David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef

Watch David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef

  • 2015
  • 1 Season
  • 8.6  (1,530)

David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef is a breathtaking documentary series that explores the world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Australia. The series stars David Attenborough, one of the world's most renowned naturalists, and was produced in collaboration with the Smithsonian Channel.

Over the course of three episodes, Attenborough provides an immersive look into the intricate ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef, showcasing its stunningly diverse marine life, unique coral formations, and hauntingly beautiful underwater landscapes. The series is shot with state-of-the-art cameras that allow viewers to experience the reef in vivid detail, bringing the wonders of this natural treasure to life.

The first episode, titled "Builders," explores the fascinating process by which the Great Barrier Reef was built by tiny organisms known as coral polyps. Attenborough showcases the incredible complexity of this process and provides an up-close look at the sheer variety of coral species that make up the reef. From massive brain corals to delicate tube corals, viewers get a first-hand look at the defining characteristics that make each species so unique.

The second episode, "Survivors," focuses on the mass bleaching event that occurred on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016. Attenborough provides an in-depth analysis of the causes behind this event and discusses the long-term consequences it will have on the reef's ecosystem. Additionally, he highlights the resilience of the creatures that call the reef home and showcases how they have adapted to environmental changes over time.

Finally, the third episode, "Visitors," explores the diverse range of animals that visit the Great Barrier Reef throughout the year. From whale sharks to humpback whales, Attenborough provides a window into the annual migration patterns of these animals and the impact they have on the reef's ecosystem. The episode culminates with a stunning display of bioluminescent creatures that light up the reef's depths at night, providing a spectacular end to the series.

Throughout the series, Attenborough provides insightful commentary on the challenges faced by the Great Barrier Reef and the importance of protecting this fragile ecosystem. He highlights the critical role that coral reefs play in sustaining life on this planet and the pressing need to reduce our impact on the environment in order to ensure their long-term survival.

Overall, David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef is a visually stunning and deeply informative series that showcases the beauty and wonder of one of the world's most diverse natural treasures. Attenborough's passion for environmental conservation shines through in every episode, making this series a must-watch for anyone interested in understanding the incredible complexity of our planet's ecosystems.

David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (4 episodes). The series first aired on December 30, 2015.

David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef
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Seasons
The Making Of
4. The Making Of
February 7, 2018
Almost 60 years after his first visit to the Great Barrier Reef, Sir David Attenborough returns to explore the iconic coral kingdom, this time with new research equipment, highly specialized cameras, and a film crew ready to enter uncharted, unpredictable waters. Go behind the scenes as we show how David and his team of filmmakers and scientists shot the footage for this landmark series, a yearlong venture that placed them on remote islands, into shark-infested seas, and nearly 1,000 feet underwater, the deepest dive ever attempted on the reef.
Survival
3. Survival
January 13, 2016
When David Attenborough first visited the Great Barrier Reef in 1957, he considered it the most spectacular place in the natural world and he assumed that it would last forever. Since then the coral has been dying at an unprecedented rate. In this episode he undertakes his most important mission to understand what the next few decades hold for this remarkable community of animals, as well as what is being done to save it. On his journey, David uncovers the remarkable ways in which scientists are trying to preserve the reef and embarks on an ambitious exploration of his own, the deepest dive ever on the reef. But despite the discoveries now being made by scientists and in the reef's furthest reaches, David fears for the future of this incredibly complex and beautiful ecosystem so vital for the world's oceans.
Visitors
2. Visitors
January 6, 2016
In this second episode, David Attenborough continues his exploration of the Great Barrier Reef, aboard the research vessel Alucia. He discovers the creatures that visit the reef every year, from birds to whales, some travelling thousands of kilometres to get there. Using the latest technology, David dives into the shark-infested waters of Osprey Reef in the Triton submersible. Sixty years after his first visit to Raine Island, he returns to the nesting grounds of the green sea turtle and at Lady Elliot Island marvels at manta ray cleaning stations. New tracking technology allows David to follow the story of visitors like the dwarf minke whales. Stunning satellite imagery and computer animation reveal their journey and David discovers their surprising reasons for returning and why the reef is vital for their survival.
Builders
1. Builders
December 30, 2015
In this first episode, David descends beneath the waves at night in the state-of-the-art Triton submersible, the first of its kind to visit the reef. He meets some of the tiny coral animals that built the reef and helped to turn it into an underwater wonderland. He then takes to the skies to witness the vast scale of their endeavour, a living structure that provides a home for thousands of species. Using cutting-edge technology to generate computer scans of the sea floor, David learns that the Great Barrier Reef we know today is much younger than scientists ever imagined. He meets some of the people that have lived alongside it and who have told stories of its origins for thousands of years. At the beautiful Lizard Island research station, David explores newly discovered research which uncovers a complex community of animals who form remarkable relationships among the coral. But none of this great diversity would be here if it were not for one extraordinary event that happens every year, providing a spectacular finale: the annual coral spawning.
Description
Where to Watch David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef
David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef is available for streaming on the Smithsonian website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef on demand at Paramount+, Vudu, FuboTV, Google Play and Apple TV.
  • Premiere Date
    December 30, 2015
  • IMDB Rating
    8.6  (1,530)