New Documentary Series Explores Fascinating Underwater Wonders of America's National Parks

SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/-- Debuting in conjunction with the centennial celebration of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), a fascinating new documentary series explores the hidden, underwater wonders of some of America's most recognized landmarks and highlights the tireless dedication of the NPS to preserve and protect these submerged national treasures.

The seven-part series, "Underwater Wonders of the National Parks," premieres today on CuriosityStream, the world's first ad-free streaming documentary service, giving viewers an unprecedented, intimate look at the underwater relics and environments that most park visitors never see. Like every CuriosityStream production, the series dives deep into the science and stories behind our history and natural world. 

"When most of us think of our national parks, we envision jaw-dropping vistas and awe-inspiring landscapes, but there's a whole other dynamic hidden beneath the surface," said series producer Jorge Franzini. "These films are the first-ever to offer a glimpse into this intriguing underwater world that even the 307 million people who visit our parks every year never get to see."

Presented in brilliant ultra-HD 4K resolution, the series explores six sites: 

• World War II Valor in the Pacific - USS Arizona in two episodes. The first features a diver-led tour of the ship interwoven with survivors' stories in their own voices. The second highlights the joint effort of the NPS and Autodesk to 3D map the entire site using the first self-spooling ROV to breach previously unexplored areas of the ship.
• Death Valley National Park – Devil's Hole. Here, divers explore this expansive underwater cave system in the desert of Nevada that is the only natural habitat for the Devil's Hole pupfish, the rarest fish in the world.
• Montezuma Castle National Monument, where divers explore the enigmatic, leech-filled natural sinkhole produced from an underground spring in the Arizona desert, featuring a "boiling" false bottom of fluidized sand and silt held in suspension by pressurized groundwater. 
• Buck Island Reef National Monument. Just offshore of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, scientists are using groundbreaking technology to monitor wildlife and manage yellow band disease, and search for the wreckage of two 18^th century slave ships believed to be submerged just off the coast of the island.
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Viewers get a glimpse at the wreckage of a 1948 B-29 bomber that crashed while performing classified testing and maneuvers. The film also documents troubling climate issues—the reservoir has now dropped to his lowest level on record since its creation in the 1930s—and the effect of the invasive Quagga mussel on both the B-29 wreckage, the overall habitat and other sites.
• Yellowstone National Park. Scientists here investigate the invasive lake trout epidemic and its effect on the cutthroat trout population. Viewers also get a unique underwater look at the geothermal "smokers" found in the park, which are typically only found in deep water trenches on the ocean floor. 

Produced in conjunction with the NPS Submerged Resource Center, "Underwater Wonders" was filmed with technical dive expertise and state-of-the-art equipment from the renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, along with the expert insight of Brett Seymour, deputy chief of the NPS Submerged Resources Center and other NPS researchers.

"We are extremely pleased to partner with CuriosityStream to produce this series that sheds light on the underwater world of the NPS by highlighting the work of dedicated marine scientists and archaeologists in support of the park service mission—to preserve and protect our national treasures for future generations," Seymour said. "The national parks belong to all of us, and now for the first time millions of viewers have the chance to see what even park visitors rarely get to see. With this series, we hope to engage and connect the public with their parks—especially those underwater. The CuriosityStream partnership has been the ideal venue to make this happen."  

The entire "Underwater Wonders" series is available to watch in full 4K ultra-HD quality for free with a new 30-day trial of CuriosityStream. The on-demand streaming service now offers more than 1,500 high-quality original and licensed programs, many in 4K ultra-HD, accessible on any device, starting at just $2.99/month. To sign up or learn more, visit www.curiositystream.com.

About CuriosityStream
CuriosityStream is the world's first ad-free, on-demand streaming service for documentary and nonfiction programming from the world's best filmmakers, available on any device, for less than the cost of a cup of coffee per month. Focused on offering enriching, enlightening and enchanting content covering science, technology, civilization and the human spirit, CuriosityStream was founded by Discovery Communications founder, former chairman and media visionary John Hendricks. For more information, visit www.curiositystream.com.

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