Host Peter Schriemer leads viewers on an exploration of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, a fascinating and richly diverse 156 mile-long inland waterway. Peter enlists the help of scientists from the Smithsonian Marine Station, who are devising ingenious ways to learn the secrets of the delicate ecosystems and complex food chains hidden beneath the lagoon’s dark waters.

The lagoon serves as a nursery for many different species of marine life. We focus on the endangered world of the smaller creatures at the bottom of the aquatic food chain that form the foundation of much of life in the oceans. The programme uses the creatures on display at the Smithsonian Marine Exhibit to showcase the small animals’ struggle for survival. Our beautiful footage captures them as they lurk in the sanctuary of the lagoon’s sea grass beds and mangrove forests to hide from voracious predators before heading back into the ocean to begin the cycle of life anew.