Summary
National Geographic’s four-week Sharkfest event kicked off on June 30 with exciting programs includingShark vs. Ross Edgley. In the special, British athlete Ross Edgley matched his considerable physical abilities against those of a variety of the world’s best-known sharks. The special offered a different way to learn about the capabilities of sharks, making it an interesting counterpart to other Sharkfest 2024 programs includingShark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, Shark Attack 360,andBaby Sharks in the City.
Shark vs. Ross Edgleywas far from the first time the athlete has put his aquatic abilities to the test. When not otherwise occupied doing things liketraining Chris Hemsworth forThor: Love and Thunder, Edgley has broken world records like “The World’s Longest Staged Sea Swim”, for which he completed a 157-day swim around Britain. Edgley also became the first person to swim the length of Scotland’s Moray Firth and the first to swim the length of the English Channel.
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In the creation of thisshark documentary, however, Edgley had to take on very different kinds of tasks.Shark vs. Ross Edgleysaw the athlete attempt to take G-force turns like hammerhead sharks, Polaris jump from the water like white sharks to out-swim a mako shark, and even out-eat a tiger shark. In written correspondence withScreen Rant, Edgley discussed those challenges and revealed what he’d like to go up against next.
Ross Edgley On Creating His Sharkfest Special
Screen Rant: You’ve spent so much time in the ocean. How afraid of sharks were you coming into this, and did your level of fear change after learning more about their capabilities?
Ross Edgley: I wouldn’t say I’ve ever been scared of sharks, but I’ve always had a profound respect for them and have always been very aware that when swimming or diving with any species, that I am entering their home (and even then, only if they allow me to). I would also say this level of respect deepened further when I learned about theirimmensecapabilities, since many people don’t realize just howincrediblea predator they are. They have senses we can barely comprehend like the Ampullae of Lorenzini - electroreceptors (sense organs) that are able to detect electric fields. This means when we humans are swimming with them, we’re essentially a rubber dingy compared to a high-tech navy submarine.
How did you choose which sharks to compete with?
Ross Edgley: The ocean has been my “swimming pool” and “home” for so long now (in 2018 I spent 157 days swimming around Great Britain) so I have developed a love and affinity for it and all its inhabitants. I do so many of my swims for ocean conservation. Sharks remain at the top of this particular ecosystem, and it was my interaction with a basking shark in Scotland during my swim around Great Britain that led to this idea of trying to compete with sharks in a sporting spectacle that could be broadcast to millions across National Geographic to try and bring shark science and ocean conservation to an entirely new audience.
How’d you find the right balance of entertainment and education for this program?
Ross Edgley: The production team (Big Wave) was incredible and has been making award winning wildlife shows for decades. That, coupled with the world-leading experts, who were SO generous with their time and expertise, meant that I could focus on being the ‘human guinea pig’ who threw myself head first into every and any challenge to create a show that would entertain and educate viewers.
Training For The Special “Challenged Everything” Edgley Knew About Swimming
What was your training routine during shooting?
Ross Edgley: Training was unlike anything I’d ever done before, and it challenged everything I thought I knew about swimming. From the hydrodynamics and speed of a mako shark, to the size and strength of a white shark, it had me rethinking the two decades I spent researching sports science, but in a great way. Now, I often say ‘sharks taught me to swim.’ I learned so much from this experience that I used it to break the world record for the world’s longest non-stop river swim (510km in 56 hours down the Yukon River in Canada).
Which of these challenges was the most taxing on your body?
Ross Edgley: The tiger shark feast-famine experiment where I gained 22lbs in 24 hours was by far the hardest. It highlighted just how incredible their ability is to travel thousands of miles during a migration (like a human doing an ultra marathon), but also eat an insane amount of calories (like a competitive eater) when needed.
Despite Being “Destined To Fail”, Edgley Found Valuable Takeaways
How well did you expect to do against the sharks, and were you surprised by the end result?
Ross Edgley: I think I knew that I was destined to fail, since this is an apex predator that’s ruled our oceans for over 400 million years, but my goal was to get as close as possible. Alison Towner (world leading expert) said it best when she said, “Ross, you did well for a naked, shaven ape,” which is essentially what I am. I’m woefully unequipped to compete with sharks, but I had an amazing time trying. and learned so much. Hopefully the audience does too.
What was the most impressive thing you learned about sharks during the making of this?
Ross Edgley: As a sports scientist, the thing that amazes me most is despite their sheer size, they have this incrediblecombination of strength, speed and stamina that’s rarely seen in the animal kingdom. It’s like a 300-lbs NFL offensive lineman who can run sub 10 seconds for the 100m AND also run a 2 hour marathon time. It’saamzing!
Edgley May Find More Sharks To Be His Future Training Partners
What animal would you like to go up against next?
Ross Edgley: I love this idea of trying to follow in the footsteps of animals to try to better understand them and whilst this concept could be applied to so many other animals, I would love to continue exploring sharks for the moment purely because there are more than 530 species of sharks in our oceans today. That’sa lotof potential competitors and training partners.
About Shark Vs. Ross Edgley
Ultra-athlete and shark advocate Ross Edgley goes head-to-head against four of the ocean’s most formidable sharks. He’s won the world record for the world’s longest assisted stage sea swim of nearly 1,800 miles but now Ross is pushing himself even further and testing his speed, strength, endurance, and digestive system. In four jaw-dropping shark challenges, Ross attempts a G-force turn like a hammerhead, a Polaris jump out the water like a white shark, to out swim the mako — the world’s fastest shark — and finally, he tries to feast like a tiger shark.
Shark vs. Ross Edgleyis available to watch on Disney+ and Hulu.
