John McLean Media Distributor of quality television programming to USA domestic and international broadcast sattellite, cable and television stations
  EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

  Into Water and Beyond
(13 x 30 mins) HDTV
 
[Back to title]    [Main Catalog]


 
 

Episode 1 - The Whitsundays, Queensland
The Whitsundays are famous for being home to the 74 island wonders that are nestled like beautiful jewels in the Coral Sea. As one of the premier sailing destinations in the world, Ben and Dianne try their hand at hoisting the sails and exploring these islands. Then it is time for them to put their sea legs back on to solid ground and stay on one of these islands that offers a unique and one of a kind experience. But Ben and Dianne canʼt stay out of the water for long, so it is out the Great Barrier Reef to dive in to the blue on one of the natural wonders of the world.

Episode 2 - The Cape York Peninsula, Queensland
The Cape York Peninsula is regarded as one of Australiaʼs last frontiers and a region full of Aboriginal culture and raw untouched natural beauty. In this episode Ben and Dianne set out on a 3 week journey across 2000km of rugged terrain by 4WD. They stop to explore some of the small towns along the way that epitomize the true old Aussie history and lifestyle, along with unique natural attractions that are not found anywhere else. With a goal of making it to the northern most tip of the Australian mainland Ben and Dianne share some of the challenges and experiences this rugged and remote destination has to offer.

Episode 3 - Samoa, South Pacific
Samoa is often referred to as the Treasured Islands of the South Pacific with its lush rainforest and calm reef protected beaches and lagoons. In this episode Ben and Dianne set out on a journey to find what these beautiful islands have to offer, from surfing the outer reefs and swimming with sea turtles to experiencing the many traditional ways of this ancient culture. Ben and Dianne become immersed in waterfalls, swimming holes, local Fia Fia spectaculars and exotic beachfront resorts. This episode offers the viewer a rich insight into what makes this destination so special.

Episode 4 - Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a place that surprises those who choose to go and visit this dry tropics region in North Queensland. One of the most under rated holiday destinations in Queensland, Ben and Dianne head there to explore and discover its many hidden gems and local secrets in this episode. With an island paradise only 8km off the coast of Townsville city, it wasnʼt long before Ben and Dianne were snorkeling the fringing reef and jet skiing the secluded bays of Magnetic Island. It was also the place were they got to cuddle a crocodile and see a koala in the wild. They then made their way north of Townsville to see the longest single drop waterfall in the southern hemisphere and cruise the crocodile populated waterways of the largest island of the Great Barrier Reef.

Episode 5 - The Coral Coast, Western Australia
In this episode Ben and Dianne venture over to the remote Western Coast of Australia with a goal to find and swim with the largest shark in the ocean. This journey takes the viewer from the depths of the beautiful fringing reefs that surround this rugged coastline into the deep gorges of the Cape Range National Park which is full of unique Australian wildlife. Ben also sets out for 5 days by boat to the Bernier island to experience some of the best fishing this region has to offer. Before finally embarking on a cruise through the Ningaloo Reef for a close and personal encounter with the impressive giant of the ocean, the huge and graceful Whale Shark.

Episode 6 - Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Bordering the wild waters of Bass Strait are the spectacular sheer cliff walls on the Southern Mornington Peninsula. In this episode Ben and Dianne head to this boot shaped region in Southern Victoria to see the wild and raw beauty of this coastline. This is also a very important maritime area and home to one of only a few working lighthouses in Australia, protecting the ships from the rough seas and rocky coastline. Dianne puts her taste buds to the test with the local quality cool climate wines and fresh produce. She also visits the unique natural hot springs with their healing qualities and exotic dreaming centre.

Episode 7 - The Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Just as the name suggests, the Sunshine Coast boasts beautiful tropical weather and offers a plethora of outdoor experiences for people of all ages. In this episode Ben and Dianne find the coolest experiences to do throughout the towns that make up the 70km of coastline and beaches. Ben aims for the adrenalin with deep sea fishing and hitting 6Gʼs in the ultimate stunt plane, while Dianne finds out how the other half live as she cruises the waterways of the exclusive Noosa River like a movie star. They also visit some great places for families to have fun.

