Michael, does that look like a bigger shark? 480 00:26:58,408 --> 00:27:00,869 -No doubt about it. -Here he goes. Oh my gosh. 481 00:27:00,952 --> 00:27:04,247 Oh, there he goes. Ah! I think that might be Jacques. 482 00:27:05,624 --> 00:27:09,544 MICHAEL: Money shot. Got a great measurement on that shark. 483 00:27:11,338 --> 00:27:14,257 NARRATOR: Michael records a new approximate measurement of Jacques. 484 00:27:14,549 --> 00:27:19,304 He’s grown nearly two feet since they last measured him in 2005. 485 00:27:19,387 --> 00:27:20,722 (intense music plays) 486 00:27:21,681 --> 00:27:23,725 NICOLE: So far we’ve seen two different males, 487 00:27:23,808 --> 00:27:27,687 Duncan which is a bit smaller, and Jacques which is a much bigger shark. 488 00:27:27,771 --> 00:27:32,567 NARRATOR: But just like Point Conception, females are present too. 489 00:27:33,234 --> 00:27:37,155 MICHAEL: Here come's a new one. Check this one out. Female. 490 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:38,948 NICOLE: She's coming straight up for the bait. 491 00:27:39,032 --> 00:27:42,744 MICHAEL: Hello. Beautiful, beautiful shark. 492 00:27:43,662 --> 00:27:45,121 NICOLE (over radio): I’m not sure which shark that is. 493 00:27:45,205 --> 00:27:47,624 MICHAEL: Definitely a new shark. 494 00:27:50,710 --> 00:27:53,546 (laughs) Woohoo! Check that out. 495 00:27:54,756 --> 00:27:57,801 Wow, we've got this fresh female here, just charging around. 496 00:28:01,304 --> 00:28:02,263 NICOLE (over radio): Watch out, here she comes. 497 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:04,933 MICHAEL: I got her. I got her. 498 00:28:05,892 --> 00:28:07,560 (music crescendos) 499 00:28:07,936 --> 00:28:09,896 She's coming back. Here she comes. 500 00:28:10,772 --> 00:28:13,942 NARRATOR: Female great whites tend to be larger than males 501 00:28:14,025 --> 00:28:17,862 and that size, translates into raw power. 502 00:28:19,489 --> 00:28:21,241 (intense music plays) 503 00:28:21,866 --> 00:28:24,953 MICHAEL: Wow! Oh my God!. 504 00:28:28,665 --> 00:28:32,001 MICHAEL: Wow we got this fresh female here. 505 00:28:32,377 --> 00:28:34,838 Big shark. Big, big shark. 506 00:28:34,921 --> 00:28:39,050 It's really strange to be starting right inside the mouth of a white shark. 507 00:28:41,386 --> 00:28:43,138 (cheering) 508 00:28:43,221 --> 00:28:44,347 NICOLE: (laughing) Nice. 509 00:28:44,431 --> 00:28:47,350 Our main objective is to identify every single shark 510 00:28:47,767 --> 00:28:49,394 that swims past this boat. 511 00:28:49,477 --> 00:28:52,981 And record whether it's a known shark that we already have in our catalog, 512 00:28:53,064 --> 00:28:54,816 or if it's a brand new shark. 513 00:28:54,899 --> 00:28:58,194 And that ratio of known to new sharks is critical in 514 00:28:58,945 --> 00:29:02,282 figuring out if the number of sharks is going up or down. 515 00:29:02,365 --> 00:29:04,743 NARRATOR: The researchers spend most of the day 516 00:29:04,826 --> 00:29:09,247 snapping photo IDs of the shark passing by the surface gage. 517 00:29:10,290 --> 00:29:12,834 MICHAEL (through scuba radio): Yeah, that's just out of range. 518 00:29:13,668 --> 00:29:14,919 (music crescendos) 519 00:29:15,795 --> 00:29:17,797 NARRATOR: But they also notice several individuals 520 00:29:17,881 --> 00:29:21,217 swimming below the cage, in deeper water. 