As a whole, sharks remain misunderstood creatures of the water, with over 100 million meeting their deaths at the hands of humans every year, according to research from the World Animal Foundation and American Oceans. This equates to nearly 11,000 sharks dying every hour.
National Geographic is here to change the narrative on sharks. Rather than creating specials and movies for shock value, National Geographic’s original programming for its SharkFest in the month of July centers around shark education to help adults and children better comprehend these majestic and powerful creatures.
Discover SharkFest 2024: when it airs, how to stream, and the best programming to watch during the special event.
SharkFest 2024: Dates, Times, and More
SharkFest 2024 will likely run through the month of July.
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Billed as the “must-sea event of the summer,” National Geographic’s most recent SharkFest kicked off on July 2 and gave its viewers 72 hours of new and exciting programming over the subsequent four weeks.
With the advent of streaming services, SharkFest has evolved from day-and-time programming to simply new content releases on the streaming platform. Within the 72 hours of new content promised, 22 hours was original, never-before-seen episodes or documentaries while the remaining 50 hours were “enhanced” content.
While the network has yet to release an official 2024 date, if it starts on the first Sunday of July again this year, that would mean we’re looking at a potential July 7, 2024 start date.
With four weeks to fill, SharkFest dives into every facet of shark anatomy and behavior, covering sharks in different locales, the hypothetical battles between species, sharks at different ages, and the “world’s biggest” sharks.
A Look Back at SharkFest 2023
In 2023, SharkFest took a nuanced look at extreme sharks, analyzing sharks that live in below-zero temperatures — as well as sharks that are drawn to volcanos.
The content of SharkFest was accessible to anyone with a subscription that includes National Geographic. Simply navigate to the Nat Geo TV app and ABC app on your phone, tablet, or smart TV to stream the shark content from this year’s SharkFest. For those without subscriptions, ABC offered an “unlocked” version of SharkFest, which streamed shark content via a schedule.
SharkFest 2023 also brought with it a 24/7 livestream on National Geographic’s YouTube page. The stream, running all day, every day, had a revolving episode list composed of the following specials to watch around the clock. On the live stream, people watched:
- “Baby Sharks.”
- “Camo Sharks.”
- “Counting Jaws.”
- “Game of Sharks.”
- “Jaws Invasion.”
- “Jaws vs. Boats.”
- “Maui Shark Mystery.”
- “Shark Queens.”
- “Shark Side of the Moon.”
- “Sky Sharks: Closer Than You Think.”
- “Shark Superpower.”
- “Sharks That Eat Everything.”
- “World’s Biggest Hammerhead?”
What Is SharkFest? The History of SharkFest
Sharks have long been regarded as dangers to humans by the media.
©Morphart Creation/Shutterstock.com
Did you know SharkFest has been around for years? In fact, in 2022, the summer programming event celebrated its 10-year anniversary!
The origins of SharkFest are indirectly sourced from a string of uncommon shark attacks in 1916 New Jersey. The paper at the time covered the attacks in great detail, instantaneously inciting fear throughout the nation from the coverage. Over the next century, the public’s opinion turned from indifference to downright terror.
National Geographic created SharkFest in 2012 to combat the growing fear and misinformation of the fish, as well as to teach how to conserve the environment and preserve sharks. Because dozens of species of sharks are endangered — mostly from humans overfishing and polluting their habitats — National Geographic hopes the month-long series of specials sheds light on an oft-misunderstood group of animals.
Compared to Shark Week
The friendly rivalry between Shark Week and SharkFest remains, with the former lasting only a week but the latter lasts over a month (or more, in some past years). Shark Week has been around, in some iteration, since 1988.
With its legacy, Shark Week from the Discovery Channel has a near cult following and reports millions of dollars in product sales for the event each year. This event, while still aimed at educating the public about sharks, tends to take a more dramatic approach to storytelling. The narratives speak for themselves, though, with the 2010 classic “Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives” garnering over 10 million views.
When Is SharkFest?
Again, while the date has not been announced, SharkFest will likely take place in the month of July in 2024. The summer programming will likely run through four weeks. Fans will be able to stream content on demand through the app or visit the National Geographic YouTube channel for a 24/7 livestream of scheduled shark content.
If you enjoy what Shark Week has to offer, chances are you’ll enjoy the educational bent and thrilling true stories highlighted in SharkFest’s series and specials. Discover dozens of species of sharks through stories that showcase the creature’s captivating, fierce, and powerful nature.
What SharkFest Specials Should I Stream?
SharkFest 2023 featured never-before-seen documentary content with innovative shark research technology.
Looking for the perfect SharkFest specials to binge now? Luckily, the NatGeo app has a large catalog, so you won’t be at a loss for content. Here are some of the best new specials and series from SharkFest 2024 to put on your watch list.
“Shark Below Zero”
This all-new 44-minute documentary examines an interesting phenomenon: Great White Sharks in the northern seas of Canada.
