The Seafarer

[music] [music] >> And here is Mr. Adventure himself, Colonel John D. Craig. The Seafarer is high adventure over, across, and under the seven seas. It features the factual day-by-day adventures of men of the sea. Water, men, boats, put them together and you have a combination loaded with action, excitement, and adventure. Whether it's a roaring river or on the open sea. Be it naval maneuvers or the heroic work of life saving, seafarers struggle against the unpredictable violence of the sea. Believe it or not, these fellows are volunteers. Some hardy seafarers wrest an exciting living from fishing. >> [music] >> These fellows are working on a high seas tuna clipper. >> [music] [music] >> The trick here is to keep the fish's head up. If he gets it down, he's likely to land the fisherman. Since the beginning of civilization, man has explored the mysteries of the sea. And although he has penetrated a short way, old Mother Ocean is still the last great unexplored frontier. Now, in the Seafarer, we depict some of these unusual adventures men encounter while probing in the sea. Even men who film in the sea find it requires courage, ingenuity, and perseverance. And it is always difficult and dangerous. Mother Ocean swarms her depths with all kinds of strange creatures. Many are gigantic. This one is a nervous whale and she doesn't like the cameraman. Seafarers have devised some strange contraptions for exploring the bottom. This two-man sub is one of them. It's driven by battery-powered electric motors and can be used for transporting scuba [music] divers. Carried aboard a larger ship, it requires launching. Its internal air supply permits divers to explore dangerous reefs or [music] carry out sneak attacks. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> So, these are 20th century adventures pioneering in a new frontier. Each Seafarer episode is about a true-life experience. Every story is logical, realistic, and believable because it's about real people. Now, some men go to sea for knowledge. Some seek adventure. Some search for treasure. Of course, the treasure hunt is high adventure. And we ran into one when returning from that submarine assignment. It began with a radio call from four modern-day treasure hunters. These soldiers of fortune had moored an old World War II landing craft over a mine-shattered freighter more valuable than any doubloon-laden Spanish galleon. The sea has thrown up some tough defenses to keep them from lifting this fortune. 65 ft of water separates them from riches. Just holding a position over the wreck is a constant back-breaking problem. These four ex-marines are sitting on top of $7 million. Their problem is how to get it. In blasting open the wreck's holes, the adventurers attracted many sharks. Now, the treasure hunters can afford no mistakes. They have lots of courage, but courage is not enough. So, they have called our boat thinking I might have some answers. They wanted to talk it over. It sounded interesting, so we were glad to oblige, change course, and soon found them. Their barge was anchored in the open sea where lots of tiger and dreaded white sharks hunt. Talking to Eddie Moore, their lead diver, who had been on the wreck, I learned that they had added to their own problem. They had been shooting the sharks. For every one they killed, 10 more came to dinner. It never occurred to them that blasting first attracted the sharks and the sharks stayed around because the wreck was a good feeding place. Johnny Moore, the engineer, showed me around their barge and explained about the airlift. This is an air jet-operated vacuum cleaner, which is ideal for sucking up treasure from the wreck. But it needs an unencumbered diver operator, one who doesn't have to worry about sharks. >> [music] >> Here's a sample of the treasure they are after. Looks like mud, but it's very valuable. The wreck under them is full of it, but it is also full of sharks. The situation warrants a look-see. In questionable waters like these, I'll use hard hat diving gear. In going down, I use increasing air pressure within the suit to compensate for the mounting water pressure. This creates a negative buoyancy. It's something like skydiving. >> [music] [music] [music] >> In hard hat gear, I weigh a couple hundred pounds extra. But if the wreck isn't too rotten, this might be the answer. >> [music] >> This wreck is dangerous, no doubt about it. The one thing a diver fears is a fouled [music] airline. I thought of what Jacques Cousteau once said, "Exploration is important, but breathing is essential." Right now, suffocation is moments away, and damn the guy who spliced that steel cable to the airline. There's only one way out. I've got to try it. Now I know why these guys favor the lightweight gear. It's just a face mask with an airline attached. Hookah gear, we call it. And if you should get fouled up, you can slip the mask and swim to the surface. Hear that? That's the sound of the hookah air regulator. Water amplifies sound. Maybe that's what's attracting all these ugly things. Octopus. Moray eels. Barracuda. Some of the most feared creatures in the sea. These divers don't realize that sharks find their food first by sound, then by scent, and least by sight. This wreck is full of fish. It's a rich feeding ground for sharks, and that burble attracts them. So I don't blame Buddy for getting out of there. This ex-Marine is a crack shot. When a shark is hit in the head, he loses his sense of direction. >> [music] >> But this is a mistake. The blood attracts others, and they soon tear the injured shark to pieces. >> [music] >> It would be suicide to dive now, so for hours all barge operations are suspended. I think the sharks are attracted by the noise generated by the diver's equipment. There's one way to find out. The scuba gear air regulators make the same burbling sound as the hookah mask. On the reef, lots of curious fish come around. Big tiger sharks like these are unpredictable. So we stay close to the reef and the holes where we can hide. >> [music] >> The sharks are following us. This proves they are attracted by the sounds, but we can't avoid making sounds. So we must get rid of the sharks. The problem is, how? They look hungry. Let's see if they are. It didn't take long for the skipper to get the shark lines rigged. It's one thing to hook a shark, it's another to land him. One wallop from that tail could break a man's leg or smash his ribs. You've no idea how rough 11-ft 700-lb tiger shark can be. And those teeth are sharp enough to shave with. >> [music] >> 18 sharks later, the fishing peters out. The wreck should now be safe for diving. Chief diver Eddie Malone is ready to try it again. We think we've caught all the sharks. He hopes we're right. Sure enough, no sharks. So the diver concentrates on airlifting that ore out of the wreckage. >> [music] >> The suction force is great. Up that line travels the cargo, up 65 ft to the surface, and another 20 up into the hull. The suction and surge makes the hose appear like a thing alive. And from its muzzle spews the treasure sucked from the wreck. Treasure it is. Chunks of tungsten and manganese ore mixed with the muddy tin concentrate. They are lifting 30 tons of it a day, 24,000 bucks worth, and there's several million to go. This is modern treasure hunting. Pretty good pickings for four adventurous seafarers. Eventually, $7 million if the sea doesn't throw more obstacles in their way. Now these men, the seafarers of the world, live with the sea. Sometimes she kicks them, tries to kill them, but the seafarers still love the sea. And since man is persistent, the struggle is endless. Stories of the sea will never lose their appeal. Man's constant struggle to penetrate the mysteries of our oceans provides an unlimited source of thrilling material for the spinning of yarns. Now we're going to bring you some of these stories, never filmed before, on the seafarers. Stories like The Sea God, Vanishing Pearls, Iceberg Melters, Treasures of the Tomatoes, and to Catch a Whale, and about 35 others. Stories about real people, the seafarers of the world. So I'll be seeing you soon. >> [music]