Ocean Vet Bermuda: Episode 5 – The Green Sea Turtle (Narrated by Dr. Neil Burnie)
Ocean Vet returns with a very special never before seen episode. Before Neil’s death in 2015 he was able to complete the voice over for one episode of Ocean Vet, The Green Sea Turtle. This episode was never released for broadcast until now. Apr 8, 2020. After Dr Neil Burnie’s tragic death, the narration for the series was completed by Michael Douglas.
In this episode Neil deploys his veterinary skills to help save Bermuda’s Green sea turtles. Neil and the Ocean Vet team work alongside the longest standing turtle research project in the world; the Bermuda Turtle Project. Follow the team as they capture and release wild green sea turtles. The team collect blood samples, measurements, and attach fin tags to these adorable animals. This data can be used to monitor their health and populations. Finally they attach a satellite tag to a mature turtle. The tag will record data on the turtles oceanic migrations. Neil also works with Bermuda’s turtle stranding network. This organisation rescue and re-release injured turtles back into the wild.
Swimming and satellite tagging huge tiger sharks, saving precious green sea turtles, protecting mighty humpback whales, exploring the anatomy of a giant blue Marlin and saving the life of a prehistoric shark. It’s all just another day in the office for the Ocean Vet team.
Ocean Vet is a natural history series like no other!
Narrated by Academy award winning actor and producer Michael Douglas, this incredible series follows the exploits of English veterinarian Dr Neil Burnie and his Ocean Vet team.
Together they set out to save, protect and learn more about Bermuda’s incredible marine life. Watch Neil and Choy Aming (series marine biologist) work with some of the planets most amazing marine species.
Neil’s enthusiasm is truly infectious, his ‘hands-on’ approach and the teams dedication to saving marine wildlife makes compulsive viewing.
Michael Douglas’s familiar and authoritative tone narrates 11 incredible adventures in and around the ocean of one of the most stunning islands on earth.
Watch as Neil and his crew enter a watery world teeming with stunning marine life but fraught with danger from big teeth, poisonous barbs and 50 tonne giants! Hitch a ride on an incredible journey of discovery right here, right now!
Episode 01 : The Galapagos SharkNeil and the team are on an emergency call out to capture and release a sick Galapagos shark from the Bermuda aquarium. Follow the team as they risk their lives.Neil must transport a shark 10 miles off shore for release in a protected marine reserve. Watch Neil and his team swim with wild Galapagos sharks. They’ll study their behaviour, and discover the truth behind their reputation as wild man eaters. The Ocean Vet team also embark on the challenging task of capturing one of these predators. The team must bring the shark onboard the ocean vet boat and attach a satellite tag. This marks the start of a scientific study that will eventually help protect the declining population of this species.
Neil and the Ocean Vet team are faced with an intense day of veterinary work. International scientist Dr Matt Ajemian and aquarium collector Chris Flook join the crew. They face a tricky task, capturing one of the most intelligent fish in the ocean. The crew must check the health of these endangered spotted eagle rays. Watch as the team attach satellite tracking tags, take DNA samples, and ultrasound these animals in some of Bermudas most beautiful surroundings. The teams research could provide answers to long standing questions on the health of this species.
Neil and the Ocean Vet team mark the end of a 7 year study on Bermuda’s tiger sharks. The team embark on a dangerous mission to satellite tag one of these giant oceanic predators. Watch as Neil and Choy enter the water with these majestic animals in a mind boggling and death defying sequence of human interaction with these wild predators. Follow the team as they struggle to catch and tag the biggest tiger shark they’ve ever encountered. Can they complete their mission to help study, save and protect this incredible shark species?
Neil manages to expand his veterinary knowledge and test his fishing skills to their limit. The mighty marlin is one of the teams most exciting adventures. Watch as Neil and the Ocean Vet team wrestle a monster marlin to the side of their boat. The team must attach a satellite tag that could expand the scientific knowledge of this species and reveal its oceanic migrations. Watch Neil and his team dissect a giant blue marlin donated by a local fishing tournament. Neil explains the anatomical and evolutionary wonders of this animal and demonstrates how it’s become one of the fastest and most formidable predators in the ocean.
