PHOENIX — Every year, the Discovery Channel goes deep into storytelling and educating the world about the predators of the sea. Right here in the Valley, there's a super shark expert, Dr. James Sulikowski, who studies sharks in partnership with the OdySea Aquarium.
"We're going to be on two episodes of Shark Week," he said.
Sharks in the desert are partly thanks to Dr. Sulikowski. He's an ASU professor and founder of the Sulikowski Fish and Shark Lab. This year, "Mothersharker" and "Return to Shark Vortex" will showcase priceless shark artifacts and local data.
"Arizona State is number one for innovation, so that allows us to get out to these amazing places like New England, the Bahamas, Caribbean and Sea of Cortez. We're talking underwater sonar, bird tags, this is technology that we've never seen before in shark week so it's going to be amazing," he added.
For those who dare, you can get up close to 14 species studied with that new technology, at OdySea Aquarium.
"It was helped to be developed here at OdySea Aquarium, which is phenomenal for us because it's more sharks in the desert," Dr. Sulikowski said.
That includes:
- Touch pool shark feedings
- Stingray bay with a zebra shark
- Stingray Shores with an Epaulette Shark and Bamboo Shark
- Shark Trading Cards for kids
- Megalodon Shark Teeth photo opportunities
- Guests can book a SeaTREK experience and go in the water with a shark
- Guests can swim (virtually) with sharks in the VR Pod (virtual reality) experience
- Jaw-some scavenger hunt for visitors - all to educate the public!
"It's about saving sharks, protecting sharks, and integrating human beings into that environment in a safe way and that's really what our research is doing," he said.
For more information on the airings, visit the Discovery website. Details on tickets to OdySea Aquarium can be found on the aquarium website.
12 News on YouTube
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12 News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.