521 00:29:21,551 --> 00:29:24,137 MICHAEL: Just have them pull us up. We can have a talk. 522 00:29:26,389 --> 00:29:28,725 (theme music plays) 523 00:29:31,728 --> 00:29:34,314 -Whoo, whoa my God. -(laughs) 524 00:29:34,397 --> 00:29:38,276 That was amazing. I think we might wanna pull a drop-cam up, 525 00:29:38,359 --> 00:29:43,281 because they were staying low, made a lot of passes over that way. 526 00:29:43,364 --> 00:29:45,408 I have a lot of high hopes for that drop-cam. 527 00:29:45,492 --> 00:29:47,243 NICOLE: All right, let's check this thing out. 528 00:29:47,327 --> 00:29:49,579 MICHAEL: At Guadalupe Island where it's so deep, 529 00:29:49,662 --> 00:29:51,748 there's a chance that some of the sharks will be hanging out 530 00:29:51,831 --> 00:29:53,833 way down below the boat and we never see them. 531 00:29:53,917 --> 00:29:58,797 So, on this expedition we wanna confirm using a deep drop camera. 532 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:02,133 The sharks that are down deep are the same sharks that we're seeing shallow. 533 00:30:02,217 --> 00:30:04,719 Nicole let's get the cards out of these things, 534 00:30:04,803 --> 00:30:06,513 plug them into your laptop, see what we got. 535 00:30:09,933 --> 00:30:13,061 We got some really good footage. Here's an example of the deep-cam. 536 00:30:13,144 --> 00:30:16,648 I mean there were a few shots that had two or three sharks in 'em. 537 00:30:16,731 --> 00:30:18,691 -MICHAEL: Oh my gosh. -NICOLE: It's like a photo booth. 538 00:30:18,775 --> 00:30:20,860 They just come on by and get their photo taken. 539 00:30:20,944 --> 00:30:22,737 MICHAEL: We have a lot more deep-cam footage 540 00:30:22,821 --> 00:30:25,323 to go through but, you know, we're using it to test its assumption that 541 00:30:25,406 --> 00:30:30,745 we are equally likely to see any shark at the surface in the deep-cam. 542 00:30:30,829 --> 00:30:33,206 So, how do you think that assumption's washing out? 543 00:30:33,289 --> 00:30:35,834 NICOLE: I've seen a couple from the surface that we were able to 544 00:30:35,917 --> 00:30:38,628 -identify on the deep camera. -MICHAEL: That's great. 545 00:30:38,711 --> 00:30:40,129 Well, fortunately it's only day one, 546 00:30:40,213 --> 00:30:42,757 we got two more days so we can increase our sample size 547 00:30:42,841 --> 00:30:45,051 and make this study even more robust. 548 00:30:46,886 --> 00:30:48,513 (theme music plays) 549 00:30:49,180 --> 00:30:51,432 NARRATOR: As day two begins in Guadalupe 550 00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:55,228 Nicole and Michael have a preliminary count for the number of sharks 551 00:30:55,311 --> 00:30:57,480 they've identified so far. 552 00:30:57,856 --> 00:31:00,483 MICHAEL: Day one went actually better than I expected. 553 00:31:00,567 --> 00:31:04,362 We thought by the end of yesterday we had seven total sharks, 554 00:31:04,445 --> 00:31:07,156 three of them new but working late into the night that 555 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:10,577 number has pretty much doubled and we're still grinding through 556 00:31:10,660 --> 00:31:12,745 the drop cam footage this morning. 557 00:31:13,705 --> 00:31:16,207 -(music intensifies) -(water splashing) 558 00:31:16,708 --> 00:31:17,709 Deep-cam deployed. 559 00:31:19,544 --> 00:31:22,589 NARRATOR: The deep camera spotted so many sharks 560 00:31:22,672 --> 00:31:25,717 that Michael changes the dive plan for day two. 561 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:28,678 The focus today is gonna be the submersible cage 562 00:31:28,761 --> 00:31:31,097 that's at a level that's between the drop-cam and 563 00:31:31,180 --> 00:31:32,473 the surface cages. 