Episode Summary

Sharks kill about five people a year. Humans kill around 100 million sharks. So… who should we actually be afraid of?

This Shark Week, we’re diving beneath the sensational headlines to investigate one of the biggest PR disasters in history: sharks.

In this episode of Seriously Sus, we unpack Florida’s controversial shark diving ban, the surprising science behind shark behavior, and how a single Hollywood blockbuster turned one of the ocean’s most important predators into history’s most misunderstood villain. Along the way, Miranda shares what it was really like swimming with bull sharks, we expose how movies, Shark Week, social media, and clickbait keep fueling our fear, and ask whether the real threat has been misinformation all along.

If you’ve ever been terrified by Jaws, binged Shark Week, or wondered why every shark sighting becomes breaking news, this episode might completely change the way you see the ocean.

In this episode, we discuss:
🦈 Florida’s controversial shark diving ban
🦈 Why shark attacks are far rarer than you think
🦈 The surprising science behind shark behavior
🦈 How Jaws permanently changed public perception
🦈 Shark Week’s complicated relationship with fear and conservation
🦈 How TikTok, YouTube, and social media amplify shark panic
🦈 Why sharks are critical to healthy oceans—and why humans pose the greatest threat to them
🦈 Our new game: Shark or Human: Who Did the Crime?

Expect plenty of sarcasm, questionable Florida decisions, movie myths, internet nonsense, and enough shark facts to make you rethink everything you thought you knew.

Because sometimes the most dangerous predator isn’t swimming beneath the surface…

…it’s writing the headlines.