South Pacific Terrors is the fifth episode of the seventh season of River Monsters.
Episode Description[]
In Fiji, people are being attacked from unseen assailants in the water, but it's not clear if there are multiple culprits or a single perpetrator. Jeremy Wade battles tropical storms & thick jungle in an all-out search for a culprit.
Episode Summary[]
Wade travels to Fiji, having received several varying reports of brutal attacks in the tropical nation. Investigating a death in which the victim's body was badly bruised, he quickly receives a positive ID on the culprit, the giant trevally. To prove that this fish can grow large, powerful, and daring enough to kill a human with its shark-killing battering strength, Jeremy must fish above a coral reef that threatens to cut his line at any time. Eventually, he manages to hook one of these bruisers and brings it in on rod and reel after a gruelling battle. Jeremy concludes the trevally might feel threatened, so it uses its battering ram like head to slam humans that wander too close. After resolving the trevally case, however, Jeremy realises that the other death that he heard of before coming to Fiji must be the fault of a different culprit, as it occurred too far inland for the Giant Trevally to reach. He hears of several other inland cases and begins to investigate. Jeremy knows the island is home to large, little-known giant marbled eel and tries to catch one in the reservoir location of one of the attacks, but comes out empty handed. Unsure if the marbled eel is the culprit, he travels to a remote region deep in the mountainous Fijian jungles. Wade learns that the culprit is known to the locals who have additional attack reports of the creature, but their name for it is not something he recognizes. Jeremy dives into a deep section of the river said to be home to a monster fish, but still does not witness it. After securing permission to fish in the river from the village elders, Jeremy waits for hours, well into the night, and eventually catches the confirmed killer, which is indeed the giant marbled eel. After observing the 5-foot long eel, Jeremy concludes that the many attacks in Fiji were the work of both fish: the giant trevally at the river mouth and coastal regions, and the marbled eel in the inland sections. He also concludes that these fish were both practising their very easily agitated defensive behaviours.
Animals Featured[]
- Giant Trevally
- Marbled Eel
- Bull Shark (mentioned)
- New Zealand Longfin Eel (mentioned)
Locations Featured[]
- Viti Levu, island part of Fiji
Incidents[]
There were many incidents in this episode. Here are all of them:
- A diver went to check a dam and do some maintenance, but he doesn't surface. Later, his body is found with a lot of strange circular abrasions on his face.
- One of Fiji's top young rugby players is swimming across a lake with some friends when he inexplicably disappears. His body is never found, but all the other people swimming weren't bothered.
- Two women are wading in the river to find clams but one of them disappears. A few days later her body is found with large bruises on her body.
- A fisherman's net is stuck, and he jumps into the water to free it. But, he ends up being bitten and injured by some long fish with sharp teeth.
- A European girl is going across the river when her foot is mauled and left with small circular abrasions.
Reception[]
Average, 8 star episode.
Trivia[]
- The episode with some of the most attacks featured in River Monsters.
See Also[]
Gallery[]
