Could the events of 'JAWS' happen today?

Hello, Islanders!

Hollywood is full of films that begin with the words “Based on a True Story.”  Even the recent Cocaine Bear opens with those words.  JAWS does not begin that way, but could it have?

For various reasons, shark attacks are finding themselves more and more in the news.  I apologize.  Recently a group of scientists addressed the media, asking it to no longer refer to shark attacks as, well….shark attacks.  They would prefer to substitute the words bites, incidents or encounters.  I’ll do my best.

The best-known tale of shark encoun – sorry, I’m not doing it – attacks took place in 1916 on the Jersey shore in the United States.  Between July 1st and July 12th of that year, four swimmers were killed and one badly injured.  It is not known if all of this was the work of one shark or several, nor is the type of shark known, though scientists have presumed they were either Great Whites or Bull sharks. 

The incident is even highlighted in JAWS, when, while trying to convince the mayor to close the beaches, Brody urges Hooper to “tell him about the Jersey thing.”  As Hooper begins to talk Brody informs the mayor that there “were five people chewed up in a week.”  And hats off to Brody for referring to the recent shark attacks around Amity as “incidents.”  

 So what do you think?  Could it happen today?  Certainly, someone could be attacked by a shark.  In the past week we’ve seen video of a tiger shark trying to eat a man’s kayak, and there was a young girl in Florida who just received 19 stitches after she was bitten on the stomach.  But I think it would stop at one.  Greed and silence allowed the shark to continue to feed in JAWS.  Maybe if the beaches had been closed, the shark would have swum elsewhere looking for dinner.  But, by not taking any action, Amity was, in Brody’s words, “ringing the dinner bell!”  

Could JAWS happen today?  With all of the safety precautions found on beaches nowadays (Signs, nets, etc) my thought is no.

Words by Michael A Smith. Michael is co-author of Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel. You can order the book by contacting Michael at OsFanMike@aol.com.

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