After the first suspected shark attack in 150 years in Canada occurs, experts and scientists travel up north to discover what white sharks are doing in such different locales from their original colonies. Their specific goal: find the root of what motivates the migration. Because the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) has a “vulnerable” conservation status, these experts aim to discover the secrets of their behavior and extrapolate potential conservation methods as the great whites push the boundaries of their hunting and living range.
“Sharks vs. Dolphins: Bahamas Battleground”
Who would win in a fight — sharks or dolphins? That’s the question this 44-minute, all-new documentary seeks to answer.
With scientists and shark experts Drs. Mike Heithaus and Valeria Paz, dive into the clear blue waters of the Bahamas and see the effect sharks have on the other animals. These experts use a never-before-seen gel pad and sophisticated dolphin decoy to collect bite impressions from sharks. The impressions, compared against images of scars on dolphins they’ve encountered, seek to explain dolphin and shark interaction in the Bahamas.
“When Sharks Attack and Why”
Newly released this year, “When Sharks Attack and Why” seeks to provide information to beachgoers and shark enthusiasts about the root cause of shark attacks — and why those behaviors form.
Locals and experts have begun to notice patterns in shark attacks — they’re sudden, happen in large numbers, and in unexpected locations. But why?
Though scientists know that sharks rarely attack humans in an aggressive manner, the recent rise in suspected attacks puzzles them. Join a team of researchers on the hunt for the real reason behind these mysterious interactions — and discover what’s really below the surface of sharks’ sometimes fatal human attacks.
“Sharkano Hawaii”
Hawaii remains one of the world’s most sought-after tropical locations for vacations, honeymoons, and more. Now, it seems, sharks are drawn to the waters of the Aloha State, too.
In an all-new 44-minute documentary, expert biologists Drs. Mike Heithaus and Frances Farabaugh embark on a free dive with one of the world’s most formidable sharks — the tiger shark — to discover why a variety of sharks remain drawn to the state’s volcanoes.
Along the way, the biologists also attempt to use a non-toxic gel bite pad to obtain jaw impressions from tiger sharks and measure them against scars found on humpback whales in the waters of Hawaii.
“Most Extreme Sharks”
Naturalist and shark expert Steve Backshall enables viewers to see sharks like never before in this all-new docuseries. Revealing sharks in a brand-new light, Steve and a team of the world’s leading shark experts embark on a global exploration to find the most unique sharks and promote conservation efforts.
Amid the series, expect to see species of sharks that can walk on land and glow in the dark — as well as ancient types that push 400 years of age. Steve takes the time to confront uncomfortable truths about shark overfishing, shark finning, and more to educate viewers on current threats and what the world can do to protect the dwindling global shark population.
“Shark Eat Shark”
Sharks, it seems, won’t shy away from their own kind when hungry, angry, or threatened. In this all-new 44-minute documentary, host Robert Jimenez and a team of the world’s leading shark scientists take viewers on a journey around the world to decipher the cannibalistic behavior of sharks — and why it happens.
Included in the special are cookie-cutter sharks, who rip chunks off of sharks up to ten times their size, and sand tiger sharks, a vicious species that have a tendency to fight and eat each other in the womb.
“Saved From a Shark”
Shark encounters are terrifying — especially if you’re the one with a limb in its jaws. In this new 44-minute documentary, shark attack survivors gather to tell their stories. However, these aren’t “regular” shark attack stories. Every person featured was saved by a whale or dolphin.
Though experts debate on whether or not dolphins and whales intentionally save humans from sharks, the profiles in this documentary provide compelling, personal evidence that doesn’t question the “why.” Relive the experience through the eyes of the victims whose lives were saved from a shark bite by whales and dolphins.
“When Sharks Attack 360”
Dive into an exhilarating view of shark attacks in this new docuseries that examines why sharks bite humans.
A star-studded, international cast of researchers, biologists, and shark experts gather to hunt for clues and determine why sharks bite — and then analyze their data in a VFX studio that provides forensic detail to how, why, and when sharks attack.
Where Can I Stream SharkFest?
Get your shark content fix on several different platforms this July.
©iStock.com/Aleksandr Golubev
SharkFest from National Geographic streams on six different platforms, including:
- National Geographic.
- Nat Geo WILD.
- Nat Geo Mundo.
- Disney+.
- Hulu.
- ESPN2.
Viewers can watch online, on their apps, or stream on their smart TVs. In the National Geographic section of Disney+, a special SharkFest section highlights the recently added documentaries. It also has programs with new or enhanced episodes and a collection of past series and specials.
As the media conglomerate informed in a recent press release, viewers will see shark-themed programming with adult and kid variations. Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Disney Junior’s YouTube page, and the National Geographic Kids YouTube page will have shark content.
Final Thoughts
If you’d prefer not to wait for Discovery’s Shark Week — or simply want to explore a month-long educational special about sharks — turn to SharkFest from National Geographic. It gives viewers an up-close and personal look at one of the world’s most misunderstood apex predators. In addition, its 24/7 livestream on YouTube proffers educational and exciting shark content all month long.
