How do deep-sea cables survive shark attacks and massive ship anchors?

[00:00:00]How do deep-sea cables survive shark attacks and massive shipping anchors? A single ship anchor can weigh several tons. Dragged across the seafloor, it can tear through steel. Sharks have even been known to bite underwater cables.

[00:00:13]Yet, somehow, the cables carrying the world's internet continue working day after day. So, how do they survive?

[00:00:21]The answer is that these aren't ordinary cables. They're built like armored machines. At the center [music] are the fibers that carry data across oceans and connect entire continents. Surrounding them are multiple protective layers designed to withstand pressure, corrosion, impacts, and abrasion. But in dangerous areas, that's still not enough. Engineers wrap the cables in thick steel armor, creating a protective shield against anchors, fishing equipment, and other threats lurking on the seafloor. And for even greater protection, many cables are buried beneath the seabed itself. Specialized ships use underwater plows to dig trenches, hiding the cables beneath layers of sand and sediment. This keeps them out of reach of most hazards above.

[00:01:03]And despite the stories you've heard, sharks aren't the biggest threat.

[00:01:07]>> [music] >> Humans are.

[00:01:08]Most cable damage is caused by ship anchors and fishing gear accidentally striking the seafloor.

[00:01:14]That's why the cables responsible for carrying nearly all international internet traffic are designed to survive one of the harshest environments on Earth.

[00:01:22]Hidden beneath the ocean, protected by steel armor and layers of sediment, these underwater lifelines quietly keep the modern world connected.