564 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:37,520 NARRATOR: Diving in depths presents unique challenges and dangers. 565 00:31:37,604 --> 00:31:42,150 If anything goes wrong there's no easy avenue of escape. 566 00:31:43,902 --> 00:31:46,195 (water sloshing) 567 00:31:47,739 --> 00:31:48,948 MICHAEL (through scuba radio): Here we go. 568 00:31:50,533 --> 00:31:51,910 NICOLE (over radio): Michael can you hear me? 569 00:31:52,285 --> 00:31:54,037 Got you. I hear you. 570 00:31:57,332 --> 00:32:00,543 Let's start this deep cage dive. See what we can see. 571 00:32:01,127 --> 00:32:02,962 (dramatic music plays) 572 00:32:03,755 --> 00:32:06,591 NARRATOR: The team lowers the cage to about 50 feet. 573 00:32:06,674 --> 00:32:11,888 This is an ideal hunting zone for great whites to launch ambush attacks 574 00:32:11,971 --> 00:32:13,556 on prey of the surface. 575 00:32:15,767 --> 00:32:17,477 MICHAEL (through scuba gear): It's beautiful. 576 00:32:17,977 --> 00:32:19,520 It's like a swimming pool today. 577 00:32:22,523 --> 00:32:25,526 (music intensifies) 578 00:32:25,610 --> 00:32:27,695 Here we go, Nicole look to your right. 579 00:32:29,197 --> 00:32:31,491 NICOLE: Oh, there's another one coming up underneath you. 580 00:32:31,950 --> 00:32:37,789 MICHAEL: Good eye, Nicole. I got her, I got her. 581 00:32:39,916 --> 00:32:42,502 -Too deep though. Pretty far below us. -(music intensifies) 582 00:32:44,837 --> 00:32:46,673 NICOLE: There's a shark behind you. 583 00:32:47,507 --> 00:32:49,801 (music intensifies) 584 00:32:49,926 --> 00:32:51,928 MICHAEL: Nicole, do you recognize that shark at all? 585 00:32:53,054 --> 00:32:54,806 That one is Sabrina. 586 00:32:59,978 --> 00:33:02,355 MICHAEL: She's a big girl. 587 00:33:02,814 --> 00:33:06,401 NARRATOR: Nicole and Michael have known Sabrina since 2013 588 00:33:06,484 --> 00:33:08,361 when they added her to the catalog. 589 00:33:08,778 --> 00:33:11,155 MICHAEL: There's a new shark, right there. 590 00:33:11,948 --> 00:33:13,825 NARRATOR: And it's look like their old friend invited 591 00:33:13,908 --> 00:33:16,160 someone else to the party. 592 00:33:18,621 --> 00:33:20,039 MICHAEL: That's the female from yesterday. 593 00:33:20,123 --> 00:33:22,709 You can see the fishing gear hanging out of her gills. 594 00:33:23,251 --> 00:33:27,171 -(music crescendos) -(water bubbling) 595 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,342 There was another shark here, but I'm not sure where it went. 596 00:33:33,845 --> 00:33:37,348 There she is. Whoa, check that out! 597 00:33:38,349 --> 00:33:40,935 -Nicole? -Oh, I think that's Gianna. 598 00:33:41,477 --> 00:33:43,438 (music crescendos) 599 00:33:45,898 --> 00:33:49,235 (dramatic theme music) 600 00:33:49,485 --> 00:33:50,695 MICHAEL: Holy moly! 601 00:33:50,778 --> 00:33:55,116 NARRATOR: Gianna is one of the largest known sharks in Guadalupe. 602 00:33:55,616 --> 00:34:00,455 Six years ago Michael took her precise measurement. 603 00:34:01,956 --> 00:34:05,918 Measuring Gianna again now would reveal her growth rate since then. 604 00:34:07,837 --> 00:34:09,672 MICHAEL: Man, this is a tough one. 605 00:34:11,632 --> 00:34:13,301 NICOLE: Looks like she's going for the bait. 606 00:34:14,802 --> 00:34:19,599 MICHAEL: Yeah, she's just out of range of my lasers. 