If Shark Week 2015 didn't sufficiently sate your hunger for shark-themed programming, then boy, are you in luck. As the summer draws to a close, Discovery is sneaking in a few more days of television dedicated to the ferocious fish. Shark Weekend (or, #SHWeekend as they call it) kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 29, and I'm already making the popcorn. But, what's on deck this time around? Don't worry, I have your full Shark Weekend schedule so you don't miss any moment.
Back in July, Discovery premiered a slate of new Shark Week documentary specials. Scientists timed the fastest shark species in the ocean in Monster Mako; observed the most cunning predators in Ninja Sharks; shined a light on deep-sea, glow-in-the-dark animals in Alien Sharks: Close Encounters, and more. You'll have the chance to catch some of those programs in reruns this weekend, but I'm more excited about the premieres.
So, I've got the list of Shark Weekend highlights; these new specials are making their Discovery debuts over the next couple of days. These are the shows that you absolutely cannot miss — not if you want to show your face at Shark Club ever again.
Mythbusters vs. Jaws — Saturday, 9 p.m. ET
A full decade ago, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage applied their mythbusting resources and scientific methodology to debunking a scene from the shark movie of all shark movies (and yes, I'm including all the Sharknados that there will ever be), Jaws. Viewers griped about the way they went about busting the myth that shooting a scuba tank could make it explode, like it did in the Steven Spielberg film. Never known to let a theory go un-investigated, Hyneman and Savage are recreating their experiment (and exploring some other shark-related professional curiosities) exclusively for #SHWeekend.
Shark Alley: Legend Of Dynamite — Saturday, 10 p.m. ET
Dyer Island, off the coast of South Africa, is the ideal vacation destination for a Great White enthusiast. Tourists come from all over the world to whale watch and cage dive with the area's massive shark population. (I'll take the margarita and poolside option, if that's available.) Shark Alley takes viewers farther than even those divers can go, giving a day-in-the-life of one of Dyer Island's toothiest residents.
Air Jaws: Walking With Great Whites — Sunday, 9PM EST
The Air Jaws franchise is a Shark Week institution. Walking With Great Whites is the seventh installment of the docu-series, in which two renowned shark researchers will pilot their own underwater crafts (the W.A.S.P. and the H.O.R.N.E.T., thank you very much) to get up close and personal with Great Whites in their own habitat. Photographer Chris Fallows and diver Dickie Chivell are already Shark Week stars, and Discovery promises that this special will include "one of the most spectacular scenes in Shark Week history."
Sorry to say, Monday is going to look even more dismal after a thrilling Shark Weekend.
Images: Jeff Kurr/Discovery Channel
