Killer Algae (1 of 20)

Thirty years ago a small and rare tropical plant was put into these tanks to grow.
What came out was a monster.
Today it is a potential threat to seas and oceans across the world.
You could just tell as you came up to it there was trouble.
It has a real insidious sort of creepy nature as if it's some sort of blob that's taking over at the bottom.
Nobody knows where it may strike next.
I don't believe that it's an exaggeration to say that this challenge is my worst nightmare and to the degree that people understand, it's their worst nightmare.

This is the extraordinary story of how an insignificant algae grew to become something many scientists believe is capable of causing ecological damage across the globe.
It 's become known as the killer algae.
It 's like out of a horror movie, but it's real.
Along the Pacific coast of southern California lie some of America's most popular holiday beaches.
Thousands of people come here every year to ride the waves.
Just behind the beaches are a series of lagoons, famous for water sports.
It was here nine months ago that a team of divers found something totally unexpected on the seabed.
It was a small plant they'd never seen before.
They decided to find out what it was.
I spent several days looking it up doing some research on it and when I finally found a photo as the picture downloaded onto my computer there was just a sinking feeling in my stomach.