'Jaws' 50th anniversary

I was a teen living in North Florida during the summer of 1975. Some of my favorite memories from that time include the two-story slide behind Regency Square shopping mall and listening to “The Big Ape – WAPE” on the radio with “Larry, the Greaseman.” I loved Krystal hamburgers, Strickland’s Seafood, and a chocolate frosty from Wendy’s. Also, I looked forward to attending summer camp at the Mayport Marine Science Education Center.

I enjoyed going to the beach as much as possible and swimming in the ocean. I spent many summer nights fishing off the Jax Beach pier with my best friend and her older brother. I remember local surfers earning extra money by paddling large chunks of meat out to sea for shark fishermen. Everyone watched with wonder as sharks were reeled in and displayed for all to see. I never thought twice about swimming in the ocean with sharks before 1975. However, I kept a watchful eye out for stinging jellyfish.

Like millions of other folks in the summer of 1975, I went to the local theater to see the movie “Jaws.” I can honestly say that during certain scenes in the movie, I literally jumped out of my seat. The movie altered my perspective about sharks and made me a little more cautious about swimming in the ocean, especially near the pier where local fishermen were catching sharks. It is hard to believe that was 50 years ago.

This past weekend, I watched the movie “Jaws” once more. Even though I knew when the scary scenes were about to appear, I still flinched. Re-watching the movie prompted me to ask several friends what scene in the movie scared them most. I asked 10 people I knew who watched the movie 50 years ago. Eight out 10 of them responded with the same answer. Eight friends were shocked the most when the face with a missing eye popped out of the hole in the side of the partially submerged boat. The other two answered that they were most shocked when Quint slid into the mouth of “Jaws” and spit up blood. Peter Benchley’s story produced by a young Steven Spielberg, was a thrilling movie masterpiece, indeed.

June 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the movie “Jaws.” Peter Benchley’s wife wrote a letter to the editor of USA Today marking the occasion. Wendy Benchley describes how the blockbuster film became a cultural phenomenon. In the years following “Jaws,” she wrote, “Peter received thousands of letters from people all over the world. Students, teachers, divers, and future marine biologists – they were all curious about sharks and the ocean. Many wanted to be like Matt Hooper, the young ichthyologist played by Richard Dreyfuss in the movie.”

In her letter, Wendy Benchley went on to say, “The movie opened the door for shark research and ocean conservation, which has transformed our understanding of the ocean.” Wendy and Peter Benchley joined scientists on ocean expeditions and saw the damage firsthand: shark finning, plastic pollution and dying reefs in the years following the release of “Jaws.”

Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) famously said in the movie, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” And, recently, local shark researchers answered that call. In June of 2023, OCEARCH and Jacksonville University announced the designation of $5 million in funding for OCEARCH Global Headquarters, a research, rescue and education center in Mayport, Florida. According to their website, “The Headquarters will include spaces for public education and meetings, OCEARCH ship operation, dockage for research vessels, a state-of-the-art marine life research laboratory with data and academic resource management, and basic housing for research and crew members.”

OCEARCH, is the largest shark-tagging and oceanic research organization in the world. They have conducted 45 global expeditions, producing numerous scientific publications. The new OCEARCH research facility in Mayport has been made possible by partnering with the city of Jacksonville, Mayport development groups, Jacksonville University and the state of Florida.

The new OCEARCH research center in Mayport is down the street from the Marine Science Education Center where I attended summer camp more than 50 years ago. The Marine Science Education Center is part of Duval County Public Schools. The center has 14 wet labs and a small museum housed in a historic 1927 schoolhouse. The Marine Science Education Center is also community resource center available for community festivals and town meetings.

For me, the summer of 1975 will always be remembered as the summer I decided to become a marine biologist, even after seeing “Jaws.” I am forever grateful for the education I received at the Duval County Marine Science Education Center in Mayport. And, later in life, from the Marine Science Research Institute at Jacksonville University.