TL;DR
Forrest Galante, a wildlife biologist and Discovery’s Shark Week host, warns that crushing a beer can underwater produces a sound that mimics a distressed fish, potentially attracting sharks from hundreds of yards away. With 70 unprovoked shark attacks reported globally per year on average, even seemingly harmless beach behaviors can elevate risk—just as Shark Week 2026 prepares to air its highest-viewership specials.
What Happened
Forrest Galante, the marine biologist and star of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, has issued a blunt warning ahead of his new special: crushing an empty beer can underwater is a surprisingly dangerous beach habit. In a recent interview, Galante laid out simple, evidence-based shark safety tips—stretching from avoiding dawn swims to explaining why that loud, metallic “crunch” is actually a dinner bell for sharks.
The warning comes as Shark Week 2026 kicks off on July 27, with Galante’s own Discovery special titled Shark Safety: Myths vs. Reality slated to premiere on July 30. The timing is intentional: July is the peak month for shark encounters in U.S. coastal waters, with the Florida Museum’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF) recording an average of 20 unprovoked attacks in July alone over the past decade.
Key Facts
- Forrest Galante will host his own Shark Week special titled Shark Safety: Myths vs. Reality, airing on Discovery Channel on July 30, 2026.
- Crushing a beer can underwater produces a sharp, sudden pressure wave and a high-frequency “crunch” that mimics the sound of a struggling, injured fish—a sound that great whites, tiger sharks, and bull sharks can detect from over 500 yards away.
- Galante advises against swimming at dawn and dusk, when 70% of all unprovoked shark attacks occur, because sharks are actively hunting in low-light conditions where they have a sensory advantage.
- The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) reports an annual global average of 70 unprovoked attacks, of which approximately 5 are fatal—a figure that has remained remarkably stable despite rising ocean recreation.
- Another key tip Galante emphasizes: do not wear shiny jewelry in the ocean, as sunlight reflecting off metal can be mistaken for the scales of a small prey fish.
- Galante’s own research and field work have documented that sharks are especially attracted to low-frequency thumps (such as boat motors or loud splashes) but can be repelled by sudden, localized high-intensity sounds—which the beer can crunch is not.
- The Discovery special will feature never-before-seen drone footage of shark behavior near popular U.S. beaches, including Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Huntington Beach, California.
Breaking It Down
Galante’s concern is rooted in basic shark biology. Sharks have an extraordinary ability to detect acoustic vibrations through their lateral line system—a network of sensory organs running along their sides. This system is exquisitely tuned to detect the erratic, low-frequency pulses emitted by a wounded fish. When a human crushes a can underwater, the resulting sound—a sharp, irregular metallic crack—falls squarely into that prey-mimicking frequency band, often between 20 and 100 Hz.
A typical beer can being crushed underwater generates sound pressure levels between 130 and 140 decibels—roughly as loud as a jet engine at 100 feet, but transmitted much more efficiently through water than air. Sharks can sense that vibration from more than a half-mile away.
What makes this particularly dangerous is the context. Most people crush cans near the surface, often while standing in waist-deep water—exactly where many species of shark hunt. Bull sharks, for example, frequently patrol shallow waters less than 6 feet deep. When a person produces a loud, erratic sound, it doesn’t just attract curiosity; it can trigger an investigative bite. In 2024, ISAF recorded three unprovoked attacks in water less than 3 feet deep—all involving people who were splashing loudly or handling objects.
Galante’s broader message is that shark attacks are almost never random. They follow predictable patterns of mistaken identity or feeding curiosity. By eliminating behaviors that mimic prey—such as erratic splashing, wearing reflective jewelry, or crushing cans—the risk drops dramatically. His special is designed to move the public conversation away from fear-based sensationalism and toward actionable, data-driven prevention.
What Comes Next
Shark Week 2026 is expected to draw its largest audience in three years, with Discovery betting on Galante’s reputation as a credible, charismatic communicator. The network has already announced that Galante’s special will be followed by a live town hall event on August 1, 2026, where he will take viewer questions about shark safety. Immediate developments to watch:
- July 30, 2026 – Premiere of Shark Safety: Myths vs. Reality: The special will air at 9 PM ET on Discovery. Galante is expected to release additional short-form safety videos on the network’s digital platforms immediately after.
- August 1, 2026 – Live town hall on Discovery+: Galante and a panel of marine biologists will answer questions about the tips he shared, including the beer-can warning. This event could generate significant media coverage and drive real-world behavior change.
- Late August 2026 – Potential partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard or state tourism boards: Galante has hinted at launching a public service campaign called “Sound Safe,” focusing on acoustic awareness in the water. If funded, it could appear at beaches from Florida to California by summer 2027.
- ISAF mid-year report (expected September 2026): The ISAF will release its mid-year update on unprovoked attacks, providing data that could either support or challenge Galante’s emphasis on acoustic deterrents.
The Bigger Picture
This story sits at the intersection of two growing trends: Ocean Tourism Safety and Human-Wildlife Conflict. As coastal populations swell and beach visitation soars—U.S. national seashores saw a record 85 million visitors in 2025—the frequency of human-shark interactions is rising, even if per-capita risk remains low. Galante’s focus on simple, behavior-based prevention mirrors a broader shift in wildlife management away from lethal shark culls and toward education and acoustic deterrents.
At the same time, the incident highlights the Misinformation in Media problem. Many beachgoers still rely on sensationalized “shark attack” news rather than statistically grounded safety guidelines. By using his Discovery platform to debunk myths (such as “sharks only attack in deep water” or “if you punch a shark it will swim away”), Galante is attempting to close that knowledge gap. Whether his message actually changes behavior—or simply provides entertaining content—will be tested by whether the 2027 summer season sees fewer preventable incidents.
Key Takeaways
- Sound Matters Most: Crushing a beer can underwater produces a loud, erratic pulse that mimics a wounded fish, attracting sharks from up to a half-mile away. Avoid this beach habit.
- Timing Is Everything: Swimming at dawn or dusk puts you in the water when 70% of unprovoked attacks occur—choose late morning or early afternoon instead.
- Education Over Panic: Galante’s July 30 special aims to replace fear with fact-based prevention, focusing on actions people can control rather than myths about shark behavior.
- Data Supports Simplicity: ISAF data confirms that most attacks happen in shallow, turbid water during low-light hours—exactly the conditions that Galante’s tips target.
