Inside "Investigation Shark Attack:" Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Megan Winton on Shark Science, CSI Techniques, and the Legacy of Jaws
As part of National Geographic’s 2025 Sharkfest programming, Investigation Shark Attack dives deeper than ever into the mysteries behind real-life shark encounters. The six-part forensic series brings together top shark scientists to examine incidents from the shark’s point of view, applying cutting-edge technology and decades of research in a CSI-style setting. To learn more about the making of the series and the collaborative science behind it, I caught up with two of the show’s featured experts: Dr. Mike Heithaus, marine ecologist, and longtime Sharkfest contributor, and Dr. Megan Winton, a shark scientist known for her work in data analysis and great white behavior. In the conversation below, we talk about the unique format of the series, how their research informed the investigations, what it’s really like to fly with shark gear, and how far shark science has come since the legacy of Jaws first hit the screen 50 years ago.
Alex: Happy Sharkfest! For us as Nat Geo viewers, Sharkfest comes once a year in July, but you both live Sharkfest every year. Is it exciting for you each time this comes around?
Dr. Megan Winton: For me, it's Sharkfest every week. But I think this is great because it allows members of the public and viewers to join along with us and get a glimpse into what our lives are like as shark scientists.
Dr. Mike Heithaus: Growing up in the cornfields of Ohio, it was watching explorers on TV that made me want to do this. So being a part of Sharkfest is really exciting every year, to just try to share that excitement and passion. And I'm a fan, too, so I love seeing what my colleagues are doing, the films, and the cool behaviors and techniques they're using. And this one for me was super special because it's the first time we've really had a team put together at the same table. Then we get to bring in all of our colleagues from around the country and world to get insights into what might be going on with shark incidents, from the shark's perspective. So we may live Sharkfest every day, but every year it's an exciting time.
Dr. Winton: It's such a pinch-me moment, because I grew up taping every documentary about sharks I saw on TV. And yes—taping—that’s how old I am. But for me, I still have these moments where I'm like, "Oh my gosh, wait, I'm on this. I'm a scientist now." So for me, it really is a dream come true in a lot of ways.
Alex: One of the things that's so great about this particular program is that each of you comes to the table with a specific skill. You're all doing your work in shark science, and you get to collaborate in this program and look at events from different points of view. Could you discuss the skills you brought to the table and what you learned from your colleagues during your participation in this program?
Dr. Winton: I am a data analyst... What I do is super important in terms of interpreting data and quantifying trends in what we're seeing, in shark behavior, shark sightings, and abundance over time. But what was so amazing about this show was getting to partner with awesome scientists like Mike, whose work I've respected ever since I was a little shark science pup.
Dr. Heithaus: I'm not that old!
Dr. Winton: No, you're not! But you just produce such incredible work that it was so exciting to get to work with you on this, as well as our colleagues from all over the place who we were able to bring in and put our minds together trying to understand what happened in the case of some of these incidents that motivated these sharks to behave in these ways. So it's a really cool glimpse into the life of a scientist—how scientific collaborations happen. And we all draw on each other's expertise to make conclusions and understand these animals and unlock their secrets. It also provides a great glimpse into different aspects of shark behavior that members of the public might not be familiar with, which is really exciting. Always exciting to feel like you're transforming people's understanding and appreciation of these animals, which have been misunderstood for so long.
Dr. Heithaus: I think one of the neat things with this is that we each bring our own expertise. We did not pre-look at anything, so this is a live look into how we think through these issues and work with our colleagues. And so with Megan's incredible data analysis and experience with white sharks in the field, Gibbs has been in ecotourism and seen them underwater—and he's a genetics expert—and Candace has done so much work in the Bahamas and around the world on conservation and spending time in the water with sharks. Even though we're looking at different parts of the world, you bring your expertise to that. And I'm like the three-year-old that never grew up and always asked, "Why, why, why?" So I've spent my time trying to figure out why sharks are doing what they are doing and how they’re finding food. And so it all comes together. But being able to pull in extra expertise makes it that much more fun. And I think you see that energy, that we're learning new things by talking to each other and thinking this through on the fly. That should make it really engaging to the audience. And most of us don't talk science so good, so we like to talk about these things in ways that hopefully are very relatable. And we're bringing that CSI forensics approach to these incidents, but from the shark's perspective throughout the six episodes.
