This makome as a surprise to no one, but the most jawsome week of the year is finally here once again.
If you’re just as hooked on shark content as we are, then get ready for a week full of all things sharks as the Discovery Channel embarks on its 35th year of Shark Week on Sunday July 23.
A week of all things sharks? It’s true! We promise we’re not up to any fishy business when we say you’re in a for a real chompin’ treat this year.
Jason Momoa, an actor and conservationist dedicated to protecting and preserving the world’s oceans, is this year’s Shark Week host, guiding fans through nearly 20 hours of new programming dedicated to the ocean beasts.
Check out this year’s lineup direct from the Discovery Channel to sea what all the craze is all about, and stay tuned in the depths below for fun shark-related things to do IRL with your friends and family this summer:
“Belly of the Beast: Feeding Frenzy”
Researchers brave a great white shark-feeding frenzy inside a life-size whale decoy — which could be the key to finding the biggest Great White Sharks in South African history. Watch Sunday, July 23, at 8 p.m.
“Jaws vs the Meg”
The MEG, a massive shark measuring 50 feet and weighing 60 tons, was once feared as the most fearsome predator. It could devour a killer whale effortlessly, but new evidence suggests that its cousin, the Great White Shark, may have caused its extinction. Watch Sunday, July 23, at 9 p.m.
“Serial Killer: Red Sea Feeding Frenzy”
Shark attack investigator Brandon McMillan and cinematographer Fo Zayed travel to Egypt, hoping to figure out what’s behind three recent deadly shark attacks off some of the Red Sea’s most posh resorts. Watch Sunday, July 23, at 10 p.m.
“Shark Week: Off the Hook”
Dive into the biggest thrills and most terrifying moments of 35 years of Shark Week in this behind-the-scenes look at iconic moments and never-before-seen footage of the fearless adventurers who get up close with the world’s scariest creatures! Watch Sunday, July 23, at 11 p.m.
“Great White Fight Club”
A team of experts venture into the treacherous waters of New Zealand to provide groundbreaking evidence that female white sharks unequivocally dominate the ocean, reigning as the ultimate controllers of its fierce battlegrounds. Watch Monday, July 24, at 8 p.m.
“Monsters of the Bermuda Triangle”
A Porbeagle tagged off New England vanishes in the Bermuda Triangle. Evidence suggests it could be a monstrous predator. A team of scientists led by James Sulikowski dives into treacherous depths to uncover the truth behind an apex predator. Watch Monday, July 24, at 9 p.m.
“Alien Sharks: Strange New Worlds”
The tip of South Africa is a hotspot of unusual sharks that exhibit bizarre behaviors and alien appearances. Wildlife biologist Forrest Galante explores stunning kelp forests and ocean depths never seen by humans to study these extraordinary creatures. Watch Monday, July 24, at 10 p.m.
“Mako Mania: Battle for California”
Off the coast of Los Angeles, a new population of super makos is challenging Great Whites for hunting territories. Craig O’Connell, Fo Zayed and Kendyl Bernet deploy state-of-the-art technology to reveal their dominance. Watch Tuesday, July 25, at 8 p.m.
“Raiders of the Lost Shark”
Shark expert Matt Dicken and Shark Week legend Dickie Chivell embark on a relentless quest to locate the elusive and colossal shark named Dutchess, who mysteriously vanished from Gansbaai, South Africa, years ago. Watch Tuesday, July 25, at 9 p.m.
“Monster Hammerheads: Killer Instinct”
Tristan Guttridge believes Hammerhead sharks can reach monster sizes by hunting other sharks — but the only way to prove it is to get tissue samples from some of the largest sharks on the planet. Watch Tuesday, July 25, at 10 p.m.
“Air Jaws: Final Frontier”
Shark filmmakers hunt for “Air Jaws” in New Zealand’s hidden “launch pad.” Andy Casagrande and Jeff Kurr seek the 2nd breaching great white to uncover secrets that make history in these waters. Watch Wednesday, July 26, at 8 p.m.
“Florida Shark: Blood in the Water”
Paul de Gelder is diving into the Shark Attack Capital of the World to conduct experiments that will confirm what makes these dangerous waters and determine methods to mitigate the risk. Watch Wednesday, July 26, at 9 p.m.
“Cocaine Sharks”
For decades rumors of cocaine-fueled sharks have been whispered throughout the fishing community. Shark expert Tom Hird travels to the Florida Keys to investigate what happens with the sharks coming in contact with the most notorious drug on the planet. Watch Wednesday, July 26, at 10 p.m.
“Jaws in the Shallows”
Shark Week veteran Riley Elliott has traveled all over to study great whites, but now they’re terrorizing the beaches of New Zealand. Riley and his wife, Amber Jones, set out to find answers to keep their loved ones safe before it’s too late. Watch Thursday, July 27, at 8 p.m.
“Monster Mako: Fresh Blood”
Off California’s coast, 12-foot-long monster mako sharks compete head-to-head with great whites for prey. Austin Gallagher and his team get up close with both predators in the shark dome and also track makos breaching eight feet out of the ocean. Watch Thursday, July 27, at 9 p.m.
