River Monsters

I'M JEREMY WADE,

FRESHWATER DETECTIVE AND ANGLING EXPLORER.

AND THE PLACE THAT HOLDS ENDLESS MYSTERY FOR ME

IS THE AMAZON.

NOW I'M HEADING BACK AGAIN ON THE MISSION OF A LIFETIME.

OVER THE COURSE OF A WHOLE YEAR,

I'LL GO FURTHER AND DEEPER INTO MORE REMOTE AND UNKNOWN...

RIVER MONSTERS TERRITORY THAN EVER BEFORE.

IT WAS HAILED AS THE SAFEST BOAT ON THE RIVER.

BUT WHEN THE SOBRAL SANTOS SANK

IN THE DEEPEST PART OF THE AMAZON,

HUNDREDS WENT DOWN WITH IT

IN A CATASTROPHE THAT DWARFS ALL MY OTHER INVESTIGATIONS.

MANY PASSENGERS MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED WITHOUT TRACE.

AT THE VERY LEAST, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 50 PEOPLE.

AT THE MOST, AS MANY AS 300.

THE AMAZON IS THE HUNTING GROUND

FOR A TERRIFYING LINEUP...

HALF OF IT'S BEEN TAKEN.

...OF THE WORLD'S MOST FEROCIOUS RIVER MONSTERS.

BIT MY ARM.

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, I HAVE TO UNCOVER

WHAT WAS BEHIND THE AMAZON APOCALYPSE.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST COVERS TROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA

IN A CLOAK OF VEGETATION SO IMMENSE,

IT WOULD SMOTHER

MORE THAN 2/3 OF THE MAINLAND U.S.

AND THE SCALE OF THE MIGHTY RIVER

THAT CUTS THROUGH ITS HEART IS SO VAST,

IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPREHEND.

TO PUT IT IN SOME KIND OF PERSPECTIVE,

THE AMOUNT OF WATER FLOWING THROUGH THE AMAZON

IS GREATER THAN THE FLOW

OF THE GANGES, CONGO, YANGTZE, MISSISSIPPI, AND NILE COMBINED.

THESE TROPICAL WATERS ARE SO PROLIFIC

THAT THE CONCENTRATION OF FISH SPECIES

IS 10,000 TIMES THAT OF THE OCEAN.

THESE INCLUDE SOME VERY REAL RIVER MONSTERS.

WHEN YOU THINK OF ALL THE AQUATIC PREDATORS

PATROLLING THESE WATERY HIGHWAYS,

IT MAKES NAVIGATING THESE RIVERS

A BIT LIKE DRIVING A CONVERTIBLE THROUGH A LION ENCLOSURE.

AND IF THERE'S ONE SURE WAY

THE PEOPLE LIVING ALONG ITS ENDLESS SHORES

COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE AMAZON'S RIVER MONSTERS,

IT'S WHEN A BOAT GOES DOWN.

I LEARNED PORTUGUESE

WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE AMAZON 20 YEARS AGO.

IT'S AN INVALUABLE SKILL THAT OPENED MANY DOORS FOR ME.

JUST TALKING TO THE CAPTAIN

ABOUT HOW POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IT MUST BE

NAVIGATING THESE WATERS WITH ALL THE TRAFFIC,

PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT.

AND HE SAID, "YEAH, ABSOLUTELY." AND ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN.

IN FACT, ONE OF THE CREW MEMBERS ON THIS BOAT

WAS INVOLVED IN THE SALVAGE

OF A REALLY HORRENDOUS ACCIDENT THAT HAPPENED.

IT WAS A PASSENGER-AND-CARGO BOAT CALLED THE SOBRAL SANTOS.

AND, APPARENTLY, EVEN THOUGH IT HAPPENED QUITE A WHILE AGO,

THE MEMORY OF THAT EVENT STILL HAUNTS PEOPLE TO THIS DAY.

OUR BOAT MECHANIC, MANEL, WAS ONLY 21

WHEN HE WAS SENT TO A REMOTE BRAZILIAN TOWN

TO HELP RECOVER THE WRECK.

