Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” continues tonight with the premieres of two new shows beginning at 9pm. Based on the promotional clips and show descriptions, the focus of tonight’s programs will center around shark attacks.

“Rogue Sharks” premieres at 9pm and will explore the theory that some sharks may go “rogue” and target humans as a food source. The show will combine historic shark attacks with scientific detective work to examine the “rogue shark” theory.

“Summer of the Shark” premieres at 10pm and will look back at “an unprecedented wave of shark attacks” that occurred off the eastern coast of Australia in 2008. Australia fisheries managers and shark researchers work to attempt to uncover the cause behind the attacks.

Some of the promotional clips for both of these shows feature warnings about containing attack reenactments with content of a “graphic nature,” which has drawn some criticism in the past. On a somewhat related note, The Vancouver Sun has a fairly well-balanced editorial on whether or not “Shark Week” is exploitative or educational.

Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week”, hosted by Andy Samberg, begins tonight on the Discovery Channel. “Great White Invasion” airs at 9pm, followed by “Jaws Comes Home” at 10pm.

“Great White Invasion” will follow Chris Fallows and a team of scientists who are trying to figure out why white sharks are “suddenly” being seen “in large numbers” among swimmers and surfers along the coasts of South Africa, Australia, and California.

“Jaws Come Home” documents researcher Greg Skomal’s 2010 tracking study of five Atlantic white sharks tagged off of Chatham, Massachusetts. Skomal’s goal is to better understand the sharks migration up and down the eastern coast of the U.S. through tracking data obtained from satellite tags.

Snagfilms.com in agreement with National Geographic has made the documentary “Great White Shark: The Truth Behind the Legend” available for free online viewing. The documentary, originally released in 2000, focuses on comparing myths about white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) to facts about the species. The documentary features late “Jaws” author Peter Benchley, National Geographic photographer David Doublet, and white shark attack survivor Rodney Fox. It also features the use of National Geographic’s “Crittercam” on a white shark.

While the film shows somewhat shows its age, it’s still stands on its own as a solid white shark documentary. To watch the film in its entirety, head on over to Snagfilms.com.

Another “Shark Week” promo from DiscoveryNetworks focuses on the very first shark cage and how Rodney Fox pioneered the act of cage diving. Fox who survived a white shark attack in 1963 came up with the idea of the shark cage when he decided that he wanted to get back in the water after recovering from the attack. His cage design helped to revolutionize white shark photography and videography.

DiscoveryNetworks YouTube Channel has released another round of promotional videos from Shark Week 2011. The clip is taken from “Killer Sharks: The Attacks of Black December” and portrays a rather gruesome shark attack reenactment. For anybody familiar with the film “Jaws,” there are more than a few noticeable similarities between this clip and the Alex Kintner scene.

Another clip from “Rogue Sharks” (also a part of this year’s “Shark Week”) features even more blood and gore. The clip from “Rogue Sharks” is narrated by the victim of a white shark attack who recounts his encounter. The victim was bitten twice and after the second bit the shark remained latched on to his leg.

Discovery’s “Shark Week” has faced criticism in the past for this kind of programming, and it seems that these types of shows are in the minority for this year’s “Shark Week.” So, do you think the style of programming seen in the clip above belongs on “Shark Week” or not? You can share your opinion the comments section.

This “Shark Week” promo from DiscoveryNetworks looks like it might have been better being left on the cutting room floor. It’s from the “Killer Sharks: The Attacks of Black December” and features some noticeably awkward editing that splices in out-of-place white shark footage clearly shot from a different cage. While people have come to expect high quality shark programming from “Shark Week,” this particular sequence looks somewhat disappointing.

“Shark Week” begins this Sunday at 9pm on the Discovery Channel.

Boston’s WHDH-7 is reporting that officials have issued a warning about the presence of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) off of Chatham, Massachusetts. Last weekend six white shark were spotted by plane and eight by boat. While no beaches have been closed, officials want people to be aware of the sharks’ presence.

According to an MSNBC report, long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad will attempt to swim 103 miles through “shark-infested” waters from Cuba to Key West, Florida at the age of 61.

CNN is reporting that Nyad wants to make it “crystal clear” that no sharks will be harmed by her team during her upcoming swim. She told CNN that she will have a team of professional divers with many years of experience in using “cutting-edge” non-lethal shark deterrents. She went on to that the team will act to protect her, while respecting the animals she might encounter.

Nyad is expected to begin the swim sometime in the very near future when the weather and ocean conditions are most ideal for the 103 mile journey. It is expected that the swim will take around 60 hours to complete.

DiscoveryNetworks has shared the video above which focuses on sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus). The feature is shot at the Florida Aquarium after it had recently added 6 sand tigers to the aquarium. Allan Marshall (VP of Operations for Florida Aquarium) says that the species is ideal to help educate people about sharks. The sand tiger’s “menacing” appearance really grabs the attention of aquarium visitors, once the sharks have the aquarium visitors’ attention, the aquarium staff can then educate them about the true nature of the sharks.

Sand tiger sharks, aka grey nurse sharks (AUS) and ragged tooth sharks (RSA), are generally viewed as docile and harmless to humans. According to Marshall, the species, was wrongfully blamed in the past for attacks on humans, simply due to its appearance, which led to hunting of the species. The species is now protected in Australian, South African, and U.S. waters.

DiscoveryNetworks also added a second video focusing on the journey that the six sand tiger sharks made to get to the Florida Aquarium.

In case you were wondering why Andy Samberg is Shark Week’s Chief Shark Officer, DiscoveryNetworks has posted a brief interview with Samberg addressing the issue. Reasons for Samberg’s role include Samberg’s love of sharks, not being a good swimmer, and Justin Timberlake turning down the position.

“Shark Week” begins Sunday July 31 at 9pm on the Discovery Channel.