“Shark vs Snake: Battle of the Bites”
Tiger sharks are washing up dead on the beaches of Western Australia with no sign of attack. Forrest Galante has a theory that deadly sea snakes are turning these apex predators into prey! In the battle of shark against snake, are snakes winning? Watch Thursday, July 27, at 10 p.m.
“Tropic Jaws”
When a 16-foot great white invades Bali, Indonesia’s warm coast, it sparks fears they could adapt to hunting the tropical beaches. Craig O’Connell and Madison Stewart are on a mission to find Tropic Jaws and discover why they are here. Watch Friday, July 28, at 8 p.m.
“Deadly Sharks of Paradise”
Scientists in South America are studying a shark species thought to be responsible for a spike in attacks since 1990. Marine biologist Danni Washington and shark conservationist Paul de Gelder join a team tracking tiger sharks off a pristine tropical archipelago in Brazil. Watch Friday, July 28, at 9 p.m.
The Haunting of Shark Tower
News of a harrowing shark encounter at North Carolina’s Frying Pan Tower has underwater cinematographer Andy Casagrande and shark expert Kori Burkhardt on a dangerous quest to discover whether great white sharks are moving into the state’s waters. Watch Friday, July 28, at 10 p.m.
“Dawn of the Monster Mako”
A 14-foot giant mako shark is spotted in the waters of Portugal’s Azores region. Underwater cinematographer Joe Romeiro and his wife, marine biologist Lauren Romeiro, search the teeming depths around the ancient islands to capture the beast on film. Watch Saturday, July 29, at 8 p.m.
“Megasharks of Dangerous Reef”
The remote islands off the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia are believed to harbor some of the biggest white sharks on the planet. While local fishing reports suggest these giant sharks are still around, they’re rarely seen. Watch Saturday, July 29, at 9 p.m.
Regional ways to celebrate Shark Week
Looking for ways to supplement your Shark Week TV programming?
Here are some regional shark events to chews from that are perfect for Shark Week and beyond:
Adventure Aquarium, Camden, New Jersey
The Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey, features unique exhibits with more than 15,000 animals, including hippos, penguins and the largest collection of sharks in the Northeast.
The aquarium currently houses bamboo sharks, great hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks, Pacific blacktip reef sharks, sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks and silky sharks.
Now celebrating Shark Summer, Adventure Aquarium has several offers centered on sharks, including Shark Chats, the Scuba Tooth Fairy, the Shark Bridge, the Shark Tunnel and more.
The Scuba Tooth Fairy dives among Pacific blacktips, a great hammerhead, silky sharks and more while scooping up hundreds of shark teeth for their collection. At the end of their visits, guests can show support by starting a shark teeth collection of their own and “adopting” a shark.
You can catch one of their three daily dives between now and Aug. 20.
Weekend beach guide:What to know before heading to the Delaware beaches this weekend
The Shark Tunnel is a 40-foot tunnel guests can walk through, feeling watched by the dozens of hungry eyes of the residents of the Shark Realm exhibit as the sharks follow their every move.
If the Shark Realm exhibit interests you, tours that offer a behind-the-seas look are available for a limited time!
The 81-foot Shark Bridge is the longest, V-shaped rope suspension bridge in the world, according to the aquarium, and allows visitors to walk mere inches above the 21-foot-deep Shark Realm exhibit, which features nearly 30 sharks.
The National Aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland
The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, is ranked as one of the nation’s top aquariums and features thousands of species in award-winning exhibits. During your visit, you’ll run into sharks, dolphins, exotic fish, diverse plants, reptiles, birds and more.
The Shark Behind-the-Scenes Tour allows guests to walk the catwalk above Shark Alley, where sharks swim just inches below, before visiting the food prep kitchen and participating in fish feeding in Blacktip Reef. Visitors also can visit the sharks behind-the-scenes to learn all about the incredible predators.
Take a train ride:Check out the Wilmington & Western Railroad for a scenic day trip or a boozy night ride
The event is about 45 minutes long and is available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in July & August.
Shark Alley is a 225,000-gallon exhibit that allows guests to come nose-to-nose with a variety of sharks while learning more about the creatures surrounding them.
Delaware Museum of Nature & Science, Greenville
The Delaware Museum of Nature & Science in Greenville is known for its extensive collections of birds, bird eggs and seashells, and features a variety of dynamic and diverse ecosystems along with historic exhibits that allow guests to go back in time and meet prehistoric creatures.
On Sunday, July 23, at 11:30 a.m., the museum will host a Girl Scout Award presentation called “The Growing Issue of Plastic Pollution in Oceans” that features Sandy the Shark talking about how marine life and humans are affected by pollution, the typical plastics found in the ocean and hoe they enter the sea, the types of pollution that contribute to ocean waste and ways to solve these issues.
During this free event, which still requires general admission to the museum, participants will take part in an ocean pollution activity comparing the difference between polluted and non-polluted water, draw and color sea creatures seen in polluted tubes, play a guessing game and learn more about pollution. Various interactive worksheet activities will be provided, too.
Want to toast Shark Week?
If you are hosting a Shark Week binge-watch, or just want an adult beverage to toast the occasion, you can check out this recipe for a Shark Bite cocktail from Mix That Drink.
Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys’tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.
