Shark Week. For many, it’s a beloved annual event, a chance to get up close and personal with the ocean’s most majestic predators through stunning documentaries. Millions tune in globally! Yet, over the years, this popular program hasn’t been without its share of controversy and eyebrow-raising claims. Some say it’s all harmless fun, while others argue it’s a sea of misinformation.
Get ready to explore the depths as we uncover the top ten Shark Week conspiracy theories that have churned the waters and sparked intense debates among fans and scientists alike. Are they plausible, or just clever marketing ploys? Let’s find out!
10. Fabricated Fin-tales and Fake Stories
Back in 2014, Shark Week presented Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine. This documentary spun a chilling narrative about a colossal 30-foot white shark named Submarine, said to have terrorized boat passengers off South Africa’s coast after their vessel sank. The story was undeniably gripping, but there was a major catch: it was pure fiction, featuring a shark that never existed.
This wasn’t Shark Week’s first foray into “mockumentaries,” but audiences felt this particular depiction was a new low in sensitivity. The fictional events were set in Hout Bay, a real location where a tragic boat capsizing led to two deaths. Viewers found it one thing to create a fictional story, but quite another to pass it off as a true historical event. It turned out the Submarine tale was an old, made-up legend from the 1970s, a prank by journalists that somehow kept resurfacing despite the shark being entirely mythical.
9. The Menace of Rogue Sharks
National Geographic, not to be outdone, explored the concept of “rogue sharks” and the triggers for their attacks. In 2018, the Whitsundays Islands in Australia saw a spike in shark encounters in waters previously considered safe. While rogue sharks aren’t common, bull sharks involved in attacks can be extremely dangerous.
Scientists investigating these incidents considered human impact on the Whitsundays. Increased boating, fishing, and paddleboarding led to people improperly disposing of food scraps overboard and even illegally baiting the waters. Sharks quickly learned to associate these areas with an easy meal – a sort of underwater fast-food joint. This meant that when someone jumped off a boat or fell from a paddleboard, they might be mistaken for food. Most shark bites are cases of mistaken identity, often due to murky water or resemblance to natural prey like sea lions, not because of vindictive, Hollywood-style rogue sharks.
8. Stalked for Days: A Survivor’s Nightmare?
Shark Week’s 2019 show, Capsized: Blood in the Water, posed a terrifying question: what if you were stranded in shark-infested waters? Like many Shark Week productions, this one drew inspiration from real events. However, some critics argue that Shark Week has become too focused on sensational, gory details, neglecting the scientific aspects of these creatures.
Blood in the Water recounted a 1982 incident where a yacht crew was thrown into the sea after a storm capsized their boat. An injured, bleeding passenger attracted tiger sharks, which reportedly circled the survivors for five grueling days, picking them off one by one. While these harrowing tales make for compelling television, not everyone is pleased with this narrative direction. Dr. Stephen Kaijura, a shark expert, expressed disappointment to NBC News, stating that Shark Week often prioritizes sensationalism over the rich evolutionary history and diversity of sharks, which could offer far more educational value.
7. Shark Spies: Jaws with a License to Thrill?
In Hollywood, spies come in all forms – from kids to seniors, even pets. But what about sharks? One wild conspiracy theory that made international news suggested that spy agencies could train sharks to target humans. Specifically, bloody shark attacks in Egypt in 2010 were sensationally blamed on the Israeli spy agency, Mossad.
The Sharm El Sheikh attacks injured several tourists and resulted in one fatality. Conspiracy theorists quickly claimed Mossad used GPS-tracked sharks, guiding them into Egyptian waters, fueled by existing political tensions. The implicated species, oceanic whitetips and mako sharks, were known in the area, but attacks were rare. In response, Egypt declared an open hunt, and a mako and an oceanic whitetip were killed.
6. The Prehistoric Frilled Shark: Still Lurking?
Journey back 80 million years, and you’d find the frilled shark roaming the ancient seas. With its long, eel-like body, this deep-ocean dweller is believed by some to have survived to this day, albeit at a smaller size. Even so, it’s a creature you’d want to keep your distance from. At its prime, the frilled shark boasted 25 rows of teeth, totaling nearly 300, and six gill slits that help create a sucking action when ambushing prey.
