[waves lapping]
[birds chirping]
[soft music]
♪ ♪
Dawn has broken
in Indonesia's Raja Ampat Archipelago
the same way for many millions of years.
♪ ♪
It's a place where two mighty oceans meet.
♪ ♪
Over eons,
time has worked its magic here.
♪ ♪
The life in these waters
has become a thriving community
of the world's most extraordinary forms.
♪ ♪
An underwater metropolis...
Suspended beneath the sea.
♪ ♪
This turtle is a visitor to the coral reef.
♪ ♪
His kind have been traveling to waters like these
for over 100 million years...
♪ ♪
To rest
and relax.
♪ ♪
Listen carefully.
[quiet clicking]
That's the sound of a busy morning
on a coral reef.
♪ ♪
The hums and echoes are fish.
♪ ♪
Calling to one another,
making themselves heard above the crowds.
♪ ♪
This aquatic symphony is vital to life here.
♪ ♪
The soothing harmonies attract fish from far and wide
to seek out the safety of the coral...
♪ ♪
And make it their home.
♪ ♪
While it might look like a static structure,
this vast, rocky network
is actually a living,
breathing organism.
♪ ♪
A coral reef is made up of hundreds and thousands
of tiny creatures
that are part mineral, part animal.
♪ ♪
Over millennia,
they can create external skeletons
that develop into elaborate and fantastical shapes.
♪ ♪
Within every nook,
small creatures seek shelter.
Perfectly hidden,
safe amongst the coral.
♪ ♪
Seahorses wrap their tails
around the smallest of structures.
♪ ♪
Providing them with a much-needed anchor
in the vast ocean.
♪ ♪
Though each creature is unique,
down here,
everything is woven together...
♪ ♪
In an intricate coral tapestry.
♪ ♪
This visiting turtle has found what he was searching for.
♪ ♪
An underwater spa.
♪ ♪
Now, in his sanctuary,
he simply sits and waits for the fish to come
and polish his shell...
♪ ♪
While he takes... a nap.
His whole body slows.
♪ ♪
Nine minutes can pass
between each beat of his heart.
♪ ♪
I wonder... if he dreams.
[birds chirping]
This is Feri.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
His ancestors, the Bajau,
have called these seas home for centuries.
♪ ♪
For him,
being underwater is as familiar
as breathing air.
♪ ♪
Over generations,
his people have lived a subaquatic life,
adapting to their environment...
♪ ♪
Enabling them to suspend their breath
for long stretches of time.
♪ ♪
It's what allows Feri to roam free in the depths...
♪ ♪
Expertly navigating the coral.
♪ ♪
This is his playground.
He is part of this vast underwater world...
♪ ♪
Independent yet interconnected.
♪ ♪
[crickets chirping]
With each dip of the oar,
a tiny spectacle.
This light comes from living organisms
within the water.
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
It's called bioluminescence
and it can take on many forms.
♪ ♪
Under the right conditions,
corals can put on a kaleidoscopic light show.
♪ ♪
Hidden within the coral are specialized algae
that convert light into food,
just like the leaves of trees in a forest.
♪ ♪
It's thought coral fluoresce with light like this...
To help sustain the algae inside them.
♪ ♪
Every single one of these glowing polyps...
Is a determined little creature.
♪ ♪
But all work together,
sharing the energy they capture...
♪ ♪
So that the entire reef thrives.
♪ ♪
Over thousands of lifetimes,
the corals have created a place
of restful calm.
♪ ♪
Perhaps on land,
we could take inspiration
from this ancient coral city.
♪ ♪
A multitude of interconnected individuals
collaborating and cooperating
to share a single home.
♪ ♪
[light music]
♪ ♪