SHARKFEST’s Full Summer 2020 Season Original Programming Schedule [EXCLUSIVE]

Update (June 23, 2020): Dates were updated to reflect Sharkfest moving back a week. All dates are current/correct.

National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD’s SHARKFEST 2020 begins Sunday, July 19, with its biggest lineup with 17 original specials across both networks.

Over the course of five weeks, Nat Geo and Nat Geo WILD continue to hit it out of the park with a variety of other jaw-dropping SHARKFEST originals and specials to catch the viewer’s eye, including Raging Bull Shark, currently vying for the title of the world’s most dangerous shark; and When Sharks Attack, a SHARKFEST stalwart that decodes the mystery of why sharks suddenly strike. In Sharks of the Bermuda Triangle, a marine biologist tracks an elusive tiger shark to uncover Mother Nature’s most mysterious hotspot, and experience the intensity of a sea-life standoff in Shark vs. Whale.

The marathon of programming also underscores the best of the networks’ wide shark library content — which includes hundreds of hours of programming — with titles airing throughout the five weeks, beginning at 6/5c every evening. SHARKFEST’s full summer season original programming lineup is below. Dates are subject to change.

World’s Biggest Tiger Shark?

• National Geographic — Premieres Sunday, July 19, at 8/7c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Tuesday, August 11, at 9/8c

Marine biologist Kori Garza and Emmy Award-winning underwater cinematographer Andy Casagrande journey to French Polynesia to track Kamakai, one of the largest tiger sharks on record. Their search takes them to a remote lagoon where, instead of Kamakai, they find what appears to be a discovery for shark science. Capturing the behavior on film for the first time, Garza and Casagrande witness a population of juvenile tiger sharks exhibiting cooperative hunting tactics.

When Sharks Attack

• National Geographic — Six-episode Season Premieres Monday, July 20, at 9/8c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore presentations throughout the five weeks

For families on beaches across the world, a split second is all it takes to turn a dream vacation into a nightmare. Sudden shark attacks frequently occur, and the motive behind the bite often puzzles locals and scientists alike. When Sharks Attack investigates these incidences to shed light on why and where shark encounters take place with the hope that if we understand the behavior, we might be able to limit the number of attacks.

Sharks vs. Dolphins: Blood Battle

• National Geographic — Premieres Monday, July 20, at 10/9c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Sunday, August 9, at 7/6c

There’s a war being waged beneath the waves: sharks versus dolphins. These marine animals shared the ocean for millennia, but scientists have only just begun to understand the complex relationship between sharks and dolphins. Sharks vs. Dolphins: Blood Battle follows a team of experts as they travel to the epicenter of this savage struggle — Shark Bay, Australia — to unlock the secrets of shark and dolphin combat. New research allows for a fresh understanding of sharks, and cutting-edge technology provides a window into this seldom-seen conflict below the water’s surface.

Sharkcano

• National Geographic — Premieres Tuesday, July 21, at 10/9c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Wednesday, August 12, at 7/6c

World-renowned shark scientist Dr. Michael Heithaus is on a mission to reveal the mysterious connection between sharks and volcanoes. Throughout the world, sharks seem to be attracted to the hotspots, a puzzle that seems straight out of sci-fi and is baffling scientists. Dr. Heithaus crisscrosses the globe and risks life and limb to uncover the shocking, real-life link between two fearsome forces of nature.

Secrets of the Bull Shark

• National Geographic — Premieres Wednesday, July 22, at 10/9c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Wednesday, August 12, at 9/8c

Many experts consider bull sharks to be the most dangerous species of shark, yet we actually know very little about these top predators. Secrets of the Bull Shark unravels the mystery of these giants: how they migrate and how they hunt. Marine biologist Dr. Ryan Daly and a team of scientists utilize cutting-edge technology to reveal the movements and behavior of the bull sharks with the hope of better understanding why they venture farther into our backyards. With unprecedented detail, the scientists track their development from tiny hunters into intelligent, ferocious predators.

Most Wanted Sharks

• National Geographic — Premieres Thursday, July 23, at 10/9c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Tuesday, August 11, at 7/6c

Of the millions of sharks in our oceans, a select few are so fascinating, they’ve become worldwide celebrities with legions of fans and followers. In Most Wanted Sharks, marine biologist and shark-suit inventor Jeremiah Sullivan dives into the stories of the most sensational shark stars of all time. Come face-to-face with a shark so large, it’s been known to eat fellow great whites for dinner. And get up close to one that can jump 100 feet out of the water.