607 00:34:20,433 --> 00:34:22,435 I can't quite get a measurement. 608 00:34:28,483 --> 00:34:30,860 NICOLE: Oh, there's another coming up underneath you. 609 00:34:31,110 --> 00:34:32,820 (water bubbling) 610 00:34:32,904 --> 00:34:34,864 MICHAEL: Oh, there he is. 611 00:34:35,198 --> 00:34:36,866 (music intensifies) 612 00:34:36,991 --> 00:34:42,121 -NICOLE: It's just not coming close. -(water bubbling) 613 00:34:42,538 --> 00:34:46,084 Let's go pull the deep cam and see what we can see on that. 614 00:34:47,877 --> 00:34:49,170 MICHAEL: Over the span of my research career 615 00:34:49,253 --> 00:34:51,839 you kinda get really attached to certain sharks. 616 00:34:51,923 --> 00:34:56,302 There are some sharks that we just find more charismatic than 617 00:34:56,385 --> 00:35:00,223 other sharks and they're much bigger. One of those sharks is Gianna. 618 00:35:00,306 --> 00:35:03,142 She's one that I actually captured, measured, tagged, and released 619 00:35:03,226 --> 00:35:07,647 many years ago. I'd love to get another measurement on that shark. 620 00:35:08,773 --> 00:35:13,194 You know what Nicole? (laughs) That was the best deep cage dive I've ever had. 621 00:35:13,277 --> 00:35:15,404 -NICOLE: Yeah. -In fact I didn't wanna come up. 622 00:35:15,488 --> 00:35:18,741 Well, we had Sabrina first. She was pretty big. 623 00:35:18,825 --> 00:35:22,662 And that new female, and Gianna. 624 00:35:23,746 --> 00:35:26,040 MICHAEL: Now that's the one I wanna measure. 625 00:35:26,124 --> 00:35:28,376 Since we've caught her and we taped her out. 626 00:35:28,835 --> 00:35:29,877 NICOLE: I know. She didn't come very close. 627 00:35:29,961 --> 00:35:31,129 No she didn't. 628 00:35:31,963 --> 00:35:33,339 So, we're not just here to count the sharks, 629 00:35:33,422 --> 00:35:36,551 we're here to put really accurate measurements next to 630 00:35:36,634 --> 00:35:38,636 the name of each of these sharks for the first time. 631 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:41,514 If we've captured that and measured that shark before, 632 00:35:41,597 --> 00:35:45,268 we'll have real data on the growth rate of wild white sharks. 633 00:35:45,351 --> 00:35:50,273 NARRATOR: Healthy growth rates mean more sharks reaching sexual maturity. 634 00:35:50,356 --> 00:35:54,318 More mature females like Gianna means more baby sharks 635 00:35:54,402 --> 00:35:56,737 and bigger shark populations. 636 00:35:57,363 --> 00:36:00,658 It's another important shark metric so Michael 637 00:36:00,741 --> 00:36:02,994 adds lasers to the deep camera. 638 00:36:03,619 --> 00:36:07,373 -(music intensifies) -(seagulls cawing) 639 00:36:07,582 --> 00:36:10,376 We mounted the lasers directly to our deep-cam and 640 00:36:10,459 --> 00:36:13,462 we re-calibrated them. They are like perfect right now. 641 00:36:13,546 --> 00:36:14,881 Let's shove this thing in. 642 00:36:19,177 --> 00:36:21,387 (intense music plays) 643 00:36:21,971 --> 00:36:24,640 We're hoping to see more sharks, 644 00:36:24,724 --> 00:36:28,352 get more measurements and maybe some sharks we haven't seen yet. 645 00:36:29,103 --> 00:36:31,022 MICHAEL (through scuba gear): Wow, they are just everywhere. 646 00:36:31,105 --> 00:36:34,942 Look at that. Another female. 647 00:36:37,278 --> 00:36:39,530 NICOLE: So, all of this is really important to help get our trend 648 00:36:39,614 --> 00:36:41,324 for how many new sharks we have coming in and 649 00:36:41,407 --> 00:36:43,534 how many that were previously identified. 