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The Best Episodes of Shark Week

Every episode of Shark Week ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Shark Week!

Binge this in 7d 13h•Peaking at 8.3/10

The Discovery Channel's Shark Week, first broadcast on July 17, 1987, is a weeklong series of feature television programs dedicated to sharks. Held annually, normally in July or August, Shark Week was originally developed to

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Shark Week Season 17 Episode 6 - Bull Shark: World's Deadliest Shark
    8.3/10(14 votes)

    #1 - Bull Shark: World's Deadliest Shark

    S17:E6

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Shark Week Season 37 Episode 7 - Great White Serial Killer: Sea of Blood
    8.3/10(7 votes)

    #2 - Great White Serial Killer: Sea of Blood

    S37:E7

    After two fatal Great White shark attacks occurred off a small Mexican fishing village - including one in which a victim was decapitated - shark attack survivor Paul De Gelder joins shark investigator Brandon McMillan and local biologist Gador Mutaner to launch a plan to ID the killers and keep the villagers in the Sea of Cortez safe.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Shark Week Season 14 Episode 1 - Air Jaws: Sharks of South Africa
    8.2/10(77 votes)

    #3 - Air Jaws: Sharks of South Africa

    S14:E1

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Shark Week Season 15 Episode 1 - Great White Attack: A True Story
    8.1/10(42 votes)

    #4 - Great White Attack: A True Story

    S15:E1

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Shark Week Season 16 Episode 6 - Sharks Under Glass
    7.8/10(9 votes)

    #5 - Sharks Under Glass

    S16:E6

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Shark Week Season 19 Episode 3 - Perfect Shark
    7.8/10(7 votes)

    #6 - Perfect Shark

    S19:E3

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Shark Week

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  7. Shark Week Season 23 Episode 1 - Ultimate Air Jaws
    7.8/10(30 votes)

    #7 - Ultimate Air Jaws

    S23:E1

    Off the coast of South Africa, massive great white sharks blast from the water, pulling a sneak attack on their seal prey. Shark expert Chris Fallows and filmmaker Jeff Kurr arrive on the scene to investigate the aerial attacks using state-of-the-art technology including an HD camera that shoots in super slow motion - 2,000 frames per second. This enables the team to slow down a breaching shark from one second of real time to almost a minute - and in so much detail you can literally count every tooth in the shark's mouth! Fallows and Kurr also employ a submarine and remotely-operated helicopter to capture this incredible footage.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Shark Week Season 23 Episode 3 - Shark Attack Survival Guide
    7.8/10(22 votes)

    #8 - Shark Attack Survival Guide

    S23:E3

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Shark Week Season 25 Episode 6 - Adrift: 47 Days With Sharks
    7.8/10(53 votes)

    #9 - Adrift: 47 Days With Sharks

    S25:E6

    During a routine search and rescue mission over the Pacific in WWII, an American plane crashed into shark-infested waters. This is the inspiring true story of two war heroes — one an Olympian, one a pastor's son — who managed to survive a record-breaking 47 days at sea in a life raft. They subsisted on only the food they were able to catch from the ocean and the water they were able to collect from the rain, all while fighting off a gang of sharks that were their constant companions. But when they finally did reach land, it was only the beginning of their troubles. What happened to these men is one of the greatest tests of faith, will and endurance of our time.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Shark Week Season 26 Episode 11 - Great White Gauntlet
    7.8/10(13 votes)

    #10 - Great White Gauntlet

    S26:E11

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Shark Week Season 37 Episode 12 - Expedition Unknown: Sharks vs. Nazis in Paradise
    7.8/10(11 votes)

    #11 - Expedition Unknown: Sharks vs. Nazis in Paradise

    S37:E12

    Global adventurer Josh Gates and shark biologist Tristan Guttridge team up with nature's deadliest predator to search for a lost wreck sunk by a Nazi U-Boat during World War II.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Shark Week Season 26 Episode 4 - Voodoo Sharks
    7.7/10(14 votes)

    #12 - Voodoo Sharks

    S26:E4

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Shark Week Season 20 Episode 5 - Perfect Predators
    7.6/10(15 votes)

    #13 - Perfect Predators

    S20:E5

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Shark Week Season 26 Episode 10 - Alien Sharks of the Deep
    7.6/10(27 votes)

