Coral Reef Adventure Page #3

where the reefs are close to shore

but with only six weeks left in the whole expedition

Howard had to get the big picture fast

Im used to hang gliders

Im used to fly around like this

but there is still something not quite right

about the engine that was fit in my back pack

Maria is sort of like Russy's island

the coral here is very sensitive

to siltation and pollution

because the corals are great close to the shore

after checking out the north side of Maria

we crossed the mountain to survey the south coast

even near towns

we didn't spot much reef damages

coastal development put reef in jeopardy

siltation pollution and the lose of mangroves

are all serious risks

but resource like this proved that

respecting the environment is a good business

because tourists avoided damaged reefs

our flight over Maria

just gave us a first impression

so was time running out

I turned to recheck board survey boat

the Quicksilver Crossing

reef check has over 4000 sport divers in 60 countries

the health of coral reef

we ask three check voluntaries

to check the coral damage here in Maria

to find out if the reefs close to shore

are the most severely damaged

from the air

it's clear how these volcano islands formed

and how coral reefs formed around them

the steepest youngest islands Tahiti and Maria

stands tall

these islands have not eroded and subsided much

so the coral reefs ringing them is not far offshore

the volcano has subsided and eroded somewhat

and the reefs are farther from shore

the final stage

is this flat and the island called and atop

the volcano has completely subsided back into the sea

leaving a ring coral which one circled a top mountain

the team headed for the second largest in the world

Rangeroa

to survey the remotest reef in French Polynesia

a cyclone wiped out most Rangeroa's coral

but storms are natural events

and coral reef still recovered from them

as long as human impacts don't interfere

here the coral seems small but healthy

right away we saw two male fish

fighting over territory

this was a sign of large thriving fish population

but why haven't we seen the huge sharks

in great reef shores Rangeroa so famous for

their absence is not necessarily a danger sign for corals

but it could single and balance the whole reef eco system

so finding the shark became our main goal

we search the shark's favorite hangouts

but they didn't see to be home

we use caution because

one thing you don't want to do

is catch a great reef shark by surprise

if the shark louse around the water

the quickest way to spot them

is from the outer light

throughout the Pacific

whole population of sharks had been wiped out

by commercial fishermen

great reef shark are especially vulnerable

and that's what worry me

the airy search for sharks turns out nothing

and we are running out of time

but there is one last place to look

to Puta Pass

here the current just screams

hundreds of starve sharks are hang out

like street gang in the canyon

we were being swept into them

and there is nothing we can do about it

could they be mating

this is when you try very hard

not to look like a shark

I have two friends badly bitten by great reef sharks

the most social of all sharks

graze tender swimming tight groups

Ive been diving for 35 years

but Ive never seen the life like this

there must be 300 sharks in this school

and that's a healthy number

this big school doesn't close the book

but it is a favorable sign

for the health of this reef ego-system

we party with the sharks for nearly an hour

knowing that on our way home

we have a current on our backs

so we can go with the float

for ten exhausting but magical months

Michael and I explored

some of the most magnificent coral reefs on earth

during that time

our concern for coral grew into a share passion

my people look at the reef

and we don't want to believe such a place

could be gone forever

my friends Howard and Michael

have given me new tools to heal my village reef

Howard's love to the reefs nearly cost his life

but after making more than 500 dives

we came back with some really powerful images

one image I can't get out of my mind

is that alone octopus crawling to the rubble

soon it may not have a home

no one set out to kill a beautiful thing

but when a reef dies

billions of living things die

corals appears to be dying faster than normal

and the trend is rapidly accelerating

most living coral reefs as we know today

could be gone in 30 years

if that happens

then something inside of me will die too

after all the coral reefs have given to us

more and more people are now returning the favor

their supporting leaders who fight global warming

joining teams like "Reef Check"

getting involved

we may have great potential

of finding new medicines on

coral reefs than any other environment on earth

to save them is really saving ourselves

it take a long long time to build a coral reef

step by step

the reef survive on partnerships

and the most important partners

that the corals have are you and I

what we must to do is

encourage a sea change in attitude

one that acknowledges

we are a part of the living world

not apart from it

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