Mean or simply misunderstood, our fascination for the oceans’ most fearsome creature endures. Back for a 16th summer, Discovery Channel’s most anticipated theme week returns! Airing Sunday, July 31 to Friday, August 5, SHARK WEEK 2011 offers eight jaw-gnashing hours of incredible sharks from around the world. This week, comedian Andy Samberg is truly a fish out of water when he trades his familiar TV and film sets for a wetsuit to swim with a unique breed of sharks in SHARK CITY. Also during SHARK WEEK 2011, see why sharks are swimming closer to shore; discover what scientists are learning about their behaviours with state-of-the-art tagging technology; and see why even fresh-water rivers aren’t safe for swimmers (Note: please see below for titles, dates and times).
GREAT WHITE INVASION
Sun., July 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Around the globe, great white sharks seem to be coming closer to shore, swimming among unsuspecting humans more now than ever before. In Australia, South Africa and the American west coast, the great whites swim under surfers as they try to catch waves, as well as in the shallow waters of popular beaches. And if this is happening, why are there so few shark attacks? No matter where you swim, you’ll want to hear the stunning answer to this question.
JAWS COMES HOME
Sun., July 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Utilizing state-of-the-art tagging technology, JAWS COMES HOME follows four great white sharks as they make their recently discovered 2,000-kilometre journey up and down the U.S. eastern seaboard, appearing off Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard for the first time in nearly 30 years.
RIVER MONSTERS – “Freshwater Shark”
Mon., Aug. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
No fish inspires the same terror as the shark. A creature with an insatiable hunger for brutal violence. But at least these killers are confined to the oceans… Or are they? Expert angler Jeremy Wade investigates the deadly bull shark.
SUMMER OF THE SHARK
Tues., Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
In the summer of 2009, a wave of fear swept across Australia; One man disappeared in the ocean with barely a trace; a search recovered only tattered pieces of his wetsuit. A Navy man lost a leg and a hand. Many surfers and swimmers were badly wounded, shark sirens were activated every day and beaches were evacuated. Shark attacks and sightings were on the rise all over the country – sending Australian shark experts and fishery managers into overdrive to understand what was happening. What could possibly trigger this many attacks in so many different parts of the country? And was that summer a prelude of things to come?
KILLER GREAT WHITE CHRISTMAS (working title)
Wed., Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
This scripted special revisits the coastal beaches of South Africa in December 1957. It was the height of tourist season and merry vacationers from around the globe descended on an idyllic resort town on the sunny coast in hopes of enjoying the African summer. Then began a rash of unspeakable ocean murders. The white sands clogged with dead bodies, and the sapphire waters ran red with blood. The culprit? The authorities suspected one massive rogue shark with a taste for human flesh…
ROGUE SHARKS
Thurs., Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
It was the central premise of the hit movie Jaws that still haunts people today: certain sharks may “go rogue” and target humans. But what does science show? ROGUE SHARKS looks at some of the most notorious shark attacks in history and attempts to answer the question “Did the sharks intentionally target humans?”
SHARK CITY
Thurs., Aug. 4 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
As Discovery Channel’s Chief Shark Officer, comedian Andy Samberg puts his own unique spin on the one-hour special SHARK CITY. Samberg travels to the Bahamas and takes the plunge – literally jumping into the shark-filled waters to introduce viewers to a specific group of sharks that live off the shores of Nassau. They each have their own distinct personalities, quirks and feeding patterns. Learn how they size each other up, what they like to eat and what scares THEM.
HOW SHARKS HUNT
Thurs., Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
No two shark species attack in the exact same manner. Through a series of groundbreaking tests and the use of innovative high-tech cameras, survival expertsDave Canterbury and Cody Lundin examine sharks’ unique ferocity and the specialized methods of killing that make these animals the perfect predators.
