Just when you thought it was safe…”Jaws” arrives on Blu-ray

The world’s most well-known shark movie of all time hits the U.S. market on Blu-ray today. “Jaws” is the 1975 classic horror movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, centers around a giant great white shark as it terrorizes the island community of Amity. While the film is often a major target of finger-pointing when it comes to sharks getting such a bad rap from the general public, it’s also widely regarded as a classic piece of film.

The Blu-ray version features a digitally remastered and fully restored version of the film. Additionally, the documentaries, “The Shark is Still Working,” “The Making of Jaws,” and “Jaws: The Restoration” are included on the Blu-ray disc, along with outtakes and deleted scenes.

Sharkzilla – building a Megalodon tonight on Shark Week

Tonight on Discovery’s Shark Week, “Sharkzilla” will bring together a team of engineers in hopes of designing a mechanical replica of the prehistoric Megalodon shark. The Megalodon is believed to be the largest predatory shark to swim the oceans. It is thought to have lived during the Cenzoic Era and is believed to have died out less than 10 million years ago. Members of Discovery’s MythBusters team will host the show.

“Sharkzilla” premieres tonight on Discovery’s Shark Week at 9PM.

Fisherman rescued from “shark infested” waters after boat capsizes

CNN reports that a fisherman was rescued off of Western Australia after his boat capsized. The man was suffering from exposure after having been in the water for 20 hours. There were sharks in the area that were circling the man according to the report, although the man was not attacked by any of the sharks.

Two other fishermen were aboard the boat when it sank. Unfortunately, one of the men was found dead and the other still remains missing.

Shark Week starts this weekend – 3D tv not included

Just a quick reminder that the 25th Anniversary of Discovery’s Shark Week begins this weekend. New episodes of Shark Week programming premiere starting Sunday at 9PM.

Here’s a recap of this year’s new program line-up…

  • Sunday 9PM – “Air Jaws Apocalypse” looks to follow in the footsteps of previous “Air Jaws” shows featuring Chris Fallows at Seal Island as he documents white shark predation events.
  • Sunday 10PM – “Shark Week’s Impossible Shots” follows wildlife cameramen trying to catch a great white shark breach at an angle never before captured on film.
  • Monday 9PM – “Sharkzilla” will the Mythbusters team attempting to recreate the prehistoric Megalodon.
  • Monday 10PM – “MythBusters’ Jawsome Shark Special” will feature the hosts from Discovery’s Mythbusters analyzing the top-25 shark myths.
  • Tuesday 9PM – “How Jaws Changed the World” will take a look at the impact of the 1975 blockbuster “Jaws” on society.
  • Tuesday 10PM – “Adrift: 47 Days with Sharks” rounds out the week of programming with a story of survival from two American pilots who spent 47 in the waters of the Pacific Ocean after their plane crashed into the water.
  • Wednesday 9PM – “Shark Fight” will chronicle shark attack survivors who have gone out to fight for shark conservation awareness.
  • Thursday 9PM – “Great White Highway” will focus on research and technology being used to track white sharks in real-time.
  • Thursday 10PM – “Shark Week’s 25 Best Bites” will feature some of the top moments in Shark Week history over the past 25 years.

Catch Shark Week this Sunday on the Discovery Channel.

Réunion island shark hunt back on after second attack

Reuters is reporting that professional fishermen to kill up to 20 sharks off of the French territory of Réunion island after a surfer was mauled by a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) yesterday. Locals demonstrated outside of the central police station calling for a shark cull. According to the report, the purpose of the hunt will be to understand why the attacks are happening.

A shark hunt was ordered last week after a surfer was killed as the result of a shark attack. However, St Leu mayor, Thierry Robert MP, revoked the order due to the fact that it potentially violated French conservation laws.

For more on the story, check out the article at Reuters.

GoPro uses “shark riding” footage in new commercial

GoPro is using footage of divers “riding” a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) in a new advertisement shot with the company’s new Dive Housing and HD Hero2® combo. Opinions on touch versus no-touching diving aside, there is some nice high-definition tiger shark footage in the short commercial that showcases the Hero2’s video capabilities.

The ad is also promoting GoPro’s “Everything We Make” daily giveaway, in which a winner is selected daily to receive a GoPro camera and accessory bundle (which basically contains the entire current GoPro product line). Visit GoPro to enter.

Video – “Mark the Shark – The Last Great Shark Hunter”

Warning: Video features sharks being caught and killed.

MrWeinerProductions has shared a mini-documentary on YouTube about shark fisherman Mark Quartiano, aka “Mark the Shark.” The segment is part of Cadillac’s Business Unusual series and follows Quartiano’s charter fishing business, which specializes in “monster” fish.

While Quartiano has achieved fame from killing sharks, the video does reveal that he also participates in catch-and-release tagging of some protected species in cooperation with marine researchers.

White shark vs robo-seal – Air Jaws Apocalypse – Shark Week

Discovery’s Shark Week 2012 begins Sunday, August 12, with another entry in the popular “Air Jaws” series. The “Air Jaws” episodes are well-known for featuring South Africa’s breaching white sharks. Discovery has released a preview clip of “Air Jaws Apocalypse” featuring Colossus, one of Seal Island’s larger white sharks, as she takes on a camera-equipped robotic seal decoy.

In the battle of a robo-seal versus a great white shark, you probably don’t want to bet on the robo-seal.

“Air Jaws Apocalypse” premieres Sunday, August 12, 2012 at 9PM on the Discovery Channel.

Cape Cod shark attack survivor “doing terrific” under circumstances

ABC News recently spoke with Cape Cod shark attack survivor, Chris Myers, who is recovering at a Boston hospital from injuries to his lower legs. Myers and his son J.J. were swimming through “deeper water” trying to get to a sand bar off of Truro’s Ballston Beach when the attack occurred.

Myers seemed to be in good spirits as he and his son described the events following the attack. Myers said he was worried about his ability to swim back to shore after having been bitten, but thankfully he was able to make the swim. He told ABC that he’s doing “quite terrific” considering the circumstances and hopes to return the water one day.

Dr. Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries told ABC that the shark involved was likely a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). White sharks are known to travel to Cape Cod waters during the summer months. The growing gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) populations in the area provide a natural food source for white sharks, which might be drawing the sharks closer to the beaches.