Chris Hemsworth is set to front a shark attack documentary for 2021’s SharkFest

‘Shark Beach’ is described as a “once-in-a-lifetime” mission to investigate the measures put in place to safeguard humankind’s co-existence with sharks and to uncover the complicated truth behind the alarming increase in shark attacks.

The programme will be produced by Nutopia, and will see Chris join forces with shark experts including surfers, conservationists, shark advocates and marine biologists.

In a statement, Chris said: “I’ve spent a great deal of my life near or in the ocean, sharing the same backyard with sharks, and recently there’s been some growing concern regarding an increase in shark activity. It’s crucial that we both revere and respect sharks. Our oceans depend on these apex predators for a biodiverse ecosystem; however, we must also learn how to protect ourselves, and that’s my main objective in ‘Shark Beach’.”

The 36-year-old actor will begin his journey in Byron Bay, where he currently lives with his wife Elsa Pataky and their three children - eight-year-old daughter India, and six-year-old twin sons Sasha and Tristan.

There, he will uncover the reasons for increased shark attacks so close to home in recent years, before being joined by local biologists to explore how existing preventative measures work to stave off shark-human encounters and dives with different species of sharks to understand their behaviours and power.

Chris will also serve as an ex ecutive producer on the programme, alongside Ben Grayson.

For Nutopia, Jane Root, Arif Nurmohamed and Mark Hedgecoe are ex ecutive producers.

For National Geographic, Tracy Rudolph Jackson is ex ecutive producer, and Geoff Daniels is ex ecutive vice president, global unscripted entertainment.