National Geographic’s Sharkfest promises to be bigger and better this summer, as the annual event will not only span three weeks across two channels, but it will also bring viewers face to face with Deep Blue, what is thought to be the world’s largest great white shark. There are few creatures in the world capable of inspiring awe and terror in equal measure as the great white, and Nat Geo is set to deliver a rare close-up with one seriously enormous shark in World’s Biggest Great White?, which airs this July on Nat Geo and Nat Geo WILD.
2019 marks the seventh year of National Geographic’s Sharkfest, an annual summertime event showcasing the world beneath the waves and its most fearsome predator. The series is set to kick off on July 14 with a host of shark-centric programming that includes When Sharks Attack, Great Shark Chowdown, Shark Movers: Deadly Cargo, and this year’s literal big-ticket attraction, the aforementioned World’s Biggest Great White? It’s enough content to keep even the most ardent beachgoer home in front of the television.
While World’s Biggest Great White? sounds like a question best left to Jason Statham to answer, the actual program is geared toward the pleasure of scientific discovery, and just how astonishing and unforgettable it is to be so close to a creature like Deep Blue. That’s particularly true given how little is known about her, and what a rarity it is for her to be captured on film. Take a look at the exclusive clip from World’s Biggest Great White? along with some background information on Deep Blue below:
“In January of 2019, three experienced divers and photographers set out on a small boat to try to record any marine life around the carcass of a sperm whale floating off the coast of Oahu. What they experienced is one of the most incredible great white shark encounters ever caught on camera, featuring the two largest great whites ever filmed in Hawaii, including the most famous living shark in the world, the giant great white known as Deep Blue. In this special, viewers will experience this trio's incredible connection with the great whites first hand, as it happened, and learn the history and science behind the rare sightings of great white sharks in the waters surrounding our 50th state.”
In a bit of event TV synergy, the sighting of Deep Blue turns into a literal shark fest, as the enormous creature is joined by two other female sharks, who are certainly no slouches in the size department. And yet, as impressive as the creatures are, the filmmakers’ commitment to capturing the sharks on film, by swimming incredibly close to them, is equally inspiring. It all adds up to what promises to be one of the biggest events on Nat Geo and TV this summer.
Sharkfest premieres Sunday, July 14 on Nat Geo, and will expand to Nat Geo WILD starting Sunday, July 21 with the simulcast of World’s Biggest Great White? 8/7c.