Episode 8 - The Cook Islands, South Pacific
With turquoise blue water and one of the best lagoons in the world, the Cook Islands is an unspoilt paradise. Ben and Dianne journey to this group of 15 volcanic islands and coral atolls in this episode to learn about the polynesian history and culture of these people. While there, Ben heads out to catch some big fish while deep sea fishing off the coast while Dianne cruises around in the ʻyellow submarineʼ. They also venture in to the mountains in the centre of the island through thick untouched rainforest and kayak in the reef protected lagoons before scuba diving in to the sparkling crystal clear water surrounding the island.The episode finishes on the sensational Aitutaki Lagoon for a cruise and Ben tries his hand at flyfishing for the elusive Bonefish.

Episode 9 - Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown is arguably one of the worlds top adventure destinations.
In this episode, Ben, Di and Scott set out to find the most thrilling things to do while there. They
also explore the beauty of the region with a visit the spectacular Milford Sound, which has also
been described as the eighth wonder of the world. With New Zealand being the location where the
Lord of the Rings movies were made, Ben, Di and Scott couldn’t resist visiting a few of these
sights. They were also lucky enough to paddle a blow up kayak down one of the most splendid
rivers they have ever seen, with snow and glacier capped mountains surrounding them. After
seeing these mountains and the vineyard region from the ground it was time to get up high to see it
from the air, from both a balloon and helicopter.

Episode 10 - Fraser Region, Queensland Australia

The Fraser region offers a myriad of surprises.
With direct access to the pristine southern most Great Barrier, a short scenic flight by small plane
took Ben, Di and Scott out to Lady Elliot Island. Small enough to walk around in 40 minutes, this
island also is home to a huge array bird and marine life. They will take you in to the underwater
world to swim with majestic manta rays and watch the cycle of life as turtles come up on shore
nesting and baby turtles start to hatch and race their way back in to the water.
A short flight back to the mainland has them exploring the worlds largest sand island and heritage
listed Fraser Island, where lush rainforest grows out of the sand. They explore the island by 4WD
and from the air to show the spectacular phenomenon that is Fraser Island.
Hervey Bay has become the ultimate destination in Australia to get up close to a humpback whale
so Ben and Di head out on a whale watching sail boat to play with curious ‘people watching’
whales.
From reef to rainforest and the magnificent and friendly whales, this episode has it all!

Episode 11 & 12 - Taiwan (2 episodes)
A pristine haven for lovers of nature, culture and food. A destination that hasn’t been overly
commercialised with tourism and offers an adventure for all from both within the water and out to
the immaculate mountainous regions.
In this episode Ben, Di and Scott circumnavigate this island country, jumping in to the warm waters
to dive the fringing reef, as well as head up in to the mountains with the Taiwanese aboriginal.
They are shown how the Taiwanese aboriginal hunts when they head in to the hills for a day with
the Paiwan tribe. They then join a few locals to see how how they relax and enjoy their social
evenings. They try local and in many cases interesting foods, some they enjoy and some they
definitely do not.
Back in the water, but this time up in the mountains, they head out river tracing before making their
way back to the warm waters of the coast for the annual Taiwan Surf Open, their professional surf
comp

Episode 13.- Ha’apai, Tonga
Swimming with the majestic whale is one of the greatest experiences someone can do in life.
Tonga has grown a reputation as being the place to visit when you want to get in to the water with
the playful humpback whale. In this episode Di and Ben make their way to the heart of the South
Pacific and over to Ha’apai, a lesser know group of islands north of the main island of Tongatapu.
Weighing up to 40 tonnes and 16m long, these amazingly curious creatures dwarf the people as
they enter the water. With the mothers generally relaxing on the surface after a huge journey from
the Antarctic and giving birth, the whales calfs become quite interested in the ‘strange objects’ in
the water as they slowly but curiously make their way closer and closer to the swimmers. Di and
Ben have some amazing encounters in the calm waters of these islands.
The Tongan culture is also still alive on these islands and the locals share some of this through
song and dance.

 
 
[Top]


 


Web site content © copyright 2005
John McLean Media
info@johnmcleanmedia.com
Web design © copyright 2005
Tomo Kuman-Lesher