- Mario I'm usually really confident about everything
we do but today man, I hope we didn't bit off more
than we can chew.
Oh boy.
(water splashing) (intense music)
(heart beating)
(gentle music)
The ocean, a vast wilderness where life began millions
upon millions of years ago.
And to this day remains one of the most unexplored
environments on our planet.
Within its depths live an abundance of mysterious creatures.
Many that often surpass even our wildest imagination.
And some of them have even emerged as the monstrous
icons of our greatest fears.
My name is Mark Vins.
I'm a filmmaker, adventurer, and director of the
Brave Wilderness channel.
Together through the lens of our cameras you've joined
me and the crew on countless journeys through the most
extreme habitats on Earth.
You have followed along as we've taken you closer to the
world's most bizarre and misunderstood creatures
than any film crew in history.
And today I'm proud to say that it is those adventures
that have lead me to this moment.
To an opportunity I have dreamt about since childhood.
The moment I begin my exploration of the great
blue wilderness.
But this is no solo mission.
I will surrounded by familiar faces.
And some new ones as well.
With Mario taking over as director I will proudly
step in front of the camera to lead a band of aquatic
explorers on one of the most ambitious marine projects
ever embarked on.
Because you see, you've been along since the very beginning.
Yeah.
There are no rehearsals on this stage.
You've seen us become dive certified.
And even witnessed our very first dives in the open ocean.
And the adventures to follow will not only test our
bravery, but our commitment to the word adventure itself.
And these expeditions start now because today you will
witness our very first shark encounter.
And there will be no cages.
(intense music)
Welcome to Tiger Beach.
Located off the coast of West End Grand Bahama this location
is not a beach at all but rather a world famous destination
for shark diving.
More specifically tiger shark diving.
What makes this dive site so special are the powdery
white sand bottoms, the beaches if you will that reflect
brilliant ambient light through warm crystal clear
tropical water, creating a very special shark diving
experience that is world class and second to none.
And not only will you see tiger sharks, you can encounter up
to five different species.
All formidable, all top marine predators.
All on the same dive.
To say we were starting out our shark diving adventures
in a big way might be a bit of an understatement.
And with this being such a landmark moment for Mario and I
we simply couldn't imagine doing this adventure without
inviting along someone very special.
Alright guys here we are.
Big day, we're about to head off shore to swim with
tiger sharks.
This is going to be so crazy and I think you guys know
we couldn't do this without our main man.
So we flew him in especially for today.
Coyote's here guys.
What's up buddy?
- Hey. - Hey.
How was your flight?
- Oh it was excellent, only a few hours to get down here.
This is an epic looking boat.
Permission to come aboard?
- Granted, come on. - Alright.
- Are you excited to swim with these giant sharks?
- A little nervous, but also extremely excited.
This is our first time getting to work with a predator
of this size, specifically an ocean predator so I'm ready
to get in there with the tiger sharks.
- Alright well we got your gear all set up out back.
Let's go check it out. - Okay, off we go.
- With the crew now complete and all aboard our home at sea
we set off for Tiger Beach some 20 miles offshore our
destiny awaiting.
And with it the hungry team of tiger sharks.
So how's it feel being the director?
- It's different, definitely I used to take kind of the
secondary role with the camera but now I'm stepping up
to direct and yeah it's a learning process that I'm
excited to see what's to come.
- Now I think it's fair to say that this expedition
was unlike anything we've ever done before.
Not only was it a new challenge it was a new
danger as well.
And to be honest it was the first time I've ever experienced
true fear prior to one of our trips.
Oh boy.
Now I know that might seem odd since I've filmed everything
from grizzly bears and wolverines to the world's
deadliest spider but I won't lie.
I was nervous.
I know the majority of my fear stemmed from my
inexperience with sharks.
But let's face it these are sharks.
Big sharks with razor sharp teeth.
So it goes without saying expert guidance
would be essential.
