As whaling season begins in the Antarctic, the Sea Shepherds embark on another dangerous campaign. With three vessels all launching from a different port, Captain Paul Watson now faces the daunting task of being the admiral of a fleet
After repeated attempts to outrun and engage his pursuers, Captain Paul Watson makes a dangerous decision. Meanwhile, the Sea Shepherds' speedboat, Ady Gil, has returned to dock to repair their damaged radar.
The Sea Shepherds have been relentlessly followed by the whaling reconnaissance vessel for two weeks. They find themselves in a full-on engagement on the high seas as Captain Paul Watson orders a massive butyric acid bottle attack on his nemesis.
The Sea Shepherd's stealth boat, the Ady Gil, launches a sneak attack on the Japanese whaling reconnaissance vessel in an effort to break free of the tail and find the rest of the whaling fleet.
After nearly a month of searching, the Sea Shepherds have finally found their ultimate target: the world's only whale factory ship, the Nisshin Maru.
At the bottom of the world, a collision has just devastated one of the Sea Shepherds' vessels. The crew on the other vessel stand helpless on their deck, watching in horror as the Japanese vessel barrels through the Sea Shepherds' prized speedboat.
In the aftermath of the devastating loss of their stealth vessel, the Sea Shepherds have returned to the campaign with renewed passion and intensity. Now the two remaining ships are back on the hunt for the Japanese fleet.
With low oil and drinking water, and a damaged helicopter, the Sea Shepherds' hunt for the Japanese whaling fleet has been brought to a halt. While on their way back to port, the radar shows two colossal storms that they can't avoid.
As the Sea Shepherds approach the Nisshin Maru, they are suddenly surrounded by four whaling vessels. Suddenly, one of the Japanese vessels moves in dangerously close, and as the deck crew quickly braces themselves, the ships unhappyly collide.
The Sea Shepherds refuse to be bullied by the Japanese fleet even though they're out numbered. The deckhands repel over the side of the ship to assess the damage from the collision and realize that there is a gash in the steel hull and water is pouring in.
This is the first coordinated multi-boat engagement of the campaign and the crews of both ships develop innovative new tactics to harass the whalers.
The Sea Shepherd vessels get caught in a major storm and fear they may lose the Japanese factory vessel. Meanwhile, Pete Bethune analyzes helicopter footage of the Shonan Maru #2 - the Japanese vessel he plans to board.
Pete Bethune boards a Japanese whaling vessel under the cover of darkness. As the sun rises over the horizon, he attempts to present himself to the captain. Later, Sea Shepherd volunteers reflect on what they call their most successful campaign yet.
Whale Wars: From Pirate to Prisoner features Peter Bethune as he shares his experiences where cameras could not follow - on board the ship that took him into custody, held him for nearly a month on board and led to his detainment in Japan for months.