The Land That Devours Ships

The South Pacific – the ocean between the American continent and Asia, stands for endless vastness, an infinite stretch of water and pristine nature. For many, the South Pacific is synonymous with paradise sun, beaches and of course, the bikini. But the bikini, or rather the island Bikini, also stands for a disastrous series of nuclear tests, carried out by the USA immediately after the Second World War. To this end, numerous ships of different sizes and categories were brought together. The remnants of these vessels have found a watery grave at the bottom of the lagoon: in depths of up to 60 metres, practically inaccessible for the average diver. Until recently, the region could not be visited for decades, due to radioactive contamination. But how have nature and mankind developed? Accompany us to a very special ships cemetery. Explore a region untouched by human hand for more than 60 years and experience the magic of the South Seas.

Marquis de Wavrin shot these images during a series of trips to South America between 1919 and 1922.

Computer-generated imagery and other visualization techniques reveal how it would look if all the water was removed from RMS Titanic's final resting place.

Antarctica: A Frozen History takes a look at the history and stories of the human explorations in the Antarctic. Although quite slow paced and relatively old, the documentary film successfully incorporates reconstructed film material and original Antarctic expedition footage to fully illustrate the hardships of the heroic and extreme arctic explorations. Human endurance is tested to the maximum, as the documentary takes a look back at those who have tried, failed and conquered this most unforgiving landscape. Some of these stories entail Robert Falcon Scott, a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition of 1910–1913. Scott reached the South Pole in January 1912 only to find he had been beaten to the spot by 33 days. His entire party died on the return journey; eight months later, a search party discovered some of their bodies, diaries and photographs.

Adventurer, filmmaker, inventor, author, unlikely celebrity and conservationist: For over four decades, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his explorations under the ocean became synonymous with a love of science and the natural world. As he learned to protect the environment, he brought the whole world with him, sounding alarms more than 50 years ago about the warming seas and our planet’s vulnerability. In BECOMING COUSTEAU, from National Geographic Documentary Films, two-time Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus takes an inside look at Cousteau and his life, his iconic films and inventions, and the experiences that made him the 20th century’s most unique and renowned environmental voice — and the man who inspired generations to protect the Earth.

For thousands of years, gold has been the most treasured and coveted of all metals. But extraction sites are dwindling and what little gold that remains is harder and harder to mine. However, there is a place where you can still find vast quantities of gold. Underwater archaeology has revealed that 3 million shipwrecks litter the ocean floor, 3,500 of which sunk with cargoes of ’precious metals’ onboard. Billions of dollars worth of gold, just sitting there, at the bottom of the sea. With today’s technology, this gold is in reach.

Follow free diver Johanna Nordblad in this documentary as she attempts to break the world record for distance traveled under ice with one breath.

Filmmaker Marc Fafard examines the historical and cultural significance of the seafaring Vikings.