Discovery Channel's Shark Week Shark After Dark

How can one describe them other than 'majestic'?
Caribbean Reef Shark (Bahamas)

Photo: Wolfgang Leander
Click on image to enlarge

The last episode of Discovery Channel's Shark Week - finally - it has been grueling and boring, but we have finally come to an end - no more blood, no more attacks, no more wounds, no more hosts that are scared of sharks, no more Shark Porn.

My thoughts on Sharks After Dark:

• Mark Rackley got old - remember him when he did some amazing stuff with Manny Puig - at least I thought it was amazing back then
• Cat Gennaro - she is not a shark person - she is scared of them. I remember two separate incidents where sharks singled her out - a white and a mako...she must give off a bad vibe. And lines like: "I did not know if they would tear me apart" (by lemon) sharks does not help.
• I am still amazed at white sharks breaching - what an incredible sight
• I have free-dived with Tigers and Lemons at night and found them to be calmer than at day time.
• Credits thanked Eli Martinez - no comment - I still wonder why he de-friended me on Facebook - I think he also de-friended my dad (that I can understand).

I am happy Shark Week is over...while their ratings have been high, it seems like the media has also been criticizing the network for the production of this year's PORN.

"Killing Machines?" - They are the guardians of our Oceans
Caribbean Reef Shark (Bahamas)

Photo: Wolfgang Leander
Click on image to enlarge

Discovery Channel's Shark Week Great White Appetite

I think there was a mistake in Discovery Channel's scheduling during Shark Week - this episode was not driven by attacks, blood, and over-caffeinated hosts. Considering the quality and content of the four previous episodes, this is the first to pass.

Some thoughts:

• First thought when shark bites Zodiac - boat had bait dangling on side - and we will never know
• Jeremiah Sullivan is a cool call
• Watch the video below sent to me by a friend - good recap of Shark Week thus far:

WATCH VIDEO

Discovery Channel's Shark Week Shark Bite Summer

To be very honest, I am not going to say much about this show, out of respect to the people their stories and lost of loved ones. I clearly remember that summer - the media frenzy - and how it all stopped on Sept. 11, 2001.

At least Discovery Channel had the decency to mention that the summer of 2001 was no different from any other year as far as shark incidents were concerned - basically during the credits, but at least it was said.

0 for 4...

Only focus of SharkWeek thus far has been attacks.

Discovery Channel's Shark Week Day of the Shark 2

I think I will not dive with sharks anymore - they are monsters and I am very afraid...that is the only effect that Discovery Channel's Shark Week has had on me. So far I have watched three episodes and the only thing I have seen is blood and heard "killer".

Day of the Shark 2 thoughts:

• Red / hungry / kill
• Neil H is a bad bowler
• Surfers are crazy - but I do respect them - they have a special relationship with the ocean and sharks - but they are still crazy for dangling on the surface
• Not one of the shows thus far would have been watched by my children (if I had any) way to graphic - no need to show the open wounds and do not have any educational value
  
• Have nothing to say about the shark cage breach except that one of the divers said he is "passionate about sharks" - then why did he release the footage. I think he is passionate about money and fame
• "Lethal eating machine" - poor sharks
• Bahamas and Florida must love all the good publicity that Discovery Channel is giving them
• I have to agree that hogfish is the best tasting fish - also the easiest to spear
• Surprised they filmed a hogfish dying on spear - whatever happen to "no animals were harmed during the..."
• Film a reef shark and call it a bull / several scenes talk about one shark but show a different species
• "But sometimes shark attack on purpose..." great line
• Pleased by the positive attitude of shark encounter victims
• I would have jumped in and pounded on a shark as well if Tibu (my dog) was in trouble. My dog's name is Tibu - short for Tiburon (shark in Spanish)
• But even dogs forgive sharks
• Navy SEAL was in "hand-to-hand" combat with shark - if anything hand-to-fin

0 for 3 Discovery Channel...

I am surprises that Febreze (Proctor and Gamble) is sponsoring Shark Week - why would they want to associate their brand with the gore? Product good to clean blood? Eliminate dead fish odors?

