Who knew North Carolina was the new Amity?
In the past week there have been seven shark attacks
According to George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, a number of factors could be contributing to the apparent rash of attacks, such as warmer water and drought conditions, “(which) reduce the amount of freshwater making it to the sea, which creates an environment along the shore where high salt levels attract more fish and sharks. Warmer waters have sharks in North Carolina ahead of schedule, which is a recipe for more attacks.” Burgess also observed that, “people are going to the beach in higher numbers, now that school is out for the summer.”
In this writer’s opinion, if you live in North Carolina, stay out of the water.
Despite these attacks, this Sunday, July 5th begins the annual tradition of sitting in front of the television for a week, binging on hours and hours of shark documentaries on The Discovery Channel’s Shark Week programming.
I also recently checked out some Shark Week DVD collections that are available at the DiscoveryStore.com and highly recommend them.
The MythBusters Jaws Special DVD will make you an expert in all things shark, from blood to blows and whether you should wear that red swimsuit next time you visit the beach. Whether its sharks, aliens or exploding pants, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman take apart some of the most familiar (and many unknown) myths that many take for granted to be true in a fun-filled science-based TV show. The Jaws MythBusters DVD titled “Are Sharks Attracted to Red?” brings on the facts so you’ll be set for Shark Week with all the right answers.
The Myth Busters Jaws Special DVD takes you along with Join Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman as they debunk, decode and demystify pop culture’s most baffling urban myths and legends. Using modern-day science, they put each myth to the test, separating the real from the really out there.
In this special, extended episode, the MythBusters travel to the world’s shark hotspots to put the bite on a mouthful of legendary shark myths. The MythBusters video about jaws asks whether a real great white can really perform and maneuver the way the star of the movie Jaws did? Find out just how powerful these brutes are and if a great white can really ram a hole through a boat. Learn how vulnerable sharks are to a good punch in the nose when Jamie tries to duke it out with a horde of sharks in the Bahamas. The Myth Busters Jaws Special DVD tells you whether sharks can detect a single drop of blood in the water, whether wearing a red bathing suit is like ringing the dinner bell for these toothy predators, how you can turn a scuba tank into an anti-shark bomb and lots more!
Shark Week: 20th Anniversary DVD
Lurking silently beneath the ocean’s placid surface is one of nature’s most terrifying creatures, a powerful predator who can rip its prey apart in a matter of seconds! Now experience actual shark attacks and rescues captured on film.
Learn why these attacks are increasing at an alarming rate and see the awe-inspiring lengths sharks will go to when they’re after prey. Swim with this misunderstood marvel in the world’s most beautiful places, and discover the shark’s secrets as we peer into its home in the sea’s dark depths. Go shark hunting with the man whose legendary adventures may have inspired the infamous character Quint from Jaws, the movie that has scared millions out of the ocean.
Explore the science, myths and mystery of this fearsome predator in 14 favorite Discovery Channel programs from Shark Week – the series that has been exciting and intriguing fans for 20 years!
- Shark Attack Rescuers: Experience real-life shark attack rescues on some of the most popular and dangerous beaches around the world.
- Shark Attack Survivors: Find out why sharks are attacking people around the globe in great numbers, and learn the best ways to survive an attack.
- Anatomy of a Shark Bite: Through dramatic footage and interviews, explore why and how sharks bite, and how different breeds of sharks react to different situations.
- Prehistoric Sharks: Learn how Earth’s ancient oceans were ruled by a mega-shark as big as a Greyhound bus – nicknames Megatooth.
- Future Shark: Get a glimpse of the revealing, starling behavior of sharks as never seen before.
- Bull Shark – The World’s Deadliest Shark: Witness a bull shark ripping a large ray in half, and meet the fisherman who lost a leg to a bull shark and lived to tell the tale.
- Jaws of the Pacific: For the first time, follow the great white shark on its long migration across the Pacific… from the hunting grounds in Northern California to Mexico and on to Hawaii.
- Sharks in a Desert Sea: Join us as we search for and swim with the whale shark, the white-tip reef shark and the Galapagos shark off Mexico’s western coastline.
- Air Jaws – Sharks of South Africa: Great white sharks, the world’s most notorious predators, hurtle their enormous 2,000 lb bodies into the air for spectacular aerial attacks.
- Air Jaws II – Even Higher: Travel to Australia and see if one of Hollywood’s top special effects experts can encourage sharks to fly.
- American Shark: Take a journey from Maine to Alaska and spend time with people who have barely escaped terrifying shark encounters.
- Shark Rebellion: An international team of scientists hunt for clues along the city of Recife’s golden coastline in Brazil to unravel the mystery of its famous “shark rebellion”.
- Shark Hunter – Chasing the Great White: This is the story of Frank “Monster Man” Mundus, a legendary great white shark hunter whose real-life stories may have inspired Jaws’ infamous Quint.
- Shark Bite – Surviving Great Whites: Catch up with actual shark attack survivors and discover how the encounters have affected their lives.
Shark Week: 25th Anniversary DVD
Twenty-five years ago, a lone fin rose from the murky depths of the ocean – and Shark Week was born. With one gnash of its razor-sharp teeth, this apex predator parked itself among the favorites of Discovery Channel viewers, and this collection showcases the reasons why. Fishing out the most exhilarating episodes to date, this anniversary edition follows cage-free divers through the most shark-infested waters, looks at the true story that inspired the movie Jaws, uses high-tech cameras to hone in on a flying great white, and even invites another favorite, MythBusters, to take a look at this ferociously fascinating fish. To commemorate the thrills shared throughout the years, Shark Week: 25th Anniversary Collection is the best of the best of a twenty-five year adventure.
Includes These Fan Favorites:
- Ultimate Air Jaws: Off the coast of South Africa, massive one-ton great white sharks blast from the water at 25 mph, with almost no warning, to pull a sneak attack on the seals that congregate there. Ten years ago, Discovery Channel premiered Air Jaws which explored this phenomenon. It was an instant hit that still remains the fifth most-watched Shark Week special of all time. But that was before HD. Now, producer Jeff Kurr goes back to the scene to investigate the aerial attacks armed with state-of-the-art equipment in the one-hour special Ultimate Air Jaws, kicking off cable’s longest-running event – Shark Week 2010.
- Blood In The Water: This gripping drama brings to life the true rogue-shark story that inspired Jaws. In 1916, the New Jersey shore became a feeding ground as five people were attacked in 12 days, triggering a nationwide panic. It was the first multiple shark attack in American history, and the reason we fear sharks to this day.
- MythBusters – Shark Week Special: Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage recap their tests of how to defend oneself in case of a shark attack. Among the myths tackled in this Shark Week special: Can you gouge a shark’s eyes during an attack? Can magnetism repel a shark? Is playing dead a good strategy in shark-infested waters? Do dogs attract sharks? Do flashlights attract sharks? Do hot chilies repel sharks? Do flapping fish attract sharks?
- Great White Shark – Uncaged: In the world’s most shark-infested waters, an extreme team of divers attempt to photograph massive great white sharks without the protection of a cage. The team, led by Andre Hartman, is marooned for 9 days off a remote island in Mexico.
