Johannesburg, 10 July 2024: Following World Ocean’s Month, National Geographic Wild has announced its jaw-some original content for this year’s annual SHARKFEST. The shark-filled programming kicks off on the channel (DStv 182, StarSat 221) on weekends at 18:00 (CAT) from July 20, swimming all the way until August 28, 2024.

Marvel Studios superhero Star Anthony Mackie (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”) features in the marquee special Shark Beach With Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, the next instalment of the hit Shark Beach franchise. The hour-long special features Mackie, who also serves as executive producer, navigating the waters of his hometown in New Orleans with leading scientists and local fishermen to uncover what can be done to help. Fishermen’s livelihoods, locals’ safety, and the future of regional shark conservation are all on the line.

Thereafter, ultra-athlete swimmer, world record holder and shark advocate Ross Edgley (@rossedgley) will attempt to pit his mind and body against four of the most formidable sharks in the ocean in Shark Vs. Ross Edgley on Saturday, August 24 at 18:00.

Other fin-tastic programming includes Baby Sharks In The City, which explores newly discovered great white shark nursery off the coast of New York City; Shark Attack 360 unravels in forensic detail WHY sharks attack; Attack Of The Red Sea Shark investigates a recent spike of deadly in attacks in Egypt; Sharks Gone Viral dishes out the fun as comedians and experts dive into the frenzy of the world’s most viral shark and learn more about the biggest tiger sharks on Earth dominating the shores of Australia in Supersized Sharks.

SHARKFEST not only takes viewers up close and personal with sharks but also highlights the importance of conservation, taking care of the planet’s oceans and beaches, It also 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 Baby Sharks in the City, a baby Great White is tagged with a camera tag for the first time off the coast of New York, allowing the capture of second-by-second data to reveal the first-ever science about the life of a baby shark, including the depth it swims, acceleration, hunting behaviours, and more.

Other firsts include the science team for Supersized Sharks tagging a pregnant tiger shark in the waters of New Caledonia in the Coral Sea in the hopes of discovering a tiger pupping ground. In Shark Vs. Ross Edgley, Ross attempts to match the speed of a mako shark by swimming with currents and trains with synchronised swimmers in an effort to Polaris breach like a great white shark.

In addition to airing on National Geographic Wild, shark-themed programming will also stream across Disney+.

National Geographic Wild’s iconic four-weeklong event will debut 26 hours of shark-infested original and enhanced programming, including the following:

Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, Saturday, July 20 at 18:00

This special 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.

Baby Sharks in the City: Saturday, July 27 at 18:00

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.

Sharks Attack 360 (8 x 60) premieres Sundays at 18:00 on July 21 (ends August 25)

Nat Geo Explorer and Marine Biologist Dr. Diva Amon leads a crack team of scientists to uncover new facts about shark attack cases with the help of real-world experiments and a state-of-the-art immersive lab to bring us closer to sharks than ever before.  The 360 team is comprised of a diverse group of marine biologists and shark scientists who bust myths about shark attacks.  The team includes Dr. Stephen Kajiura, Dr. Mike Heithaus, Melissa Marquez, Candace Fields, Gibbs Kuguru, Ryan Johnson, Charlie Huveneer, and more.

Sharks Gone Viral: Saturday 3 at 18:00

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: Saturday, August 10 at 18:00

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.

Attack of the Red Sea Sharks: Saturday, August 17 at 18:00

This special 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.

Shark vs. Ross Edgley: Saturday, August 24 at 18:00

Swimmer and shark advocate Ross Edgley faces his greatest challenge yet as he attempts to pit his mind and body against the most formidable predator in the ocean…the shark. Testing the limits of his speed, strength, hydrodynamics and endurance, Ross will push his body to its extremes to understand what makes sharks such incredible and versatile predators.

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