United News of Bangladesh

Singer Rei Ami, whose voice featured in the hit film KPop Demon Hunters, and actor-comedian Ken Jeong are among the celebrities appearing in Discovery Channel’s annual "Shark Week," which begins Sunday. Rei Ami said taking part in the programme gave her a new appreciation for sharks after watching about 16 reef sharks feed while diving off the Korean Peninsula. Although she expected to be frightened, she said the experience left her amazed. “I thought I'd be more scared, but I was completely in awe. Watching nature up close is something you can’t easily describe,” she said. The new season of "Shark Week" will feature 20 one-hour episodes exploring different shark species and their behaviour. The programmes include record-setting dives, research into shark attacks and studies of how sharks hunt and survive. Rei Ami, who grew up watching the popular TV event, completed two cage dives and two open-water dives with reef sharks, hammerhead sharks and bull sharks. Ken Jeong, however, chose to stay safely on the boat while appearing alongside her in the opening programme, "K-Pop Shark Heroes." Joking about his role, he said he preferred supervising from a distance rather than entering the water. The week-long event runs until Aug. 1 and includes programmes on great white sharks moving farther along the US East Coast and how thresher sharks use their tails to catch prey. One of the featured episodes follows Canadian high diver Molly Carlson as she jumps 50 feet (15 metres) from a helicopter into a protective cage surrounded by reef sharks. Carlson, who has spoken openly about living with anxiety, said she accepted the challenge to overcome her lifelong fear of sharks and encourage others to face their own fears. This year's lineup also includes an expedition to search for a rumoured 15-foot (4.5-metre) mako shark off Southern California, which researchers believe could become the largest mako shark ever recorded. Marine biologist Kendyl Berna said warmer ocean temperatures have increased food supplies in the area, creating conditions that may allow mako sharks to grow larger than usual. Despite its dramatic style, "Shark Week" continues to focus on science and shark conservation, alongside entertainment. Rei Ami said the series helps correct common misconceptions about sharks. “People often fear sharks because of misunderstandings. These programmes show how they really behave and why there’s usually no reason to fear them,” she said. The series also offers practical safety advice for people who encounter sharks in the water, including staying calm and avoiding splashing, as human-shark encounters become more common in some coastal areas.