Sink your teeth into SharkCon, returning to Tampa's Florida State Fairgrounds, July 18 - 19

SharkCon has something for everyone who loves the ocean, and of course, sharks. The event, features guest speakers, celebrities, mermaids, presentations, and more!

SharkCon, sponsored by National Geographic, brings the stars of the shark world to Tampa. With celebrities, speakers, vendors, activities and more, with lots of fun for all ages.

SharkCon returns fr its 12th year to the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall on Saturday, July 18 - Sunday, July 19, 2026.

When you experience SharkCon, you will dive deep into the world’s oceans, an event suitable for the casual consumer of shark lore, to the most intense aficionado of shark science. If it’s about sharks, it’s at SharkCon!

SharkCon is a full-fledged “Con” in every way. There are numerous engaging activities for you and the kids to sink your teeth into, but that’s just where the fun-frenzy begins.

There are speakers from National Geographic's SHARKFEST, Shark Week and Animal Planet. There are over one hundred vendors of shark and ocean related merchandise, including, but not limited to jewelry, art, clothing, & collectibles. Learn how you can enjoy the ocean even more with indoors scuba diving with professionals as well as other water sports.

SharkCon is more than just a great time. It is an event dedicated to raising awareness about shark and ocean conservation, as well as substainability. It raises money for ocean and shark conservation efforts, which are undertaken by our partners at SharkCon. We want to ensure the health of the oceans for generations to come! All of this great SharkCon wonder is included in the price of admission.

There are over 150 vendors of shark and ocean related merchandise, plus a dozen non-profits to engage guests. Guests also have the opportunity to try indoor scuba diving with trained professionals sponsored by Off The Wall Adventures and Outfitters. 

Event Highlights

• Speakers from the Shark World (scientist, personalities, conservationist, award winning photographers and celebrities!

• Celebrities from several shark movie franchises.

• Clearwater Marine Aquarium Exhibit

• Sea Life Orlando 

• Megalodon Jaws

• 45 foot Inflatable Megalodon

• Mote Exhibit

• 27ft. Shark Slide

• Shark Tooth Sand Dig 

• Paddle Board / Kayak Clinic 

• Touch Tanks- Provided by Clearwater Aquarium, and Mote Marine Laboratory.

• Off the Wall Adventures and Outfitters Scuba Pool –Everything you need to try scuba diving in a safe shallow environment at SharkCon. 

• Marine Rescue Exhibit -The Clearwater Aquarium will demonstrate how they rescue marine mammals.

• Conservation Organization Activities – We have partnered with several conservation organizations to provide activities & information at each one of their exhibits.

• FREE Treasure Map Hunt with PRIZES for the kids.

Check out just some of the guests attending this year's event!

• David Chokachi will be at SharkCon on Saturday. He will be there for the premiere of Water Park Shark, take part in a Q&A, and to sign autographs, take selfies and photos.

• Rob Eubanks, Brigdon York, Hector Becerra, Chelsea Gilson, Snow Feng and Kacie Patricia joins the cast at SharkCon for the premier of the film Water Park Shark and will take part in a Q&A.

• Tonya Wiley will be giving her talk entitled “Live Sawfish Rescue Efforts in Florida” At SharkCon.

• Rosie Moore from All the Sharks will be giving a presentation called “No Boat No Problem - connecting shark scientists with vessels.”

• Wildlife Biologist and Underwater Filmmaker, Randy Thomas will be giving a talk “Where it All Began: from Mittens to Marine Science” talking about all of his adventures, most notably, Randy worked on the Netflix series’s All the Sharks.

• Yannis Peter Papastamatiou will be giving a talk “Exploring the Twilight Zone: Why it’s Important to Sharks”. He will be there with Predator Ecology & Conservation Lab and FIU Arts, Sciences & Education.

• PLAYING LIVE at SharkCon - for the First Time - Quint the Band featuring Robbie Rist and Anthony C. Ferrante  playing Songs from Sharknado.

• Brent Winner, FWC Scientist, will be appearing at SharkCon with his presentation “How to ID Sharks”.

• Dr. Annmarie Fearing will be doing a talk called “Conservation Genetics of the Largetooth Sawfish” informing us of the efforts to save these animals.

• SharkDocs, Dr. Brendan Talwar and Dr. Chris Malinowski will be giving a presentation called “Purpose Beneath the Surface” at SharkCon.

• MJ Algarra  from All the Sharks and CLEAN THIS BEACH UP Will be doing a presentation about How You Can Find Your Place in Ocean Conservation.

• Emily Spurgeon from the Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab will be doing a presentation on her research with juvenile white sharks and bull sharks.

  
  

Purchase your tickets for SharkCon now.

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