The two-week event combines entertainment with education, with expert-led storytelling revealing groundbreaking scientific research.
Making the first splash is "Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory" on July 5. Known for his "Up Close" series, National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory takes on his next mission. This time, he's diving "into Mexico's Pacific waters to discover how protected seas can deliver a spectacle of one of the ocean's most visually iconic sharks, the unmistakable hammerhead."
The following titles will roll out throughout the month across Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Channel and Disney XD, with select titles also streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
In "World's Biggest Mako," a team of scientists garner the help of local fishermen to study the endangered giant mako. With their help, "this team discovers a population of mako that might be making a comeback."
"Attack of the Samurai Sharks," investigates a 3,000-year-old cold case involving a skeleton, which was found in Japan, with unusually deep cut marks. A team of shark experts ask, "could his wounds have been caused by a shark? If so, which species of shark is the prime suspect?"
Over in northeastern Australia, "Shark vs. Giant Croc" documents reports of bull sharks and saltwater crocodiles battling it out along the Daintree River, even going as far as attempting to equip a camera to the back of a croc to figure out who reigns supreme.
Shark experts in "Shark Island Showdown" uncover why tiger, dusky and Galapagos sharks gather at a remote Norfolk Island in the South Pacific. Along the way, they uncover hidden nurseries, shark hierarchies and a rare predator hotspot.
Similarly, "Sharks: Reef Rivals" investigates why sharks are gathering in one dangerous lagoon in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, only this time, the sharks are battling for survival on a "complex battleground driven by turtles, birds and shifting hunting opportunities."
Still in Australia, shark experts investigate unusually high great white activity in "Great White Gauntlet." The team races to tag a great white in hopes of documenting how the predators hunt in a thriving seal and sea lion colony.
"Sharkfest" content will also be available on VOD while select programming drops all month long across YouTube channels, including Nat Geo, Nat Geo Animals, Nat Geo en Español and Nat Geo Kids.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of National Geographic and this ABC station.