Science and Nature

Big Pacific

Plunge into the Pacific with researchers and cinematographers and see the ocean’s rare and dazzling creatures in a way never before seen on television. The show examines an ocean that covers a third of the Earth’s surface.

Passionate

54m 11s

In the Pacific, the quest to multiply has spawned a stunning array of unusual behaviors and adaptations. There are forest penguins with a tenuous marriage, the secret rendezvous of great white sharks, and the tale of male pregnancy.

Episodes

  • Passionate: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Passionate

    S1 E4 - 54m 11s

    In the Pacific, the quest to multiply has spawned a stunning array of unusual behaviors and adaptations. There are forest penguins with a tenuous marriage, the secret rendezvous of great white sharks, and the tale of male pregnancy.

  • Voracious: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Voracious

    S1 E3 - 54m 11s

    There is plenty of food in the Pacific Ocean, but it is the challenge of finding that food that drives all life in the Pacific. In the voracious Pacific we meet a destructive army of mouths, a killer with a hundred mouths and the biggest mouth in the ocean.

  • Violent: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Violent

    S1 E2 - 54m 10s

    Violence is part of life in the Pacific and those that live here must choose whether to avoid conflict or rise to meet it. The Pacific Ocean is a hunter’s paradise. From the skies of Snake Island to the teeming tropics, animals are reinventing the delivery of death on a grand scale. Surrounded by the Ring of Fire, this ocean is the epicenter of natural mayhem.

  • Mysterious: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Mysterious

    S1 E1 - 54m 11s

    Man has explored land, the ocean’s surface, and large parts of the solar system, and in the 21st century we are just beginning to explore the depths of the Pacific Ocean. We yearn to unravel the mysterious Pacific – but she does not give up her secrets willingly.

  • Behind the Scenes: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Behind the Scenes

    S1 E5 - 53m 40s

    Filming the big Pacific, an ocean that covers a third of the planet, was a grand idea that became a gigantic undertaking. This "Making Of" special explores the highlights and challenges of wildlife filmmaking.

Extras + Features

  • Dragon Tide: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Dragon Tide

    S1 E2 - 3m 37s

    In China, even humans are making the most of the violent power of the Pacific. In Hangzhou Bay, brave surfers wait for the annual return of an ancient sea monster: the silver dragon, a predictable yet potentially destructive wall of water that grows into the world’s largest tidal wave.

  • Humpback Whales: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Humpback Whales

    S1 E2 - 3m 39s

    Nature creates her own battles. In the waters around Hawaii, Humpback Whales complete a mass migration from northern feeding grounds; they are gathering to mate. But males outnumber receptive females, and a testosterone-fueled event known as the heat run sees a brawl of gargantuan proportions as the males clash for the right to mate.

  • Episode 2 Preview | Violent: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 2 Preview | Violent

    S1 E2 - 30s

    Violence is part of life in the Pacific and those that live here must choose whether to avoid conflict or rise to meet it. The Pacific Ocean is a hunter’s paradise. From the skies of Snake Island to the teeming tropics, animals are reinventing the delivery of death on a grand scale. Surrounded by the Ring of Fire, this ocean is the epicenter of natural mayhem.

  • Snake Island: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Snake Island

    S1 E2 - 4m 3s

    Some islands are less than hospitable. In China’s Bohai Sea is a fleck of land called Shedao, also known as Snake Island. This is the home of 20,000 deadly Pit Vipers, and they are all poised to make a meal of the autumnal songbird migrations.

  • Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Arribada: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Arribada

    S1 E1 - 2m 38s

    Olive ridley sea turtles live most of their lives in the open ocean. But each year female sea turtles return en masse to their natal beach to synchronously lay eggs. Ostional, Costa Rica is one of their nesting locations. How half a million sea turtles find this same shore is a mystery.

  • The Pufferfish: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Pufferfish

    S1 E1 - 4m 36s

    Off the coast of Japan, the white-spotted pufferfish is at work creating a masterpiece. This three-inch long pufferfish is a male who is trying to attract a mate. He constantly shovels sand into a circle with intricate details. Then he decorates the pattern with shells. If a female approves, they will mate, and the circle will become a nest for the developing eggs.

  • Episode 1 Extended Preview | Mysterious: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 1 Extended Preview | Mysterious

    S1 E1 - 1m 14s

    Man has explored land, the ocean’s surface and large parts of the solar system. In the 21st century we are just beginning to explore the depths of the Pacific Ocean. We yearn to unravel the mysterious Pacific, but she does not give up her secrets willingly.

  • Turtle Graveyard: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Turtle Graveyard

    S1 E1 - 3m 20s

    Beyond a coral reef, a tomb of lost turtles leaves more questions than answers. Skeletal remains of sea turtles line the underwater cave, some with stillborn eggs. But it is not understood why they are here. How could sea turtles, one of the best navigators of the sea, get lost in this cave?

  • Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Preview

    S1 - 30s

    Plunge into the Pacific with researchers and cinematographers and see the ocean’s rare and dazzling creatures in a way never before seen on television. The program examines an ocean that covers a third of the Earth’s surface.

  • Snake Island: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Snake Island

    S1 E5 - 3m 26s

    The Big Pacific crew travel to Shedeo, or Snake Island, to film pit vipers preying on migrating songbirds. The essential shot for the story, or money shot, is the moment a pit viper captures a bird. Cameraman Scott Snider searches for that moment among 20,000 snakes. While under the concealment of a hide, cameraman John Betz captures an unexpected encounter instead.

  • Episode 5 Extended Preview | Behind the Scenes: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 5 Extended Preview | Behind the Scenes

    S1 E5 - 1m 31s

    With the best crews and the latest technology, the Big Pacific series travels to 20 countries, 77 different locations, filming an ocean that covers one third of our planet. Find out how the crews made this ambitious project possible.

  • Filming Pufferfish: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Filming Pufferfish

    S1 E5 - 3m 38s

    Follow behind the scenes with the Big Pacific film crew to Amami Oshima, off the coast of Japan. Cameramen Peter Kragh and Ernie Kovacs set out to film a mysterious pufferfish. They must find creative ways to film without destroying the pufferfish’s delicate sand circles.

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.

Similar Shows