Sea Monsters Really Do Exist

I don’t watch every television documentary about the Natural world by any means.

But like most people, I am always interested to discover something new about our understanding of the Natural world.

And just recently, BBC showed a remarkable documentary about the search to obtain footage from deep beneath the Oceans of giant squid.

These have been thought to exist, because of the stories that have been told for centuries by sailors, and in more modern times, by the occasional discovery of specimens that have usually washed up dead on beaches somewhere.

The evidence has been quite compelling that there has been some credence in the stories told by sailors of having seen entire ships pulled beneath the waves by giant squid, and additionally it has been observed that some Sperm Whales carry the kind of scars that indicate that perhaps they have been involved in a deadly struggle with such a creature.

This was an extraordinary documentary, and usefully without adverts on British BBC television, it falls nevertheless compelling in its sense of drama.

Quite simply, it focused on an expedition to seek out the giant squid, just off one of the islands of Japan, in what were described as pristine seas, u un-spoilt by any form of pollution, and with depths commensurate with what has been theorised about where such a creature might be hidden.

It was quite amazing to see a professor that has devoted around 40 years of study to this particular animal, accompanying a varied expedition of specialists in all kinds of fields associated with ocean depths.

The craft available to the scientists included two distinct machines, capable of diving to around 1000 feet.

As well as thisa third machoperate as a simple remote camera, capable of filming for up to 30 hours continuously at great depths.

Armed with all of this technology, the team set off for an area of sea from which the larger quantities of squid had been recovered.

It was helpful to be told from the outset that the expedition would be more successful than anyone could have hoped for, this knowledge not distracting from the sense of expectation as to what might be captured.

What was quite extraordinary when images were first captured was the drama of the Actual images.

First with successful images was the remote camera, which brought back images from a depth of 600 feet that showed distant passing shots of something resembling what was being sought.

And then, one of the techniques to be used by the team was introduced, that the Prof had given up one of his valuable frozen specimens so that it could be liquidised and used as a simple signal lure, telling any squid within sensing distance that a female was in the area.

This liquidised juice was then released into the sea by a simple form of syringe, fitted to the front of one of the diving vessels.

Each of the two primary vessels were equipped with Excellent All Round vision, and with special high-definition cameras that had been developed exclusively for this use.

The results when they came were extraordinary.

And as special as the actual confirmation of the existence of such an extraordinary creature was the sense of Revelation experienced by the elderly professor, seeing for the first time in the flesh a creature he had previously only seen in the form of dead specimens, or part specimens.

It is quite sobering to be reminded that we can still be so amazed at new discoveries in the animal kingdom.

I suspect that these images have been seen by many people that subscribe to things like the Discovery Channel, but this was my first opportunity to see such an extraordinary documentary.

And I am sure it will not be the last!