Alex: I noticed nobody changes clothes, and it seems like there's a lot of coffee going on. Was this a one-day shoot? Like, how long was this?
Dr. Winton: It was about nine days. It's called continuity clothes—otherwise, it gets really smelly. So yeah. That lets them intercut things if needed, or if we didn't say something well enough, we could pull it up. But the important thing is there's decades and decades and decades of research that went into producing the information. And so while the on-set piece happened relatively quickly—over the lifespan of several shirts—we had a lot of incredible collaboration with the production team to produce something that I'm really proud of. Hopefully, the fun we had working on it comes through.
Dr. Winton: We drank a ton of coffee! And you know what? That's actually pretty representative of what our life is like when we're not in the field. We're always excited when we're in the field, working directly with sharks. But a lot of what we do as scientists happens at a desk. We’re analyzing data, writing papers, brainstorming with our colleagues, reading all the previous papers that have been published about what we're digging into. A lot of times, that does require a lot of coffee, and it really amped up Mike's energy to almost unbelievable levels at times.
Alex: You guys also got to somewhat set-decorate, in terms of bringing show-and-tell items. There's a 3D-printed shark jaw so you can examine teeth. Mike brought simulated dolphin blubber that had a shark bite taken out of it. I'm curious if you can discuss preparing for the shoot, specifically packing your show-and-tell items to bring to the set?
Dr. Heithaus: That was a fairly easy choice. What would you like to bring? Megan has the great electronic tags, too, but the real CSI idea that we tried to bring to it is somewhat exemplified by the giant bite pad. We've got to get those impressions because most of the time when we're dealing with shark incidents, sometimes there's video, but a lot of times, you just have bites or marks left behind. So that's why I chose mine. And it fit just under the baggage allowance in terms of weight to get on the plane.
Dr. Winton: I brought a camera tag. This is a tag that we put on white sharks to study their behavior. It essentially allows you to ride on the back of a shark for hours and see everything it does, which is amazing. But yeah, flying as a shark scientist with equipment that looks like this is always interesting. So whenever I'm at the airport with something that looks like it could be a little sketchy, I always make sure I'm fully decked out in shark gear, and I’m like, "I'm a shark scientist, just so you know." And it's amazing the conversations it spurs with people. They're fascinated, like, “Wait, this went out on a great white shark and you have it?" So it makes traveling more fun most of the time, sometimes more difficult. I've only shut down a wing of an airport once, with people not knowing what was in my bag.
Alex: It's summer, people are traveling like you were just talking about, and the show deals with that. A lot of the places that you’re talking about are vacation destinations. What is your advice as families celebrate Sharkfest, watch this content, and plan for their next beachside vacation?
Dr. Winton: One thing we really hope people take away from the show is an understanding that if they’re going to vacation at one of these spots—or another spot where sharks occur—if they come armed with an understanding of what species are there, what they might be doing there, they can look out for signs of shark activity and follow what we call our simple “shark-smart" behaviors to avoid having a bad interaction. Last week, I was actually at New Smyrna Beach, Florida, which is featured in the show, and it's the shark bite capital of the world. That’s where my grandparents were from. I grew up going to that beach. I was there for a family reunion, and my whole family knows it's the shark bite capital of the world, so they rely on me to be the shark sentinel. I swam every day, was boogie boarding every day. But there was a time when I was in the water with my niece, and a lot of fish started jumping, and pelicans were diving in to eat the fish. I looked at her and said, "I don't want to scare you, but I think we should get out now because we're swimming in a bunch of shark food." So we got out and just hung out on the beach and made sandcastles—and it was great. But if people know what to look out for, then they can have a great time at the beach, enjoy their vacation without worrying about sharks every second they’re there.