    #14 - Alien Sharks of the Deep

    S26:E10

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Shark Week Season 33 Episode 3 - Shark Lockdown
    7.6/10(13 votes)

    #15 - Shark Lockdown

    S33:E3

    In the waters off New Zealand, the largest female great whites are measuring over 20-feet long, earning the nickname ‘the 747s.’ With no human interaction during COVID-19, researchers built a self-propelled cage to see how hunting patterns have changed.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Shark Week Season 33 Episode 9 - Great White Serial Killer Extinction
    7.6/10(16 votes)

    #16 - Great White Serial Killer Extinction

    S33:E9

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Shark Week Season 37 Episode 16 - Great White Danger Zone
    7.6/10(10 votes)

    #17 - Great White Danger Zone

    S37:E16

    Alison Towner and her team investigate a new Great White hotspot off the coast of South Africa. Equipped with cutting-edge fin cameras, tracking tags, and underwater surveillance, researchers unveil unusual behavior in these massive apex predators.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Shark Week Season 24 Episode 2 - Jaws Comes Home
    7.5/10(24 votes)

    #18 - Jaws Comes Home

    S24:E2

    Jaws Comes Home tells the story of passionate shark expert and U.S. Fisheries scientist, Greg Skomal, as he documents six remarkable months following five great whites with names like Curly and Ruthless. His mission: to understand more about their recently discovered, 1,200-mile journey up and down the eastern seaboard and to reveal all he can about these much-maligned hunters.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Shark Week Season 24 Episode 5 - Killer Sharks: The Attacks of Black December
    7.5/10(17 votes)

    #19 - Killer Sharks: The Attacks of Black December

    S24:E5

    December 1957: the height of tourist season in South Africa. Merry vacationers from around the globe descend on an idyllic resort town along the sunny coast to enjoy the summer. It's not long until the white sands are clogged with dead bodies and the sapphire waters are red with blood. The culprit? The authorities suspected a single, massive rogue shark with a taste for human flesh.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Shark Week Season 29 Episode 10 - Sharks vs. Dolphins: Face Off
    7.5/10(15 votes)

    #20 - Sharks vs. Dolphins: Face Off

    S29:E10

    Sharks and dolphins have shared the ocean for ages, but only recently, scientists have begun to understand the true nature of the relationship between these two masters of the sea. It's hostile, and dangerous, mainly for dolphins. Dolphins would rather eat fish and swim with humans; sharks would rather eat dolphins and anything they can sink their teeth into. Dr. Mike Heithaus and his team bring new research that may solve why sharks attack dolphins far more than we ever knew.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Shark Week Season 36 Episode 17 - Tropic Jaws
    7.5/10(9 votes)

    #21 - Tropic Jaws

    S36:E17

    When a 16-foot great white invades Indonesia’s warm coast of Bali, it sparks fears that they are adapting to hunt the tropical beaches where millions of people swim every day. Dr. Craig O’Connell and Madison Stewart are on a mission to find Tropic Jaws and discover why they left the cold water environment that they have called home for thousands of years.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Shark Week Season 37 Episode 15 - Caught! When Sharks Attack
    7.5/10(11 votes)

    #22 - Caught! When Sharks Attack

    S37:E15

    For the first time, shark attacks are being caught on video thanks to smartphones. Experts analyze these shark encounters to reveal surprising new insights into their behavior and dangerous warning signs. While some shark attacks may result from foolish behavior—such as someone sticking their hand inside a live shark—the reality is we swim beside sharks every day without even realizing it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Shark Week Season 16 Episode 4 - Smart Sharks: Swimming with Roboshark
    7.4/10(7 votes)

    #23 - Smart Sharks: Swimming with Roboshark

    S16:E4

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Shark Week Season 27 Episode 4 - Monster Hammerhead
    7.4/10(22 votes)

    #24 - Monster Hammerhead

    S27:E4

    Monster Hammerhead explores a legendary hammerhead shark that has been patrolling Florida’s shores for the past 60 years. Now, a team of scientists and anglers look to explore the mystery and find out if the legend could be real.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Shark Week Season 35 Episode 10 - Island of the Walking Sharks
    7.4/10(11 votes)

    #25 - Island of the Walking Sharks

    S35:E10

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Bull Shark: World's Deadliest Shark" is the best rated episode of "Shark Week". It scored 8.3/10 based on 14 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 12/12/2004. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Great White Serial Killer: Sea of Blood".