Ledger DC Journal - News, Politics & Crime

Shark Week hits the Discovery Channel and my Hi-Def this week. To understand how important this is to a guy like me, I'm retired and living in Florida and waiting for football season. I pretty much live on the Discovery Channel, CNN and the History Channel at this time of year. That means 'Shark Week' rules.

Shark Week Rules the Discovery Channel

I don't think very many of the programs will be available in Hi-Def but the pictures are still outstanding.

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According to the Associated Press, this is the Discovery Channel's 19th annual Shark Week, and they call it "six days of programming in the midsummer heat that will make you want to stay away from the water."

It's usually the network's most popular week of the year, despite airing at a time of low TV usage. "It's one of the icons of the American summer," said Jane Root, executive vice president and general manager of Discovery, "and you mess with it at your own peril.

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I've watched for the last six years and it has never disappointed.

In what is more or less a promo for the show Holly E. Thomas of the Washington Post gets one fired up with a story from Shark Week host Mike Rowe.

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She writes:

Swimming 55 feet underwater with sharks in the midst of a feeding frenzy was plenty exciting for Shark Week host Mike Rowe. But when he ran out of oxygen during a test dive the night before filming, the thrill turned into a near miss that will linger in his mind long after the week has ended.

"I'm highly agitated, there are sharks everywhere, and when I try to use someone's buddy regulator, I realize that I can't get my helmet off. I finally surfaced over a minute later," Rowe said. "I got my two worst underwater fears -- running out of air and being bitten by sharks -- all at the same time."

I know the feeling. For my list add those pesky jellyfish as well.

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So - instead of battling the heat and the crowds this week, I'll just stay in the air-conditioning and get my ocean fix without the 4-mile drive to the beach.

If you've tired of re-runs and baseball, tune in, you'll love it.

The schedule is here

--Jack Kramer writes from Florida