650 00:36:45,286 --> 00:36:48,581 MICHAEL: This one we've got to get filmed. Both sides. 651 00:36:49,123 --> 00:36:51,334 Sharks are always here in Guadalupe Island, 652 00:36:51,417 --> 00:36:53,878 one of the most consistent places for great white sharks 653 00:36:53,961 --> 00:36:56,839 and for me, uh, it's great to see my sharks again. 654 00:37:04,096 --> 00:37:06,182 NARRATOR: The new count at Guadalupe Island 655 00:37:06,265 --> 00:37:11,354 brings them one step closer to deciphering north eastern pacific white shark 656 00:37:11,437 --> 00:37:15,358 populations, but the mission is far from over. 657 00:37:15,441 --> 00:37:19,695 Conducting a population estimate using mark and recapture methods takes time. 658 00:37:19,779 --> 00:37:23,324 However, we've been collecting data at Guadalupe Island 659 00:37:23,407 --> 00:37:28,162 for so long we can do our second population estimate for that site. 660 00:37:28,955 --> 00:37:32,583 The key is what the ratio is between the sharks that we've 661 00:37:32,667 --> 00:37:36,295 known before and sharks that are new for this year. 662 00:37:36,379 --> 00:37:38,005 Just from this trip alone, 663 00:37:38,089 --> 00:37:40,216 where are we right now with regard to that ratio? 664 00:37:40,299 --> 00:37:44,011 After three days of Guadalupe Island, we've seen around 25 sharks total. 665 00:37:44,095 --> 00:37:47,765 Overall, there were nine sharks that were new for this season, 666 00:37:47,848 --> 00:37:51,769 -so, nine out of 25 were new. -So, almost a third were new sharks. 667 00:37:51,852 --> 00:37:53,145 -Correct. -That's a great ratio. 668 00:37:54,230 --> 00:37:58,234 The more new sharks we see in a given sampling period that means 669 00:37:58,651 --> 00:38:00,903 a population has gone up more. 670 00:38:00,987 --> 00:38:03,114 At this point I'm not done going through all the footage, 671 00:38:03,197 --> 00:38:05,574 there's still some, um, photos and videos and 672 00:38:05,658 --> 00:38:07,243 especially the deep camera that I need to go through. 673 00:38:07,368 --> 00:38:08,786 What you're saying is that we're not done yet. 674 00:38:08,869 --> 00:38:11,080 -No. -I mean you're not done yet. (chuckles) 675 00:38:11,455 --> 00:38:13,249 -You got a lot more work to do. -We... 676 00:38:13,332 --> 00:38:15,334 (both laughing) 677 00:38:15,584 --> 00:38:18,212 To come to the final number. I'm looking forward to wrapping it up. 678 00:38:18,296 --> 00:38:20,214 -The season's pretty much done. -NICOLE: Yes. 679 00:38:20,298 --> 00:38:22,258 MICHAEL: And send this off to our, 680 00:38:22,341 --> 00:38:23,926 our statisticians and see where we're at. 681 00:38:24,051 --> 00:38:25,344 (suspenseful music plays) 682 00:38:25,553 --> 00:38:29,098 Now that we've accumulated new data for Guadalupe Island, 683 00:38:29,181 --> 00:38:32,977 it's time to send it off to our colleague, Doctor Oscar Sosa in Mexico. 684 00:38:33,060 --> 00:38:36,814 He can crunch the numbers and give us our new population as for, for that side. 685 00:38:37,189 --> 00:38:39,608 (music crescendos) 686 00:38:42,028 --> 00:38:43,446 (dramatic theme music plays) 687 00:38:43,529 --> 00:38:44,822 NARRATOR: It's been over ten years 688 00:38:44,905 --> 00:38:48,534 since researchers completed the last official population estimate 689 00:38:48,617 --> 00:38:51,704 for white sharks in the north eastern pacific. 