And as luck would have it Jonathan Bird and his team of
Blue World divers were available to join the trip.
Jonathan and his crew have over 20 years of underwater
filmmaking experience.
And his Emmy award winning program Jonathan Bird's
Blue World is in its sixth season.
Let's just say these guys know what they're doing.
And they had some critical advice for us shark
diving rookies.
Alright guys well we have our gear on and the boat is
completely surrounded by sharks right now.
We wouldn't be doing this if it weren't with an expert
and today we have Jonathan Bird from Jonathan Bird's
Blue World here to teach us what we're doing
and keep us safe.
Is this safe?
- It's safe. - Okay.
- Yeah, they're not aggressive towards divers.
The only thing you wanna do is just try to not be prey
by not acting like prey.
So the first thing you're gonna do is you're gonna wear
globes and a hood so you don't have any skin showing.
So they won't think that looks like fish.
- Okay.
- And then when you hit the water you wanna get straight
to the bottom, you don't wanna flounder around like you
might be something flopping on the surface that they
might wanna eat.
You just wanna get to the sand and then once you're down
there they're gonna treat you just like they treat
everything else in the ocean, you're just another creature.
- Okay so don't flap and splash around on the surface.
- No definitely not.
- I'm gonna grab my camera and just go down.
- Just grab your camera and boom right to the bottom.
- Okay did you hear that guys?
We're going in.
Coyote are you ready?
- About as ready as I'm gonna be.
Let's get in there with those sharks.
- In addition to Jonathan's mentorship on dive techniques
and camera operation his keen sense of shark behavior
will be crucial in assuring our safety under water.
After going through and prepping our diver gear we had
a final safety briefing with the crew of the ship.
A serious shark bite this far at sea even with the
fastest life flights would almost certainly be fatal.
(gentle music)
This fact was not meant to scare us but was a stern
reminder that strictly following shark protocol was
an absolute must.
The moments between the safety briefing and preparing to
dive are hazy in my mind even to this day.
As the reality of getting in the water with sharks became
very real very quickly.
(intense music)
Well we've done all the intro shots.
We're suited up and we're actually about ready to get in
there with the sharks.
I'm looking over the surface, check this out.
Guys there's a lot of big sharks down there.
It's one thing to talk about getting into the water
with these top predators.
It's another thing to actually do it.
So I'm a little on edge I'd say and I know it's gonna be
cool but there is that moment of actually jumping off
the boat that I've been kind of dreading and yeah I guess
it's my time.
Let's go and get in the water with those giant sharks.
Here we go. (gentle music)
The water was now thick with chum.
And the stench of decaying fish filled the air.
My heart was pounding as countless sharks circled
our perimeter and time seemed to slow down.
The site below drove fear into even the bravest
among us.
We all made our way to the platform hoping to find a shred
of comfort in our pre dive routine.
But nothing could distract us from the obvious.
Getting in the water was inevitable and that moment
was now.
One by one Jonathan and his crew descended below.
Each plunge drawing us closer to the edge.
Then Coyote gave me one final glance.
And off he went.
I stood motionless as I watched him disappear beneath
the surface.
Mario I'm usually really confident about everything we do
but today man I hope we didn't bite off more than
we can chew.
Regardless I got your back.
- I got your back too man.
Let's do it.
- Alright, you ready? - Ready.
- Let's do it.
By this point the chum had drawn in hoards of lemon sharks.
And maybe it was just me but they seemed to be getting
bigger and bigger right before my very eyes.
Ugh, with every shark dive comes the moment where you
actually have to dive in with the sharks.
That moment is right now.
Oh boy.
Then just like that my destiny with the sharks
had arrived.
(intense music) (water splashing)
Stay tuned for the epic conclusion as we go face to face
with giant tiger sharks and make sure to subscribe
so you can join me and the crew as we explore beneath
the ocean surface on our next adventure.
(intense music) (underwater yell)
(wolf howling) (birds chirping)