Coral
Reef Adventure follows the real-life expedition
of ocean explorers and underwater filmmakers Howard
and Michele Hall. The Halls guide us to the islands
and sun-drenched waters of the South Pacific to document,
in the biggest and best film format that exists, the
health and beauty of coral reefs. On the giant screen,
you’ll feel like you’re diving and exploring
right alongside them.
……
Howard and Michele have been diving coral
reefs for almost three decades, but in recent years,
they have observed with concern the decline of their
favorite reefs. Stirred to action, Howard and Michele
set out for the South Pacific. They hope the images
they bring back will raise awareness about the plight
of coral reefs, and the health of the global oceans.
From the dazzling underwater seascapes
of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the mysterious
deep ocean corals of Fiji, and from the azure skies
above Tahiti to shark-filled canyons off isolated Rangiroa,
the Halls visit many reefs that are flourishing and
capture on film many interesting reef inhabitants. You’ll
laugh at the little shrimp that wants to climb in your
mouth to get its own bite to eat! You’ll see how
reef animals rely on each other in surprising ways.
You’ll dive down to the mysterious deep reefs
of The Twilight Zone, a place no one else has ever been.
You’ll swim with hundreds of grey reef sharks,
then zoom through coral canyons, riding a fast current
beneath the waves. But sadly, you’ll also swim
through vast stretches of bleached coral boneyards,
and learn with the Halls how our actions may cause these
devastating results.
Along their journey the Halls meet scientists
and conservationists working to understand and save
the reefs. In Fiji, Rusi Vulakoro guides Howard and
Michele to the beautifully pristine and mysteriously
damaged reefs of his country. They also dive with world-renowned
ocean advocate Jean-Michel Cousteau who feels at home
in the world beneath the waves. Howard and his team
then dive to a dangerous 350 feet in search of deep
ocean corals. For this most risky part of the trip,
Howard is joined by Richard Pyle, a deep-sea ichthyologist
(a self-described “fish nerd.”) Pyle knows
that thousands of reef species are still unknown to
science. Seeking them out is an urgent conservation
priority, but it means diving to a realm seldom visited:
The Twilight Zone, never before filmed in 15/70 large
format .
In Tahiti, the Halls join a local chapter
of Reef Check, an international organization of divers
who help study local coral resources. Finally, in Rangiroa
Howard searches for the huge schools of sharks known
to live there. These sharks are one of the top predators,
and if they still swim the waters of Rangiroa, that’s
a good sign for the health of the whole ecosystem. They
don’t find just a few, they find 300, all at once:
a happy, but slightly unnerving end to their journey!
Coral Reef Adventure may be
as close as you’ll ever get to the intense challenges
and rewards of ocean exploration. It’s just the
beginning of your real-life adventure, a growing global
effort to understand, appreciate and protect our planet’s
coral reefs. |