When National Geographic approached with an opportunity to swim with sharks to kick off its it was an easy yes for the Marvel star who is the new Captain America.

The water, says Mackie, is a 含羞草研究社渟afe space含羞草研究社� where he 含羞草研究社渃an just tune everybody and everything else out.含羞草研究社�

Mackie has been a certified scuba diver for nearly two decades. 含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檝e swam with some crazy stuff, and I含羞草研究社檝e swam with sharks before. I just swam with Great Whites in South Africa. I did whale sharks in Mexico. I swam with a blue whale off the coast of Cape Town.含羞草研究社�

For debuting Thursday, he wanted cameras to visit the waters near where he is a regular boater and fisherman. An increase of sharks in the area are swarming boats and eating fishermen含羞草研究社檚 catches, leading to a greater risk of hungry sharks becoming aggressive. This points to a larger environmental issue that the ecosystem is off-kilter.

含羞草研究社淚f we eat all the fish, the sharks have nothing to eat,含羞草研究社� said Mackie. 含羞草研究社淪harks have babies in Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Catherine. When their babies come out, they含羞草研究社檙e full-grown pups. They含羞草研究社檙e three-foot sharks含羞草研究社� They含羞草研究社檙e not predators, but they also need a substantial food source.含羞草研究社�

Mackie says he was in the water for about four hours and 含羞草研究社渋t含羞草研究社檚 not that hard to find a multitude of sharks in the Atlantic Ocean.含羞草研究社� Seeing the sharks up-close reminded him 含羞草研究社渉ow majestic and powerful they are, but also you just see how beautiful they are.含羞草研究社� He was accompanied by marine biologist Jasmine Graham, whom Mackie says was his 含羞草研究社渟ecurity blanket含羞草研究社� if it got too intense.

含羞草研究社淓very time it would get to be too much, I would grab her. I含羞草研究社檓 like, 含羞草研究社楾hey含羞草研究社檝e got to pick one. So if one of us getting eaten, it better be you,含羞草研究社櫤�羞草研究社� he laughed. 含羞草研究社淪he really looked out for me and gave me a lot of information that really opened my eyes to the community that we含羞草研究社檙e in and explaining the sharks含羞草研究社� behavior.含羞草研究社�

Mackie, whose show will be followed soon by Discovery含羞草研究社檚 Shark Week programing, also hopes to highlight the effects of global climate change on the coastline of New Orleans where . Global warming has both caused snow and ice to melt and it含羞草研究社檚 led to more storms that cause flooding. Also, activity from the oil and gas industry weakens the soil.

含羞草研究社淭he area around New Orleans is slowly going away. You know, the water is starting to eat away at our habitat, our home,含羞草研究社� said Mackie. 含羞草研究社淭here are certain areas where I used to go as a kid, and those areas are gone now, like oyster farms,含羞草研究社� said Mackie.

含羞草研究社淲e used to go fishing when I was little and my uncle would put me in the water. I would walk around and field for oysters with my feet, put them in a boat, and we would eat those oysters for lunch. Whole oyster beds are gone.含羞草研究社�

For someone whose career has afforded him the opportunity to travel the globe both for work and pleasure, Mackie says there truly is no place like New Orleans.

含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 nothing more beautiful than seeing the sun come up over the Gulf of Mexico. It含羞草研究社檚 literally breathtaking and I含羞草研究社檝e seen the sun come up over everything. When you含羞草研究社檙e in a boat, going out to the Gulf or even Lake Catherine and you see the sun come up over that marsh and wetland, there含羞草研究社檚 nothing like it.含羞草研究社