The hot weather can only mean one thing: It’s time for summer, and that means plenty of shark programming.
National Geographic, leading into World Ocean Day, has unveiled its lineup of new content for this year’s annual SharkFest. It all begins on June 30 at 9/8c with Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, the next installment in the franchise with the Marvel superhero (who also executive produces). That leads to Shark vs. Ross Edgley, in which the ultra-athlete swimmer, world record holder, and shark advocate attempts to pit his mind and body against four of the most formidable sharks in the ocean.
SharkFest takes viewers up close and personal with sharks while also highlighting the importance of conservation and taking care of the planet’s oceans and beaches, and it features scientific experts, cutting-edge technology, and first-of-its-kind research where viewers can discover even more groundbreaking insights about the ocean’s most fearsome predator. In addition to airing and streaming on Nat Geo, Disney+, Hulu, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, and ESPN2, programming will also air and stream across multiple Disney platforms including FAST pop-up Channel on ABC and Nat Geo apps featuring loops of content from years past; 2023 SharkFest content will be available for free on ABC and Nat Geo TVE apps; a 24/7 live stream of 2023 content will stream on YouTube; and there will be encore presentations on Disney XD.
SharkFest is a four-weeklong event that debuts 26 hours of shark-infested original and enhanced programming across Nat Geo, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, and ESPN2. All shows will stream July 1 on Disney+ and Hulu. Read on for all the details and release information for originals:
Shark Beach With Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast
National Geographic – Premieres June 30 at 9/8c
Nat Geo WILD – August 2 at 9/8c
Disney+ and Hulu – July 1
Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast follows Mackie in his hometown of New Orleans, where he grew up boating and fishing, and still fishes its waters to this day. In this hour-long special, Mackie investigates a fishing phenomenon called depredation, in which a shark preys upon a fisherman’s catch and consumes it before it can be retrieved. Across the globe, more and more fishermen are encountering this competition for food, bringing humans and sharks in closer proximity than ever before. After an increase in shark sightings in his hometown, Mackie sets out to learn more about these cases from the local Louisiana fishing communities affected as well as specialist scientists. He discovers how these human-shark encounters may be pointing to larger environmental issues on the shores of Louisiana and through the Gulf of Mexico.
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Shark vs. Ross Edgley
National Geographic – Premieres June 30 at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD – August 3 at 9/8c
Disney+ and Hulu – July 1
Ultra-athlete and shark advocate Ross Edgley goes head-to-head against four of the ocean’s most formidable sharks. He’s won the world record for the world’s longest assisted stage sea swim of nearly 1,800 miles but now Ross is pushing himself even further and testing his speed, strength, endurance, and digestive system. In four jaw-dropping shark challenges, Ross attempts a G-force turn like a hammerhead, a polaris jump out the water like a white shark, to out swim the mako — the world’s fastest shark — and finally, he tries to feast like a tiger shark.
Sharks Gone Viral
National Geographic – Premieres July 1 at 9/8c
Nat Geo WILD – July 30 at 8/7c
Disney+ and Hulu – July 1
It’s a social media feed frenzy as comedians Helen Hong, Keon Polee and the Sklar Brothers deep dive into the internet’s wildest shark videos — from lightning-fast shark attacks to sharks living on a golf course — while a panel of experts explore the science behind social media’s most influential fish.
Supersized Sharks
National Geographic – Premieres July 1 at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD – July 31 at 9/8c
Disney+ and Hulu – July 1
Norfolk Island, 800 miles off the coast of Australia, is home to some of the largest tiger sharks in the world. As strange as it sounds, some think this small island in the middle of the South Pacific has become like a drive-thru burger joint for tiger sharks to gorge on meat. For the first time, scientists are diving in to answer why there are so many huge tigers there. Shark biologists Lauren Meyers, Charlie Huveneers, and Adam Barnett lure the giants to their boat to investigate and make a surprising discovery.
Baby Sharks in the City
National Geographic – Premieres July 2 at 8/7c
Nat Geo WILD – July 29 at 8/7c
Disney+ and Hulu – July 1
Shark biologists have discovered a nursery of Atlantic great whites right off the coast of New York City! Watch as they deploy a state-of-the-art camera tag to reveal the secret life of the baby great white for the first time in these Atlantic waters, and study how climate change may impact the future of this shark population.
Shark Attack 360 (Eight-episode series)
National Geographic – Premieres July 2 at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD – August 1 at 5/4c
Disney+ and Hulu – July 1
Dive into the world of shark bites and investigate why they happen. An international team of experts hunts for clues, using evidence and personal accounts to unravel the mysteries behind shark behavior. Cutting-edge VFX technology is used in the 360-shark lab to analyze data and understand, in forensic detail, the reasons behind shark attacks.
Attack of the Red Sea Sharks
National Geographic – Premieres July 7 at 10/9c
Disney+ and Hulu – July 1
Attack of the Red Sea Sharks investigates why sharks killed three people in less than a year in the coastal waters of Red Sea resorts. Multiple witnesses captured the gruesome attacks, with the videos quickly going viral, sparking confusion and hysteria. Are these attacks part of a growing trend that is becoming more common worldwide? A team of scientists launches a global pursuit to answer that question and find ways to prevent future attacks.
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