The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
No shark shortage for Discovery’s Shark Week
Fins to the left, fins to the right with a week of programming
How much can you bite off?
Marking its 29th anniversary, Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” kicks off July 23 for eight days of programming. Meanwhile, Nat Geo Wild’s “SharkFest” starts opposite it.
One of “Shark Week’s” highlights is swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, racing a Great white.
Meanwhile, Nat Geo is cheekily promoting the fifth edition of “Sharkfest” with an ad featuring Ryan Lochte, Phelps’ longtime competitor and still a world-record holder, embracing the network’s second-place status when it comes to shark programming.
Unlike Phelps, Lochte won’t be racing any predators or getting up close to them.
“It’s not the shark you see, but the shark you don’t see,” says a diver in “Sharkfest’s” “Tiger Shark Terror.” No kidding? Despite the scary Bmovie titles of many of the episodes from both networks, the shows do dole out some serious information about these animals, like more people die each year taking selfies than from shark attacks.
Still, even the experts get excited when a shark snaps down on its prey. So there must be something primal with our fascination with these creatures. Discovery says more than 40 million viewers tuned into “Shark Week” last year.
A lot of the programming is new, but networks bring back some of their greatest hits to fill out the schedule. You can check the networks’ websites.
‘Shark Week’ on Discovery
Great White Shark Serial Killer Lives: (7 p.m. July 23) There has been a Great White attack every two years in October on a California beach. Scientists try to track the predator. Phelps vs. Shark — Great Gold vs. Great White: (8 p.m. July 23) Olympian Michael Phelps takes on another champion. Shark-Croc Showdown: (9:10 p.m. July 23) Saltwater crocodiles and sharks compete for prey and become it. Devil Sharks: (10:10 p.m. July 23) Underwater volcanoes are hot spots for sharks Shark Vortex: (8 p.m. July 24) Following sharks that follow the Gulf Stream. Return to the Isle of Jaws: (9 p.m. July 24) Explores the mysteries of a new great white hot spot, just south of Western Australia. Alien Sharks — Stranger Fins: (10 p.m. July 24) The search for some of the world’s strangest sharks. Sharks and The City: L.A.: (9 p.m. July 25) Along the L.A. coastline white sharks are increasing and they seem to be hunting out of season. Dr. Chris Lowe, Director of the CSU Long Beach Shark Lab, wants to know why. His investigation takes him to Guadalupe Island, off Mexico, to find answers. Sharks and The City — New York: (10 p.m. July 25) Seals are back in New York Harbor — can the Great Whites be far behind? The Lost Cage: (9 p.m. July 26) A team of explorers float in a special shark cage acting as human lures. Great Hammerhead Invasion: (9 p.m. July 26) Giant hammerheads arrive off Bimini in November, and scientists investigate why. Shark Exile: (9 p.m. July 27) Looking for a way to reduce shark attacks. Shark Swarm: (10 p.m. July 27) What creates shark “societies”? African Shark Safari: (9 p.m. July 28) Great Whites are showing up unexpectedly in Madagascar waters. Lair of the Sawfish: (10 p.m. July 28) Examines one of the sea’s strangest creatures and its relationship to sharks. Shark School With Michael Phelps: (8 p.m. July 30) Phelps gets schooled at Bimini Shark Lab and gets up close to a Great White.
‘Sharkfest’ on Nat Geo Wild
Shark vs. Predator: (8 p.m. July 23) Looks at how other animals dare to take on sharks. Tiger Shark Terror: (8 p.m. July 24) A professional shark diver and a scientist investigate whether shark behavior changes once the sun goes down. Mission Critical — Sharks Under Attack: (10 p.m. July 24) A famed ocean photographer wants to change the perception of the oceans’ greatest predators. Shark Swarm: (8 p.m. July 25) Explores underwater oases where sharks congregate in huge numbers. World’s Deadliest — Shark Frenzy: (8 p.m. July 26) Killing techniques sharks use.