Following a year of record numbers of shark attacks, Sharks Never Sleep takes us around the world to meet shark-attack survivors, shark lovers and shark hunters, who tell us of the primal fear of being eaten alive by a wild animal, the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one and extraordinary stories of encounters with sharks. 

In Ballina on the east coast of Australia, Darren Rogers recounts how he tried to save Japanese surfer Tadashi Nakahara, who was mauled to death by a great white shark. At Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, professional surfer Mick Fanning narrowly escapes the jaws of a great white during the final of one of the world’s biggest professional surfing competitions. On the Hawaiian island of Maui, shark-attack survivor Bethany Hamilton heads into monstrous waves to surf, even after having lost her arm to a tiger shark as a 13-year-old junior surfing champion. 

Explore our complex relationship of fear and fascination with sharks – meeting scientists, conservationists and a host of eccentric characters – in these gripping tales of first-hand encounters.