Hydrotech

Earthrace is a biodiesel-fueled powerboat built to smash the record for fastest race around the world. Skipper Pete Bethune has already made one disastrous attempt at the record: his crew was shot at, thrown in jail and demoralized. Will Pete overcome demons, dangers, finances and nerves to finally succeed, setting a new record and proving biodiesel's potential as a high-performance fuel?

Seattle's fireboat fleet is getting old and, with the threat of terrorism looming over America's harbors, new boats are needed now more than ever. Faced with this challenge, the Seattle Fire Department embarks on an ambitious plan to design and construct two new high-tech fireboats that will set the standard for the 21st century.

A million-dollar yacht sits sunken and entombed in ice. A professional salvage crew works to pry it from the Atlantic's icy grip while volunteers figure out how to get it back to shore. Both teams need ingenuity, courage and a little luck to pull it off.

The Mississippi River is America's economic lifeline. Without constant care, it can quickly swell into a deadly, destructive force. The United States Army Corps of Engineers is charged with keeping the Mississippi in check.

The future of the Panama Canal is in serious jeopardy. Bigger ships, outdated technology and looming environmental disasters make the canal-once the embodiment of a centuries-old dream-potentially obsolete. It will take a major facelift to save this historic waterway.

Blue jeans, cell phones, televisions-nearly everything we buy today has spent some part of its life aboard a container ship. Delivering containers on time and on demand is a high-stakes race. Delays can cost millions! In this episode, we look at one of the world's busiest ports.

Speed sailing is the sprint of the sailing world: stars like Björn Dunkerbeck and Finian Maynard travel the globe in pursuit of the perfect conditions for maximum speed. The ultimate goal is to break the elusive 50 knot barrier. Now, however, the arrival of upstart Paul Larson and his futuristic boat "Sailrocket" are turning heads and may just turn the world of speed sailing upside down.

In the Port of Copenhagen, Peter Madsen is building the world's largest homemade submarine with only a shoestring budget and a dedicated group of volunteers. Can he build, launch and dive the submarine to 100 meters? Or will his dreams of living beneath the sea and traveling the earth become a deathtrap?

Like many cities, San Francisco's water mains and sewers are aging and breaking down. To avoid impending disaster, the city has doubled its efforts to shore up its water infrastructure, but will it be able to withstand "The Big One?"

To solve Istanbul's crippling traffic jams, engineers are building the most ambitious underwater tunnel ever attempted. However, the construction project is on a collision course with the greatest archaeological find in the ancient city's history. Will Istanbul bulldoze its past to pave a path to its future?

Crime scene investigation is going into the water. Investigators are rethinking the methods of treating a crime scene below the water's surface. New technology and improved methods are taking the search to the source: into rivers and lakes as well as onto the seafloor.

Venice is sinking under the rising tides of the Adriatic Sea. Coming to the rescue is a team with an ambitious plan: a series of massive underwater floodgates that will rise up to block the deluge. Can they complete the project in time?

When man crosses paths with the great white shark, the results can be deadly for both parties. But what if we could determine where sharks will be before they get there? This episode follows an Australian shark researcher as he comes face-to-face with the great white and uses space-age technology to learn more about these mysterious predators.