Episode 05 : The Bermuda Turtle ProjectNeil deploys his veterinary skills to help save Bermuda’s Green sea turtles. Watch Neil and the Ocean Vet team work alongside the longest standing turtle research project in the world; the Bermuda Turtle Project. Follow the team as they capture and release wild green sea turtles. The team collect blood samples, measurements, and attach fin tags to these adorable animals. This data can be used to monitor their health and populations. Finally they attach a satellite tag to a mature turtle. The tag will record data on the turtles oceanic migrations. Neil also works with Bermuda’s turtle stranding network. This organisation rescue and re-release injured turtles back into the wild.
Ocean Vet returns with a very special never before seen episode. Before Neil’s death in 2015 he was able to complete the voice over for one episode of Ocean Vet, The Green Sea Turtle. This episode was never released for broadcast until now. After Dr Neil Burnie’s tragic death, the narration for the series was completed by Michael Douglas.
Neil tests his diving abilities to the max.On this dangerous rescue mission to save the life of a prehistoric shark. Follow the ocean vet team as they assist a commercial fishing vessel to untangle a six gill shark from its fishing lines. Watch Neil and Choy come face to face with a real life fossil as they secure this prehistoric shark to the side of the boat. It’s challenging work in testing conditions. The team only have a limited time to ensure the animal survives.
Neil combines his veterinary knowledge and dive skills to assist the Bermuda department of fisheries. On this exciting and dangerous mission Neil and his ocean vet team help protect the breeding grounds of the Bermuda black grouper. Watch Neil anaesthetise these fish to surgically implant acoustic tags. Neil also trials a dangerous but less invasive grouper tagging system and deploys a uniquely designed grouper trap. Follow Neil and the team as they explore a deep alien world. Along the way Neil comes face to face with one of the largest threats to the atlantic ocean, the invasive lion fish!
Neil and his Ocean Vet team embark on a dangerous new study. Neil heads into Bermuda’s nocturnal waters to document inshore shark activity. Watch Neil complete a series of dangerous night dives in potentially shark infested waters. Follow Neil and his team as they implant an acoustic tag in the abdomen of a juvenile tiger shark. The tag is crucial to their study. It should reveal the frequency and proximity of sharks in Bermudas night time waters. Testing their nerves and stamina to its absolute limits, this proves to be one of the teams toughest missions.
Follow Neil and his team into the danger zone as they get up close and personal with 50 tonne humpbacks. Neil and Choy work with a team of marine scientists on an expedition to prove the presence of deadly toxins inside Bermuda’s mid-migratory humpback whales. Watch Neil and his team swim with these ocean giants in a mesmerising and magical sequence as Neil comes face to face with one of the most intelligent mammals in the ocean. Neil deploys an effective but unconventional sampling technique, collecting biopsy samples using an adapted compound bow. Choy has a dangerous encounter investigating a report of several hungry sharks tearing apart a dead sperm whale.
Working alongside veteran aquarium collector Chris Flook Neil and Choy reveal the crucial role sargassum seaweed plays in the health of the entire ocean. Watch as Neil and his team explore the deep sea structure of Argus tower. Join Neil as he dives Bermuda’s inshore mangrove bays. Watch Neil observe and learn the intricacies of this delicate food web. Follow the team as they collect samples for an exhibit at the Bermuda aquarium museum and zoo. The teams exhibit will show local school children the unique and wonderous species that live within these golden rainforests of the ocean. Finally the team attach a satellite tracking tag to a fish that thrives amongst these floating seaweed matts, the wondrous Wahoo!