In July 2021, the Discovery Channel aired an episode titled The Frilled Shark during Shark Week. They had captured a small specimen and were keen to study this living fossil. While generally docile, the captured shark did attempt to attack when threatened. Fortunately, encounters with these sharks are rare, as they prefer depths of nearly 4,921 feet (1,500 meters). At those depths, who knows what else you might find!
5. Do Sharks Steer Clear of the Bermuda Triangle?
The Bermuda Triangle, or Devil’s Triangle, is an infamous stretch of the Atlantic Ocean blamed for countless mysterious disappearances of ships and planes. Some theorists now claim that even sharks avoid this enigmatic area, suggesting it’s proof of sinister, otherworldly forces at play. This peculiar theory gained traction thanks to a TikTok user, “Friendly Neighborhood Dogdude,” who alleged that shark tracking apps showed swim patterns deliberately avoiding the Triangle.
For many on social media, this was compelling evidence. However, scientists offer a more mundane explanation: sharks go where the food is. If the Bermuda Triangle lacks abundant prey, sharks simply won’t venture there. Furthermore, sharks are migratory creatures, and proper marine research requires months, if not years, of data – not just a few days of app-tracking – to draw valid conclusions.
4. Dolphins: The Superior Sea Guardians?
Many of us have heard the theory that sharks are wary of dolphins, and there’s some truth to it! Sharks often avoid dolphins when they can. Dolphins possess a unique combination of bodily flexibility and rigidity, allowing them to maneuver swiftly for evasion or attack. Sharks, in contrast, are relatively stiff, despite their powerful strikes.
And let’s not forget a dolphin’s formidable snout. It can act like a battering ram during an attack. Some dolphins have even been observed positioning themselves beneath a shark and then thrusting upwards, driving their hard nose into the shark’s soft underbelly – a truly effective sucker punch! While this might not be a Shark Week conspiracy per se, perhaps dolphins deserve their own dedicated week on television too.
3. Megalodon: Is the Monster Shark Still Alive?
Shark Week is typically seen as scientific and informative, airing on the reputable Discovery Channel. But in 2013, it waded into murky waters with Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives. The program controversially presented a fictional production as a documentary, suggesting the extinct Megalodon had mysteriously returned. In an era where misinformation can easily damage credibility, Shark Week faced a significant challenge.
The 2013 episode claimed this marine megafauna was alive and well, terrorizing the oceans. It featured purported videos, photos, and firsthand accounts from “scientists” and “witnesses,” all fabricated to support the shark’s existence. As an educational program, many felt Shark Week had failed spectacularly, leading to considerable public outrage. To mitigate the backlash, disclaimers were added, clarifying the program’s fictional nature. Yet, despite the criticism, Shark Week 2013 achieved massive TV ratings, becoming one of its most-watched shows with nearly five million viewers.
2. Have We Really Seen It All?
As our list nears its end, a nagging question arises: after 34 years (Shark Week started in 1988), how does the show continue to find new content year after year? It shows no signs of slowing down. One could argue that scientists constantly make new discoveries. Alternatively, one might cynically suggest it’s all driven by the network’s pursuit of profits.
Regardless of the reason, some YouTubers summed up the enduring appeal perfectly: “We Saw Sharks Doing Sharky Things.” Perhaps the simple fascination with these apex predators is enough to keep us tuning in.
1. The “Baby Shark” Nation Conspiracy
Finally, let’s lighten the mood after all that deep-sea drama. The most popular shark of them all is… “Baby Shark!” Doo doo doo doo doo doo. But did you know that even this infuriatingly catchy tune has its own conspiracy theory? The theory posits that the song was deliberately created to cultivate a massive, loyal following among families and children worldwide.
With its countless versions and global reach, the idea is that kids could be subtly influenced or swayed to take certain actions, whether good or bad. How much water this particular conspiracy holds is debatable, but it’s certainly a fun, if slightly unsettling, thought to end on!
Shark Week continues to be a major television event, but these theories remind us to always watch with a critical eye. Sometimes the stories behind the show are just as fascinating as the sharks themselves.
