Can a shark walk? For Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, biologist Forrest Galante came to Papua New Guinea to film epaulette sharks moving across reef flats — and out of the water. Papua New Guinea Fixer handled the production on the ground.
Island of the Walking Sharks, produced by Phantasticus Pictures, premiered on Discovery Channel on 27 July 2022. Presenter Forrest Galante and marine biologist Vicky Vásquez set out to film Papua New Guinea’s epaulette sharks, small sharks that use their fins to “walk” across shallow reefs and between rock pools at low tide.
The team recorded what was described as the first footage of one of the Papuan epaulette species walking out of the water, and met the communities who know these reefs best, including the Korafe people of the Tufi area in Oro Province and the people of Koki, in Port Moresby.
Filming at the right tide
These sharks live in very shallow water, on reef flats, tide pools and seagrass beds. The best moments happen at low tide, often at night, far from any town. Filming them means planning around tide tables, boat transfers and the agreement of the clans who own the reefs.
Our part in the production
Papua New Guinea Fixer handled the whole production on the ground: filming permits and government authorisations, visas for the crew, travel and logistics, boats, agreements with the communities and daily coordination on location.
Still making news
In June 2026, scientists described a new species of walking shark from Milne Bay, Hemiscyllium dudgeonae — a reminder of how much of Papua New Guinea’s marine life remains to be discovered.
Island of the Walking Sharks (Discovery Channel, Shark Week 2022) is available on discovery+.
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