23 March 1911. The steamship SS Yongala is nearing the end of her 99th voyage in Australian waters. She departs the town of Mackay at 1340 (1:40 pm) en route to Townsville, Queensland. She’s carrying 49 passengers, 73 crew, and 617 tons of cargo, including the racehorse Moonshine and a Lincoln Red bull. As she…
Category: Nature Documentaries
5 Squid You’ll Only See in the Deep Sea
Thousands of fathoms beneath the ocean waves, there are creatures that are stranger than fiction. You could even say that many of these creatures have inspired fiction. However, among deep sea denizens, squid are in a league of their own. From fascinating to frightening, deep sea squid are a bizarre bunch. Let’s plunge into the…
Are Barracuda Dangerous?
With their sharp teeth and impressive size, barracuda are among the most feared fish in the sea. Some species, such as the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), can grow up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length, which is bigger than some sharks! But are these slender, sentient steak knives really as dangerous as they seem?…
The Oldest Lifeforms on Earth
What are these weird rocks in the ocean? They look strange, but otherwise, they’re kinda whatever. They’re just boring old rocks, right? Well, these weird rocks are very old. So old that they actually harbor the oldest lifeforms still on Earth. These are stromatolites. Stromatolites are layered structures created by various species of microorganisms, such…
The World’s Smallest Penguin
Do you like penguins but wish they were portable enough to carry in one hand, instead of two? Well, I have just the penguin for you! This little penguin is literally called the little penguin, and it is the smallest penguin in the world. Little penguins are truly little. They have an average height of…
Diving on the Wreck of a WW2 Submarine – U-352
9 May 1942. US Coast Guard Cutter Icarus cruises at 14 knots along the coast of North Carolina en route to Key West. The sea is calm, but the world around them is not. Only five months have passed since the bombing of Pearl Harbor thrust the US into war, and tensions are high among…
This WW II Shipwreck is Home to 100 Sharks – SS Caribsea
11 March 1942. 0200 hours. The merchant ship SS Caribsea is steaming along the coast of North Carolina. She’s carrying 3,600 tons of manganese ore to Norfolk, Virginia from Santiago, Cuba. The night is cold and dark, but nothing is out of the ordinary. Suddenly, an explosion rocks the ship, and seawater starts flooding the…
The Black Bears of Alligator River – Short Nature Documentary (New Version)
This is a newer version of my old documentary about the American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The previous version wasn’t as family friendly, so I made this updated version with some bonus footage of other animals species I spotted in the refuge. I’m leaving up the old version of…
This Prehistoric Predator Got Shrunk to Pint-Sized Proportions
For millions of years, many great sea beasts have risen and fallen in Earth’s oceans. Some friendly, some not so much. One of the greatest of those beasts was an armored fish that lived in the late Devonian 382 to 358 million years ago. This beast was known as Dunkleosteus. As a child, I learned…
There are Spiders in the Ocean (I’m Not Joking)
Beneath the turquoise sea, you dive down to the wreck of a decaying tugboat. A small fish darts in front of your mask and swims into the wreck. You follow it down and place your hand on the wreck, taking in the once glorious vessel. When you remove your hand, you casually glance at your…
Tidewater Teddy 