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A dramatic video clip shows a team of scientists suddenly being surrounded by a group of large sharks in Hawaiian waters.

The incident occurred off the coast of O'ahu—the third-largest island of the archipelago and home to the state capital Honolulu.

The footage is taken from the one-off documentary Sharkcano: Hawaii, which will air as part of National Geographic's monthlong programming event Sharkfest.

Running until July 30, the event involves 72 hours of shark-related entertainment—including more than 22 hours of original programming—that will showcase the "captivating science, power and beauty of these magnificent creatures".

You can follow Sharkfest on National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney+, Hulu and ESPN2.

Sharkcano: Hawaii, which airs at 8 p.m. July 20, follows researchers Mike Heithaus and Frances Farabaugh as they aim to learn why a wide variety of sharks are drawn to Hawaiian waters.

In the video clip, Heithaus and Farabaugh are investigating whether there is evidence that Galapagos sharks are mating in the area.

"In Sharkano: Hawaii, we are helping show the audience the many reasons why sharks might be attracted to volcanic islands, like Hawaii," Heithaus told Newsweek.

"One of those reasons might be to find a mate, so we wanted to see if the Galapagos sharks, which are known to be in the area, might be mating there. We do this by looking for bite marks where males have grabbed females during mating. The presence of scars tells us that the Galapagos sharks are mating in the area."

Galapagos sharks are found across the globe, primarily in the tropical regions of our planet's oceans. The species was first described from specimens captured near Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, hence the name.

These sharks are among the largest in the Carcharhinidae family—otherwise known as requiem sharks. The biggest Galapagos shark specimens reach lengths of around 11 feet.

The sharks warrant special attention by divers and swimmers due to their potentially considerable size and because they are often found in large numbers, although attacks on humans involving this species appear to be rare.

"Swimming with these Galapagos sharks can be pretty intense because you can go from one shark to 10, to 20, or even more, really quickly," Heithaus said in the documentary clip.

The area in which the scientists were diving is where many of the shark attacks in Hawaii occur. As a precaution, Heithaus and Farabaugh conducted their research with safety divers who could provide an extra set of eyes while they concentrated on gathering photographic evidence.

"You gotta make sure you're watching your back and your buddy's back," Farabaugh said in the clip.

In the documentary footage, initially, one Galapagos shark appears, with another following soon afterward. One of the sharks has scars on its nose, while the bigger one has a large bite mark on the flank.

"These are where a male shark has bitten a female to hold on during mating," Heithaus told Newsweek.

But soon two sharks become 12 and the researchers are quickly surrounded by a group of the creatures.

"It is exhilarating and awe-inspiring to be in the water with these animals," Heithaus said. "You certainly have to be careful and aware of your surroundings whenever you are working with wild animals, but we were not in danger. The sharks were swimming calmly and not interested in us and we always have safety divers just in case."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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