Shark Week 2020 Starts With Mike Tyson Special, 'Air Jaws' And More

Fear not, Shark Week 2020 is one of the few summer events that is not canceled this year. Discovery Channel starts the programming event with three-hours of shark specials on Sunday night. The network will kick things off with a returning franchise, bring in Mike Tyson for some star power, and look at how the health crisis is affecting a New Zealand shark population.

Check out the full Shark Week schedule for Sunday, Aug. 9 below.

“Air Jaws: Ultimate Breach Off” airs at 8 p.m. EDT. The return of “Air Jaws” finds three teams returning to the last hunting grounds for the “flying” sharks, meaning fish that breach the water to catch their prey. The teams are hoping that the shark population is rebounding, and they’ll use decoys, drones, and underwater cameras to collect the data they need. This special was produced by Shark Entertainment.

“Tyson vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef” airs at 9 p.m. EDT. Shark Week loves to kick things off with a star-studded special. In the past, swimmer Michael Phelps and basketball player Shaquille O’Neal have learned about their fishy friends, and now it’s time for boxer Mike Tyson to step into the ring.

According to Discovery, “Iron Mike will go head to head with some of the ocean's top apex predators including the black tip reef shark.” The special, produced by Pilgrim Media Group, will also include ring announcer Michael Buffer calling the shots on Tyson’s “fight” with the shark.

“Shark Lockdown” airs at 10 p.m. EDT, and the Lucky 8-produced special will address the global health crisis and if the human lockdown is actually good for sharks. The “747s” are the largest female great whites in New Zealand, measuring over 20 feet long, and researchers are looking at how their hunting patterns have changed now that humans aren’t traveling.

Shark Week 2020 airs Sunday, Aug. 9 through Sunday, Aug. 16 on Discovery Channel. Check out the full lineup of new fin-tastic specials.