Sharkfest 2023: dates, how to watch and everything we know

Bull Shark
Bull Shark (Image credit: National Geographic for Disney/Mike Heithaus)

National Geographic's Sharkfest continues to be a summer tradition, as the four-week event is going to be available for viewers to watch on TV, online and on streaming services, giving you an up close and personal look at this incredible (for some incredibly terrifying) sea creatures.

Sharkfest is billed by Nat Geo as "four weeks of explosive, hair raising and celebratory shark programming that will showcase the captivating science, power and beauty of these magnificent creatures — because one week is simply not enough." (Nat Geo taking a dig at its biggest competitor in the summer Shark TV landscape, Discovery's Shark Week.)

We have everything that you need to know about Sharkfest 2023 to get you ready to enjoy every minute of it.

Sharkfest 2023 dates

Sharkfest 2023 officially kicks off on Sunday, July 2. Nat Geo is promising 72 hours of shark-centric programming over four weeks, including 22 hours of original content and 50 hours of "enhanced content." We'll get into the specific schedule for Sharkfest programming below.

How to watch Sharkfest 2023

The slate of Sharkfest 2023 shows are going to be available to watch across National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, ESPN2, Disney Plus and Hulu.

The entire slate of Sharkfest programming is going to broadcast on National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild TV channels. ESPN 2 is also going to air select SharkFest 2023 programming. All of these channels are cable networks and are available through traditional pay-TV subscription plans as well as live TV streaming platforms, including FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

 If you've cut the cord on live TV and rely on streaming, you can still watch all of the Sharkfest 2023 programming as it premieres on Disney Plus and Hulu at the beginning of July. Consumers can sign up for either streaming platform as a standalone service, or they can pair them with the Disney Bundle.

Meanwhile, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior are going to air kid-centric shark programming on select dates. These channels are also available through either traditional pay-TV packages or the likes of FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. 

SharkFest 2023 shows

The 2023 lineup of Sharkfest shows will take viewers across the world to see how sharks live in the waters of Cape Cod, Florida, Hawai’i, New York, South Carolina, Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Indonesia, South Africa and the U.K. Here is a synopsis of some of the shows viewers can watch.

Bull Shark Bandits
Shark biologists Dr. Johan Gustafson and Dr. Mariel Familiar López investigate rising reports of bull sharks stealing from fishermen in Weipa, northern Australia. Could this methodical and radical shift in behavior provide new evidence of shark intelligence? To find out, the team deploys groundbreaking experiments and technology, including a new prototype diving cage.

Shark Eat Shark
Around the world, reports of shark-on-shark attacks are on the rise. Now, off South Africa’s dramatic southern coast, a new hotspot has emerged — a bay where white sharks hunt other sharks. In a groundbreaking investigation, Enrico Gennari and Lacey Williams lead a team of experts into the deep to capture conclusive evidence of SHARKS EATING SHARKS!

Saved from a Shark
The scientific community is divided as to whether dolphins or whales will deliberately save a person from a shark attack. But the people who have lived through these terrifying encounters don’t doubt what happened.

When Sharks Attack 360
In this six-episode series, nn international team of experts hunts for clues as they investigate why sharks bite humans. They unravel the surprising threads that link these incidents. As the evidence mounts, they analyze data in a cutting-edge VFX shark lab to understand in forensic detail why sharks attack.

Return of the White Shark
Hundreds of great white sharks have recently appeared on the doorstep of one of America’s most popular tourist destinations, hunting in ways never documented before. To understand why the sharks are here and what this means for Cape Cod, a team of scientists are studying this new phenomenon to try to keep people safe. Are the sharks changing the natural ecosystem … or restoring it?

Bull Shark vs Hammerhead
In Florida, a rare event between top ocean predators was captured on video: bull sharks attacking a great hammerhead. Dr. Heithaus and a team of shark experts launch an investigation pinning one against the other. They put experiments to the test to see what happens when these top predators come head-to-head.

Shark Below Zero
White sharks have been spotted across Canada as far north as the coast of Newfoundland. After the first suspected white shark attack in Canada for over 150 years, experts Greg Skomal, Heather Bowlby, Megan Winton and Warren Joyce investigate what drives white shark’s journey to the northernmost limit of their range.

Shankano: Hawai'i
To find out why sharks are drawn to Hawaii’s volcanoes, biologists Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Frances Farabaugh free dive with one of the most dangerous sharks: the tiger shark. 

When Sharks Attack… and Why
From America’s coastlines to exotic beaches around the world, shark attacks are becoming more unpredictable. Many of these attacks occur suddenly, in large numbers and in unexpected locations — puzzling locals and scientists alike. Experts investigate these mysterious incidents to discover what is affecting some of nature’s most feared fish in this eight-episode series.

Sharks vs Dolphins: Bahamas Battleground
In the Bahamas, more than 30% of dolphins have shark-bite scars. With a never-before-seen non-toxic gel bite pad and life-sized dolphin decoy, Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Valeria Paz collect bite impressions from three shark species that might be the predators. Bites from bull sharks, tiger sharks and great hammerheads — up to 14 feet long — are compared to scars photographed on dolphins. 

Check out the trailer for Sharkfest 2023 right here:

Sharkfest 2023 schedule

Here is the announced TV schedule for Sharkfest 2023:

July 2 

  • Bull Shark Bandits, 8 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • Shark Eat Shark, 9 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • Saved from a Shark, 10 pm ET/PT, National Geographic

July 3

  • When Sharks Attack 360, 8 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • Return of the White Shark, 9 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • Bull Shark vs Hammerhead, 10 pm ET/PT, National Geographic

July 5

  • When Sharks Attack 360, 8 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • Shark Below Zero, 9 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • Sharkano: Hawai'i, 10 pm ET/PT, National Geographic

July 6

  • When Sharks Attack 360, 8 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • When Sharks Attack… and Why, 9 pm & 10 pm ET/PT, National Geographic

July 7

  • When Sharks Attack... and Why, National Geographic 
  • Bull Shark vs Hammerhead, 9 pm ET/PT, ESPN 2
  • Bull Shark Bandits, 10 pm ET/PT, ESPN 2

July 10

  • When Sharks Attack 360, 8 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • When Sharks Attack... and Why, 9 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • Sharks vs Dolphins: Battleground Bahamas, 10 pm ET/PT, National Geographic

July 11

  • When Sharks Attack 360, 8 pm ET/PT, National Geographic
  • When Sharks Attack... and Why, 9 pm ET/PT, National Geographic

July 12

  • When Sharks Attack... and Why, National Geographic

July 24

  • Shark Below Zero, 8 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild
  • Sharkano: Hawai'i, 9 pm and 11 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild
  • Bull Shark Bandits, 10 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild

July 25

  • Return of the White Shark, 8 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild 

July 26

  • When Sharks Attack… and Why, 8 pm & 9 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild
  • Shark Eat Shark, 10 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild

July 27

  • Saved from a Shark, 8 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild 

July 28

  • Sharks vs Dolphins: Battleground Bahamas, 8 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild
  • Bull Shark vs Hammerhead, 9 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild

July 30

  • When Sharks Attack 360, 6 pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild 

All of the above shows are going to be available to stream on Disney Plus and Hulu starting July 2. 

Also, Disney Channel is airing kid-centric shark content from Saturday, July 8, to Sunday, July 9; Disney XD has 10 hours of shark-themed content from Monday, July 3, to Friday, July 7; and Disney Junior is featuring shark-themed content with preschool-friendly messaging from Monday, July 3, to Sunday, July 9.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.