Advertisement

Alien Deep with Bob Ballard

  • 2012-2012
  • 1 season
  • Documentary

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.

Season 1 Episode Guide

6 Episodes 2012

Episode 1

Fires of Creation

Tue, Sep 11, 2012

Bob Ballard discusses the formation of the island of Hawaii in preparation for the episode's climax, a dive on Hawaii's next island, the lo'ihi-seamount.

Episode 2

Wrecks of the Abyss

Sun, Sep 16, 2012

Challenging traditional wisdom Bob Ballard explores the deep Mediterranean for ancient shipwrecks believing earlier mariners were much bolder than they are given credit for.

Episode 3

It's Alive

Sun, Sep 16, 2012

Bob Ballard explores hydrothermal vents trying to test the theories that life emerged and is now maintained by these volcanic regions.

Advertisement

Episode 4

Ocean's Fury

Sun, Sep 16, 2012

Bob Ballard suspects that the oceans are becoming rougher and shares his experiences that make him wary.

Episode 5

Inner vs. Outer Space

Mon, Sep 17, 2012

A politicized comparison of the potential benefits of space exploration versus ocean exploration.

Episode 6

Oceanus 3

Tue, Sep 25, 2012

Advertisement