Alien Deep with Bob Ballard
Season 1
Dr. Bob Ballard, best known for his work finding and exploring the Titanic, hosts this five-part event, which reveals what really happens thousands of feet beneath the surface of the Earth's oceans. Dr. Ballard and a team of experts -- including Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin; TV personality Bill Nye the Science Guy; and oceanographers, climatologists, professional surfers, fishermen and boat pilots -- travel the world, seeking answers to questions at the root of earth and humanity. To find these answers, Dr. Ballard visits breathtaking sites from volcanoes submerged more than 3,000 feet beneath the Hawaiian islands, to shipwrecks on forgotten ancient Greek trade routes, to cracks in the ocean floor where red-hot magma pours into open water, with cameras capturing never-before-seen rock formations, lava vents and unusual species that call the ocean bottom home. The five episodes are: "Fires of Creation," which highlights his trip from the top of Mauna Kea volcano to the crown of Loihi, its submerged cousin known as the youngest volcano in the Hawaiian Archipelago, showing how heat and magma bubble up to create life and new land masses; "Wrecks of the Abyss," which documents his deep-water search for ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, informing our understanding of maritime travel from Greece to Egypt in the ancient world; "It's Alive," which features his search for life in the darkness and chill of waters thousands of feet beneath the surface on the slopes of the Mid-Ocean ridges, where molten lava superheats the ocean, mixing in the nutrients for marine life that has adapted to the harsh environment; "Ocean's Fury," which seeks to understand whether the ocean is growing more dangerous by the day and how rogue waves are getting larger and more frequent on the seas; and "Inner vs. Outer Space," which explores how the Earth's waters -- and not outer space -- may be the key to long-term survival of the human race.
Where to Watch Season 1
5 Episodes
- Fires of Creation
E1Fires of CreationDr. Ballard explores the history of volcanoes, and life on earth as he travels from the summit of Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii to the crown of its submerged cousin Loihi, a voyage that spans over 16,000 feet from top to bottom. His trip from the lifeless world above the clouds, through the diverse ecosystems on the mountainside, and into the ocean deep runs the gamut of life on earth. - Wrecks of the Abyss
E2Wrecks of the AbyssTextbooks say that the Ancients did not have the guts to brave the open sea, out of sight of land and exposed to the elements, but not surprisingly, Dr. Ballard and his crew are out again to rewrite history. In Wrecks of the Abyss, captain and crew sail out into the deep water sea lanes of the Mediterranean in search of ancient shipwrecks that generations of scholars have written-off as impossible finds. - It's Alive
E3It's AliveTogether, with peer scientists from Britain, Ireland, Iceland, and the U.S., Dr. Ballard searches for the origin of life in the planets most unforgiving environment: the darkness and chill of waters thousands of feet beneath the surface. Here, on the slopes of the Mid-Ocean ridges that divide the earths tectonic plates, are formations called chimneys, where molten lava superheats the ocean, mixing in the nutrients and hardening magma that allows life to thrive against the odds. - Ocean's Fury
E4Ocean's FuryDr. Ballard thinks that rogue waves and all waves are getting larger and more frequent on the seas. In Oceans Fury, Ballard travels the world in search of the forces behind the motion of the ocean, meeting with scientists and practitioners along the way. He talks to oceanographers, climatologists, river boat pilots, surfers, fishers, and more all to prove a single point: the ocean is growing more dangerous by the day. - Inner vs. Outer Space
E5Inner vs. Outer SpaceDr. Ballard takes-on the long-held belief that space colonies will save the earth, as argued by on-air Apollo 11 crewmember Buzz Aldrin. To do so, Dr. Ballard travels to Hawaii to meet with experimental open-water aqua farmers; to California, where fast moving personal underwater vehicle are being developed for future ocean colonies; and Texas and Alaska where oil platforms are being converted into sea colonies and new imaging technology is unlocking resources hidden on the ocean bottom.