IT WENT DOWN IN A PLACE CALLED OBIDOS,

WHICH IS THE DEEPEST AND NARROWEST PART

OF THE MAIN AMAZON RIVER.

MANEL WAS ACCOMPANYING A TEAM OF DIVERS

ON A MASSIVE BARGE FITTED WITH A CRANE,

WHICH TOOK FIVE DAYS TO GET TO OBIDOS.

HE WAS ASSISTING ONE OF THE DIVERS...

...AND WHAT HE SAID WAS THAT WHEN THE BOAT WAS RAISED,

THERE WERE LOTS OF BODIES INSIDE.

AND BECAUSE THOSE BODIES HAD BEEN THERE SO LONG,

THERE WASN'T AN AWFUL LOT LEFT OF THEM.

LOTS OF THEM HAD ALL THEIR FLESH MISSING.

HE SAID THE ONE THING THAT REMAINS UNTOUCHED

GENERALLY WAS THE HANDS,

BUT EVERYTHING ELSE -- EATEN AWAY.

THERE WAS HUGE LOSS OF LIFE.

NO ONE AGREES ON HOW MANY PEOPLE

WERE TRAVELING ON THE BOAT THAT NIGHT.

PERHAPS 430.

MAYBE AS MANY AS 630.

YET ONLY AROUND 180 SURVIVED.

THE REPORT FROM THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN LOST,

SO NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE PASSENGERS.

SOME WERE RETRIEVED DEAD FROM THE WRECKAGE.

OTHERS DROWNED,

AND THEIR BODIES WERE RECOVERED IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS,

WHEN THEY FLOATED TO THE SURFACE

AS A RESULT OF NATURAL DECOMPOSITION.

BUT SOMETHING DOESN'T ADD UP.

WHEN YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TRAVELING ON THE BOAT,

THERE WAS STILL SOME PASSENGERS UNACCOUNTED FOR.

AT THE VERY LEAST, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 50 PEOPLE.

AT THE MOST, IT COULD BE AS MANY AS 300.

MANEL TOLD ME THE BOAT DIDN'T GO DOWN

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIVER.

IT WAS DOCKED IN A HARBOR.

I THINK SOMETHING HAPPENED UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS

THAT STOPPED SURVIVING PASSENGERS

MAKING IT TO DRY LAND.

IF THIS IS THE WORK OF A RIVER MONSTER...

...THEN THIS CATASTROPHE HAS A GREATER DEATH TOLL

THAN ALL MY OTHER INVESTIGATIONS COMBINED.

I'VE GOT TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH

ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PASSENGERS

OF THE SOBRAL SANTOS.

THE BOAT MADE A REGULAR JOURNEY,

CARRYING PASSENGERS AND CARGO

FROM THE PORT OF SANTAREM

TO THE CITY OF MANAUS 450 MILES UPSTREAM.

IT WAS WHEN IT STOPPED TO PICK UP PASSENGERS

AT THE SMALL PORT OF OBIDOS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

THAT DISASTER STRUCK.

THIS IS THE PLACE.

THIS IS WHERE THE SOBRAL SANTOS WENT DOWN.

BUT WILL ANYONE REALLY REMEMBER

WHAT HAPPENED HERE MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO?

AND COULD WHATEVER WAS LURKING IN THE WATER THEN

STILL BE AROUND NOW?

THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.

I'VE GOT TO GET A LINE IN THE WATER.

BUT WITH SO MANY LARGE BOATS COMING AND GOING,

FISHING IS PROHIBITED FROM THE WORKING DOCK.

INSTEAD, I'M TAKING A POSITION ON THE SHORE

NEXT TO THE DOCK WAREHOUSE,

WHERE THE BODIES RECOVERED FROM THE RIVER WERE STORED.

JUST AS EVERY JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SMALL STEP,

EVERY MYSTERY BEGINS WITH A SMALL CLUE.

YOU'VE GOT TO START BY GETTING SOMETHING

THAT THE PREDATORS ARE LIKELY TO FEED ON.

SO I'M ACTUALLY FISHING FOR SMALL FISH AT THE MOMENT.

