- Alright, big day for Brave Wilderness.
I'm about to attempt to film the real life Godzilla
on the shores of an active volcano
in the middle of the Galapagos.
But to do that (dramatic music)
I will need to dive under those crashing waves
if I wanna get up close to the only lizard on the planet
that navigates the ocean, the marine iguana.
Hostile forces of nature. (lightning thundering)
The famous words of Darwin describe the Galapagos perfectly
and that's exactly what we're up against.
Filming marine iguanas in action
means we will need to scuba dive
through shark filled waters,
avoid ripping ocean currents,
and brave relentless tidal surges
that will throw us around like rag dolls.
All right, so as we make our way to the intertidal zone
you can begin to see what we're going to contend with.
As a scuba diver, if we get caught in these breakers,
it could be game over but it's what it's gonna take
if we want to get up close to those iconic marine iguanas.
All right, we have to dive deep quickly
to avoid the current.
(dramatic music)
All divers on today's mission
are carrying emergency GPS beacons
in case one of us gets pulled out to sea.
(dramatic music)
It's critical we remain close together
as we make our way toward the iguana feeding grounds.
Visibility will change frequently
and there will be many twists
and turns to navigate.
The water here is very cold, only 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's also high in nutrients
which attracts more than just iguanas.
The Galapagos has one of the most bio diverse marine systems
on the planet,
making it a critical frontline of conservation.
But there's no time to waste.
We need to save as much air as possible to film the iguanas.
(dramatic music)
The surge will only get stronger the shallower we go.
It's almost like the ocean is breathing.
Push, calm, pull.
This is the most turbulent water I have ever experienced
and it's making it hard to stay submerged.
But surfacing now could roll us into the breaking waves
which would be very dangerous
and potentially a life-threatening scenario.
Only 50 yards from shore,
this is where we need to be.
And there it is, our first iguana.
What you are looking at
is one of the most specialized lizards on the planet
and the only one that spends time in the ocean,
the marine iguana.
If there were ever a living version of Godzilla, this is it.
In fact, one of the common names for them
on San Cristobal Island is the Godzilla iguana.
Check out that scientific name.
It turns out Godzilla is now a real animal.
Filming these iguanas is going to be a real test.
Luckily, the rocks down here are only covered in plants.
So unlike coral,
it's okay for us to carefully hold on with our gloves,
but the surge is intense
making it nearly impossible to hold on when it rips through.
(dramatic music)
Periods of calm will be our only chance
to get close to the iguanas.
But make no mistake, the surge will return.
Luckily, the iguanas seem laser focused on feeding
almost ignoring our presence.
Clearly, every bite counts
when you're braving these conditions.
(intriguing music)
Marina iguanas are herbivores
that have adapted many specializations
to help them survive at sea
for the sole purpose of finding food.
The rocks here are covered in a leafy marine salad
that includes red and green algae,
a favorite of the marine iguana
and one of the only reliable food sources for them
in the Galapagos.
To get it, they have to sometimes dive 60 feet
and hold their breath for up to 30 minutes.
They use their hooked talon like claws
to grip onto the rocks
while their shortened snout allows them
to get their teeth closer and into tight spaces
to chomp away at the algae.
So their Godzilla like appearance
does serve a survival purpose.
(singer vocalizing)
Marine iguanas have also developed flattened tails
that are muscular and help them swim
through this hazardous environment.
And as much as they need their swimming ability
to dive into the ocean,
it's the getting back to land
when it really comes into play.
Unlike us,
the iguanas are able to swim right into the breakers
and body surf their way back to land.
Their ability to navigate the bone crushing waves
is unbelievable.
But, of course, they save their final
and most impressive adaptation for the shore.
Because these iguanas feed on plants full of salt water,
they have remarkably evolved glands
that absorb the salt to be ejected
by way of snot rockets, also called wigs.
And while it seems gross,
it's very efficient and just another unlikely demonstration
of how these iguanas have solved the many problems
to exist here in the Galapagos.
Contrary to their name,
marine iguanas spend most of their lives on land.
The shores of Fernandina
can be stacked with hundreds of basking lizards.
And while only adult iguanas dive for food,
you can spot sub-adults and juveniles
forging in the tide pools or just at the water's edge.
Large male iguanas are very territorial
and can be seen sparring or using head bobs
to push off competing males
from the rest of the breeding population.
Before they branched off to explore the waters
of the intertidal zone,
marine iguanas started as a land-based species
only driven below the ocean surface
due to what must have been an extreme lack of food.
In fact, in the Galapagos today
there are three distinct species of iguana
that are all descendants of a common land ancestor,
one of which is the rarest lizard on the planet,
and the one that brought us to the Galapagos
in the first place.
The interconnection between land and sea
is unmistakable in the Galapagos,
and as an ambassador for rewild.org
we are working together
with the Galapagos National Park
to ensure this marine reserve is expanded
and remains protected for generations to come.
There is no better example
to the importance of these two worlds than the marine iguana
which is unique to the Galapagos
and the only lizard on Earth
that has adapted for life in the ocean.
The fact they have evolved
to survive these hostile forces of nature
is truly incredible.
That was such a fun dive.
Woo.
That was the coolest scuba diving
I've ever done in my entire life.
Took everything we had to stay in position
and to roll with the surge back and forth.
It was surreal.
It was like living inside the cover
of a National Geographic magazine.
And if you can believe it,
there are even rarer lizards on these volcanoes.
What you have just witnessed is a scene
from the making of our very first feature film.
Yes, that's right.
Brave Wilderness is making a movie
and in celebration of Earth day,
here are some exclusive first looks.
(dramatic music) (waves crashing)
(singer vocalizing)
We are starting to run extremely low on water.
We haven't even hit the volcano yet.
This is easily the hardest hike I've ever done.
Somewhere up there is a ridge.
Oh, there it is.
Look at that.