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The fourth leg of the journey begins in the most strategically important region of the entire Indian Ocean. Forty per cent of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the narrow strait between Iran and the Musandam peninsular, a rugged region of Oman. In this remote and other worldly region of vast cliffs and deep inlets Simon witnesses a thriving smuggling trade between Oman and Iran and visits the isolated village of Kumzar which boasts its own unique language and a lifestyle that has changed little in centuries. For centuries Omani traders sailed the monsoon winds across the Indian Ocean and Simon’s next port of call is one of their traditional destinations and one of the biggest cities on earth. The packed mega-city of Mumbai is never more chaotic than during the annual festival of Ganesh, and Simon joins the celebration as thousands of statues are paraded to the Indian Ocean. During his visit Simon investigates the impact of India’s booming population on the ocean and meets fishermen reporting an alarming drop in fish stocks. But nowhere are the threats to the ocean more apparent than in the Maldives archipelago. Simon is overwhelmed by the beauty of the Maldives, one of the most beautiful locations he has ever visited, but discovers that the breathtaking coral atolls face a series of alarming threats. As well as snorkelling and free-diving with dozens of manta rays, Simon witnesses the disturbing phenomenon of coral bleaching, which is leading to a frightening decline in the world’s coral reefs. Simon realises even the paradise Maldives are not immune from the challenges facing the rest of the planet, but nothing prepares him for an astonishing trip to the Maldives rubbish island, a stinking toxic landfill dump for the islands’ waste.