About this season
Hosted by ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman, the award-winning Sea Rescue™ tells the stories of marine animal rescue, rehabilitation, and return to the wild by the dedicated men and women of the SeaWorld® Rescue Team and partner organizations. With rescue teams on call 24/7 and a legacy spanning more than five decades, SeaWorld has rescued over 26,000 whales, dolphins, sea lions, penguins, manatees, sea turtles and birds, with the ultimate goal of successfully rehabilitating and returning each one to the wild. Sea Rescue shares the teams’ incredible and heartwarming adventures through a combination of first-hand accounts, expert insights, and remarkable footage that will inspire, educate, and enthrall viewers!
Episodes (26)
1. A Gigantic Challenge
Aired 3 October 2015 • 30 min
Marine biologists spend years trying to perfect a technique to help rescue one of the biggest creatures on the planet: the right whale. Then, oil washes ashore during a Gulf spill, and rescuers spring into action to save hundreds of sea turtles in danger.
2. Lucky Streak
Aired 10 October 2015 • 30 min
An exhausted pelican lands on a busy highway in Florida and Sea Rescue host Matt Gutman is there to assist with the rescue. Then, a manatee becomes ill after spending too long in frigid water, so the SeaWorld team launches a rescue mission to help him.
3. Race Against Time
Aired 17 October 2015 • 30 min
A sea lion is slowly being strangled by a loop of line around his neck, so rescuers race to save him. Then, rescue teams work around the clock to prevent an ecological disaster after an oil spill in Galveston, Texas.
4. Gift of Sight
Aired 24 October 2015 • 30 min
Four sea animals with one thing in common: they have a problem with their eyesight. In this Sea Rescue special, can the teams use cutting edge technology and a lot of TLC to give these animals the gift of sight?
5. Pipeline to Disaster
Aired 31 October 2015 • 30 min
A pipeline bursts near Santa Barbara, California, spilling thousands of gallons of oil into a precious ecosystem. One of the biggest rescue efforts in state history begins to save seabirds and marine mammals caught in the oil’s deadly path.
6. Family Ties
Aired 7 November 2015 • 30 min
A rescue team tries to save a young whale tangled up in fishing line off the coast of Maui as its mother swims nearby. Then, a baby manatee is discovered without her mom, so rescuers step in to take care of this precious little girl.
7. Sea Cow in Texas
Aired 14 November 2015 • 30 min
A manatee turns up in Trinity Bay near Galveston, Texas, and when the water temperature drops, a multitude of rescue groups work together to save the manatee. Then, two sea lions in San Diego have life threatening entanglements around their necks.
8. Here, There and Everywhere
Aired 21 November 2015 • 30 min
Sea lion pups start washing ashore, ill and emaciated, up and down the California coast. Soon the numbers shatter all previous records and rescue teams work around the clock to keep up with a deluge of sick patients.
9. Shell Shocked
Aired 16 January 2016 • 30 min
Hundreds of endangered sea turtles strand on the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, after spending too long in water that’s too cold for them. A rescue effort is launched to save them by flying these turtles all over the country to rehabilitation centers.
10. Situation Contained
Aired 23 January 2016 • 30 min
A sea lion is brought to SeaWorld San Diego in the back of a police car. Then, two albatross turn up in the unlikeliest of places: a desert community and a container ship. Fortunately for these wayward long-distance fliers, help is on hand.
11. Best of: Hooked
Aired 30 January 2016 • 30 min
Four animals, one problem: they’ve all been hooked with a sharp object. In this special episode of Sea Rescue, it’s up to rescue teams across the country to get two dolphins, a sea lion and a small shark safely back to their ocean homes.
12. Heron Today, Gone Tomorrow
Aired 6 February 2016 • 30 min
It’s a fight for survival in Hawaii as rescuers work tirelessly to help the endangered monk seal population recover. Then, a great blue heron is in grave danger after a soda can becomes stuck around its beak, so rescuers must step in to help.
13. Never Give up Hope
Aired 13 February 2016 • 30 min
A manatee becomes stranded in frigid waters near Savannah, Georgia, as rescuers race to reach him in time. Then, two young harbor seals with serious injuries arrive at SeaWorld San Diego and the team works to save them.
14. In Trouble in the Gulf
Aired 20 February 2016 • 30 min
When a sick dolphin washes ashore in Louisiana, a dedicated rescue team helps it, inspiring a group of school children along the way. Then, hundreds of turtles strand along the Gulf shore of Texas in critical condition.
15. Wading in to Help
Aired 27 February 2016 • 30 min
A young harbor seal is brought into SeaWorld San Diego with a broken back and a mysterious illness. Then, rescuers wade in to help a badly sunburned dolphin stranded on a sandbar.
16. Day and Night
Aired 5 March 2016 • 30 min
A young harbor seal is brought into SeaWorld San Diego with a broken back and a mysterious illness. Then, rescuers wade in to help a badly sunburned dolphin stranded on a sandbar.
17. Stuck in the Drain
Aired 12 March 2016 • 30 min
Rescuers discover 20 manatees trapped in a narrow drainpipe and begin an overnight rescue to save them all. Then, two loggerhead sea turtles are brought to the South Carolina Aquarium with life-threatening shell injuries.
18. Small But Nighty
Aired 2 April 2016 • 30 min
When a newborn orphaned sea otter pup washes ashore, rescuers act quickly to give this infant a second chance. Then, a newborn harbor seal strands with a swollen neck and rescuers have to get her well again.
19. Dangerous Entanglements
Aired 9 April 2016 • 30 min
Two dolphins, a whale and a sea lion are all fighting for their lives while tangled up in fishing gear. In this special edition of Sea Rescue, teams work quickly to save these unfortunate animals from their deadly entanglements.
20. A Profound Legacy
Aired 16 April 2016 • 30 min
Meet the pioneers who spent decades perfecting techniques to safely and successfully sedate and return entangled sea lions in the wild. Then, a female loggerhead sea turtle is taken to SeaWorld Orlando for care.
21. Trouble on the Sand
Aired 23 April 2016 • 30 min
A sea lion is spotted with a deadly tangle of line and a fishing lure caught in his mouth, and rescuers need to find him before it’s too late. Then, a dolphin strands near the U.S border with Mexico and is in critical condition.
22. Something in the Water
Aired 30 April 2016 • 30 min
A leatherback sea turtle strands in South Carolina and rescuers come to the rescue. Then, a mysterious substance appears in the San Francisco Bay and threatens the lives of hundreds of sea birds.
23. Rapid Response
Aired 7 May 2016 • 30 min
A manatee has been struck by a boat and needs to be rescued or he could drown. Then, a young dolphin is spotted in a freshwater bayou in Texas and rescuers have to move quickly to save this saltwater animal.
24. Big or Small, Help Them All
Aired 14 May 2016 • 30 min
Rescue teams in Maui respond to a young, emaciated humpback whale severely entangled in heavy gauge line. Then, a harbor seal that can’t swallow fish is taken to SeaWorld San Deigo where the team must discover how to help her if she's going to survive.
25. Feathered Friends in Need
Aired 21 May 2016 • 30 min
Flamingos in Mexico, penguins in South Africa, sea birds in California and sandhill cranes in Florida all need help. In this special edition of Sea Rescue, four inspiring stories of feathered friends and the people who help them.
26. Fight or Flight
Aired 28 May 2016 • 30 min
A juvenile great white shark becomes stranded off Cape Cod. Then, after a harbor seal survives a shark attack he’s left with a life-threatening wound and rescuers use an ancient cure to help.