No shark shortage for Discovery’s Shark Week

Fins to the left, fins to the right with a week of programming on Discovery Channel, Nat Geo Wild

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 worldrecord 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 B-movie 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.

“Shark After Dark”: Discovery’s popular late-night talk show hosted by Eli Roth — will also return for the first five nights of “Shark Week,” beginning July 23 around 11 p.m.

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.

Here are some highlights of “Shark Week” and “Sharkfest.” The networks provided the times listed, but check your local cable company.

DISCOVERY CHANNEL Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” will include requests to support Oceana, an advocacy group focused on ocean conservation. The opening lineup July 23 includes “Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White,” with Olympian Michael Phelps testing his...