50 Shades of Sharks

• National Geographic — Premieres Friday, July 24, at 10/9c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Sunday, August 9, at 10/9c

Sharks have long been considered calculating and vicious apex predators of the ocean, but new research allows for a glimpse of some of their most intimate and seldom-seen behaviors. 50 Shades of Sharks reveals facets of sharks that are rarely chronicled; they’re fragile, delicate, ingenious, collaborative and even clumsy. This full immersion into their private lives shows them hunting, resting, cleaning and reproducing; these revelations might forever change the way we look at sharks.

Raging Bull Shark

• National Geographic — Premieres Sunday, July 26, at 8/7c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Thursday, August 13, at 7/6c

Bull sharks are entering the ring and going head to head with the more fearsome, storied great white and tiger sharks to prove they’re the new champion of the chomp. As climates warm the world’s waters, the notoriously aggressive bull shark’s territory is spreading, leading to an uptick in attacks. Following a team of experts, Raging Bull Shark chronicles why the deceptively unremarkable species just might become the world’s most dangerous shark.

Sharks of the Bermuda Triangle

• National Geographic — Premieres Monday, July 27, at 10/9c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Thursday, August 13, at 6/5c

The Bermuda Triangle has more than 500,000 square miles of rumored mysteries, including missing airplanes, sunken ships, malfunctioning compasses and even legends of Atlantis. In reality, its greatest wonder may be something far more incredible: sharks. For years, marine biologist Dr. Austin Gallagher has been investigating sharks in the area; he’s been on a mission to find the holy grail of shark research: the secret breeding grounds of tiger sharks. Tracking an elusive tiger shark named Mabel, he attempts to uncover Mother Nature’s most mysterious hotspot.

Shark vs. Whale

• National Geographic — Premieres Tuesday, July 28, at 10/9c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Tuesday, August 18, at 10/9c

A routine drone survey turns deadly when Ryan Johnson, a marine biologist based in South Africa, films a humpback whale being attacked and strategically drowned by a great white shark. The never-before-seen behavior causes a complete perspective shift on a creature Dr. Johnson has spent his life studying. To make sense of the event, he follows humpback whales on their migration, mapping places that may make them vulnerable, and takes a new look at great white sharks to discover how and why they become whale killers.

What the Shark?

• National Geographic — Premieres Wednesday, July 29, at 10/9c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Thursday, August 20, at 10/9c

Exploring the shallow waters of sandy beaches and venturing into 8,000-foot abysses, What the Shark? takes a look at a side of sharks rarely seen and dives deep into the environments where extreme adaptation is critical to survival. In this dark void, where inky darkness could hinder a predator from finding its prey and pressure levels might blow flesh to pieces, the atmosphere is a threat to a shark’s survival. To endure these hostile waters, this ghostly cast of living monsters must have its act together to defy the convention of life below the surface.

Shark vs. Surfer

• National Geographic — Premieres Sunday, August 2, at 8/7c
• Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Thursday, August 13, at 9/8c

As the number of shark attacks worldwide rises, surfers are taking the brunt of the bite. Shark vs. Surfer visits shark-infested surf spots around the world to relive some of the most harrowing shark and surfer stories through unbelievable, caught-on-camera encounters and interviews with the victims. With insight from marine biologists Ryan Johnson and Dr. Steven Kajuira, the special aims to answer once and for all: Are we really in danger?

SHARKFEST begins Sunday, July 19, on National Geographic, followed by two weeks of content on Nat Geo WILD, beginning Sunday, August 9.

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Rob Keyes
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Rob Keyes manages content, business development, HR models, social media, strategic partnerships, and PR for Screen Rant and helps oversee its sister site, Comic Book Resources (CBR). You may know also him from various television and radio appearances covering the superhero beat, co-hosting the Screen Rant Underground and Total Geekall podcasts or founding and building Game Rant back in the day. Find Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes or @failcube and if you need to reach either site, he’s your guy rob [at] screenrant [dot] com.

Rob Keyes is Canadian, the longest serving member of Screen Rant, has a Masters Degree in Economics and degrees is marketing and computer science, is an Adjudicator for the Canadian Videogame Awards, and is the world’s best TIE Interceptor pilot. You can see and chat with Rob live in the evenings at twitch.tv/failcube or see his videos at youtube.com/failcube.

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