Discovery Shark Week 2010 - Ultimate Air Jaws

So, I have finally decided to start watching Discovery's Shark Week 2010 and will look at one episode a day and write about it.  This year seemed to have lacked the fan-fair of  2009 - when the whole show was really promoted as (if I could use one word to describe it) - blood.  Some very good shark porn...


I have to admit, that the first episode was good - especially compared to previous episodes...

• The logo used this year had a positive feel to it...there were no blood spots, no bite marks, had neutral / "good" colors and even included the word HAPPY - baby steps, but it works...small changes  
• Absolutely amazing images produced by a Phantom Camera.  Shoots 1,000 frames per second, possible to slowdown action 40 times.  The details of the sharks breaching were phenomenal.  The slow motion effects captured the beauty of these animals in such a "violent" moment.  The music was well applied - minus the kayaking scene - became too dramatic
• Narration was very balanced, not sensational
• Hosted by Chris Fallows - pioneer of Air Jaws photography
• White sharks eat 1% of seal colony (total colony: 60,000) each year
• Juvenile white sharks in Mossel Bay swim close to shore - very close to shore, yet there are hardly any incidents.  Reasons are still unknown, may be for mating, feeding of fish, oxygen levels of water...
• Seal Eye camera and sled were interesting and innovative to get a closer look at sharks while in predatory mode
• Bruce (from Nemo) came to mind often during breaches...
• Must suck to be a seal in South Africa - 20-30 patrolling sharks around the island make the commute a bitch.

First impressions of shark week are very good thus far.  The next episode promoted was Into the Shark Bite...unfortunately it already had already lines like "Risk life and limb..." - we'll see tomorrow.