Life of 'JAWS' collaborator Valerie Taylor celebrated in new exhibition

Valerie Taylor is an underwater icon and her years of filmmaking – alongside her late husband Ron – shark research and conservation has educated and enthralled us for over 60 years.

(Image copyright: Ron and Valerie Taylor)

That legacy of the love of the ocean, its animals and their habitats is the focus of an exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, which runs until August 31.

Valerie Taylor: An Underwater Life showcases the work of Valerie and her husband Ron and their significant contributions to marine conservation, diving and underwater filming.

Highlights include Valerie and Ron Taylor’s cameras and underwater housings, Valerie’s iconic blue fins and dive suits, and the stainless-steel chainmail suit she wore to get up close and personal with sharks, movie posters from over four decades working in Hollywood, from JAWS to The Island of Dr Moreau.

Regarding the exhibition Valerie said: “I'm very flattered, very surprised. I never thought that I'd be worth bothering about. I've had a good life. I have no regrets except that I've never been powerful enough to do some of the things I felt should be done. I consider having this exhibition on my life at the Maritime Museum as an incredible privilege.”

This inspiring and insightful exhibition is not just one woman’s story, it is a call to action for all the potential ocean changemakers out there—to inspire all of us to advocate for the oceans in our own way.

Valerie, who has been a champion of our oceans for decades, said: “Marine conservation was a dirty word when I was young. Most of the creatures in the ocean were considered either dangerous or not necessary. I think my first big impact was having the grey nurse shark protected; the first shark in the world to be protected by law.

“We think we're so unique. We're not. I think nature might've made a mistake with the human race. We don't embrace what she offers. We harvest it. We take it for granted, and we don't replace it. When you look at it that way, we're not a very nice animal. I'm one of them, so that's how it is. We are destroying the planet that supports us. We're killing the ocean. All life comes from the ocean. All life, everything. We're killing our mother, and we don't seem to care very much.”

The exhibition runs until August 31.

Watch our interview with Valerie Taylor

Discover more about Valerie Taylor and her legacy with the video below featuring an exclusive interview with The Daily Jaws.

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