De Gelder, a Shark Week veteran of over a decade, has built a career on surviving the unthinkable. While working as a Navy bomb disposal diver in 2009, De Gelder was attacked by a bull shark, losing both his right hand and leg to the animal.

De Gelder is a former Navy diver who survived a near-fatal undersea attack. He became a shark conservation advocate after losing his right arm and leg in a bull shark encounter in 2009. The then-elite Navy clearance diver was on a counter-terrorism exercise in Sydney Harbor when he was attacked.

According to a press release, Shark Week 2025 will include 20 hours of new specials debuting Sunday, July 20, through Saturday, July 26. The first program up is Dancing with Sharks, which involves "an unprecedented underwater dance competition between expert divers and their shark partners," per Discovery.

Paul de Gelder, who stars in the new Discovery Channel special "How to Survive a Shark Attack," shares tips on how to stay safe during an encounter.

Shark Week 2025 is here, with a packed schedule of shows, documentaries and podcasts. Here's when Shark Week is and how to watch and stream.

Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” begins Sunday for the 37th year. And Steven Spielberg’s movie “Jaws” celebrated its 50th anniversary in June.

Now a bonanza of viewership, the 37-year-old event that launched as a meager presentation of 10 basic programs and has also courted detractors over the years.