Off the east coast of Australia is the world's largest living structure: the Great Barrier Reef. It's a hot spot of activity during the breeding season of humpback whales. Females give birth to calves conceived the year before, and males "joust" to establish this year's mating rights. When filmmaker Tina Dalton's inflatable boat gets caught in the middle of these warring males, things get very dangerous, very fast.

Then, Africa's Congo is home to the endangered lowland gorilla. World-renowned camera operator Dieter Plage stands firm with 500-pound male gorillas, but it's the baby gorillas that bring him even closer.

Finally, in remote Namibia, director Judith Curran is filming a hand-reared leopard when it suddenly attacks. Despite sustaining serious injuries, her knowledge and experience with animals saves her life.