BBC One Documentary WHY SHARKS ATTACK premieres Tuesday 18 July

Premiering on Tuesday, July 18, the documentary “WHY SHARKS ATTACK” on BBC One takes a unique approach, blending current affairs investigation with scientific analysis, to unravel the reasons behind shark attacks. This thought-provoking film explores not only the incidents in the Red Sea but also the unusual encounters with sharks in Sydney and Florida’s waters in recent times.

Killing Spree

8 June 2023. A 23-year-old Russian man was attacked by a shark while swimming mere metres from the beach in the Egyptian resort town of Hurghada on the Red Sea. From the shore, frightened visitors watch. His wounds are fatal, and no one is around to help him. Videos of the attack quickly went viral on YouTube and social. Less than a year ago, on the same stretch of coast, two women were killed by sharks in the span of two days. This kind of killing spree has never happened in the Red Sea before.

What lured these sharks away from their deep-sea hunting grounds and into the shallow waters of posh resorts? Possible alterations to the lifestyles and diets of these top predators due to increasing human pressure from fishing, tourism, and climate change.

This documentary uses a novel combination of current affairs investigation and scientific analysis to investigate what may have prompted not only the attacks in the Red Sea but also other recent unusual shark encounters worldwide, such as those in the waters off Sydney and Florida.

By delving into the’modus operandi’ of these vicious predators, stunning CGI reveals the terrifying inner workings of their bodies, from the powerful jaws that enable them to crush prey to the enormous livers that store energy reserves to carry them through long fasts.

University of Florida professor Gavin Naylor discusses the origins of sharks and the factors that make his state and Australia prime attack zones. Dr. Dean Grubbs of Florida State University takes a more hands-on approach, catching sharks along the Florida Gulf Coast to study their behaviour and population trends.

A shark attacked Addison Bethea, then 18 years old, in Big Grassy Island, Florida, in the year 2022. She and her brother Rhett, a firefighter, were swimming in shallow water when a shark grabbed her and dragged her under. Rhett fought off the shark and saved his sister with incredible bravery. However, due to the severity of her wounds, Addison’s leg had to be amputated. The experts want to know what led to the first shark bite ever reported in these waters.

Dr. Laura Ryan of Macquarie University is investigating great white shark attacks in Sydney to see if the sharks might be mistaking swimmers and surfers for their preferred prey, seals.

Dr. Lucy Hawkes, a marine ecologist at the University of Exeter and the first person to successfully capture and tag a silvertip shark in the Red Sea, paints a bleak picture of the global decline of shark populations.

When can we see the documentary

Why Sharks Attack Premieres Tuesday 18 July 2023 at 8.00pm on BBC One.