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Welcome to Shark Week 2025 on the Discovery Channel; here's how to watch
The Discovery Channel is getting in on the celebration of the 50th anniversary of "Jaws" when its annual "Shark Week" hits the air this week.
The goal of "Shark Week" has always been education and reducing the fears with biologists, conservationists and field researchers. However, while Discovery is not going full Sharknado on us this year, there's going to be a little nightmare fuel with shows like "Great White Reign of Terror" and 'Florida's Death Beach."
Steve Kessel, director of marine research at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, applauds the educational possibilities of Shark Week, even when the outlandish outweighs the science.
'Since Shark Week started, it's gone in waves of more educational and more sensational," Kessel says. 'Shark Week has the power to change perceptions, but there's also fearmongering, because people love to be scared; they love the horror.'
Here's what you need to know about Shark Week.
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When is Shark Week?
Shark Week runs from July 20 through July 26. The programming begins at 8 each night.
How to watch Shark Week?
Shark Week (July 20-26) airs on the Discovery Channel and streams on Discovery+ and HBO Max.
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What to expect from Shark Week this year?
For the 37th annual Shark Week, there's going to be something special – Dancing With the Sharks.
According to the show with television personality Tom Bergeron features an underwater dance competition between expert divers and their shark partners. Blending skill, grace and the daring pursuit of the ultimate underwater thrill, five divers will compete to show off their skills during epic underwater dances.
"Jaws" gets its due with "Surviving Jaws,' which features marine biologist Tom 'The Blowfish' Hird and predator ecologist Michelle Jewell diving with great white sharks to answer movie-related questions such as "Does skinny-dipping really attract great white sharks?"
There's also "How to Survive a Shark Attack," "Great White Sex Battle," "Frankenshark" and "Attack of the Devil Shark."
For a full list of programs, go to the Shark Week website.
Are there copycats of Shark Week?
Since the Discovery Channel has had such great success, you had to know there would be copies.
National Geographic's SharkFest began in 2012 as a one-week TV event and has since grown into a multiweek shark TV celebration with 25 hours of predator programming that streams on Disney+ and Hulu, this year through July 21.
Netflix dives into the summer shark frenzy in 2025 with two major projects. "Shark Whisperer," a documentary following the controversial social media star and marine activist Ocean Ramsey, who interacts with great whites and tiger sharks in viral videos. Also, there's the competition "All the Sharks," which pits shark enthusiasts in a race to photograph rare species, combining conservation with competition and showcasing cool sharks.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: When is Shark Week 2025?
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