Sharks have long been portrayed as ruthless predators lurking just below the surface. But a new docuseries is challenging that narrative—offering a more complex, science-backed look at the behaviors, instincts, and intelligence of these apex animals.
“SharkFest” takes viewers inside the world of Shark HQ, where a team of scientists—including marine biologists from the U.S. and the Bahamas—work to understand what’s really driving shark-human interactions.
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“I mean, I think that one of the coolest things that we are able to highlight on this show is that, you know, sharks are potentially getting involved in these interactions because they are asleep,” explained Marine biologist Candace Fields. “People might be actually bumping into a very unsuspecting, sleepy shark. And I think that that’s not something that people think about at all when we think about the shark instances.
The show also highlights how frequently sharks don’t interact with humans—despite sharing the same waters.
“I think, you know, people still have the sort of Jaws effect in their mind that thinks that sharks are these sort of mindless man-eaters,”. And that is absolutely not the case. And I think that our show, as well, as you know, all of the shark fest programming really highlights how much that is is not the case.
“Sharks aren’t mindless killing machines,” the team emphasized. “They’re essential to our oceans and ecosystems. And with a little education, we can coexist safely.”
“SharkFest” can be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu.