NAT GEO WILD DIVES BENEATH THE BREATHTAKING BLUE WATERS OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA TO UNCOVER POTENTIAL DISASTROUS THREATS

World Premiere Special, Caribbean's Deadly Underworld with Bob Ballard, Plunges into the Deceptively Peaceful Caribbean to Examine Threatening Underwater Faults

Caribbean's Deadly Underworld Premieres Sunday, May 18, 2014, at 10 PM ET/PT on Nat Geo WILD

(Washington D.C. - May 5, 2014) The Caribbean is the land of tropical drinks, a heavy dose of relaxation, sandy beaches and clear blue water. But life is anything but tranquil underneath the blue waters. Massive sharks and alien life-creatures thrive along a line of hidden faults and volcanoes that could give way at any moment, engulfing coastlines from Puerto Rico to New York.

Now, for the first time, Nat Geo WILD goes deeper below the surface than ever before as National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Bob Ballard, the explorer who found the R.M.S. Titanic, and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Katy Croff Bell lead a team of scientists on a daring three-month deep-sea expedition to examine the potential of these threatening underwater faults like never before. The world premiere special, Caribbean's Deadly Underworld with Bob Ballard, premieres Sunday, May 18, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Nat Geo WILD. (For more information, visit www.natgeowild.com and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/NGC_PR.)

After the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 swept nearly 230,000 people to their deaths, scientists no longer underestimate the potential threat of deep-sea earthquakes. This mega thrust fault that spurred one of the world's worst natural disasters was thought to be virtually dormant and, unfortunately, the fault in the Puerto Rico Trench bears a striking resemblance. The mission: to use state-of-the-art technology to find out if the tranquil Caribbean may be poised to unleash a widespread catastrophe. In a region jam-packed with nearly every geologic hazard known to man, the team must be ready for whatever surprises come their way.

Caribbean's Deadly Underworld follows Bob, Katy and their team as they drop two remotely operated vehicles near one of the most seismically active parts of the Puerto Rico Trench - the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean. If everything goes according to plan, they'll sink more than a mile below to capture a view of the incredible seafloor for the very first time.

But the surveyors of the Nautilus won't just be looking for geological threats. These dangerous hotspots also support some of the richest and most bizarre biological communities on our planet. From alien-looking creatures that can survive in total darkness miles beneath the sea, to venomous lionfish and foot-long mussels, the sights in this one-hour special never cease to astonish.

Employing vivid HD footage and unparalleled expertise, Nat Geo WILD gathers striking scenes of the beauties underneath the Caribbean Sea. But going where no one has gone before has its downsides. Are we prepared to accept the harsh reality of these scientific discoveries? Are territories around the fault safe from disaster, or is the threat just a ticking time bomb?

To further the research and learn more about this area, Bob's team has continued to embark on expeditions to the Caribbean to discover underwater volcanoes, new wildlife and hazardous zones. After the premiere special, follow the EV Nautilus' new adventures this summer in real time as the team returns to the Caribbean starting June 11, and watch the action in high-definition streaming video via nautiluslive.org. Participate in live interactions with the scientists standing watch as they explore underwater volcanoes, shipwrecks and fault zones.

Caribbean's Deadly Underworld is produced by National Geographic Television (NGT) for Nat Geo WILD. For NGT, producers are Rob Burk and Bryn Michelle Hess. For Nat Geo WILD, executive producer is Susie Ryan; senior vice president of production and development is Janet Han Vissering; and executive producer, executive vice president and general manager is Geoff Daniels.

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About Nat Geo WILD

For more than 30 years, National Geographic has been the leader in wildlife programming. The networks Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo WILD HD, launched in 2010, offer intimate encounters with nature's ferocious fighters and gentle creatures of land, sea and air that draw upon the cutting-edge work of the many explorers, filmmakers and scientists of the National Geographic Society. Part of the National Geographic Channels US, based in Washington, D.C., the networks are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks. In 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) debuted, and 10 years later, Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with Nat Geo WILD currently available in 56 million U.S. homes. Globally, Nat Geo WILD is available in more than 100 million homes in 90 countries and 28 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeowild.com.