Equator: Reefs of Riches (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Since I'm not going to be swimming near Indonesia any time soon, it was excellent to get a chance to see all the life in its coral reefs. You'll love all the colors. It's amazing how life comes in so many forms.
There are larger fish eating smaller ones here. There is one example of parasitism. However, most of it speaks about symbiotic relationships between species. Usually, hybrids are seen as infertile and bad. Here, they are spoken about as having potential. Unlike depressing environmental docs that focus on places like this disappearing, this work does not end on a sad note.
Sometimes the subtitles have typos. This is much like what you would see at a museum, just longer. Still, I enjoyed it and I imagine that bio classes and small children would like it too.

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The Indonesian archipelago in the Indo-Pacific Ocean comprises thousands of islands, atolls and the largest concentration of coral reefs in the world. This rich and varied environment is a product of a unique set of natural circumstances.
The equatorial sun powers ocean currents among the tiny dots of land. Where the archipelago meets the western tip of New Guinea an intersection of ocean currents creates perhaps the world s richest reefs in the region of the Rajah Ampat Islands.
A coral reef houses a myriad of colours, shapes and patterns: from the bulb tentacle anemone which protects, and in turn is protected by, the brightly coloured clownfish; to the multi-branched gorgonian, home of the tiny pygmy seahorses.
Coral animals have tiny symbiotic plants living within their tissues. Brought together by sunlight, it is one of the most powerful biological partnerships on earth. Young coral ingest free-swimming algae, but because of some ancient genetic signal, the algae are not eaten. Instead the coral wraps the tiny plants in membrane and moves them to tissues exposed to light. The algae are nourished and in response produce sugars that both they, and the coral, consume increasing the corals growth rate.
Coral is far from a passive inhabitant of the ocean and once a year many species combine for an event that is both spectacular and of scientific intrigue. A mass spawning, which usually occurs during a full moon, provides not only a breeding opportunity, but also inter-breeding between coral species. It is this ease and adaptability of hybridization that is leading scientists to re-examine the most basic elements of what comprises a species.

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IMAX: Coral Reef Adventure (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a half-century scuba diver who has been diving Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, Moorea and Tiputa Pass in Rangiroa over the years, I can vouch for the authenticity and genuine beauty of this splendid documentary, as well as for the unfortunate reality of the threats to these areas. In particular, we have been diving Fiji's Bligh Waters for years, most often with Rusi Vulakoro (also an excellent singer) who appears prominently in this production. Rusi and Jean-Michel Cousteau demonstrate some of what they are doing to preserve this paradise.
The McGillivray-Freeman production and Michele and photography is top notch, and our friends Rob and Cat, owners of the liveaboard dive boat NAI'A used for the filming, guided Howard and Michele Hall to all our favorite sites - their cinematography is superb, in spite of the major problems faced by using the huge and unwieldy IMAX system. Those interested in scuba diving, some of the world's best dive spots and the state of the ocean will love this DVD - and come away convinced we should never have called this planet, 70.78% of which is covered by the world's oceans and water, "Earth."

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Take a once-in-a-lifetime journey across the South Pacific for a spectacular IMAX adventure. Joy, ecstasy, a spiritual high: these words describe the exhilaration of diving a pristine coral reef, and ocean explorers Howard and Michele Hall bring their love of the ocean into action. With Jean-Michael Cousteau, deep reef scientist Richard Pyle and Fijian diver Rusi Vulakoro, they explore and capture on film the dazzling underwater world of coral reefs, magical places here on Earth. This tropical excursion through the South Pacific will surprise and delight you as you fall in love with the reefs, and your heart will ache at the tragic, irretrievable loss of these fragile worlds.

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Sunrise Earth: Seaside Collection (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been a fan of Sunrise Earth since I discovered it a few years ago on Discovery HD. Back then I used to try to save as many episodes as I could on the HD cable DVR. That proved to be stressful because HD shows eat a lot of space, even with the external hard drive. It was hard to decide which ones to save and let go.
Now it has arrived on Blu-ray in all its 1080 HD glory. On my Sony 46" LCD, the shots look slightly cleaner on disc than they do on the channel (no compression or pixelation). It is 5.1 surround-sound camera mic recording too. Great photos on each disc in the collection too.
When there's a movie or a show you really love, nothing's better than owning a physical copy of it in the best resolution possible!
They is another collection called "Sunrise Earth:American Sunrises"! It was released in late 2007. I will be looking forward to getting that one on Blu-ray too. For some reason it's DVD format-only at most places except the Discovery website.
This is nature as it was intended - no talking, no music other than natures own. Great way to unwind, mellow out, take your shoes off and CHILL. You will feel like you are at each location for the whole duration of the sunrise.

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Sunrise: Nature's alarm clock for the land, the sea, and the myriad of creatures who call our planet home. Accompany us on a tranquil journey into the landscape itself as we enjoy the sights and the ambient sounds associated with the first light of a new day. From daybreak on the turquoise Mediterranean coastline to the brilliant sunrise over Alaska's Katmai National Park, experience the world's most spectacular sunrises by the sea. Episodes: Island First Light Witness sunrise over the highest vantage point along the North Atlantic seaboard, Cadillac Mountain of Maine's Acadia National Park. The Great Barrier Reef Day begins along a pristine shoreline of white sands. Society Island Sunrise As day brightens, terns dip the waves, chasing fish to feed their young and hermit crabs emerge on a white crushed-coral beach. Sunrise Seal Colony Elephant seals crawl up the beach at California's Point Reyes National Seashore to soak up the first drops of daylight. Mediterranean Port It's daybreak on the turquoise coast, tucked somewhere within the folds of Turkey's 2,500 mile coastline. Ninagiak Island An island beach awakes with a splash of brilliant color in Ninagiak Island, Katmai National Park, over a hundred miles from the nearest Alaskan town. Playa Grande Moonset Once a month, as the sun rises over the beach, the full moon dips into the waves of the pacific in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Argentine Seal Pups Day breaks in a slice of red over the Southern Atlantic Ocean and a colony of southern elephant seals and its new pups.

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