Discovery Channel Shark Week Deadly Waters

Last night on Discovery Channel's Shark Week was Deadly Waters hosted by Les Stroud - he travels the world and rates the 5 most dangerous places - shark-wise. My thoughts below:

• Starts with Les Stroud jumping from a helicopter on top of sharks, what a macho - nice way to "connect" with sharks...
• Stroud's monologue is dramatic, thin, and filled with stupid comments
• Surprised that Stuart Cove participated in segment - Caribbean Sea is 5th most dangerous place. On one hand Stuart Cove promotes shark diving, and on the other he adds to the shark porn...
• Neil Watson says that Caribbean Sharks are safe to dive with...Discovery says otherwise
• Great Whites in Caribbean - SERIOUSLY???
• Les Stroud is scared of sharks
• Make a chumsickle the size of a human and drive at the speed a human would swim to compare human and bait...WHAT?
• Segment on Florida was not filmed in Florida but in the Bahamas
• Experiment with shark to eat fish or prosthetic hand off stick - in clear water shark takes fish...in murky water (which was done by kicking up sand) - shark takes fish...then hand (after it was rubbed in fish oil - I have confirmation on this)

So far Shark Week is 0 for 2...

How can serious shark people be part of this show...don't get it...

Discovery Channel Shark Week Blood in the Water

So I am sitting here and have just watched the first 5 minutes of Discovery Channel's Shark Week first program - Blood in the Water - Jaws meets Gone With the Wind. Completely boring, lots of blood, bad production, horrible props...

They talk a lot about sharks killing people - little to no education...I guess I am going to turn it off...maybe tomorrow will be better...NOT - Survivor man and Tiger Beach - wonder if they stuffed dummies with fish again to get the Tigers to "attack".

Shark Week so far FAIL and living up to the shark porn...

Discovery Channel's Shark Week and Twitter

I had complete forgotten that today Shark Week starts - have set-up my DVR to record all the shows - the only reason I remember is that I was looking at my Tweetdeck and one of my search terms is "sharks". Noticed that there is a lot more chatter than normal today and after ready a few tweets it all came together.

People are saying all sort of things - some good some bad...here are some samples:

@stephanie1685: i love shark week!!!!! i dont know why cuz i hate sharks and scared to death f them

@SheenaLovesJB ik! i hate sharks with a passion! >.< @somuchunfortune It's so nice to see people getting their limbs chewed off by sharks. It makes me feel so much better. Thank you, Shark Week. @paigerags I'm upset with the portrayl of shark's in the SHARKWEEK commercials. Sharks are friends, not mindless eating machines. Not expecting much from Shark Week - mostly some Shark Porn - as the people at Discovery Channel themselves call it... Make up your own mind and check out twitter search for sharks.

Discovery's Shark Week 2009 Teasers

Just came across an interesting blog - The Dorsal Fin - not sure who is behind this but they are posting some interesting stories. One of the posts is about Discovery's Shark Week teaser on Youtube. I think once you see this you will not have any doubt where the network stands and how they are representing sharks as pure porn.

Spot reminds me very much of Jaws...and has only one purpose: FEAR.

Spear-fisher encounter with Caribbean Reef Shark

Caribbean Reef Shark, Bahamas, Photo by: Wolf Leander

CNN had a fairly "normal" piece on a recent shark incident involving a spear-fisher; reason I say normal is because I did not feel it anyway sensationalized the situation.

Watch the video here.

Essentially a spear-fisherman / guide takes other spear-fishermen on fishing trips in the Bahamas - one of these tourists panicked as shark got to close and decided to shoot shark in head - instigated an already potentially dangerous situation even more. Unfortunate for the guide that he got the worst of the aggression. Some thoughts:

• Diver panicked and shot shark - if you are not comfortable around sharks get out of the water (and if spearing...)
  
• Shark felt threatened and defended itself after diver attacked it
  
• Careful who you take into the water - specially in spear-fishing circumstances, need more OceanSmart people
• Neal Watson claims that Caribbean Reef sharks are "safe" while lemons are dangerous - WHAT? Caribbean Reef sharks can be like street dogs and in packs even bolder. I would rather be in the water with a Tiger Shark than a Reef (personal opinion - as are all other points above.
• A lot more potentially dangerous things happening in the Bahamian waters than the Tiger Beach
  

Happy ending - both spear-fisher guide and shark will live. Discovery - some more Shark Porn material for Shark Week 2010

Interview with Discovery Channel Executive Paul Gasek

About two weeks ago David from Southern Fried Science asked for readers to submit questions as he was going to interview Paul Gasek from the Discovery Channel in reference to Shark Week. Many questions and good questions were submitted...thank you, David, for the initiative.

I was pretty disheartened after reading Paul's answers to be very honest. Particularly by: "At Discovery Channel, we pride ourselves on telling compelling and accurate stories. Shark Week is no different." - sure you may say this was taken out of context - not to me.

Gasek did not answer David's question in reference to the fish stuffing of a dummy snorkeller to incite a shark to "attack" the dummy.

I do not see the Discovery Channel changing the programming of Shark Week anytime soon...

LONG LIVE SHARK PORN

Read the full interview here - curious as to what your thoughts are.

Call for questions for Discovery Channel Executive Paul Gasek Shark Week

David Shiffman, of Why Sharks Matter blog is asking our community for a "few good questions" to ask / interview Discovery Channel executive Paul Gasek:

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As per David's post:

"The shark blog-o-sphere has been buzzing lately with calls for a boycott of the Discovery Channel over its portrayal of sharks in the famous “Shark Week” series. People are concerned that the sensationalized shark films gives sharks a bad name at a time when they most need our help.

Nearly every shark blogger I know has gotten involved"

As Wolfgang Leander at Oceanic Dreams says,

"sensationalistic portrayal of sharks on the yearly “Shark Week” programs is not to educate but to irrationally frighten the general public by using the “Jaws” stereotype presented as the true nature of these fabulous creatures of the oceans”

Patric at Underwater Thrills refers to falsely portraying sharks as violent and dangerous as “shark porn” , and proposes that he and other professional shark diving operators adopt a “contract for sharks” that stops these kinds of films from being made in the first place.

The Shark Safe Project posted a letter from one of their members calling on the Discovery channel to “Educate their viewers and not (B.S.) them”

Ila Porcher, another shark advocate, has even started an entire new blog just dedicated to this controversy called “Discovery’s Shame”.There is also a petition, which you can sign here if you’re interested. Her manifesto, which everyone else is circulating, can be found here.

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Please post questions as comments on David's blog here.

Discovery Shark Week Blog Update

Ila France Porcher, French Polynesia, being interviewed by
Mike DeGruy for "Shark Week" (2004)

From Ila France Porcher:

Dear Friends,

Just a brief note to let you know that I created a blog devoted to our interchange with the Discovery Channel. It outlines briefly events so far, including Shark L's original letter, and presents the Manifesto.

Its at:

http://boycottsharkweek.blogspot.com/

Please have a look--I look forward to exchanging links with whoever is interested.

With good wishes,

Ila

Boycott Discovery Channel Shark Week Part 2

Here is the 2009 "Shark Week" program; we discovered it today in the Internet.

Now you will understand why Ila France Porcher, the author of the Manifesto, and the backers of the petition against the tabloid type of depiction of sharks as practiced by the Discovery Channel, believe that it is high time for them to properly educate the public about the true nature of these misunderstood creatures in a way that is both informative and interesting enough so as to obtain high ratings for their shows.

The titles of this year's "Shark Week" features could not be more telling. Have a look, and decide for yourself whether this is responsible journalism or sub-standard and sensationalistic inveiglement of the "Shark Week" viewers into the conviction that sharks are not to be trusted after all:

http://popculturezoo.com/?p=3012&preview=true

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS.

SHARK WEEK premieres Sunday, August 2, 2009, and features six all-new programs:

BLOOD IN THE WATER

This gripping drama brings to life the true 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.

DAY OF THE SHARK

In this harrowing hour, see what happens when a great white breaks through a 300-pound aluminum shark cage and traps the divers inside; when another tackles a former Navy Seal in shallow waters in the early evening off St. Petersburg, Florida; and when a bull shark invades a spearfishing trip in the Bahamas. When you’re a visitor in the vast and complex ocean, any day could be the “Day of the Shark.”

DEADLY WATERS

SURVIVORMAN’s Les Stroud is back for more shark action — this time venturing to five of the most notorious shark infested waters in the world to find out which is the most dangerous. Les will initiate a series of immersive tests in these high-fatality “hot spots” to determine what makes these waters so deadly.

GREAT WHITE APPETITE

One of the most feared predators on earth, the great white shark patrols the shores of more than 50 percent of the world’s inhabited coastlines. And yet, scientists still don’t have accurate data on their population, mating practices, traveling patterns or even what drives their feeding behavior. Former Force Recon Marine Charles Ingram travels the globe with shark experts, seeking out answers to these and additional fascinating questions.

SHARK AFTER DARK

We know that sharks are active and can be quite aggressive during the day, but we know little about what they do at night. Now, armed with the latest in infrared heat-sensing cameras and night vision technology, a team of divers descends into the dark abyss on a mission to learn more about shark behavior after the sun goes down.

SHARKBITE SUMMER

This is the definitive account of America’s 2001 “Summer of the Shark,” when the ocean’s apex predators attacked more than 50 swimmers off U.S. beaches. SHARKBITE SUMMER returns to the attack sites and — using news footage,
interviews with victims, witnesses, surgeons, family members and shark experts — builds a clear picture of what happened that summer.