Plot Synopsis

Narrated by naturalist Sir David Attenborough, GREAT BARRIER REEF is a three-part documentary series that follows a team of scientists, as they use the latest technology to explore the reef's diverse residents and visitors to learn more of its surprising origins, and to save it from its most serious threat: mankind. Almost 60 years after his first visit to the Great Barrier Reef, David returns to unlock new secrets about the largest living structure on Earth. Working with a team of experts aboard a state-of-the-art research and exploration vessel, David takes viewers to mysterious depths for an up-close look at the wonderfully diverse community that calls this place home. Through computer modeling and radiocarbon dating, they uncover surprising details about the reef's origins, which are more recent than once believed. Then, he examines some of the million migrating animals that visit this marine paradise every year and how each of the reef's habitats attracts a very different set of visitors. David travels from the Osprey Reef, a huge mountain hidden beneath the waves, to Raine Island, the green turtle's favorite nesting area, to Lady Elliot Island, the beauty salon for manta rays. But within the last few decades, the residents of the Great Barrier Reef have seen their habitat decline rapidly. Almost half the coral has disappeared, and at the current rate, humans risk losing the reef altogether. But revolutionary technology has made it possible for scientists to make new discoveries that may hold clues to its survival. GREAT BARRIER REEF had its U.S. premiere on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 8pm ET on the Smithsonian Channel.
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On Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at 8pm ET, Smithsonian Channel aired the season finale of GREAT BARRIER REEF, immediately followed by a one-hour "Making Of" special:

"Survival" (8pm): Within the last few decades, the residents of the Great Barrier Reef have seen their habitat decline rapidly. Almost half the coral has disappeared, and at the current rate, we risk losing the reef altogether. But revolutionary technology has made it possible for scientists to make new discoveries that may hold clues to its survival.

"The Making Of" (9pm): Go behind the scenes as we show how David and his team of filmmakers and scientists shot the footage for this landmark series, a yearlong venture that placed them on remote islands, into shark-infested seas, and nearly 1,000 feet underwater, the deepest dive ever attempted on the reef.