Dolphin Reef

Tiny Polynesian islands in the middle of a vast ocean.

These lonely, remote outcroppings

provide the backdrop for an amazing story,

with characters as fantastical as any fairy tale,

but as real as you and me.

To find them,

we must leave behind the world of land and sky,

of sun-drenched beaches and tropical flora.

This world operates under a different set of rules.

Some dolphins just aren't that into surfing.

This is Echo,

a three-year-old bottlenose dolphin.

Unlike the other members of his pod,

he tends to shy away from group activities.

He is very handy with a shell though.

Unfortunately, these are not the kinds of skills

he's going to need to grow up and survive on his own.

Until recently, he's relied solely on his mother, Kumu,

to feed him and protect him...

but now, he's being weaned off mother's milk,

and Kumu is trying to teach him how to catch his own food.

It's not easy when the kid is so...

preoccupied all the time.

When it's time to head home, Kumu has to coax Echo to come with her,

but he is not leaving without that shell.

Kumu and Echo join up with the rest of the pod on their way home.

Echo loves his large extended family.

If he could hug them, he would,

but he can't, so he does this instead.

Dolphins crave physical contact with one another.

They're actually very similar to humans in many ways.

They talk to each other in a complex language

of squeaks and clicks.

They even have best friends they prefer to hang out with.

Teamwork and collaboration are key to their survival.

Kumu has been trying to teach Echo some of this group cooperation,

but it takes time and effort,

and Echo is not a model student.

If you really want to understand someone's upbringing though,

you need to start with their home.

This is Echo's home.

A coral reef that encircles an entire island.

Echo's favorite pastime is just cruising the boulevards.

He shares this underwater metropolis with millions of fellow citizens,

and every single one of them has its own role to play

in maintaining the health of the reef.

The reef provides a safe haven for its residents.

But for Echo, it's also a welcome distraction

from all the pressures his mom is now placing on him.

To him, this place is like one big carnival.

Whoa! Here we go. Echo knows this guy.

It's his completely normal-looking neighbor,

the peacock mantis shrimp.

It's amazing.

These creatures live entirely underwater, yet seem to be constantly taking showers.

Echo is fascinated by his eccentric neighbor,

who just so happens to own

one of the best pieces of real estate on the reef.

And he is obsessive about keeping it clean.

These rockmover wrasse do not make his life any easier.

They're very hard workers,

but not the kind of neighbors you want to invite to a party.

They operate as a team.

One lifts up a chunk of debris, while the other pounces

on whatever prey is hiding underneath.

They do a great job of stirring up the sediment,

but for Mr. Mantis...

they are the ultimate nightmare neighbors.

It's hard to wrap your head around the countless interactions

and relationships that make up this community.

So, here is how the whole reef thing works in a nutshell.

It all starts with the corals.

They're the foundation on which this entire living,

breathing city of color is built.

On top of the coral,

millions of extraordinary plants and creatures grow.

But if left to grow unchecked,

they would literally smother the corals, and kill the reef.

So, enter the gardeners,

who eat up all this lush growth, and prevent it from smothering the corals.

The thing with gardeners is,

they'll eat virtually everything that grows on the corals.

In fact, if left to their own devices, they would strip the entire reef

and knock the whole system out of balance.

So, enter the predators, who eat the gardener fish,

and prevent them from stripping the corals.

You may be familiar with this dramatic character.

He plays the villain in lots of movies and TV shows,

but here in reality,

the reef sharks are just doing their part to maintain the balance of the reef.

Oops! Sorry.

Now, this may be hard to believe,

but dolphins actually play the exact same role

as sharks in the food chain.

All the same, Echo doesn't like to be associated with sharks.

They're way too serious.

Echo sees himself as more of a happy predator.

And who keeps the dolphins and reef sharks in check?

Meet the tiger shark, the shark that eats sharks.

And Echo, if he's not careful.

Any reef that loses its sharks is doomed.

Damage the community and you damage the reef.

Here on the outer fringes, the residents have vanished,

and the reef is dying.

But if all the species of the reef are left alone to live their lives,

they can keep their home healthy and in balance.

It's midday, and the reef is still.

The perfect time for a siesta.

One of the amazing things about dolphins

is even when they're asleep, they have to remember

to keep going to the surface for air.

So, they sleep with only one-half of their brain at a time,

and they sleep with one eye open to keep a lookout for danger.

It's synchronized sleeping.

This highly specialized group sleeping behavior

is essential for dolphins' health and safety.

But young Echo doesn't always feel like napping.

He'd rather be exploring.

Good thing he's on his mom's sleeping eye side.

There's a strange sound coming from out at sea.

Hmm.

He should probably get back in formation with the napping grownups,

but he's not going to.

He is going to follow this mysterious sound

into the deep ocean,

where he's never been before.

Meet Mo'orea.

A 40-foot female humpback whale.

And her newborn calf, Fluke.

Mo'orea has migrated thousands of miles from the polar regions to give birth

to her daughter in these warm tropical waters.

Mo'orea has come here every year since she was born,

but this year, she needs to find a male partner.

A protector who will help her keep her calf safe

until it is strong enough to make the return journey

back to the polar waters.

Just like Echo's pod, humpbacks find security in numbers.

Echo can't believe his eyes.

At his young age, he's never been this far out to sea.

So, he's never seen a whale.

Fluke doesn't seem too sure about this nosy newcomer.

Echo, on the other hand, is having a blast.

He's just figured out how to ride the big front wave

Mo'orea creates as she pushes through the water.

But while Echo is out horsing around, his mother has come looking for him.

She knows it's not safe for him to be out in the open ocean by himself.

Kumu calls out for him.

Uh-oh! Echo knows that tone.

If he doesn't learn to stick with the pod and do what his mother says,

he's putting his life at risk.

Dolphin or whale,

the relationship between a mother and her calf

is one of the strongest bonds in nature.

Now Mo'orea hears whale sounds.

This is the thing she most wants to hear right now.

It means protection for her calf.

The source of this reassuring call is several islands away.

A male humpback, singing a beautiful whale song.

Like Mo'orea, he's migrated an enormous distance

from his own faraway polar retreat.

He is going to do everything in his power

to win the right to be Fluke's and Mo'orea's protector.

His music has drawn in a fellow male traveler,

a potential rival.

Soon, more males arrive.

Each of them hoping to become Mo'orea's champion.

Despite their rivalry, these migratory mammoths

will often come together after their long journey and dance.

Every year, they travel to these islands.

Every year, their gathering is magical.

And every year, a champion will emerge.

Not far from Echo's home, behind a neighboring reef,

there's a quiet sandy area where the dolphins go to hunt.

Kumu always brings Echo along, so he can practice and hone his skills.

She needs him to learn how to find his own food, and soon!

Or he won't make it to adulthood.

Dolphins use a highly sophisticated kind of sonar, called echolocation,

that allows them to locate things buried under the sand.

This kind of pinpoint detection takes years to master.

And Echo still hasn't figured it out.

Everyone else is having success.

As they all head to the surface for air,

the hidden tasty treats finally reveal themselves:

Razorfish!

Sneaky little devils.

When no one's around, it's like a party down there.

But when Echo dives down to try to catch one,

poof!

He's got the echolocation part down,

it's his follow-through he's got to work on.

Oh! Oh! I got one!

Or not.

Ah, so close.

Here. Watch your mom.

You got to feel the Razorfish,

and boom, see?

Try again.

Yes. No. Oh, Echo!

And that's about the limit of his attention span.

Back at the reef, more trouble for Mr. Mantis.