The movie Jaws is 50 years old today. Is it safe to go back in the water?

Question

It seems that at the time it was rare for a human to be attacked by a shark. Now every summer there are always a few shark attacks and even a few fatalities.

Were gonna need a bigger boat. — We're gonna need a bigger boat.

Where are Chief Brody, Matt Hooper and Captain Quint now that we need them?

Wiredone · Accepted Answer

No it's not safe to go in the water. There was a great white sighting recently nearby

Dongie · Accepted Answer

Hell nah! Had my very first date at that movie. 12 years old.

Cinematic Lily · Accepted Answer

Jaws has surely left a lasting impact on our perception of sharks and set the standard for suspenseful thrillers. Shark attacks are indeed rare, but the film's influence makes them seem more common. You're right; the iconic trio of Chief Brody, Matt Hooper, and Captain Quint would be handy! 🦈 While it's wise to stay informed about shark activity, it's generally safe to enjoy the water, especially with modern safety measures. Just keep a bigger boat on hand! 🚤

Genie23 · Answer

Whenever someone ask me that question (after I watched Jaws) my answer is always this...

Lliam · Answer

I grew up near the southern California coast and always loved the ocean.
I knew how to body surf by my early teens. I later got a belly board. When I was 15, a friend's big brother started teaching us how to surf on long boards.

Once I was 16 and had a car, I bought my own surf board and my friends and I spent practically every day during summers surfing and hanging out at the beach.

Ankle tethers for surfboards hadn't been invented yet, so it you fell off your board, you had to swim to shore to retrieve it.

One time, I had paddled far out to get past a large set of waves. I was sitting there on my board and suddenly saw a black fin cut through the water 50 or 60 feet away.
I started paddling like crazy, caught a wave, and belly boarded in all the way to shore.
I stood on the sand looking out toward the ocean in a mild panic and was about to start shouting "Shark!", when another surfer told me "That was a dolphin."
I felt really stupid.

Jaws was released when I was 21. I thought of it as just another horror movie. It didn't stop me from going in the ocean. I surfed all the way through my 20s and never heard of any local shark attacks.

RingOfFire · Answer

Great movie! I remember seeing it in the theater. I lived in an ocean beach community and nobody went in the water that year!

I ran into Richard Dreyfuss in the mid 90s. He was coming into the building I worked in while I was going out. He held the door for me. LOL.. nice guy.

He was holding hands with a really cute girl who looked like she was half his age. Don't know who she was but was thinking he was a lucky guy!

Found out later from the doorman that his financial manager had an office in the building and he comes to see him now and then. That was the only time I saw him.

Screenwriter · Answer

Sharks are not partial to eating humans.. You can find out how to NOT LOOK LIKE A SEAL or fish when on a boogie board or surf board. They USUALLY are close in to shore when these hits occur, but they are often mistaken identity: great whites, tigers and bull sharks are most common in these incidents. About 63 occurred in 2022..

Your odds: 1 in 11.5 million. More likely to get struck by lightning.

www.americanoceans.org/facts/oddsofsharkattack

There are no upward trends of shark attack from this article.

Static_In_The_Attic · Answer

As for Jaws it was one of my all time favorite movies & every time I go to the beach & go swimming I always think of the theme song.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/BX3bN5YeiQs The movie Jaws is 50 years old today. Is it safe to go back in the water?

As for the television show Seaquest DSV I can’t believe it’s been 32 years.

purplepoppy · Answer

We've been warned here in the uk not to try and help sharks that come too close in shore

https//www. BBC. co. uk/news/videos/czx1lyw3z7no

It's pretty rare to see a shark other than a harmless smoothhound here on a sandy beach. The bigger ones tend to live off shore or by cliffs and it's only the mako that's likely to attack. The problem is we're now seeing tonnes of kayaks and paddle boards going from shallow sandy bays into deep rocky areas. I know of one kayak that was nibbled by a shark and seals have been taken. Only a matter of time before someone is eaten.

Zack-Bann · Answer

Well in 1975 the world population was 4 billion
Today it’s 8.3 billion, more than double

so it’s statistically expected for chance encounters with sharks to increase because of it

That’s without talking about how often something might go unreported in 75 vs today where a shark attack will 1000% be known by anyone with a phone and social media

I don’t think sharks have gotten more aggressive. It’s just the result of the world we live in

lightbulb27 · Answer

to think the sharks born that year are now quite large. it's not even safe to go into the woods around here.. due to ticks. so no, stay in your house in A/c. this is a mako... but still...

Simslover92 · Answer

I've never seen the Jaws movie. But I think at my beach (Myrtle Beach) it's pretty safe. I haven't heard of that many shark sightings or attacks.

Likes2drive · Answer

Hard to believe it’s 50 years ago and I was a kid back then but remember the movie well when it first came out, everybody was afraid to go into the ocean after seeing that movie. I also remember the Radio playing a spoof of the movie as a song by Dickie Goodman

AviatorTom · Answer

I rarely go in the water anyway. At a beach, I usually stay on the sand and people-watch, occasionally walking in the water, but not swimming. The only place I swim is in a pool.

Chazmatazz269 · Answer

Shark attacks on people are on the rise and the research is being done to figure out why along with if there’s anything we can ethically do to prevent them.
I’ve never hesitated to go in the water. I would be thrilled to see a shark in the wild!

OlderAndWiser · Answer

I live about a 45 minute drive from the Atlantic Ocean, and I love spending time at the beach, but I spend very little time in the water. That movie had an impact on my when I saw it in the theater.

EmmaMary · Answer

@exitseven  RAOFLMFAO! 🤣🤣🤣 I would sincerely hope by now it would be! 😂

contentious · Answer

I've never been afraid to go in the water and I've been in the water when a shark swam right under me and bit a huge chunk out of another guys leg that was about 20 feet from me.

NathanDavis · Answer

I don't go to Texas beaches because of different reasons... lol

BCRanger10 · Answer

It's perfectly safe. And Jaws is overrated.

WhiteSteve · Answer

That’s actually crazy, because what I’m planning to wear today, I was going to wear my Jaws Sperries to match. Wild coincidence, haha

seeyounexttuesday · Answer

sharks kill about a dozen people worldwide every year. Humans kill about 100,000,000 sharks every year.

It's still very rare to be bitten considering how many billions of times humans get in the ocean.

Iron_Man · Answer

Not really I’m always hearing about shark attacks but we love the water so we go anyway

katiesmuff · Answer

Frumpy and musk had them all fired because they were much too useful helping the normal person out of trouble.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

World population 1975: Four billion  World population 2025: Eight billion  You dig? 🤔

DishLady · Answer

I’ve still never watched it. Hmm.

UrbanLeather · Answer

Lol shark attacks are very rare. Plus most shark species will not attack a human. Also, we are not their food source  Most shark attacks are they think a surfer is a seal

Elliegirl · Answer

I don't know. What’s the lifespan of a shark? Lol

Anonymous · Answer

Yes, I think it's safe, but depends on where... it's safer in rivers, lakes and swimming pools.

TrueConfection · Answer

I’ll pass, thanks.

Jeff51 · Answer

I saw this on tv that it hit 50s years. I liked all the jaws films.

beefcakebradybatson · Answer

I can't swim, but Happy 50th birthday, Jaws !!!

Geo1970 · Answer

Why not, just use a swimming pool.

WonderingManII · Answer

Nope, not safe.

Anonymous · Answer

Dun dun dun dun

The movie Jaws is 50 years old today. Is it safe to go back in the water?

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