Shark Attack Survivor Paul de Gelder Is Diving Back in for Shark Week

The ocean’s fiercest predators are on the prowl in TV’s must-see annual event… Shark Week!

This summer marks the 36th anniversary for cable TV’s longest running program event, and John Cena is hosting alongside Australian Navy diver Paul de Gelder.

Paul had his own close encounter with a massive shark 15 years ago that changed his life forever.

He told us, “I was doing a counterterrorism mission in Sydney Harbor and I got attacked by a 10-foot bull shark and it ended up taking off my hand and my right leg.”

De Gelder continued, “Pretty bad day at work, I’m not gonna lie, but since then I’ve had the opportunity to learn so much about sharks. As the old adage says ‘knowledge dispels fear’ and now I’m a huge shark fan.”

Paul is taking Shark Week fans back into shark infested waters on deep sea adventures this week, and will “feed a tiger shark by hand.”

He shared, “We’re investigating shark attacks on a small Mexican fishing community… they live off the sea. It was really important for us to go there and see if we could help them out in some small way.”

Paul also hopes Shark Week will help some people get over their fear of those mysterious ocean creatures.

“Sharks aren’t out there waiting for us to kill us, against popular belief you’ll see in movies. They are an amazing part of the ecosystem. Their role is not out there to bite us. Sometimes that happens, I’m evidence of that. They are very, very important and we should respect them for their important role in the oceans.”

If you do encounter a shark in the ocean, Paul says, “Just get out. Don’t act like food and they won’t treat you like food.”

De Gelder added, “I would never tell anyone to stay out of the ocean. It’s one of the most amazing experiences. Go and enjoy, but be safe.”

“Extra” also has an exclusive clip of John Cena and free-diver Zandi Ndhlovu playing “Bull Shark or No Bull Shark.”

Zandi puts John to the test with some shark trivia. Watch!

Tune in to Shark Week every night at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel