NEED TO KNOW
- Sharkfest 2025 kicks off on July 5 on National Geographic
- The shark-filled TV event starts with the premiere of Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory
- In Sharks Up Close, Gregory is on a mission to swim cage-free with great white sharks
Keep your eyes on the ocean, because something is coming.
Sharkfest returns to National Geographic this summer with over 25 hours of shark-centered programming. The summer shark event kicks off July 5 with Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory.
PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the new Sharkfest special, which features National Geographic explorer and award-winning cinematographer Gregory diving into different shark mysteries while offering viewers stunning footage of the elusive creatures. Gregory’s ultimate goal throughout the program is to swim cage-free alongside the infamous great white shark species.
In PEOPLE’s sneak peek clip of the 2025 Sharkfest kickoff show, Gregory is taking a break from tracking great whites to visit a reef with a natural cave that has earned the nickname the “cathedral.” The patrons of this underwater cathedral happen to be all sharks.
Footage shows Gregory diving with his camera to enter the moody space filled with slow-moving sharks.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Gregory exclaims as he approaches the cave jammed with spotted ragged-tooth sharks.
“That is just the most prehistoric scene,” he adds, reminding viewers that sharks “predate the dinosaurs” and “have even been around longer than trees.”
While sharks have been on Earth for hundreds of millions of years, they still contain many mysteries. For example, it is unclear why so many sharks gather at the “cathedral” Gregory visits, though he says it could be part of the animals’ mating ritual.
Animal lovers can unravel even more shark mysteries with this year’s Sharkfest. Along with Gregory’s new special, the event will have shows that take viewers around the world to see how sharks survive, migrate, and hunt. Sharkfest 2025 will also include the documentary Jaws @ 50, which explores the lasting impact of the movie Jaws with director Steven Spielberg.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Watch the kickoff of Sharkfest by tuning into Sharks Up Close on July 5 at 8 p.m./7 p.m. CST on National Geographic. Select Sharkfest series and specials will be available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu the day after they appear on National Geographic.
Read the full article here
