Stunning footage released for the first time by National Geographic shows dozens of penguin chicks bravely diving off a huge 15-metre-high cliff to swim for the first time in the icy waters of Antarctica.

Award-winning National Geographic filmmaker Bertie Gregory spent two months tracking a colony of 10,000 emperor penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula, and was lucky enough to capture the unusual scene with his lens, he told Good Morning America.

“When the chicks make their first dive they usually jump into the sea from about half a metre of ice. We noticed a lot of chicks were skipping over those spots to go somewhere else.

So I used the drone to see exactly what was happening and realised they were congregating on the edge of a huge cliff 15 meters high.

Then they started jumping one by one to take their first swim in the Southern Ocean,” Gregory said describing the wonderful scene.

In the video posted on YouTube by National Geographic, the penguins are seen tentatively approaching the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, one of them leaps into the void and falls into the water with a splash.

A short time later it appears to be swimming unharmed. Other chicks follow suit, diving in from above to enjoy their first swim.

Gregory explained that he himself felt nervous watching the scene, since large chunks of ice were floating in the water and colliding with them “would be like running into concrete.”

These baby penguins are taking the plunge! ?@NatGeoTV is releasing this footage of baby penguins cliff-diving for the first time as part of the amazing Earth Month content found on @DisneyPlus. @morgannorwood has more. pic.twitter.com/DUQ2jRBqo7

— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 11, 2024

However, he says, the penguins immediately surfaced swimming, even though they had never done so before in their lives.

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According to the New York Post, Gregory’s astonishing footage showing for the first time penguin chicks doing… cliff diving will be included in the documentary “Secrets of the Penguins,” which will premiere on Earth Day (April 22) 2025.

Watch: Stunning video – Penguins dive from 15 metres high for their first swim in the Southern Ocean