Disney has announced details on the brand new documentary called ‘Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory’, which is going to be released this July on National Geographic and Disney+ as part of National Geographic’s Sharkfest celebrations.

This new documentary sees Bertie and the team travel to South Africa to dive and film great white sharks hunting seals – without a cage.  There is one place where Bertie can achieve this successfully, where the ocean is shallow (so sharks can’t sneak up from underneath them) and the water is clear (so they can see the sharks coming).  The team works with local spotters who are the community’s response to fatal shark attacks in the past – in an effort for humans and white sharks to coexist in these waters.  But the team is plagued with bad weather and turbid waters, making the quest even more challenging.

The wild waters here are a hotspot for one of the ocean’s most famous and fearsome predators. In winter, they come to prey on seals, and Bertie will attempt to film them hunting underwater without the use of a protective cage. It’s highly risky, but the very best way to see them behaving naturally.  

This special highlights that a healthy ocean needs Great Whites, and understanding their behaviour more is going to be critical to their survival.

Experts in this special include:

• Lacey Williams, Field Specialist/Researcher on Great White Sharks
• Patrick McDonald, a local skipper
• Khwesi Namntu, part of Shark Spotters, who aim to protect humans and sharks 

Other sharks featured are:

• Spotted ragged-tooth sharks
• Pajama cat shark
• Dark shyshark 
• Bronze whaler shark

“Sharks Up Close” is produced by Wildstar Films for National Geographic. Bertie Gregory is host, producer and director of photography. For Wildstar, the executive producer is Anwar Mamon, and the series producer is Jennie Hammond. Drew Jones executive produces for National Geographic.

This new documentary will be released on July 5th 2025 at 8/7c on the National Geographic channel and it will be available the next day on July 6th 2025 on Disney+ and Hulu.

Are you looking forward to watching ‘Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory’?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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