Shark Week 2006 ended last night, and Discovery sent it out in style, I think. The centerpiece was the Mike-Rowe-hosted Jobs That Bite Harder, in which Rowe visits a fish taxidermist, as well as the creator of a chainmail suit designed to keep people safe from shark bites. Overall, I really enjoyed Mike Rowe's presentation during the week: he has a good sense of humor; he's a good sport about getting his hands dirty; and I like his Everyman appeal. My only complaint is that he often stands, arms folded across his chest, with his hands hidden behind his biceps, making them appear bigger than they actually are. I mean, c'mon Mike: do you really need to make your arms look bigger? You're a cool guy -- even with average-sized biceps.
Rowe first visits Global Fish Mounts, in Pompano Beach, Florida. There, with the help of a taxidermist named Roger, he makes a fiberglass mold of a bull shark. Describing the job as applying "layer upon layer of fiberglass on a rotten, dirty, smelly shark," it is nasty work -- especially when the shark's decomposing innards start seeping through the mold. After creating the mold, of course, a painter paints it to make it appear lifelike. Interestingly, the owner of the Global Fish Mounts made a point of saying that he can create a mold of a shark simply from a photo, thereby facilitating catch-and-release fishing. I wonder how many sportfishermen catch a shark, take a few pictures, release the shark, and then send the JPEGs to the taxidermist so he can re-create it...but it's a nice thought. Anyway, if you'd like your own mounted shark, they fabricate them for $8 per inch. That's less than $2000 for a 20-foot tiger shark.
Next, Rowe heads to the Bahamas to chat with the inventor of the Neptunic Sharksuit, which is a chainmail suit. The owner, Jeremiah Sullivan, handcrafts the suits one tiny, eraser-sized ring at a time; each suit is made from about 400,000 rings! After making the suits, the pair hack fish to make chum, head into the warm, blue waters of the Caribbean, and test the suits. Taking crates of dead fish to the bottom of the sea, Mike and Jeremiah feed the fish and let them gnaw on their arms. Although the camera crew captured some violent moments in which the sharks really appear to go crazy, the suits work perfectly. Nobody ever mentions what happens if the sharks accidentally bite the regulator hose, but I guess that's a secondary issue, relative to a bite on the arm. I told my wife that I'd be interested in testing the suit for myself, and she rolled her eyes, but the suits look perfectly safe.
Except for the abomination that was Sharks: Are They Hunting Us?, this was an excellent Shark Week. While I'm ready to watch some non-shark TV for a while, I'm excited about next year's season. Maybe they'll feature David Schneider and his SharkSkunker. Can't wait! In case you missed something this week, here's a quick wrap-up:
1. As someone who has used that exact same shark suit (well, not the whole suit, just the arms and gloves, since my buddy and cameraman had the only two full suits available)and bitten several times on the hands and arms - that indeed it does work quite well. I imerged from the dive with only a couple of bruises, though my body felt like it had been hit by a truck the next day. I also think that Mike Rowe did a great job as host this year, definately the best they've had in several years with the exception of Mike deGruy from last year. If you missed this episode be sure to check it out, definately worth the time.
Posted at 7:25PM on Aug 5th 2006 by Ron Fisher