Dr. Heithaus: The only thing I’d add is: talk to the lifeguards. They’ll know what’s going on. And sharks are actually probably not your biggest risk at the beach. It's rip currents, it’s the sun, it's stinging animals. Those aren’t reasons not to go to the beach—but yeah, just be prepared.
Alex: This Sharkfest season is asterisked by the 50th anniversary of Jaws. National Geographic has content that aligns with this. For a long time, shark scientists have discussed the impact that Jaws has had on public perception and the way people interact with sharks. We’re 50 years past the film’s release. There’s been a lot of educational effort to teach people that sharks aren’t what we saw in Jaws. I'm curious for both of you: when did you first encounter Jaws, and what was your story of realizing not all sharks are “Bruce"?
Dr. Winton: I knew I wanted to be a shark scientist from a pretty young age, but I wasn't allowed to watch Jaws until my 13th birthday, which crushed me. So for my 13th birthday, my parents said, “Alright, you’re finally old enough." I invited my friends over. We watched it. I have to say—it’s a great movie. A lot of people expect me not to like it because of the ramifications it had on public perception of sharks, but it is a cinematic masterpiece. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite movies. And yes, it instilled a lot of fear about sharks—some of that we are still combating today—but it also instilled a lot of curiosity. There are some shark scientists I know who became shark scientists because of Jaws. For me, it was an early “movie-fied" example of what it’s like to be a shark scientist. Now that we’re 50 years beyond its release, it’s amazing to see how much our perceptions of sharks have changed as a result of science. A lot of that is showcased in this show. People will get to learn about the latest shark spy technology out there and how that’s helped shape our understanding. We now know so many things about sharks, and our perception of them now is so different from what it was when Jaws came out, when really no one knew much about sharks at all. It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come.
Just a quick example: for a long time, there was this perception that the only good shark was a dead shark. A few years ago, we had a great white shark strand on a beach on Cape Cod. People were pouring buckets of water on it, digging a trench to get it back to the water. Everyone wanted to save the shark because they knew how important these animals are to our ecosystem. When we had to tell people it wasn’t going to make it—that we were going to bring it back and work it up to figure out what happened—people were crying. That’s just a testament to how much our perception has changed.
Dr. Heithaus: I credit Jaws for all my success as a swimmer early in life because I was terrified of the deep end of the pool after seeing it—way younger than my parents would have allowed. Your brain just does weird things, even though you know there’s not a shark there. So yes, it’s a masterpiece as a film. It did cause problems with public perception, but I think it shows how important that public piece is. It’s one of the reasons I’m thankful I get to be part of Sharkfest—to try to reverse those trends. And I think we’ve made incredible steps forward. People no longer think the only good shark is a dead shark, or that they’re mindless killing machines. Even in Hollywood now, shark movies give the shark a motivation—it’s not just a threat out there looking for people. Conservation messages are getting in there. So we’re making progress on lots of fronts. And the fact that, 50 years later, we’re still having these conversations shows just how pivotal that movie was—for Hollywood, for oceans in general—that it’s still generating discussion this long after its release.
Alex: Thank you both so much. Congratulations on the launch of the show, and happy Sharkfest!
Investigation Shark Attack airs nightly beginning tonight at 9/8c on National Geographic, and begins streaming July 6th on Disney+ and Hulu. Whether you’re a lifelong shark enthusiast or a curious first-time viewer, this series offers an unprecedented glimpse into the science behind shark encounters, with the experts themselves guiding you through every bite, theory, and discovery. For Dr. Heithaus and Dr. Winton, it’s more than just another summer special. It’s a chance to change perceptions, share knowledge, and bring audiences closer to the truth about one of nature’s most misunderstood predators.