JAWS 2 filming location sparks shark panic

A shark's dorsal fin was  spotted on Monday July 3, at Navarre Beach up in the Florida Panhandle. Navarre was also a filming location for the sequel to JAWS, which was released in 1978.

The dorsal fin in a sea crowded with people caused minor panic in the water, as the shark clearly wanted to get in on the JAWS 2 45th anniversary celebrations. A video showed some beachgoers showing concern and retreating from the water, but attacks are incredibly rare, and sharks are close to shore more often than you'd think. They aren't looking at people as their next meal, in fact more often than not they are not even interested in interacting with us.

As ever, we must remember that - as much as a good headline for media a shark close to a beach, especially one during the July 4th weekend  - we are the ones entering a shark's domain. And being a sunny fourth of July weekend there were likely more people than ever in the water

Speaking to the New York Post, Beach Safety Director Austin Turnbill confirmed to that a shark had been seen, but made it clear that there was no reason to be concerned by it.

He said: "There’s sharks in the Gulf, everywhere. We see sharks almost every day and there’s nothing to be alarmed of for 99.9% of the time."

Of course, that doesn't stop the likes of The Daily Mail labelling it a "dramatic incident", where nothing actually happened.

There will likely be sharks swim by that same location today, tomorrow and the day after, it just won't have been filmed and posted on social media.

Sadly, sharks don't have access to the exclusive and insightful JAWS 2 cast and crew interviews The Daily Jaws, but you do and they can be viewed right here.

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Words by Dean Newman

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