Shark Shows and Deep Sea Documentaries You Won’t Want to Miss

Covering more than seventy percent of the planet’s surface, the oceans are often referred to as our planet’s life support system, providing half of the oxygen we breathe as well as the primary source of protein for perhaps as many as three billion people, regulating the climate, and supporting the livelihoods of tens of millions of people.

Here, we’ll find out what World Oceans Day is, and tell you about the best shark shows and deep sea documentaries you won’t want to miss, only on Discovery+!

The concept was first proposed in 1992 by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development and the Ocean Institute of Canada at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro. The aim was to move the ocean from the sidelines to the centre of international discussions and to strengthen advocacy for ocean and coastal issues. After years of growing support, the United Nations officially recognised World Oceans Day in 2008, designating 8th June as the annual day of celebration and action.

The primary goals of World Oceans Day are to raise public awareness about the essential role oceans play in our lives, promote sustainable management of ocean resources, and foster global action to protect marine environments. These goals include focusing on eliminating pollution, combating overfishing, conserving marine and coastal ecosystems, and promoting sustainable fishing practices. It also serves as a call to action for individuals, communities, businesses, and governments to take responsibility for the health of the oceans, recognising their importance for climate regulation, food security, and biodiversity.

World Oceans Day Themes

Each year, World Oceans Day adopts a new theme to spotlight urgent challenges and inspire collective action. The first theme in 2008 was Helping Our Climate/Helping Our Ocean with a particular focus on coral reefs, and in 2011 and 2012, as part of World Ocean Day, The Ocean Project and World Ocean Network launched a two-year programme encouraging the participating nations to more effectively engage young people in ocean conservation activities. Other themes have included sustainability, cleaning the oceans, focusing on the people and places that rely on the world’s oceans for their livelihoods, and to raise awareness of the consequences human activity (or lack of) has on the health of the oceans.

World Oceans Day 2025

The theme for World Oceans Day 2025 is Sustainable Fishing Means More… It’s been designed to underscore the critical importance of sustainable fishing practices to ensure healthy fish populations, protect marine ecosystems, and secure food resources for future generations. You can read more about World Oceans Day on the United Nations website, here.

This World Oceans Day, Discovery+ is showcasing some of the most compelling sea, ocean, and shark documentaries ever produced. From adrenaline-fuelled shark encounters to breathtaking journeys through coral reefs and the open sea, these programmes remain true to the vision of the founder – to inform, educate and entertain.

Shark Academy
World-famous shark expert Dr. Riley Elliott challenges eight men and women to compete for a place on his next expedition and to find the next master of apex predators. During a six-week course, the skills of these rookies will be tested, proving what it takes to become a part of the team.

Shark Attack Survivors
The shocking secrets behind the most deadly and misunderstood marine predators are investigated. Shark attack survivors and case studies reveal why sharks attack humans around the globe and offer tips on how to survive an attack.

Deadliest Catch
One of Discovery’s most popular shows, Deadliest Catch follows Alaskan crab fishermen – often cited as being the world’s most dangerous job – braving the perilously brutal Bering Sea. The show captures the extreme risks, unimaginably harsh weather, and camaraderie aboard fishing vessels during the king and snow crab seasons as they bring home their valuable haul.

Sharks of Ghost Island
Locals abandoned Ghost Island after multiple shipwrecks and shark attacks. Now, Dr. Craig O’Connell and his team of experts dive in to find out why the island at the edge of the Bermuda Triangle attracts so many sharks – including the great white.

Finding Colossus
Using incredible new cameras and high-tech underwater gadgetry, shark filmmaker Jeff Kurr and his team embark on a worldwide mission to track down the missing mega-shark Colossus who vanished without a trace.

Mysteries of the Deep
Angler and biologist Jeremy Wade searches the globe for the most iconic and baffling underwater mysteries known to science. From the hunt for Noah’s Ark, lost treasure, and ships disappearing without trace, to the curse of the Kraken and the legendary Bermuda Triangle, he is on a mission to uncover the truth.

Extinct or Alive: The Lost Shark
Forrest Galante heads to the Maldives to find the Pondicherry shark, a supposedly extinct creature. With a team of wildlife experts and filmmakers, he dives into an untamed wilderness to track down whether this amazing shark is still alive.

Gold Divers: Under the Ice
In Nome, Alaska, the gold rush is on. Driven by gold fever and sometimes desperate need, miners pilot their ragtag dredges and dive with hoses to suck up gold from the bottom of the frigid, unpredictable Bering Sea.

Curse of the Bermuda Triangle
What’s up with this strange area of the North Atlantic Ocean? From reported UFO encounters to a theory about a lost underwater city, the Bermuda Triangle is home to some of the most compelling unsolved mysteries on Earth. A team of tech-savvy boat captains and experienced divers seek to uncover the truth.

Capsized: Blood in the Water
In October 1982, a yacht bound for Florida capsizes during an unexpected storm, leaving the crew to drift for days in the cold, shark-infested waters. They must do everything in their power to survive as the sharks hunt them.

Air Jaws: Walking with Great Whites
World-renowned shark photographer Chris Fallows descends to the bottom of the ocean floor to explore the mysterious underworld of great white sharks.

This is just a small selection of the amazing water-based wonders available on Discovery+.