Get out of the water! Shark Week starts Sunday

One of the happiest weeks of the year is upon us as Discovery Channel kicks off the 27^th annual Shark Week extravaganza on Sunday.

I love sharks – and shark movies. I love the good ones (Jaws), the bad ones (Bait) and the completely outrageous ones (Shark Night). I have shark slippers, jewelry and T-shirts. So, of course, Shark Week is a big deal for me.

This year’s schedule is full of new offerings at night – and repeats of older shows during the day. And, for the second year in a row, Discovery is hosting the live Shark After Dark program – which brings guests together with comedian Josh Wolf – to talk about each night’s entertainment roundup.

Last year, millions of fans joined in and live Tweeted Shark After Dark – which airs at 11 p.m. nightly --  making the show a runaway success.

After the scathing dress down the Discovery Channel got for airing a mockumentary about the existence of the extinct Megalodon last year (only running a brief disclaimer at the beginning of the show and then presenting the mockumentary as fact), it doesn’t look like producers are backing off their approach (which saw millions of viewers) because a follow-up is scheduled.

Discovery Channel wisely bumped the follow-up off the opening night, though, and buried it later in the week, though.

So what is Discovery offering this year?

Sunday

Air Jaws: Fin of Fury (8 p.m.): Using incredible new cameras and high tech underwater gadgetry, Shark

Filmmaker Jeff Kurr and his team embark on a worldwide mission to track down the missing “mega-shark” Colossus.

Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine (9 p.m.): Said to be the deadliest great white shark of all time, “Submarine” is a 30-foot great white that has terrorized the shores of South Africa for decades. Locals believe that this shark is responsible for countless fatal attacks, but its existence has never been proven.

Monday

Jaws Strikes Back (9 p.m.): Marine biologist Greg Skomal and the sharkcam team travel to the remote Pacific Island of Guadalupe to film the hunting behavior of the largest great white sharks on Earth.

Monster Hammerhead (10 p.m.): For the past 60 years, reports of a monster hammerhead clocking in at more than 20 feet long have circulated throughout Florida. Now a team of scientists and anglers explore the waters of the world’s largest hammerheads to see if these stories could be true.

Tuesday

Alien Sharks: Return to the Abyss (9 p.m.): Shark researchers investigate the ocean’s darkest depths in

search of shark specials that have never been seen before on camera and get a glimpse of the elusive ghost shark.

Lair of the Mega Shark (10 p.m.): Shark experts Jeff Kurr and Andy Casagrande head to New Zealand to investigate the sightings of a 20-foot great white shark, which leads them to the nocturnal feeding ground of a “mega-shark.”

Wednesday

Zombie Sharks (9 p.m.): Shark Diver and conservationist Eli Martinez explores a catatonic zombie-like state in sharks called “tonic immobility” and sets out to solve a mystery of predators using it on massive great whites.

Spawn of Jaws: The Birth (10 p.m.): Dr. Michael Domeier continues his quest to unlock one of the greatest shark mysteries: the location of great white pupping grounds. This two-year mission follows the journey of a pregnant great white called Gil Rakers as she prepares to give birth.

Thursday

I Escaped Jaws 2 (9 p.m.): Shark attack victims recount their harrowing near-death experiences and reveal how they escaped with their lives.

Sharkageddon (10 p.m.): Massive tiger sharks and other predatory species are invading the shores of Hawaii. After a spike in attacks, including two fatalities, Hawaiian native and surf-legend Kala Alexander sets out to uncover the truth behind what’s disrupting the Hawaiian food chain.

Friday

Megalodon: The New Evidence (10 p.m.): Collin Drake returns to share new details of his case and present the shocking new evidence of the existence of Megalodon, an enormous prehistoric shark that could still be roaming the oceans.

Saturday

Great White Matrix (9 p.m.): Shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder and Andy Casagrande head deep into the shark-infested waters of Australia to investigate a series of bizarre shark attacks and capture the great white bite on camera.

Sharksanity (10 p.m.): A look at the most insane bites, strikes and close calls from Shark Week 2014. Plus your picks for the five crazies Shark Week moments ever.

So, what do you think? Are you looking forward to Shark Week?