The final episode of Ocean Vet goes behind the scenes, providing an insight how the series was made. The crew look back and reveal their favourite moments, close calls and toughest challenges. In this final episode we discover exactly what it took for Neil to become Bermuda’s Ocean Vet. Finally, Michael Douglas reveals the tragedy of Neil’s death. The crew reveal the impact on their lives, and talk frankly about his unique, larger than life character.
Osbourne the dusky shark has lived in the North Rock tank at the Bermuda Aquarium for 6 years. After having outgrown the tank and regularly sparring with a giant grouper named Vader, it was decided that for his, aquarium staff and the other tank inhabitants’ own safety he should be returned to the sea. But can a shark be returned back to the wild and survive after living for 6 years in captivity? Dusky sharks are considered “vulnerable” in the Atlantic and “near-threatened” around the world because of commercial and recreational fishing. What are Osbourne’s chances of making it in the wild? And does this heighten public fears about sharks in local Bermuda waters?
Where did Osbourne go? Osbourne the dusky shark was released back into the sea from the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo in March 2012. He was fitted with a PSAT tag just before his release. Dr. Neil Burnie explains where he has been.
Bermuda winters mean lots of sargasso seaweed on the beaches and lots of stormy weather. Elbow beach, popular for swimming in the summer, kiteboarding and windsurfing in the winter!
Neil Burnie Around Bermuda Challenge – Windsurfing and Kiteboarding
To honor the passing of a great friend of the Bermuda windsurfing community, a windsurf and kitesurf around the island challenge is being created. The idea of the challenge it to embrace the daring and adventurous spirit of Neil Burnie and previous windsurfers pioneers. Windsurfers with their high speed and shallow draft provided the ideal platform to make high speed roundings. It was Hugh Watlington who first took up the challenge by windsurfer in 1980, taking an arduous 6 hours and 6 minutes! During the 80’s and early 90’s, the heyday of windsurfing, equipment was developing at a frenzied rate. Amongst the local windsurfers there was fierce competition by the likes of Alex Outerbridge and Goffre Pitman, both outdoing each other for the quickest rounding with times dropping below 3 hours. When Neil Burnie became part of the windsurf scene his technical ability, board speed and tenacity allowed him to shave additional time from the previous challengers. Neil’s circumnavigation time of 2 hours 11 minutes has stood for close to 20 years. Not every rounding has been successful however! Skimming over shallow reefs at close to 30 knots in offshore winds, large ocean swells requires physical and mental toughness. There have been many equipment breakages, reef collisions and even in Neil’s case, a collision with a submerged refrigerator! Without boat support it was a risky endeavor, breakdowns often required multi hour paddles, sometimes into the hours of darkness! So in Neil’s adventurous spirit a fun around the island challenge is being created by his windsurf and kitesurf friends. For many, surviving an exhausting and mentally tough rounding is a challenge in itself, but because of this it is a great reminder how daring Neil was out on the water!
American blues legend Alice Stuart performs for the second year consecutively at the Bermuda Folk Club in front of one the largest crowds in Folk Club history, May 12, 2012. She is seen here (video clip #1) performing the classic ‘Hard Time Killing Floor Blues’ by Skip James accompanied by local harmonica player Neil Burnie.
From the Bermuda Folk Club to the “Folk” down @ the Chewstick Neo-Griot Lounge, singer-songwriter Alice Stuart was perhaps the first “tropical storm” of the season for the island! In video clip #2 Alice can be seen jamming with the Chewstick band, May 20th, 2012.
Alice Stuartalicestuart.com
RG Article: Vocal dexterity and clarity from a Blues legend
Dr. Neil Burnie shows the beautiful side of one of the most terrifying creatures in the ocean. Abandoning the steel cage, the Bermuda Shark Project swims freely with the sharks and tags them with GPS tracking units to discover some surprising facts about their migration patterns
The Bermuda Shark Project is an independent research programme with the simple aims of discovering more about the Tiger Shark. They satellite tag Tiger Sharks that are caught and released within the territorial waters of Bermuda.” … read more
Neil and the team are on an emergency call out to capture and release a sick Galapagos shark from the 