I'VE JUST GOT SOME LIGHT LINE,

JUST TO SEE IF I CAN PICK UP SOMETHING

PROBABLY JUST A FEW INCHES LONG, IS WHAT I'M AFTER.

IF I CAN GET SOME FISH LIKE THAT,

I'M THEN IN A POSITION

TO REALLY GO FOR WHAT I'M REALLY AFTER.

PRETTY GOOD BAITFISH THERE.

IT'S A TETRAGONOPTERUS --

SOMETIMES COLLECTED FOR AQUARIA BUT THE PERFECT SIZE FOR ME.

IT'S THE KIND OF FISH THAT COULD BRING IN LARGER PREDATORS.

IF I GET A FEW MORE TO USE AS BAIT,

I'LL BE READY TO MOVE UP TO BIGGER GEAR.

BUT IT SEEMS I'VE GOT SOME COMPETITION.

WHATEVER THAT WAS, IT'S TAKEN THE HOOK.

IT'S ACTUALLY BITTEN THE LINE.

IN THESE WATERS, EVEN THE SMALL FISH ARE FORMIDABLE PREDATORS.

GOT SOMETHING.

THIS IS ACTUALLY A BIT OF A TURN OFF THE HOOK.

EVEN RIGHT OFF THE DOCK.

WE'VE GOT PIRANHAS.

EVEN ON A FISH THIS SMALL,

THOSE TEETH ARE STILL PRETTY VICIOUS.

SO, COULD THIS BE MY FIRST SUSPECT?

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF,

REDBELLY PIRANHAS ARE MAINLY SCAVENGERS

AND ONLY ATTACK HUMANS IF EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

THAT WAS ACTUALLY QUITE A SURPRISE

TO CATCH A PIRANHA HERE.

IT'S A FISH THAT IS NORMALLY FOUND IN THE LAKES,

RATHER THAN THE MAIN CURRENT OF THE RIVER.

BUT THE FACT THAT THEY'RE HERE NEXT TO THE PORT

DOESN'T NECESSARILY IMPLICATE THEM

IN WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE BOAT ACCIDENT.

THEY'RE A SIGHT FEEDER.

THEY'RE MORE ACTIVE DURING THE DAY.

THE BOAT ACCIDENT HAPPENED 30 IN THE MORNING.

IS IT POSSIBLE ALL THE NOISE AND MOVEMENT

COULD HAVE AWAKENED THEM AND TRIGGERED AN ATTACK?

IT WOULD TAKE A HUGE NUMBER OF PIRANHAS

TO DISMEMBER SO MANY BODIES.

PIRANHAS NORMALLY ARE FOUND IN ACTUALLY FAIRLY SMALL GROUPS.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT IN GROUPS OF HUNDREDS.

THEY'RE IN GROUPS OF MAYBE 30, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

SO ALTHOUGH THEY'RE HERE,

I DON'T THINK THEY WERE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR AT ALL

IN WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO THE PEOPLE.

STILL, THE LETHAL WEAPONRY

DEPLOYED BY EVEN SMALL FISH HERE

INDICATES HOW UNFORGIVING LIFE BENEATH THE SURFACE IS.

ALTHOUGH THE DISASTER HAPPENED MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO,

I'M HOPING SOMEONE IN THE TOWN WILL HAVE SOME DETAILS.

THAT'S INTERESTING.

STORIES OF SCREAMS COMING OUT OF THE DARK,

PEOPLE GETTING EATEN ALIVE BY SOMETHING IN THE WATER.

EVEN THOUGH THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO,

IT'S CLEARLY STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE

IN THE MINDS OF PEOPLE HERE.

BUT I STILL HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO AN ACTUAL EYEWITNESS

UNTIL I TRACK DOWN THE FORMER HARBOR MASTER

WHO WAS ON DUTY THAT NIGHT.

THE FIRST THING THAT MANEL DE SOUSA SAYS

IS THAT IN THE EARLY 1980s,

OBIDOS HAD VERY LITTLE ELECTRIC LIGHTING

AND NONE IN THE PORT.

THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED AT 3:30 IN THE MORNING, SO IT WAS DARK.