690 00:38:52,747 --> 00:38:56,083 MICHAEL: This 2011 population estimate pronounced 691 00:38:56,167 --> 00:39:00,796 there were only about 450 white sharks for all of the north eastern pacific 692 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:03,758 and I did not believe that number could be true. 693 00:39:03,841 --> 00:39:08,512 NARRATOR: Beach-goers in California are encountering great whites in high numbers. 694 00:39:09,138 --> 00:39:12,600 Doctor Michael Domeier suspects dramatically rising 695 00:39:12,683 --> 00:39:15,603 shark populations could be the reason. 696 00:39:15,686 --> 00:39:20,483 His shark census will confirm if his theory is correct or not 697 00:39:20,566 --> 00:39:22,401 MICHAEL: So, it's been four months now since 698 00:39:22,485 --> 00:39:24,779 we've finished our Guadalupe expedition. 699 00:39:25,154 --> 00:39:27,531 Nicole continued to go through all the pictures and video and 700 00:39:27,656 --> 00:39:29,992 at the end of all of that, she found, 701 00:39:30,409 --> 00:39:35,998 we saw 37 individual white sharks during that trip, 13 of which were new. 702 00:39:36,415 --> 00:39:40,044 That's a very heavy ratio towards new sharks. 703 00:39:40,127 --> 00:39:42,296 That would push our population index up. 704 00:39:42,380 --> 00:39:45,383 NARRATOR: Michael has sent all the data to shark researcher, 705 00:39:45,466 --> 00:39:50,221 Doctor Oscar Sosa in Mexico, an he is working out the estimate. 706 00:39:53,432 --> 00:39:56,310 I can't wait to jump on a Zoom call and find out if 707 00:39:56,394 --> 00:39:59,814 the Guadalupe Island white shark tribe is increasing, 708 00:39:59,897 --> 00:40:01,482 decreasing or staying the same. 709 00:40:01,941 --> 00:40:05,403 I have been working on this model, and I'm very excited to give 710 00:40:05,820 --> 00:40:07,780 these numbers that I'm showing to Michael. 711 00:40:07,863 --> 00:40:12,451 Hey Oscar. I've been waiting and waiting and waiting to hear what 712 00:40:12,535 --> 00:40:14,495 our results are after giving you all the new data. 713 00:40:14,578 --> 00:40:18,541 So please, I heard you're ready, share with me the result. 714 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:23,546 Yes, of course Michael. Well, guess what? 715 00:40:24,004 --> 00:40:27,675 We found an 80% of increase in the population. 716 00:40:27,758 --> 00:40:34,140 -Wow. 80%. Incredible. -It is incredible. 717 00:40:34,223 --> 00:40:37,309 MICHAEL: That's almost double Oscar. OSCAR: Yeah. 718 00:40:37,393 --> 00:40:40,604 That is beyond significant population increase. 719 00:40:40,688 --> 00:40:46,152 I haven't seen these kinds of, uh results shown to the general public yet. 720 00:40:46,235 --> 00:40:47,528 I can't believe it. 721 00:40:47,611 --> 00:40:49,613 The fact that we've seen an 80% increase in 722 00:40:49,697 --> 00:40:52,658 the white shark population at the Guadalupe Island Tribe, 723 00:40:52,741 --> 00:40:57,371 suggests to me that these other tribes are very likely increasing as well. 724 00:40:57,455 --> 00:41:02,084 It's a huge trend upwards, it also validates what people are just seeing, 725 00:41:02,168 --> 00:41:05,754 beach-goers in California. They say and like the lifeguards will tell you, 726 00:41:05,838 --> 00:41:07,423 "I'm seeing more and more sharks." 