Cressi at Shark Week 2026: Our Ambassadors on Discovery

Shark Week turns 38 this year, and if you've been watching long enough, you know that the best episodes aren’t the sensationalist ones that frame sharks as hungry maneaters; they’re the ones that highlight real scientists doing real work.

This year, several of the researchers and conservationists Cressi is proud to support are appearing across the Discovery lineup, and their work spans everything from great white behavior in New Zealand to thresher shark biomechanics off the California coast.

Shark Week 2026 runs July 26 through August 1 on Discovery. Here's a look at who to watch for, what they're working on, and why we think these are some of the most compelling hours of the week.

Tristan Guttridge: Five Shows, Three Continents

If you're going to watch one researcher throughout the week, make it Tristan Guttridge. The co-founder of Saving the Blue, a nonprofit dedicated to recovering and restoring threatened marine species, Guttridge appears in five separate specials this year, a remarkable run that reflects just how much ground he's covering in the field.

The week opens Sunday, July 26 at 8PM ET with "K-Pop Shark Heroes," where Tristan, Vice President of Saving the Blue, serves as the on-camera shark expert, introducing actor and comedian Dr. Ken Jeong and K-Pop legend Rei Ami to sharks in The Bahamas. Paleo-ecologist Dr. Sora Kim and underwater videographers Duncan Brake and Andy Casagrande round out the team.

The premise, using the global reach of K-Pop to shift public perception of sharks across East Asia, is unconventional for Shark Week. But the conservation intent behind it is serious, and having Tristan in the water to guide that introduction is exactly the kind of work Saving the Blue specializes in.

“I was part of the expert team alongside Dr. Sora Kim to dispel the idea that humans are part of sharks’ diet and to promote the message of shark conservation and their key ecological role,” says Tristan.

“Recent study found evidence of various large-bodied sharks in the east sea of Korea and this received much local attention with concern for public safety. Further sea water temperatures have seen more sightings of sharks close to shore etc., and there is more interest in sharks at this time.”

Monday night brings two more. "House of Sharks" premieres at 9PM ET, taking Tristan to Stewart Island, New Zealand, where three distinct groups of great whites appear to be organizing into competing social structures and may be vying for control of a major seal feeding ground.

The investigation raises the possibility that these sharks recognize kin and return season after season to ancestral territories, which would mean they aren't solitary hunters at all, but rival clans.

Then, at 10PM ET, "Biggest Mako on Earth" follows a search for record-breaking makos off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, California. For decades, rumors have circulated about 15 to 20-foot makos patrolling these deep waters, long dismissed as fishermen's tales. New footage and a recently published photo are now forcing scientists to rethink what they know about these oceanic predators.

“A few years ago there was a huge sighting of a mako shark off the coast of Cabo, Mexico,” says Tristan. “Local scientists and divers managed to get imagery of it and suggested it could be one of the biggest documented. In this show we discuss the factors that might lead to "super-sized" mako sharks and go to Catalina island to see if we can encounter a giant.”

Tuesday, July 28 at 9PM ET, "Jaws vs Orca" investigates a story that has been building for several years. Killer whales in the Strait of Gibraltar are targeting sharks with alarming precision, removing livers and sinking sailboats in the process. Tristan heads to Spain to place himself directly in the path of an orca encounter, using their attacks on boats to reveal how these predators hunt and how they may be taking down great whites.

And finally, on Thursday, July 30 at 9PM ET, "How to Train a Great White" features Annie Guttridge as a shark expert. The show returns to the shark-filled waters of New Zealand with a provocative question: can sharks be trained?

Using techniques pioneered by the U.S. Navy to work with dolphins on complex cognitive tasks, the team applies similar methods to great whites to test whether these apex predators can learn, solve problems, and respond to cues. The results could redefine what we understand about shark intelligence.

Cressi has supported Tristan and Annie's work through Saving the Blue with travel gear, snorkel equipment, and scuba equipment for their field projects. That support goes into the water with them on every one of these shoots.

“Cressi supports me with all my dive and travel gear and has done for many years now,” says Tristan. “Working with sharks in dynamic environments it is critical to have gear you can rely on that keeps you safe. I am forever grateful to Cressi for their continued support of my Shark Week and shark research endeavors.”

Dr. Neil Hammerschlag: Tracking "Big Rose" Off Nova Scotia

Sunday night's lineup closes at 10PM ET with "Invasion of the Mega Sharks," and Neil Hammerschlag leads the charge. The founder and executive director of the Shark Research Foundation, Neil is one of the most respected shark researchers working today, and this year's mission is one of his most ambitious.

His team is on a high-risk expedition to track down "Big Rose," a record-breaking great white believed to be one of the largest predators in the North Atlantic. Using innovative tagging technology and daring field operations, they're venturing to a newly discovered shark hotspot off Nova Scotia with the goal of transforming our understanding of these ocean giants. If they find her, it could reshape what we know about great white distribution and behavior across the Atlantic.

“Nova Scotia is emerging as one of the most important and exciting places in the North Atlantic to encounter and study great white sharks,” says Neil. “Our research is focused on understanding how these incredible predators use Canadian waters, how their numbers are changing through time, and how this region fits into the broader recovery of the species.”

When it comes to Big Rose herself, Neil says “[she] is significant because sharks of her immense size are extremely rare and understudied. She represents a unique opportunity to learn about the lives of large, mature, female white sharks, which could possibly be pregnant or preparing to breed, in a part of the Atlantic that is still relatively understudied. These animals are especially important from a conservation perspective because mature females play a critical role in the future recovery of the population.”

Cressi supports Neil's work as a Cressi Ocean Ambassador, a partnership rooted in the belief that getting researchers into the water with reliable gear is one of the most direct ways a dive brand can contribute to ocean science.

Dr. Craig O'Connell: Two Investigations to Close Out the Week

Craig O'Connell, conservation biologist and founder of the O'Seas Conservation Foundation, appears in two specials during the final days of Shark Week.

Friday, July 31 at 9PM ET, "Sharkzilla Takes New York" begins with a wave of mauled marine life washing ashore in New York. Craig launches an investigation that leads to an old nuclear dumping ground teeming with great whites and makos, and a theory that the predator responsible may be radioactive. An unexpected hotspot for massive makos off the Hamptons adds another layer to an already unsettling case.

Then, on Saturday, August 1 at 9PM ET, Craig closes out Shark Week with "Thresher Shark: Stun to Kill." The physics behind the thresher shark's devastating tail strike have long remained a mystery, but the recent discovery of a shallow-water feeding ground has made it possible to observe this behavior directly for the first time. Craig and marine biologist Aliah Banchik dive into the direct line of fire to document exactly how threshers use their tails to stun and kill.

Craig's work through O'Seas Conservation Foundation connects shark research directly to youth education, a combination that Cressi is proud to support. Getting young people curious about sharks, and accurate about them, is exactly the kind of long-game conservation work that matters.

"Observing a thresher shark hunt in its natural environment is like uncovering a missing piece of the puzzle,” says Craig. These sharks spend much of their lives out of sight, so opportunities to observe their natural behavior are incredibly rare. This discovery gives scientists a glimpse into where and how threshers hunt, helping us better understand their ecology and the habitats they depend on. The more we learn about these critical areas, the better equipped we are to protect them for future generations.”