team members jen davidson and beth lenz, and the boat's captain. john 'lj' benson. this won't be leisurely... we're racing the elements. in the mountains overlooking the bay, a storm is threatening. it's an ominous day to go scuba diving, but science doesn't wait for perfect weather. near our dive site, beth and jen jump in with snorkel gear to help us zero in on the reef below. the event that brought us here is called bleaching. higher than normal water temperatures cause corals to expel the symbiotic plant cells which provide them food. without the algae the corals begin to starve...turning healthy brown coral, ghostly white. this year's bleaching has been so pervasive, that for only the third time in history, scientists have declared it a global event. back on board, i check out a new piece of equipment; an aquatic communication system that will let me talk underwater. jen and beth surface, confirming we're on the reef. >> directly under me. >> it's directly under her... we'll do it, because this coral is really amazing. >> with the weather still holding, though