Rye Resident + Whale Anatomist Reidenberg on Live PBS Show

Rye resident and whale anatomist Dr. Joy Reidenberg, Ph.D. will be on Big Blue Live, a three-part live show on PBS that will showcase marine life on the California Coast. You might remember her from Sludgie the Whale.

Reidenberg is a Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She has traveled the world working as a medical school instructor, environmental researcher, and comparative anatomist. 

It looks like Reidenberg will get the most airtime in episode three: "…the blue whale. Venture inside the whale with Dr. Reidenberg…"

BIG BLUE LIVE, a PBS and BBC Co-Production, Brings Majestic Marine Life of the California Coast to U.S. Viewers in a Three-Part Television Event, the series airs on PBS August 31-September 2, from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET, with a second live feed each night from 8:00-9:00 p.m. PT. Digital and Social Hub for BIG BLUE LIVE is PBS.org/BigBlueLive. BBC airs its own live broadcast in the UK, streaming online and through social media for UK viewers.

Scientists, filmmakers, photographers and other experts will come together for two weeks in late August to film some of the world’s most charismatic marine creatures — humpback whales, sea lions, dolphins, elephant seals, sea otters, great white sharks, shearwaters, brown pelicans, blue whales and more — gathering at this time of year in Monterey Bay to feed on the abundance of food in these waters. Monterey Bay’s unique underwater geography, with a deep ocean canyon close to shore, brings species by the thousands into the once endangered, now thriving, ecosystem of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California. 

In both PBS feeds, viewers can watch one of nature’s great reality shows, delivered through state-of-the-art filming technologies and live reports from air, by boat and below the waves. The multi-platform event will be anchored by two anchors, with several on-air correspondents and additional leading scientists and experts providing insights during the program.

BIG BLUE LIVE will be broadcast from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and from aboard Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary vessels, as well as from Monterey shoreline locations. In addition to the live portions of the programs, BBC and PBS crews have been filming video and b-roll footage over the course of the summer, which will be rolled into each broadcast to expand upon what is being seen live.

BIG BLUE LIVE airs live over three nights; some of what audiences can expect to see include: 

Episode 1 – Follow migrating whales, sharks and various birds as they join sea otters, sea lions and other species that live full-time in Monterey Bay. Watch reports from Monterey Aquarium and NOAA research vessels and get facts about humpback whale anatomy.

Episode 2 – Dive into the hidden world of Monterey’s sea lions and hear about the bay’s rejuvenation through sea otters’ return. Join a scientist who’s trying to help solve the mystery of shark migration and study the anatomy of white sharks and elephant seals.

Episode 3 – Follow the team on the water and in the sky as they search for the giant of the sea: the blue whale. Venture inside the whale with Dr. Reidenberg and join Sanjayan on an incredible journey to get up close and personal with these giants of the deep.

Get in the mod by watching a live jelly fish cam from the Monterey Bay Aquarium: