The Blue Planet

Amazingly beautiful and complex, coral reefs develop from humble beginnings. Tiny larvae settle and then over hundreds of years the intricate and fragile reefs that we so enjoy grow, inch by inch. Reefs areadorned with spectacularly colourful life, but it is no tropical paradise. Space is at a premium and even the coral itself fights to survive. And then, at night, the sharks come out to hunt. Layer upon layer the coral supports innumerable animals, but one big storm can threaten the entire community.

This edition explores a force so powerful that it moves oceans - the tides. All over the world tides create opportunities for marine life: giant sting rays glide on currents for a rest, the fastest snail of all surfs waves in pursuit of dinner, minute crabs play football on the beach, racoons binge and, in a unique sequence, dolphins play a deadly game of catch. For in the ocean, each turn of the tide spells life or death, somewhere.

From the open oceans, millions of sea birds are forced to come into land to breed. Sea eagles steal kittiwake chicks from their nesting ledges. Turtles lay their eggs in the sand and marine mammals haul themselves out to fight on the beaches. Sea lions emerge from the kelp to give birth, while killer whales come crashing in on the surf to snatch the sea lion's young.