727 00:41:10,217 --> 00:41:13,262 To know how the numbers of the populations of sharks are 728 00:41:13,345 --> 00:41:16,765 going is very important for the public safety 729 00:41:16,849 --> 00:41:20,478 as the number is larger, they potential interactions between 730 00:41:20,561 --> 00:41:23,397 humans and sharks is it grows. 731 00:41:23,481 --> 00:41:26,901 NARRATOR: The big increase in shark numbers at Guadalupe 732 00:41:26,984 --> 00:41:31,989 could be the reason for new aggregation sites along the rest of the coastline. 733 00:41:32,823 --> 00:41:35,534 MICHAEL: This latest attempt to get a population estimate 734 00:41:35,618 --> 00:41:39,079 has raised a really new interesting questions for me. 735 00:41:39,163 --> 00:41:42,625 We know from researchers that study the northern elephant seals, 736 00:41:42,708 --> 00:41:47,087 that as their population grows they keep colonizing new beaches. 737 00:41:47,171 --> 00:41:51,217 Could that same thing be happening to adult white shark aggregations? 738 00:41:51,717 --> 00:41:54,220 (music intensifies) 739 00:41:54,720 --> 00:41:57,765 I think it's possible over time that the Guadalupe aggregation site 740 00:41:57,848 --> 00:42:00,726 gets over-populated with sharks and the sharks have 741 00:42:00,809 --> 00:42:03,229 to start to look for a new place to go, don't you think? 742 00:42:03,312 --> 00:42:06,398 Yes, yes. That's, that's certainly true. 743 00:42:06,482 --> 00:42:08,984 NARRATOR: The researchers have only just begun to 744 00:42:09,068 --> 00:42:10,945 counter Point Conception drive. 745 00:42:11,028 --> 00:42:12,488 MICHAEL: (grunts) It's a lot of sharks Keith. 746 00:42:12,571 --> 00:42:14,198 NARRATOR: But the numbers so far 747 00:42:14,281 --> 00:42:19,119 suggest a huge new aggregation just 100 miles from Los Angeles. 748 00:42:19,203 --> 00:42:23,457 A white shark can cover that distance in two days. 749 00:42:24,875 --> 00:42:27,294 -(water splashing) -(dramatic music) 750 00:42:29,630 --> 00:42:34,593 So, at Guadalupe Island in three days of filming we saw 37 different sharks. 751 00:42:34,677 --> 00:42:37,471 At Point Conception we only had two good days 752 00:42:37,555 --> 00:42:40,182 we saw almost 30 sharks. 753 00:42:40,266 --> 00:42:43,143 To see that many sharks in that short amount of time, 754 00:42:43,227 --> 00:42:46,730 my gut tells me the size of the tribe at Point Conception 755 00:42:46,814 --> 00:42:50,276 is approaching the size of the tribe at Guadalupe Island. 756 00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:53,487 NARRATOR: Truth is white shark numbers are on 757 00:42:53,571 --> 00:42:56,073 the rise in many places around the US coastline. 758 00:42:57,116 --> 00:43:03,122 Laws protecting marine mammals have led to seal population explosions too 759 00:43:03,289 --> 00:43:06,125 and more seals support more white sharks. 760 00:43:06,792 --> 00:43:09,253 (music intensifies) 761 00:43:11,338 --> 00:43:15,551 The bottom line is the sharks are out there and beach-goers 762 00:43:15,634 --> 00:43:19,597 will have to learn to co-exist with great whites. 763 00:43:21,015 --> 00:43:23,726 MICHAEL: It's pretty clear to me the white sharks are thriving in 764 00:43:23,809 --> 00:43:27,062 the north eastern pacific but our expedition to Point Conception 765 00:43:27,146 --> 00:43:31,567 was a very beginning and all those sharks are brand new 766 00:43:31,650 --> 00:43:36,238 to anyone who's studying white sharks in the north eastern pacific. 767 00:43:36,322 --> 00:43:38,407 We have a lot more to learn. 768 00:43:38,699 --> 00:43:39,992 (music crescendos)