Chris Hemsworth Trades in Stormbreaker for a Wetsuit In Nat Geo’s SharkFest

Though filming recently wrapped on Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel fans won’t get to see the long-awaited fourth installment in the Thor film series until 2022. Thankfully Thor actor Chris Hemsworth has decided to keep busy with other things in the meantime.

July 5 marks the beginning of National Geographic’s SharkFest, an annual televised celebration of nature’s most perfect aquatic killing machines. The event will span for six weeks, contain over 80 hours of content across four networks (National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, and Disney XD), and it’s all getting started with a new special from the God of Thunder, himself. 

Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth will air at 9 p.m. ET, July 5 on National Geographic. The one-hour special will follow the Australian movie star as he seeks to understand how mankind can live more harmoniously with sharks. The documentary comes from Nutopia (One Strange Rock) and features shark conversationalist icon Valerie Taylor, who will guide Hemsworth on a shark diving experience. You can check out the first trailer below.

Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth was announced in August of last year which means Marvel’s risk management legal team really must have been asleep at the wheel. Perhaps that’s why Hemsworth got so inconceivably shredded for Love and Thunder – he needed to fend off some sharks. 

Hemsworth frontlining SharkFest opens up a nice bit of synergy for The Walt Disney Company. With National Geographic as a subsidiary, all of this year’s SharkFest content will be available to stream on Disney+ beginning on July 9. This means that streamers can watch Hemsworth swim with sharks right after taking in the Black Widow premiere…you know, just to cool down.

Here is the rest of this year’s SharkFest programming with all descriptions provided by National Geographic.

WHEN SHARKS ATTACK
National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 8/7c
National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 8/7c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 2, at 8/7c
Disney+ — Beginning July 9
The world’s beaches quickly turn deadly in this terror-filled deep-sea saga when sharks descend, shocking the local community and sending scientists reeling. What causes these spikes in activity? And how can they be prevented?

SHARK BEACH WITH CHRIS HEMSWORTH
National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 9/8c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 2, at 10/9c
Disney+ — Beginning July 9
Chris Hemsworth is on a mission to uncover the science of shark behavior and discover how humans and sharks can safely coexist. After an increase in local shark attacks along the east coast of Australia, Hemsworth seeks to understand different species of sharks and their behaviors while also exploring new preventative measures and the latest technology to help stave off shark-human encounters. The special from Nutopia (“One Strange Rock”) also features underwater conservationist and legend Valerie Taylor.

ROGUE SHARK?
National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 11, at 10/9c
Disney+ — Beginning July 9
In October 2018, the remote islands of the Whitsunday in Australia were rocked by a series of shark attacks. Incredibly, all the victims were attacked in the same small patch of ocean, no larger than four football fields. Was a rogue serial killer on the loose? Or was something new drawing sharks and humans into conflict?

ORCA VS. GREAT WHITE
National Geographic — Premieres July 6, at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 3, at 10/9c
Disney+ — Beginning July 9
Off the coast of South Africa in 2017, orcas began hunting and killing great white sharks. Now, researchers in New Zealand set out to discover if it could happen again. Diving with several shark populations along New Zealand’s southern coast, they investigate this murder mystery and seek answers to this burning question: have their local orcas developed a taste for great white sharks?

SHARK GANGS
National Geographic — Premieres July 7, at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 12, at 8/7c
Disney+ — Beginning July 9
For years sharks have been viewed as solitary predators, but scientists have recently discovered a surprising new behavior. In this special, we reveal how this apex predator likes to hang out in gangs. So what is behind this behavior? Do sharks enjoy a social life, or are they working together to become even more effective hunters?

CROC THAT ATE JAWS
National Geographic — Premieres July 8, at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 4, at 10/9c
Disney+ — Beginning July 9
From mysterious severed heads and ambush attacks to mob hunts and stand-offs, what happens when two of the deadliest predators on the planet go head-to-head?

WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS SHARK?
National Geographic — Premieres July 9, at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 5, at 10/9c
Disney+ — Beginning July 16
The great white has a reputation for being the scariest in the sea, but Explorer Jacques Cousteau called the oceanic whitetip “The most dangerous of all sharks …” Two teams of experts dive deep into the world of the oceanic whitetip to reveal what makes this species a top contender for the title of “world’s most dangerous shark.”

SHARK ATTACK FILES
National Geographic — Premieres July 12, at 9/8c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 9, at 10/9c
Disney+ — Beginning July 16
This action-packed series is an investigation into bizarre and fascinating shark behavior. Featuring footage from actual attacks, interactions and behavior captured by both professionals and observant bystanders, every twist and turn leaves viewers sitting on the edge of their seats. Scientific experts and investigators dive deeper into the mystery of these unexplained behaviors and come to a stunning revelation that ties these extraordinary events together.

SHARK ATTACK INVESTIGATION: THE PAIGE WINTER STORY 
National Geographic — Premieres July 12, at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 6, at 10/9c
Disney+ — Beginning July 16
Paige Winter was only 17 years old when she lost a leg and portion of her hand to a shark. Experts unpack the details of Paige’s attack to determine what kind of shark is responsible and what can be done, if anything, to avoid this happening again. Despite all Paige has lived through, this inspirational teen remains an advocate for sharks and, with the guidance of professionals, takes brave steps to overcome her greatest fears.

WORLD’S BIGGEST BULL SHARK?
National Geographic — Premieres July 13, at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 10, at 9/8c
Disney+ — Beginning July 16
It was a freak encounter that broke all the records. In 2012, off the coast of Florida, shark scientist Dr. Neil Hammerschlag caught the mother of all bull sharks—it stretched more than 10-feet long and weighed over 1,000 pounds! They named her Big Bull and set her free. Bull sharks in Florida patrol the beaches, terrifyingly close the swimmers, and feast on seasonal migrations of baitfish. Many long thought these sharks were just well-fed, but now some scientists believe that Big Bull is the matriarch of a unique population of giants. There is only one way to find out … and you gotta get close.

KILLER SHARK VS. KILLER WHALE 
National Geographic — Premieres July 15, at 10/9c
Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 11, at 9/8c
Disney+ — Beginning Aug. 6
The mystery of orcas attacking great white sharks for their livers leaves scientists baffled. This unusual predatory behavior has been witnessed in three parts of the world: California, South Africa and Australia. But the most shocking outcome is the disappearance of the other sharks after the event. How are they communicating with their kin and getting out of dodge when the killer whales move in?

PLAYING WITH SHARKS
Disney+ — Premieres July 23
A true pioneer in both underwater filmmaking and shark research, Valerie Taylor is a living legend and icon in the underwater world whose life’s work has become the basis for much of what we know about sharks today. Through remarkable underwater archival footage, along with interviews with Valerie herself, PLAYING WITH SHARKS, from National Geographic Documentary Films and twice Emmy^®-nominated director Sally Aitken, follows this daring ocean explorer’s trajectory from champion spearfisher to passionate shark protector. From the birth of cage diving to “Jaws” hysteria to the dawn of cageless shark diving, Valerie became a trailblazing advocate for the ocean’s most maligned and misunderstood creatures.